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Louisville Rotary Meetings 2019

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1st Quarter

PAGE DOWN - to get to the NEWER minutes!

January 2, 2019

HISTORY OF THE LOUISVILLE ROTARY CLUB

Presented by Allen Gress for the

Louisville-Nimishillen Township Historical Society

January 8, 2019

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Good Evening. Thank you for joining us for this program. I was asked to present the story of the Louisville Rotary Club . . . probably because I have been a member since the year 2000. Besides that, Ron & Betty know I am an easy mark. Thanks for my fellow Rotarians who gave up watching CSI tonight to be for moral support and to point out my mistakes. I hope that I can make this evening a enjoyable one for you.

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Unfortunately, there are few records available for the first four decades of the club's existence. Of course, records were made, but over the years they either have gotten lost, disposed of or who knows what? The Historical Society has some information I used and I borrowed from Ken Smith's book Louisville. The Way It Was 1834-1990. Special thanks to Jerry Jackson, a former Rotarian, as was his father, Cy Jackson, and grand-father Cy Jackson, not to confused with Jerry's father, Cy Jackson, jr. the longtime dentist here. Our current club president, Wendy Jackson Harlen is the great-granddaughter of Cy Jackson one of the club's founders, making her the 4th generation of Jacksons as members of the Louisville Rotary Club. Jerry provided me some of his saved materials, which were very helpful.

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The founding year for the Louisville Rotary Club was 1925, so this marks our 94th year of service to the community.

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But first, a brief history of social and service clubs in American Society might be in order. Free Masonry, the Masonic organization, is the oldest society and dates its existence back to the Middle Ages of Europe. The first Grand Lodge was founded in 1717 in London, England. Before that, Free Masonry was a secret society. There was a Masonic Order in Louisville, which, unfortunately, disbanded 8 or 9 years ago. Are there any Masons here tonight?

The Elks was founded in 1866 followed by the Grange in 1867. The Grange is considered as the first of a kind . . . that being a service organization. The Nimishillen Grange closed its Grange Hall a few years ago, but to my understanding a small group of Grangers still meets and carries on their traditions. Any Grange members here tonight?

 

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The National Rifle Association (NRA) was founded in 1870 and its first charter was the State of New York in 1871. As we all know, the NRA is still going strong.

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The Knights of Columbus was founded in 1882 in New Haven, Ct. Does anyone know if the K of C is still meeting in Louisville? They used to have a building on off South Chapel Street where a ball diamond is today.

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The Loyal Order of the Moose, founded in our sister city, Louisville, Kentucky, was founded in 1888. The Fraternal Order of the Eagles, founded in Seattle, Washington, in 1898 is still going strong in Louisville and meet in their nice building on the northwest corner of the Giant Eagle parking lot.

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THEN came the Rotary Organization founded in 1905, the Kiwanis in 1915 and the Lions in 1916. The Louisville Kiwanis Club, founded in 1963, disbanded last year.

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Oh, there are hundreds of organizations today, most focus on a specific goal or need. The American Red Cross, The American Cancer Society, sports teams clubs, Car Clubs, Card Clubs, collectors clubs, country clubs, stamp and coin clubs and don't forget book clubs or the American Legion, the VFW, and many organizations

Think of this " with the exception of the Masons, from post period from the Civil Was through the Roaring Twenties " that was the heyday of American social-service clubs. Some have survived into today's hectic times, some have not, but in all honesty, most clubs and societies that have survived are hurting for membership and financial support. Our world has changed and so has the need for social clubs, yet perhaps not so much for the services they provide.

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What was there about this perio from the 1860s to the 1950s of American History that prompted the club movement? Think about this: Back then most Americans worked 6 days a week with no paid vacations; there was no television for entertainment, radio was just making a mark by 1920. Movie theaters just getting into the entertainment scene and then mostly in the cities. The population of America was shifting from rural to city-town living. Women's work kept them at home doing the washing, ironing, cooking, canning and child raising. The automobile didn't make an impact on living until after 1910. Following the Civil War, The Spanish-American War and WWII, got soldiers to feel a comrade with others . . . People are social and the need was there for social outlets. Church and social/service clubs provided that. I mentioned earlier that today social-service club membership is down and has been going down in the 21st century. How is the membership for organized religions? And so our world has changed.

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I follow Leopard sports and attended a home varsity basketball game recently. There is, of course, a student section that was filled with perhaps (I didn't count) about 150 students. Maybe a few more, maybe less. But the student population of the high school is over 1,000. Where were the remaining 800 or so kids? When I was in high school, everyone went to the games; they were the social highlight of the week, the entertainment of the week, the social event of the week. Today the kids have their electronic devices for entertainment. They have FaceBook, Twitter and others for social contact and interaction. So the world has changed.

 

Rotary's history.

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The 1st Rotary Club was formed when a 37-year-old attorney, Paul Harris, organized a meeting of three men, business acquaintances, in the Unity Building on Dearborn Street in downtown Chicago on Feb. 23, 1905. One of the three members was a tailor and the other a coal merchant. They chose the name Rotary because, in the beginning, the club weekly meetings rotated to each other's offices. But within a year, the meetings became so large it was necessary to find a regular meeting place.

Within the next year or two, clubs were formed in San Francisco, Oakland and Los Angles. The National Association of Rotary Clubs was founded in 1910, and during that same year, a club was founded in Winnipeg, Manitoba Canada, the beginning of the organizations internationally. In a few more years, there were clubs in London, Dublin, Ireland, and in Cuba and the Philippines by 1919 and India in 1920

By 1922, their name was changed to Rotary International and by 1925; there were 200 clubs with more than 20,000 members. Today, there are 34,282 clubs in over 200 countries and territories boasting a membership of 1.22 million members. Rotarians gather weekly for breakfast, lunch or dinner to fulfill their guiding principle "Service above Self." The idea is to develop friendships as an opportunity to serve, not only in words but also through exemplary dedication, awareness of the dignity of all people and the respect of human rights. The Rotary Clubs are open to all people regardless of race, color, creed, religion, gender or political preference.

The Rotary 4-Way Test is repeated at the beginning of each meeting

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Of the things we think, say or do . . .

Is it the truth?

Is it Fair to all concerned?

Will it build goodwill and better friendships?

Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

The Louisville Rotary Club

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The Louisville Rotary Club was officially founded in October of 1925. In the formative stages, meetings were held on the front porches of homes and the men brought their own lunches as they discussed the need for a service organization. Those first 8 members were: And many of their names will be familiar to those of you who have been around here for a while: Frank. E. Clapper, Chauncey Hudson, William Smith, Jay Shoemaker, George Roemer, Wendell Montgomery, Richard Wolf and Marion Myers.

On the evening of August 24, 1925, the men met with a group of Canton Rotarians held in the Louisville Bank, which eventually became the Harter Bank & Trust Company. The old Harter Bank building now houses Rea's Jewelry store.

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The men met for a second time on Aug. 31 and then again on Sept. 8. It was decided to form a Rotary Club. One of their first decisions was to set the club's annual dues at $20 with an initiation fee of $25. It was obligatory for the certification ceremony to have a dinner meeting with several hundred expected guests.  Eight new names were added to the list of prospective members: Ulysses Yoder, Charles Montgomery, Isaac Stoner, Cyrus Jackson, Dennis H. Callahan, Wilford Janson, George Thurin, and William Gilbert.

The next and final organization meeting was held in Paradise Church on Sept. 22 with 12 Canton Rotarians and 16 men from Louisville. Four additional names were added before the certification ceremony: Charles Dwyer, Fred Lawrence, Harry Kroft and Homer Kroft. Frank Clapper was elected as the club's first president. The banquet, with over 300 attending, was held Oct. 6 in the Paradise Church Fellowship Hall. An hour before the dinner, visiting guests and Rotarians led by a marching band from Minerva, paraded through the business district on their way to Paradise Church. Following the meal, Rotary District 21 Governor Leonard T. Skaggs of Youngstown addressed the crowd, discussing what Rotary was all about and made the formal presentation of the Club's Charter. The Louisville Rotary Club was born. Representatives from Canton, Akron, Youngstown, Columbiana, Kent, East Liverpool, Massillon, Millersburg, Carrollton, Sebring, Dennison, Barberton and Warren attended the dinner.

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The population of Louisville was 1,838 then. In 1925, there was an electric trolley car that left for Canton every 15 minutes during the day; there was no home mail delivery, residents picked up their mail at the post office. The village had just 8 streetlights, but neither a traffic signal nor a stop sign in all of Louisville; the boys dammed up the Nimishillen Creek for swimming holes, and there was a yearly community picnic, climaxed with a baseball game between the north side and south side businessmen each summer. A tolling church bell announced the death of a parishioner . . . That was the kind of village that now had a Rotary service club.

In the next 2 years, new Rotary Clubs were established in Wadsworth, Uhrichsville, Ravenna, North Canton, Waynesburg, Cuyahoga Falls, and Canal Fulton.

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As today, there was always a shortage of cash for activities and schemes for fundraising. Early on, if a member missed a meeting or was late, he was also fined but the offender was allowed to choose whether he should pay his fine or take his luck on the wheel of chance much like a roulette wheel. where he might be freed of the fine or have to pay 3, 5, or 10 times the fine. Is this gambling? It must have been a man thing to bet on your luck at the wheel. This certainly added some fun to the meetings.

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The club took seriously the idea that singing was an essential part of each program and from the beginning, singing has been religiously observed. They used to have a piano accompanist at the meetings; sometimes the wives or daughters of members. Singing is still a part of our ceremonies today thanks to Mark Sigler. But, back then there were no Beetles songs! Okay, that's an inside joke.

The club's first regular meeting location was the Miller's restaurant located on the west side of N. Chapel St., the 2nd business north of Main Street. But members complained about the lack of privacy in the restaurant, so two years later, the club moved to the basement Fellowship Hall of Paradise Church where the women of the Ladies Aid Society, as a fundraiser, served the meals. Rotary met in Paradise Church until the Great Depression depleted the membership to the point it was not profitable for the church to serve the meals. For the next 3 years, the club met in private homes. When the club once again gained adequate membership in the late 30s, the club moved to the basement of St. Louis School and continued to meet there until 1943. Then they moved back to Paradise Church.

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There the members began inviting guests for programs. But by the late 60s, a problem arose, a problem that could not be tactfully resolved. Following their meals, many of the men would light up their cigarettes and cigars. Well, the church trustees would have none of that and outlawed smoking in the church. But the men sneaked their smokes, were found out, and were forced to find another location to meet.

Over the past 93 years of the club's existence, the club has met in Paradise Church four different periods the late 1920s through about 1937 the 1943 through the 70s and from 2009 to the present. Virgina Peters, Gail's mother, was a cook during the 1960s.

As time went on, the club met in the Eagles building for breakfast. Rotary moved to The Main Street Restaurant for Wednesday luncheons until the restaurant closed in 2003. Meetings were then moved to Phil's Place on Columbus Road for about two years until the Fireside Restaurant opened in the old Main Street Restaurant in March of 2005. About 2006, it was back to Paradise Church.

 

Projects

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The year was 1926 and one of the club's first independent projects of record was interviewing The East Ohio Gas Company and pressed for the company to extend natural gas services here. Also, the members looked into the idea of new gas street lighting system for the business district to be financed by local assessment. Both projects became realities. The Rotarians went to work, clearing a space in front of City Hall for a public park and the club purchased park benches. On March 6th, the club sponsored the first community-wide father-son banquet attended by more than 300 persons. In the following year, 1927, the club put a fundraiser minstrel show held in the high school auditorium. For the first time that year, the club sponsored the high school football banquet. The Great Depression dropped the membership to 11 and the club seemed headed for extinction.

Those were the beginnings of many community service projects the Rotary Club has given to the Louisville community there were way too many to list, but I would like to highlight several projects that have signifance to our community's history. Perhaps the most visible project that still stands today as a part of the community's heritage was a statue of honor for those who had permanent residence in the village and township when they enlisted in the Armed Services and were killed while in the service of their country. That dates back to 1930. Today, we refer to it as the Doughboy Statue.

In 1935, the club donated $120 for the construction of tennis courts for the Broad Street Park (now Ajancic Park). It was Rotary's money and support that initiated the annual football banquet and the club's money and brawn that built the shelter at Waterworks Park. Rotarians exerted pressure in Washington to get congress to build the post office on E. Main St. in 1940.

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No history of the club would be complete without the story of a past institution, the annual Rotary Show even though the shows sometimes were foolish, but always a lot of fun. There was no Canton Players Guild, no Louisville Community Players, not television then so Into that vacuum stepped the Rotary Shows. For more than a decade it was THE annual affair with no problem selling tickets. It was a moneymaker for the club and a unifying stimulant for the club, a source of boundless fun and pleasure for all who partook. The townspeople loved it. The shows consisted sometimes as minstrels, sometimes as plays, staged sometimes 2, sometimes 3 times. The first of the series was a production entitled Minstrel Mimics, Feb. 7 & 8, 1927. Every Rotarian participated. In 1928, it was Minstrel Echoes, in 1929 the Rotary Frolics, and 1930 Listen Ladies. Then the effects of the Great Depression interrupted the shows. In 1934. The club did a play The Hotel Mortgage and netted a profit of $306.94. The next play was in 1938 and in 1940 a play titled The Night of January 16th, featuring a simulated murder trial. Other plays followed in 1941 and 42. After those, there were a series of minstrels until 1958 when the programs were discontinued. I remember the filled auditorium. (Show Programs)

So if they were so successful, way were they discontinued?

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This period the mid-1950s was the beginning of the Civil Rights movement of the 60s . . . Brown vrs. The Topeka Baord of Education 1954, the showdown at Little Rock High School 1957, and I have to wonder if this Civil Rights awakening was a factor? Can you imagine such a show today? White persons parading with black faces? How un-PC.

By then there seemed to be a declining interest in the plays and some Rotarians disliked the concept of obtaining advertisers for the program which seemed like a hold-up of advertisers and not in line with the image of Rotary.

We are fortunate tonight to have a member of the 1957 show, my wife Gail was one of the Rotary Rocketts that performed in the minstrel that year..

I asked her to share her memories but she declined. Her picture is in the program twice. The programs are property of the Historical Society and can be viewed in the History building showcases. Anyone else here who remembers the shows? I do. I remember the blackened faces for some of the skits. The programs, which sold for ten cents, listed Cy Jackson as general chairman, Jim Mottice, Herm Phillimore, John Jackson, Russ Yoder, Frenchy Bresson, Paul Kerstetter as active participants. Do the names sound familiar?

Here is a listing of the services made possible with the show's proceeds: trophies for the debate teams, send boys to Boys State, helped Little League baseball program, provided radios for Molly State patients, bought rain coats for the Junior Police (Remember Junior Police crossing guards?), gave money to LHS band, sponsored the annual football banquet, sent CARE packages, gave funding to the Boy Scouts and Junior Achievement, gave a Christmas Party for handicapped children, built shuffle courts at the Broad Street Park and helped fund repaired seats for the football stadium.

To replace the money made by the minstrels, the club began its barbecue chicken dinner held at the pavilion in Waterworks Park (now Constitution Park). By 1959, club dues were increased to $45 And now the majority preferred to work less and pay more. Sound familiar?

The Louisville Eagles Club was founded in 1935 and in 1945; the first Girl Scout Troop was organized here. In 1947, the Louisville Ministerial Association was formed and it still meets monthly. The Louisville Chamber of Commerce was begun with C.Q. Zahner its first president. The next year, 1948, the Louisville Recreation, the bowling alley, opened. It just closed this past year. There were 160 businesses in Louisville. In 1952, the Louisville Lions Club was organized.

Two notable events occurred in 1953. First, the State of Ohio made Constitution Day a holiday and Louisville held its first Constitution parade. There were 24 units in the parade. In August of 1953, a fire ravaged the H-P Products building. I was 13 years old at the time and I was there. It was an event I will never forget.

Tell the story. But Rotary has a role here, too.

Members of Rotary realizing how valuable H-P was to the community began a bond drive to help fund the company's rebuilding. And the community responded. It is not clear how much funding was provided, but the company did rebuild and as we all know, the 3-generation H-P Products Company is a viable, growing business appreciated by residents.

In 1955, Rotary began sponsoring the Junior Achievement program.

In 1961, Rotarians Thomas Edwards III, Grant Mooth and Melvin Bixler created the Louisville Scholarship Foundation. That foundation is still thriving and gives out over one million dollars in scholarships each year to worthy LHS graduates. The Rotary still gives funds to keep it strong.

In 1963, the local Kiwanis Club was organized. Unfortunately, it disbanded last year. But also that year, another notable event occurred. The Board of Education hired Ken Smith as a history teacher; play director, student council advisor and 9th grade basketball coach. Ken, stand up and be honored.

In 1965, the club sponsored its first pancake breakfast, a community tradition that still goes on. This year, the breakfast brought in about $1,500 for the club to turn over for community projects.

In 1971, Meals on Wheels was organized in town. Rotary has contributed to their operation many times and a number of Rotarians have volunteered to deliver meals. In 1975, Rotary celebrated its 50th anniversary.

In 1978, Rotary members established a Haunted House as a fundraiser. The house was next to the Dairy Queen on W. Main St. Jim Edwards, one of our oldest members, remembers the Haunted House well. Jim, tell us about that project.

Jim speaks.

Jim, what other memories do you have of those years? As a side note, it should be mentioned that in 1990, Tom Edwards Ford became Jim Edwards Ford.

In 1982, Bob Dalsky was a Rotary Scholarship recipient and went to Africa to study. The next year, 1983, a donation from Rotary was used to restore the WWI memorial. I might add, in 2017, another Rotary donation will be used to refurbish or replace the memorial. Several Rotarians have been active in completing funding for that project.

In the 80s, the club built the gazebo on the downtown square, and Rotarian Jim Edwards and his family donated the clock on the square in 2003. The club has painted and renovated the gazebo several times. I need to tell you that Jim Edwards led the volunteers who installed the clock and I spent one day helping. (Tell story of Jim painting the Gazebo's roof.)

In 1960, there were 43 active members in the club. But the early years of the 21st Century were hard years for the club, as membership dropped to only 8. Today we have 34 members, but not all are active.

One of our projects was the Metzger Park bathroom a $75,000 project that took two years to complete with the help of many community businesses.

My favorite Rotary project is the sponsorship of foreign exchange students and we have sponsored at least one student, sometimes two, for nearly 30 years. Along the way, a number of LHS students have spent a year abroad. We couldn't have done this without the help of many host families. Of course, you are all well aware of the flag-leasing project that is now in its 8th year. It really supports most of our projects these days.

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A brief listing of other projects:

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Sponsorship of the downtown Farmers Market

Support with funding for the Community Cupboard

Funds for the Louisville Scholarship Foundation

YMCA Strong Kids program

Louisville Library for various projects

Louisville Constitution Parade sponsorship

Meals on Wheels

Sent Shelter Boxes for victims of earthquakes in Haiti and Japan

Maintain a mile of Nickelplate walking trail

Operated Punt, Pass & Kick program until it was cancelled by the national     organization

Donated over$15,000 to Rotary International's Polio Plus program

Annual speech contests for LHS students

Constructed new benches for North Nimishillen School.

New sound system for the YMCA

Donated $5,000 for heating the new Historical Building next door.

Moved 89 St. Joseph Hospice patients from their old facility to St. Joseph's   Care Center

Built shelter in Constitution Park

The H-P bond drive

Presented two awards to outstanding LHS band members; paid for plaques for outstanding alumni in the Hall of Achievement.

 

Louisville Rotary still meets in Paradise Church each Wednesday noon. Our club is affiliated with the Rotary International District 6650 encompassing east central Ohio. Visitors, and friends like you, are welcomed to attend.

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Louisville Rotary club
January 23, 2019 Minutes

Jennifer Anderson chaired the meeting due to Wendy Jackson Harlan's prior committment to her job. Pastor David Anderson gave the prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance was recited as was the Rotary 4-way Test. Songmeister Mark Sigler led the group sing of America the Beautiful.

Happy Dollars: Ron Derry forked over a buck to remind everyone the Historical Building has now received its Occupancy Permit and is open for visitors. He also gave a pitch for the February Historical Society Meeting, Feb. 12th at 7 p.m.  He said the program is "Four Men from Elsewhere" presented by Richard Haldi. Ron announced there is an Open House - Ribbon Cutting for the New Historical Society building set for Saturday, March 23 at 10 a.m.

Allen Gress informed the group that he was preparing a booklet fo rthe history of Louisville Rotary Club which is based on the research he did for the January speech at the Historical Society. He asked for pixtures he could include and also suggested a group photo of the entire club. Question: How to get all members in the same place at the same time? To end the discussion, it was decided to postpone a date until next week's meeting. So give it some thought.

Glenn Heiller questioned the string of club minutes. Jim Edwards is placing them on the club website and Al Gress keeps them on his computer and will someday put them on a thumb drive for safe keeping.

Jim Edwards announced that his mother-in-law, Martha Dye, passed away at the age of 103.

The Program:
This year's first grant recipient, the Louisville Public Library, was awarded a $2,000 grant to rework the landscape around the old post office now called the Discovery Center. Longtime Library board member Janet Harold accepted for the library. Ms. Harold began  by telling about herself, a long time special education teacher in the Louisville System. She is a former Zwick and raised three Children. "After I retired, I joined the Town & Country Garden Club." she said. Janet continued by telling the Rotarians of the many beautification projects the Garden Club does each year. She followed with a brief history of the old post office building and how it became part of the Louisville Library. What to do with the building has been a topic of discussion until the Discovery grant was obtained and the Center was completed last summer. In the course of all this, Janet noted the landscaping needed attention. It was old, over-grown, and the dead had not been pruned. This became her project and she got the Garden Club interested. A professional landscaper helped and the estimate for all the work was about $6,000. The club pitched in $500 and with the Rotary grant, there was $2,500 available, so the project began piecemeal in early December. The old shrubbery was removed, new topsoil was added sloping away from the foundation., 7 new window wells were installed, a half ton of gravel was used around the wells, and the mulch was laid. Two Kousa Dogweeds have been planeted with more plants planned for the spring.

"Keep in mind," she reminded us, "The building is one of the focal points of our town."

Upcoming events:
January 30: Renee Powell, PGA pro and East Canton Rotarian
February 1 East Canton Chili Cook Off 4-7 p.m. at Rotary District Art Fundraiser in Youngstown
February 5 Board Meeting Uptown Joe's at noon
February 6  Business meeting

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Louisville Rotary Club
February 6, 2019
Meeting minutes

Club President Wendy Jackson Harlen chaired the noon luncheon meeting held at Paradise Church with 15 members present. Before singing Happy Birthday, Songmeister Mark Sigler informed everyone that the day was the 55th anniversary of the first television performance of the Beetles when they appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. Also noted that the song was for Mike Yeagley and Jim Edwards, both having the next
birthdays of those present. Paradise Pastor David Anderson gave the opening prayer.


1. Denny Valentine thanked Barb DeJacimo for representing the club in the Chili Cook-off at the Foltz Center in East Canton sponsored as a fund raiser for the East Canton Rotary. East Canton was awarded first prize,
but Denny emphasized that Barb's chili was the best of the choices. According to Denny, about 300 people were served.
2. Mike Yeagley gave an update on the Umbrella Alley project that he and son David are involved with. The original plans had to be approved by the Stark County Planning Commission, but were turned down. Mike
appealed to the next level and the original decision was over turned so the alley project can continue as planned.
3. Ken Smith is upset that many Louisville parking and other signage is bent or out of kilter. He will talk with City Manager Collins about righting the signs. To help, he asked the members to send him a list of signs to add to his list.
4. Bob Hallier attended the pre-PETS conference in Columbus last weekend. He said it was well worth it and that Hopefully I got to know what to do. The group chuckled at the comment because there is no doubt in anyone's mind that he will be an excellent president.
5. Our next Wednesday's meeting is cancelled so that members can attend the LHS girls JV basketball game to support Sigrid. Afterwards, we are convening to Bud's Corner for a social get together. Please bring your
favorite friend. Oh, and the game begins at 6.
6. The Splash Pool is still a go. Council expects construction to begin in March. The city has not asked for our pledge money yet.
7. Bill Wood said our exchange students parents are coming to America for Sigrid's graduation. We are going to invite them to our weekly meeting and have Sigrid do the program. We are going to invite Jerry Jackson to
the meeting because of his connection to Norway. Bill also suggested it was time we review the club's bylaws and
volunteered to do that.
8. The BIG news, the really big news is that our beloved President Wendy has accepted a new job in South Carolina. She will begin that position on March 1. Since the club has no vice-president, the Board has
decided to ask President-Elect Bob Hallier to begin his reign 4 months early. He has graciously accepted the challenge. Wendy, you will be missed, but we wish you the best in this new chapter of your life. Please
visit us when you return to Louisville.
9. Secretary's note: So you're wondering about the margins. So am I. I haven't mastered page layout on my new MacBook Air. If any of you are familiar with Pages, email me. If any of you are having difficulty opening this attachment, let me know.
Thanks for your patience for I have used a computer for over 25 years in my work. I now feel like an idiot.


Upcoming events:
 

Feb. 13 No meeting
Feb. 20 Jennifer Anderson accepts the YMCA's grant money
Feb. 27 The Honorable Frank Forchione, Judge of the Stark County
Common Pleas Court. His topic is Stop Heroin from Killing.
Submitted by Allen Gress, Secretary

No meeting Feb 13

No meeting Feb 20 snow

Louisville Rotary Club

February 27, 2019 Meeting minutes

This is printed on front and back

Club President Bob Hallier took over for the first time following Wendy Jackson Harlan's move to North Carolina. There were 29 persons in attendance including six guests. After the prayer given by Paradise Pastor David Anderson, the Pledge of Allegiance and the Rotary 4-Way Test recitations, Songmeister Mark Sigler led the group in a two round version of All Together Now. (Was this really a Beatle's song?)

Guests included Judge Frank Forchione, Gail Gress, Marilyn Heiller, Joanie. Aljancic, Pat Fallot, and the Director of Nursing for St. Joseph's CareCenter. (I didn't catch her name)..

Club Business

1.President Hallier discussed a request by Stark County Children's Services for blankets for children removed from their homes and quickly placed into foster care. He motioned the transfer of $350 for blankets which was approved by an unanimous vote.

2.President Hallier discussed his attendance at the PETS conference in Columbus and he encouraged members to attend the District Conference held the end of April. More information will be forthcoming.
3.President Hallier thanked Wendy Jackson Harlan for her work as president and wished her well in her new endeavor. With that the club members gave a hearty "Hear, hear!"

Happy Dollars

1. Bill Wood read a card sent to the club from Theo, one of our exchange students two years ago from France. The young man wished us well and said he missed us.

2. Mark Sigler announced that he is now a great-grandfather with the birth of Rose. 3. There will be a Rotary Speech contest for the LHS high school students and

volunteers will be requested to judge.
4. Al Gress reminded everyone that an individual picture is needed, either an actual

photo or a digital one for the Rotary Book. Send your photo to Gress at gressallen@yahoo.com or gheiller@yahoo.com

The Program

Stark County Common Pleas Court Judge Frank Forchione opened his message with the story of his dog keeping him up all night. I guess it's been A Hard Day's Night!, he quipped with reference to Sigler's fascination to Beatles music. But in a serious vein he began his message about the largest crisis in the country the opioid crisis which, he said, caused 60,000 overdoses in the U.S. last year. The Judge has been actively working with a drug clinic to get individuals who come before him help One of the biggest current problems is the drug fentanyl which comes from China and is 100 times more potent that heroin. Last year there were 4,800 overdoses in Ohio with 3,400 deaths due to fentanyl. Of course, drug addicts need cash for their drug fix, so that causes

 

an increase in property crimes such as shop lifting, burglary and robbery. "The drug crisis is touching all aspects of our society." he said. "This is now touching everybody." The judge said Stark County is leading the state in the treatment of fentanyl cases. Narcan can, if used in time, correct an overdose and all Stark police officers carry Narcan. Dayton, Cincinnati and Columbus are three of the top overdose areas in the country. "Why did we get into this situation,?" he asked. One reason is the interstate highways that crisscross those areas. Kids do drugs for the thrill, and he warned grandma and grandpa to watch their drug cabinets.

The members were impressed with Judge Forchione's approach and his compassion.

 

Upcoming events:

March 5 - Board meeting, noon Uptown Joe's

March 6 - Business Meeting

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Submitted by Allen Gress, Secretary 

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Louisville Rotary Club
March 6, 2019
Meeting minutes

This is printed on front and back
Club President Bob Hallier chaired the business meeting with 12 members in
attendance. After the prayer given by Paradise Pastor David Anderson, the Pledge
of Allegiance and the Rotary 4-Way Test recitations, Songmeister Mark Sigler led the
group in singing God Bless America.
There were no Happy Dollar announcements.
Business
1. President Hallier proposed a change in the bylaws regarding a Presidential
Vacancy. He suggested a change labeled Article 5, Section 8. It reads:
In the event the President is unable, or unwilling to continue performing
duties as president, the Board of Directors will appoint a new president.
This will precede the election of a new president by the membership at the
next meeting.
A motion to accept the change as read was made by Bill Wood and seconded by
Mark Sigler. The motion was passed unanimously.
Louisville Rotary Club Officers for 2019-2020


President - Bob Hallier
President-Elect - Jared Shive
Treasurer - Justin Kuhn
Secretary - Allen Gress
Sergeant-at-Arms - David Yeagley
Past President - Jennifer Anderson


At-Large Members of the Board: Ken Willet and Barb DeJacimo
2. Sales tax on flag program. It was decided to change all wording in flag literature
and replace the cost with the word DONATION. It is felt by the club's Treasurer, a
CPA, that we could continue the flag program as is by accepting donations instead of
a specific dollar amount.
3. PayPal. Jared has been working on instituting Pay Pal for the flag donations. He
said it will be available for the April sign-up period for the Flag Program. There is a
cost of $1.17 for each transaction, but it is thought that there would be limited use, at
least in the near future.
4. President Hallier announced that the Board decided to forgo the Taste of Louisville
program this year and work with other community groups for an Ocktober Fest for
sometime in October. It may be in a downtown location utilizing the Green Space and
Umbrella Alley with the new brewery in the middle.
5. The flag computer data base. President Hallier wants to move the flag data base
to the Cloud with three persons holding a password. The concern is where the club
would be if Jim Edwards became incapacitated for whatever reason. Bob and Jim
are going to meet and discuss the matter.
6. Al Gress discussed a letter he received from the Nimishillen Township Grange
inviting member participation in a service project called Scarfapaloza. Those persons
who can knit, crochet, sew or can cut material are welcome to join others in making
scarves which will be distributed to the needy at a later date. If anyone is interested,
call 330-875-5843 and ask for Lyn or Ann.
7. The Board approved joining the Greater Louisville Chamber of Commerce for the
year. It is hoped that we can get one member to attend Rotary meetings to keep us
informed of their programs and activities.
8. Denny Valentine encouraged all members to attend the Cultural Fair held at the
high school March 6. Bill Wood and Denny had a booth pushing those Rotary
programs for youth.
9. Al Gress announced that the club book is now ready for your pictures. Send a
photo and a digital picture to either Al (gressallen@yahoo.com or Glenn
ghheiller@yahoo.com) For those members who want their latest photo image,
Denny will be taking candids before and after the March 13 & 20 meetings.
10. Jen Anderson entertained us with the story of found money in a Y locker.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:00 p.m.


Submitted by Allen Gress, Secretary

Louisville Rotary Club

March 13, 2019

Meeting Minutes

Club President Bob Hallier chaired the meeting with 13 members and three guests in attendance.  After the prayer given by Jared Shive, the Pledge of Allegiance and the Rotary 4-Way Test were recited. Guests were Susan Eitelman, Nancy Montgomery and Romy Anderson.

Happy Dollars 

 

1. Congratulations to the two LHS wrestlers who are this year's state champions in their weight class.  

 

2. Al Gress reminded everyone to get their photo in to Glenn Heiller NOW. Photos will be taken for the last time next meeting the 20th. BE THERE. If we don't get a photo we will take one from the last club brochure that is  5 years old.

 

4. Jim Edwards was thankful the Browns got Odell Beckman and thinks the Browns may win the Super Bowl next year.

 

5.  Bob Hallier shared some of his experiences at the Rotary PETS training seminar held in Columbus last week. Bob said our District was tops in Ohio in support  of the Warm Blanket program. 3099 blankets were given by our District. He said he came back with many new ideas.

 

Bob is also proud of his son who was promoted by the Navy to Commander. He is stationed in Jacksonville, Florida.

 

Bob also reviewed the list of goals set last July by Wendy and shared how many we have accomplished. The one goal we have not met was an increase of 3 new members, so everyone should push and bring in potential members.

 

The Program

 

Romy Anderson, a high school senior at McKinley High School and the daughter of Jennifer Anderson, presented the program of her experience working as a volunteer at the Lakota Sioux Indian, Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota. She was accompanied by Nancy Montgomery, a retired teacher who also was a part of the trip.This was Romy's third experience at the reservation which is just seven miles from famous Wounded Knee Reservation and not far from Custer State Park. Both Romy and Nancy are members of Christ Presbyterian Church of Canton which sponsored the mission trip. Groups of volunteers have been going there since 2010.

 

Romy said the reservation is e 2nd of five of the poorest communities in America with a school dropout rate of 70%. Most of the men don't work; they don't have cars. The group plans a Vacation Bible School for the children. During the week the kids are picked up at 8:30 and given breakfast, sing songs, do skits and crafts then get lunch. There is only 3 hours of Bible study, the rest is play time. Many of the children have Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, so some have a short attention span.

 

Romy said she had a wonderful time and her message to the Rotarians showed that. She is ready to return this summer after graduation.

 

The meeting was adjourned at 1:00 p.m.

 

Submitted by Allen Gress, Secretary

Louisville Rotary Club

March 20, 2019

Meeting Minutes

President Bob Hallier presided over the meeting held in the Paradise Church Fellowship Hall with 18 persons including five guests present. After the prayer given by Paradise Paster David Anderson, the Rotary 4-Way Test and the Pledge of Alliegence to the Flag, Songmeister Mark Sigler led the singing of It's A Grand Old Flag.

 

Business

 

1. Allen Gress announced that photos would be taken after the meeting and Friday, March 22 was the deadline to get a new photo for the upcoming club yearbook. After Friday, old and musty pictures from the last 5 years ago will be used.

 

2. President Bob reminded members the Rotary Speech Contest was set for Thursday, March 28 at 4:30 and volunteers are needed. Those interested should contact Greg Parrish, 330-268-0114.

 

3. Denny Valentine reminded members of the ribbon cutting for the Historical Society's new facility this Saturday and 10 a.m.

 

4. President Bob said nominations for District Governor were currently ongoing and urged a Louisville club member to apply. He said that no Louisville member has ever served as a District Governor. Bill Wood's name was mentioned.

 

5. Bob also mentioned he would participate in a webnar titled Courage Leader between 3 & 4 p.m. March 23. Get information from the Rotary website. "There's lots of information there," he said.

 

6. Bob passed out a letter of appreciation from Judge Frank Forcione for his invitation to speak at a previous meeting.

 

7. If you need to telephone Bob, please use his land line instead of his cell number.

 

The Program

 

Bill Wood introduced the four 2019 LHS RYLA participates: Avery Wengerter, Harley Nunez, Isabella Rich and Robert Duncan plus our exchange student Sigrid  Skaar.

 

The RYLA students, as a group, introduced themselves and shared a brief biography of their school activities.

 

The program, held in Warren, was attended by 99 high school juniors from 60 different high schools in District 6650. They did not room together nor were they placed in the same study groups. They were required to give up their cell phones for the day's programs. One of their projects was to create a mission statement for their place in the world.

 

These are some of their comments about their experience.

 

* In life, learn to enjoy the small things.

 

* Before  I die I want to travel the world and see other cultures.

 

* Before I die I want to know I made a difference in someone's life.

 

* They all agreed the weekend retreat was a good experience and well worth the time spent.

 

Some of the topics they discussed included

 

* Vaping.

 

* Smoking marijuana.

 

* Lowering the voting age to 16.

 

Coming Events:

​

March 27 - open

April 2 - Board meeting, noon, Uptown Joe's

April 3 - Business meeting

April 10 - Short term student exchange

 

The meeting adjourned at 1:00.

 

Submitted by Allen Gress, Secretary

RYLA attendees Robert Duncan, Avery Wengerter, Isabella Rich, Harley Nunez.

Louisville Rotary Club

March 27, 2019

Meeting Minutes

President Bob Hallier opened the meeting with 17 members present. The prayer, the Pledge of Allegiance and the Four-Way Test were completed. No song today as our Songmeister was not present.

​

Club Business

​

Secretary's comment: The use of the Happy Dollar program was intended for non-Rotary information. Club news should not be Happy Dollar tagged.  Somewhere along the line, we got out of sequence. Please note the difference as reported in this club document.

​

1. Greg Parrish thanked those who have volunteered to judge Rotary's speech contest this coming Thursday at the high school.

2. Jim Edwards announced that 780 emails for flag patrons were to go out this evening.

3. Glenn Heiller said the there would only be three flag postings this year and would begin May 22 & 23.

4. President Hallier gave additional information he picked up at a recent meeting in Columbus. With 33 dues-paying members, our club size is right in the middle of the average of Ohio clubs. But we're better than average with fund raising. He included in the day's agenda of the projects for 2018-2019 which included:

Sponsorship of the downtown monthly Farmers Market

Polio Plus contribution of $1,000

Sponsorship of one inbound foreign exchange student

Sponsorship of 4 students for RYLA weekend

Two LHS band awards and the Hall of Achievement plaques

Community grants totaling $7,500

Sponshipship of the Constitution Week festivities $2,200

Sponsorship of the the LHS Four-Way Test speech contest

The Warm Coats project $4,100

Sponsorship of the Splash Park  $35,000

5. Ken Smith expressed an idea. Why not purchase another brass bell and use it as a hand-off for each change of presidents? Each new president's name would be engraved on the bell and the acting president would keep it at home until the next change of presidents. The idea would be discussed at the next club board of directors meeting.

6. Al Gress announced the draft of the club book was complete and should go to the printer next week.

Happy Dollars

1.      Ron Derry, speaking for Betty, said the Ribbon Cutting for the new Historical Society building went well. See the front page of this week's Herald.

Program

President Bob introduced fellow Rotarian Larry Collins, Louisville City Manager, as the day's program. Collins spoke to the club last October and at that time outlined some of his goals for the community. Today, he reviewed the progress the community has made in meeting those goals. To keep this report in short form, I will list salient points.

​

*  Collins updated us about Encino, the company that boughtout Cheasepeake. Employment there has increased from 81 under Cheasepeake to 126 now. He has met with officials from Houston and found them to be very cooperative and positive about Louisville.

*. There has been discussion about Encino selling some of there property along the road next to their office structure. This area would be turned into an Industrial Park.

*. Collins has established a non-profit advisory group of local business leaders to attract new businesses, especially for the downtown area. This is not a "secret society" as has been gossiped about.

*. The craft brewery is set to open in late July or August.

*. Umbrella Alley construction is set for two weeks or when the weather breaks. "Things are starting to happen."

*. He shared with us architect drawings of a potential entertainment venue at Brookside Farms. Walking trails, a steak house, outdoor concert arena, horse-drawn buggy rides  a beautiful venue for weddings and other events. The city is currently doing engineering studies for water and sewer lines to the area.

*. Collins discussed the Hall of Fame project (HOF) and it's potential for Louisville. "It's estimated the project will generate 13,000 jobs and Louisville is in a good position to profit from this."

*. The splash park project is on target and ground preparation will begin in the next few weeks weather permitting. It's set to begin splashing the middle of August. Collins said the concrete must set at least 24 days before use. He thanked the Rotary for their involvement.

​

Upcoming events:

​

April 2 - Rotary Board meeting, noon Uptown Joe's

April 3 - Business meeting

April 10 - Short term student exchange program

April 17 - KidWatch - Cliff Varian

​

Submitted by Allen Gress, Secretary

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