Louisville Rotary Club
We meet Wednesday at noon at The Alsatian,
2300 Reno Dr., Louisville, Ohio 44641
Enter south side of building and turn right to Activities Room.
Mailing Address: P.O Box 170
Louisville, Ohio 44641
Phone 330-418-3375
April 1, 2020 - No Meeting
Louisville Rotary Club
Meeting Minutes
April 8, 2020
This 3rd week of house confinement due to the Covid-19 virus, members logged-in for an on-line meeting. Ten Rotarians were present and participated. Mark Sigler did the prayer. As usual, Bob Hallier was in his usual leadership role as president.
Club Business
1. President Hallier reported that Treasurer Justin Kuhn sent out another check for $175 to feed the Louisville School Children
2. We discussed the offer from the Rotary Foundation to use our next year’s grant of $175 to feed Louisville School Children. The Club decided to spend the grant now to continue feeding the Louisville School Children. The grant will be funded next year by the Foundation. We have given a total of $850 with the three grants from the Club.
3. The Rotary Foundation is requesting suggestions for a $25,000 grant for the whole district. Our club decided to recommend using the money for purchase of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE). This would be funded by a Disaster Response Grant from the foundation and It would serve the entire district. The pandemic meets the definition required for a grant.
4. We have received a great many of positive responses from posting our flags. People should know we have included all previous flag subscribers in this first posting without charge. They will need to sign up for the year if they wish to continue flag postings.
5. We ask if any member was aware of one of our members needing help or support. None were reported at this time.
6. Bob Hallier told his personal war story: The"Cuban Missile Crisis during a 13-day period of October 16-28 of 1962. It previously had been reported to President John Kennedy that the Russians were installing ICBM’ ballistic missiles in Cuba just 90 miles from Florida. These missiles could target all of the United States. For those 13 days the nation was on the brink of nuclear war. I was part of the ship's crew of the USS Randolph CVS 15 an aircraft carrier. President Kennedy authorized a navel blockade of Cuba and ordered the stopping of all Soviet ships headed to the island. He indicated force would be used if necessary. I was all of 20 years old and worked in air operations office. The Commander I worked for was in charge of the air operations for the carrier. Russian Premier Nikita Khrushchev ordered his ships to continue to sail toward Cuba with their cargo of missiles. Our planes could take pictures of the Soviet vessels and hunt submarines. We contacted a Soviet sub and stayed with her long enough to make her come to the surface and run on her diesel engines. Our Captain asked if they needed assistance. He knew they were hunting us as well. To end this stalemate, President Kennedy agreed to not invade Cuba and the Russians offered to withdraw their missiles from Cuba. Secretly, we also agreed to remove our missiles we just had installed in Turkey which threatened the Soviet Union. The confrontation is often considered the closest the Cold War came to escalating into a full-scale Nuclear War.
]For 13 days we all proudly carried out the will of our nation and the duties of our oath as seamen in the United States Navy. Not too bad for a bunch of twenty somethings.
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Submitted by Allen Gress, Secretary
Bob Hallier presenting our check to Girl Scouts
Small Title
Louisville Rotary Club
Meeting Minutes
April 15, 2020
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President Bob Hallier conducted the 3rd consecutive on-line club meeting employing the Zoom technology with participation by 12 members. As tradition, the meeting opened with a prayer, a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance and the Four-Way Test.
Happy Dollars
1. Glenn Heiller will owe — sometime in the future — his buck for expressing his happiness that all the flags were posted, some in the fierce wind and rain. (Where is Global Warming when we need it?)
Club Business
1. Treasurer Justin Kuhn sent a second check for $175 for the Louisville School program to feed elementary aged children. Our club has contributed $850 to this program during this period of virus closing.
2. I sent an email to Dr. Apricella requesting the Disaster Response Grant of $25,000 be used to purchase Personal Protection Equipment for District Hospitals and First Responders. Dr. Apricella is the Rotary District 6650 coordinator for COVID-19 relief programs.
3. Prexy Bob reminded all that April 15th is traditionally the deadline for payment of Federal Income Taxes, but that date has been moved until July15th. State Income Tax and City Income Tax will also be due July 15th.
4. Bob also reminded all that the Economic Impact Stimulus payments are now being sent out. They are being directly deposited to bank accounts by the IRS. You can track your payment through the Get My Payment IRS website (www.irs.gov/coronavirus/get-my-payment)
5. Another helpful memo: The Mayo Clinic has prepared a paper (Coronavirus disease - What you should know about COVID - 19) that answers many questions about the virus and what we can do to help prevent the spread. (www.mayoclinic.org)
6. Glenn Heiller said he ordered 200 new flags and there is a problem with colors running when they are wet. He contacted the company and they are negotiating replacing all 200 flags.
6. Jim Edwards said we might lose a large number of flags because of the weather during this time of year. Our Treasurer as set aside $2,000 for emergency flag replacement if needed.
7. Jim Edwards reported flag renewals are coming about the same rate as last year. We will need to keep an eye on this because of the slow down in the economy.
8. It was recommended that we try to get a guest speaker for our next meeting. Mike Yeagley will try to get a program about Mt. Everest from a local resident who made the climb. Greg Anderson volunteered to give technical support for the program.
Secretary’s post-meeting note: Special thanks to Greg Anderson for his on-line technical assistance getting Zoom programmed on my computer and for Jim Edwards who violated every “person spacing” edict to personally guide my efforts tin accomplishing this. Now, if only I can get into my new program next Wednesday.
Submitted by Allen Gress, Secretary
Louisville Rotary Club
Meeting Minutes
April 22, 2020
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For the fourth week in a row, the club’s weekly meeting was courtesy of Zoom, an on-line service. President Bob Hallier presided, rang the traditional Rotary bell and 16 members were in the process. Jim Edwards offered the prayer, asking God to protect all from the Coronavirus. Bob led the Pledge of Allegiance and the Rotary Four-Way Test. Songmeister Mark Sigler piped Julie Andrews version of Sound of Music for our song. (He thought the Sound of Music was appropriate for the day’s program.)
Happy Dollars
* Jim Edwards said he has received three very nice, warm thank-you notes for flag customers. He added that we have received 20 new customers since the flags went up last week.
* Barb Dejacimo said 2,800 people have already voted absentee, so if any of those on- line have not voted, please vote for the three money levies; the Louisville School, the Louisville Library and Stark Parks.
* Bill Wood announced that our exchange student from Argentina flew home last week and got to Buenos Aires Saturday night. That was Bill’s last contact with Jeremy.
Club Business
* President Bob discussed the District Awards program and suggested we submit our history booklet, A Story of The Louisville Rotary. The entrees are due May 20.
The Program
Mike Yeagley introduced the program speaker, John Johnson; both having met at the North Canton YMCA. Johnson’s, occupation was as a field service engineer and is a hiker. His story is his experience hiking up Mount Everest to the basecamp No. 1, which is 17,000 feet high. The trek, as he called it, was between Oct. 21 and Nov. 3 of last year. The trek takes 5 days up and 2 days down. As one might guess, the hiking of the tallest mountain in the world is now closed due to the Carona-19 Virus. Johnson belongs to the Hilltop Hikers, and there were 8 persons from their club on this trek that included a total of 15 hikers.
We learned that Mt. Everest is located in Nepal situated between China and India. With a population of 29 million, Nepal’s land mass is about the size of South Carolina. Most of the residents live in the valleys between the mountains. The country is landlocked. The average income per resident is $400 a year. Tourism is the country’s chief income. About 80% of the population is of the Hindu faith and, yes, cows are sacred there. The capital is Kathmandu with a population of two and a half million. Nepal had an earthquake in 2015 that killed about 9,000 people.
The cost of the trip is about $1,900 which includes a Sherpa, a local who carries your backpack that is limited by the laws of the country. Food and water are provided. Each hiker must have an emergency insurance policy to cover possible air flight off the mountain in case of sickness or accident. Cost of the policy is about $170 and Johnson told us the story of one of the hikers in his group needed to be airlifted down. The meals consisted mostly of rice, noodles with some chicken. Johnson said there are not many signs along the mountain trail and persons can hike without a guide, but he wouldn’t recommend it.
John also had a lot to say about the trip over — he flew on India Airlines. “This is definitely a Third World country airline,” he said. He also talked about the capital city and the food. He had such a good experience he has formed a business with his son and daughter-in-law. The business will make arrangements for Americans who want the same experience trekking up Mt. Everest. By the way, it you make it, you get a souvenir tee-shirt. Interested persons can phone Johnson’s business at 330-284-4535.
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Submitted by Allen Gress, Secretary
Zoom Meeting, No Picture of John Johnson available
Louisville Rotary Club
Rotary Minutes
April 29, 2020
For the fourth consecutive week our weekly meeting was conducted on-line with the Zoom program. Seventeen members logged-on as Jennifer Anderson read from her favorite children’s book. President Bob Hallier rang the Rotary bell at precisely 12 noon and Jim Edwards again offered the traditional opening prayer. Jim’s heavenly message was a request for God to keep us all safe and to heal our country. The Pledge of Allegiance and the Rotary Four-Way Test was recited. Unfortunately, Songmeister Mark Sigler did not sign-in so there was no song.
Happy Dollars
* Brock Hutchison shared his excitement with the decisive victory for the library’s renewal tax levy which garnered a 61% favorable vote. “Thank you all for your support,” he said.
* Glenn Heiller asked for help reposting about 40 flags that show significant color run. He also plans a bill-stuffing party Friday at 1 in the Rotary Flag Barn. There are 533 statements to be folded and placed in envelopes.
* Wearing a black outfit, Barb Dejacimo carried on despite her disappointment, discussed the school levy’s failure by about 400 votes. The cuts announced several months ago will be implemented, she said. Thirteen teaching spots out, middle school sports and clubs gone, and school busing at state minimums were some of the cuts the residents can expect. There were four Stark County schools with levies on the ballot and Louisville was the only one that lost the support of their community.
The Program
And so it began with the bombing-by-aircraft destruction of the Twin Towers in New York City September 11, 2001 that resulted in the murder of nearly 3,000 people. Countless others still harbor scars of that unprovoked terrorist attack. Today’s message is one of those stories.
This April morning nearly 20 years later, wearing a white Red Cross baseball cap, Jim Edwards shared his emotional journey that began the unforgettable day as he was driving to Cleveland for a scheduled Red Cross meeting. The meeting was cancelled and as he drove back, he made a decision — a commitment — to go to New York City as a Red Cross worker. “I called Mary, told her I was going and asked if she would join me,” he said. “Without hesitation, she said “absolutely” — a memory that brought Jim to tears as he began his story. After family members failed in efforts to talk them out of going, they departed the next day in a Red Cross one-ton box truck called an Emergency Response Vehicle (ERV).
As he was leaving, a neighbor found him and gave him several hundred dollars. Along the way traveling on I-80 strangers honked, gave him the thumbs up and cheered them, for they knew where he was headed and probably wished they, too, could go. That was the mood of America then. Crossing the George Washington bridge heading for mid-town Manhattan, there was a line of perhaps 500-600 people trying to get into the site to volunteer the search through the rubble. Finding the NYC Red Cross headquarters, he loaded the truck with water, beverages and snack food and headed for Ground Zero. His truck got him through the barricades. Jim told the story of coming across a dozen or so firefighters, laying down, exhausted from digging in the debris looking for their fellow firefighters. He parked about 100 yards from the debris, but was ordered out — this was a crime scene. They set up the next morning near the site and began handing out food and water. Along came a well-dressed man with polished shoes — it was Donald Trump. “I offered him an apple, but he turned me down.” At 8:30 Thursday morning, 48 hours after the nightmare began, the sirens went off and everyone started running away from the scene. Parts from an adjoining building began falling off.
Jim and Mary found a school within a short distance for the site. There was a kitchen, now covered with an inch of dust. Mary began cleaning and Jim set about getting food and things to work. A Baptist Church group came along and set up cooking equipment and we all began preparing meals for the firemen, police, EMS staff and whoever was there. “We worked 17 hours that first day,” he related. “Volunteers did not want to leave — I saw firemen who came from the piles of debris with bloody hands — nobody wanted to leave. I saw a lot of men come with tears streaming down their dirt covered faces.” In a few days we were given boxes of donated clothing and the workers could come in and take what they needed. Large boxes of letters were delivered to our station, people from all over the world wrote and gave their best wishes and hopes for recovery of persons. At the height of their work, their group of volunteers put out 10,000 meals a day.
Jim and Mary would stay on duty from September 12 through October 3 — 24 days. Full days! For the next five years they underwent complete physical examinations for Jim could not pass a breathing test, a residual effect of the dust and dirt from the site. He does not complain. Jim would go on to complete 14 disaster missions for the Red Cross; Mary did three. But the New York disaster has carved an imprint in Jim’s memory that will last forever.
Submitted by Allen Gress, Secretary
“Heroes don’t have the need to be known as heroes, they just do what heroes do because it is right and it must be done.”
Quote by Shannon A. Thompson
No Picture of Jim available
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Louisville Rotary Club
Meeting Minutes
May 6, 2020
Twelve members Zoomed in for the fifth on-line meeting of the Louisville Rotary Club since the quarantine began. President Bob rang the bell at noon sharp, and gave the opening prayer asking God to give us strength to see our way through this period.
We did the Four-Way Test and Pledged our Allegiance to the flag.
Happy Dollars
* Bob wanted us to know he repaired his tiller after many tries. The rest of us wondered why Bob, since he no longer lives on a farm, now needs a tiller
* Jim Edwards reported in from his white Ford work wagon while parked in Kenny-Bob’s driveway. Jim went over to the Smith house to hook him up to our meeting. Last week these minutes complimented Jim for his service during 9/11; this week he again showed us the true meeting of service above self.
* Speaking of last week, there has not been a column in the Herald for the past two weeks despite the fact that I sent one both weeks. I have an email to Frank, the owner, to see what’s going on.
* Photos do not lie, even those streamed on TV or Smart-Phones. We got to see the new Brock Hutchinson, sans a beard. It is suspected that Brock’s wife had something to do with his cut.
* President Bob thanked Bill and Vivian Wood for preparing over 500 bills for the flag customers.
Club Business
1. President Bob reported that all members are reported to be in good health and the Louisville Community is beginning to open up from the Coronavirus lockdown.
2. Jim Edwards discussed the need to move our website to a new server which will result in a cost increase of about $35 a month. Jim said he will pay one-third of the cost because he also uses the site for his own website. The new website will provide better service and add coverage for mobile devices. The matter will be discussed at Wednesday’s meeting.
3. The annual installation banquet held at Skyland Pines will be postponed until further notice and an induction of the new officers will be held June 17th, probably using Zoom.
4. The need for more programs was discussed for the rest of the month. Jim will contact R.C. Miller to see if he will present a program. Al suggested we get the football coach in and Barb said she would give that a try.
5. The loss of the 6.9 school levy was discussed and the effects on the kids. It was agreed to have a committee including Barb DiJacimo, Dave Yeagley and Jennifer Anderson explore ways the club can help kids fill the gaps caused by the drop of programs from the school’s program. Barb will represent the schools, Jennifer the YMCA and Dave will represent our club. All three organizations have programs that young adults might find beneficial. Al said that if any seniors next year needed volunteer credits for college applications or just because they want to so something good, he will steer them to volunteering at Paradise Church. Efforts will be made to contact members of the Key Club and we would sponsor them. 6. Bill Wood is applying next year’s Rotary grants. He recommended we request $500 from the District. We may get less funding and will have to adjust our spending to whatever the grant gives us.
7. We are going to submit the club’s history and the splash park for District recognition.
Submitted by Allen Gress, Secretary
Louisville Rotary Club
Meeting Minutes
May 13, 2020
Sixteen members zoomed in for the sixth straight on-line meeting eager to hear/see the day’s program presented by LHS’s new head football coach Troy Davis. Jim Edwards, with a little encouragement, gave the prayer asking God to get government officials to work for the good of our country. After the usual pledge and Four-Way test, President Bob jumped into club business. Songmeister Sigler dropped the ball and we had no singing for this meeting.
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Happy Dollars
No one was happy enough to spread their joy.
Club Business
* Flag Meister Glenn Heiller reported the 200 replacement flags arrived along with a check for $1,000. The replacement flags and cash are for previous flags ordered which were defaced with colors running during rainy weather. Following that news, President Bob quipped that Glenn should work for the city!
* Greg Anderson suggested that we all check our flag routes for damaged, broken or flags that need our special attention.
* Jim Edwards announced that we now have 945 accounts compared to 1,135 at this time last year. The cursed Coronavirus is blamed for the drop in paid accounts.
* Farmer’s Market. The June market will be cancelled and at a later date we will decide on July or further markets.
* President Bob reported that we have the two entries in the District 6650 competition.
The Program
Louisville graduate and current teacher Troy Davis was hired as the high school’s new football coach after the first of the year. The Malone College graduate grew up playing in the community’s Little Leopards program and went on playing football under Rick Crislip’s coaching. “Coach Crislip showed me that anything is possible,” Davis spoke with respect. In the 3 years of Davis’ varsity experience, Louisville went from records of 3 & 7 to 7 & 3. Since the 1990s, Louisville has always been over 50% wins according to Davis. “After my high school experience, I decided I wanted to be a teacher and football coach,” he said. “I wanted to be able to help kids.” One of his coaching philosophies is “You can’t win every game, but you can always be successful,” he said, “and that has always been a goal of mine.”
Coach Davis opened the floor for questions and Mark Sigler, a well-remembered former LHS quarterback, jumped at the chance to ask what the coach thought about the quarterback sneak as a called play. Amid laughter, Coach Davis said anything that gains ground is a good play or something along those lines.
Jim Edwards asked about Louisville playing a non-league schedule. Davis explained how difficult it is to make the playoffs playing an independent schedule. “You have to win 7 or 8 games.” The Coach said he would like to get into a league.
Sigler again asked what we could do as a club to help his program? Answer: promote what we do, what we are.
Dave Yeagley asked what fans could expect to see this upcoming season. Answer: Behavior on the field. “We’re going to be a disciplined team,” Davis promised. “Louisville will have a multi-set offense with core plays to fit the talents of the players. On defense, fans may see a stacked 3-3 or a 5-3. He thinks we will have strong offensive line this season so running backs will be featured which may mean a short run game.”
Greg Anderson asked about the affect of the Coronavirus on the summer program? Answer: “We lost June and are looking to July going without pads. “If we don’t start until October 1, there will be no season,” he said.
Glenn Heiller asked about the number of kids out for football that seems to be dropping. Answer: “We have 58 kids; I’d like to have in the 70s,” Davis said. “We need to have 20 per team on the Little Leopards; we have to recruit. Davis also said that the increased number of school-sponsored sports teams cut into the number of kids out for football. “There’s so many choices for kids,” he said. “We have to recruit, develop and retain kids in our program.”
President Bob closed the session saying “I think the school board made a good choice (for coach). The members agreed and wished Coach Davis good luck.
Louisville Rotary Club
Meeting Minutes
May 20, 2020
President-Elect Jared Shive stepped in for Bob Hallier who had an appointment that kept him off-line. The meeting, our sixth consecutive meeting held on-line courtesy of the Zoom program, was watched by 12 members. The usual club rituals got things moving.
Happy Dollars
* Jim Edwards announced our flag subscription now totaled 1,100. Last year at this time we had 1,135, but Jim is confident we will pass that number following Memorial Day. Jim also noted that former Rotary President Mike Snyder is moving to Kent, and he donated the $30 flag lease payment to the club. Mike will be missed.
* Jennifer Anderson, the Louisville YMCA Czar, announced the Y will open Tuesday following Memorial Day with hours of 7 through 7.
The Program
Robert Arnold, the IT Director for H-P Products, presented the program. Bob, a 10-year Louisville resident, has worked for H-P for 25 years. His hobbies are woodworking, baking and he believes in the 2nd Amendment. Bob said the company is now working “full force” and currently had a new project that will clean face masks so they can be reused. “We have a cleaning crew sanitizing equipment and we’ve staggered shifts so I feel safe there.” The company now has 24 or 25 benders for their pipe business. Their West Main Street building is near capacity. H-P, he said, has a diversified client base. The Coronavirus has definitely changed the way we work. He then opened the gate for questions from the members: Al Gress asked for his opinion of the immediate economic future — can our country get back to a booming economy, say in next 6 months? We all will need a feeling of safety for people to return to their workplace. Working at home — single persons like to work at home where those with children prefer to come to work. It all depends on how we open up. We will use less paper in the future and use more programs like Zoom. There will be less company travel as companies go to good video & audio presentations in a large meeting room. Working at home has created a growth in relationships and, I think, it builds a relationships between customers and our company. Jim Edwards asked if the company did a lot of business with the oil industry. Yes, but now that the price of crude oil is depressed, that drops the market demand for us. You may have noticed that at the gas pumps.
The members thanked Robert Arnold.
Louisville Rotary Club
Meeting Minutes
June 3, 2020
Club President Bob Hallier rang the opening bell with 14 members logged on the internet using the Zoom program for our 8th consecutive on-line meeting since the shutting of in person group activities due to the coronavirus pandemic. Bob gave the opening prayer, the usual meeting opening rituals were performed and discussion got underway.
Happy Dollars
* Glenn Heiller urged members to dig into their wallets for the virtual on-line auction of his furniture and collectables conducted by Kiko this week.
* Jim Edwards announced that flag money was flowing in. We now have 1,210 customers with a few more expected. Club Business
* Bob announced the induction of new officers will be held with an on-line ceremony for our June 17th meeting. An awards program will be presented sometime in the fall. The District Governor will do the honors.
* Bob announced the club was given a $400 grant from the District to help feed children through the school lunch program.
* The President announced that it would be very unlikely that we would have a foreign exchange student the coming school year. Also, Rotary International has a nominating committee for the national presidency and each local club can vote for one of two candidates. Voting is by email and Bob will tally our club’s winner and forward it to Chicago. “Both candidates are strong,” Bob said.
* Incoming President Jared Shive is working on the 2020-21 budget. He is also working on a plan for incorporating a family and a corporate membership structure.
* Cynthia Kerchner inquired about the summer Farmer’s Market. It was decided to go ahead with the first July 11, a second August 1, then September 12 ending the season October 3. She asked for help those Saturdays. Denny Valentine will be requested to prepare a brochure for the event.
* Barb Dijacimo reported the the Repository story about the school going for an income tax was inaccurate and misleading. An income tax levy was only a discussion item, she said. However, the board doubled the pay-to-participate fees for school extra-curricular activities. She is asking us to develop a program to assist needy students. Another problem she said was the board eliminated the family cap which means that families with multiple children would have to pay for each child’s activities. An income tax would not eliminate the property tax but would supplement it. About 1/3 of Ohio school districts currently have the joint property-income tax. It was decided to wait until more planning could be had before making a decision.
* Jennifer Anderson was congratulated for a promotion for a newly established position with the Stark County YMCA. She is now the director for three Ys; Louisville, Meyers Lake and the downtown Y. The Y Board made a good decision, Jen. Good luck.
* The church will be available for meetings beginning June 24 and we will get to meet there. Food service has yet to be decided, butt Al Gress will see to it members will not starve.
Submitted by Allen Gress, Secretary
Louisville Rotary Club
Meeting Minutes
June 10, 2020
This report reflects the activities and program for the June 10, on-line meeting, the ninth such meeting using the Zoom technology. According to plans, next week will be the last Zoom meeting and we will be back in Paradise Church June 24.
You need to know that I had difficulty getting on-line for this meeting. So how did I finally get on-board? I don’t have the slightest idea; I just played around, entering my email, then getting a new password and eventually I was with the group. I logged on at about 12:30, missing the opening and the beginning of Mark Sigler’s presentation. For this report I used the 16-question pass out Mark emailed members ahead of time and a Thursday phone call to Mark. My report may not be exactly as you remember. Mark, I am extremely sorry for my computer screw-up. Your message deserved better.
The Program
Mark was a 19 year-old-student, one of 22,000 students at Kent State University that fateful Monday May 4 of 1970. One of his indelible memories occurred early that morning as Mark left his dorm room to swim in the university pool located in the physical education building. He short cut, moving through the shrubbery in the back of the building when he was confronted by five Guardsmen, each holding bayoneted rifles pointed at this chest as they questioned where he was going. “I found out that the National Guard had bivouacked in the gym the previous night,” he said.
So now, fifty years ago, Mark is reliving those horrible memories as he emotionally told his story. “Was it really 50 years ago?” he wrote. “Four fellow students killed and nine others wounded. . . doesn’t seem like 50 years ago.”
Mark had pictures, the black & white vividly showed the students running away as the shooting began. “Look at those kids,” he urged, “do they look like terrorists; were the Guardsmen in any danger? The kids were running away . . . so what was the rationale for opening fire?”
As Mark reminisced he asked himself the question — “Was that small group of us clueless as to what was going on when we were downtown Kent the Friday night before the shooting? We listened and sang along to the music; I thought about the Saturday morning mid-term exam.” Yes, we were clueless,”Mark said. “Sunday night May 3, the sky was a blaze with helicopters and I heard a fellow resident comment ‘I have a bad feeling this isn’t going to end well.’”
Mark remembers trying urging fellow students to stay in their rooms that morning — “Those guns are loaded,” he told them over and over.
“But we went. Did my friends and I laugh at the festival-like atmosphere as students and guardsmen threw tear gas canisters back and forth?” he asked this rhetorical question. “Yes, we did! Would it be the last time I would laugh that day? Yes! The last time.”
For a split second on the hill that morning Mark said he thought someone was setting off fireworks. “In the next second I saw students falling and the realization came over me that they were shot.” Mark remembers Professor Dr. Glenn Frank pleading with the kids to “get out of here . . . NOW! Before more are being shot.”
Kent State was closed after the shooting and the students were required to leave. Mark found his friends Danny and Don Walker and his cousin Tom Sulsberger, eventually got an outside phone line to let Deb and his parents know he was OK. Dan, Don and Greg Parrish were some of the last students to leave Kent that day, having to wait for a ride home to Louisville
Mark closed his presentation with the words of Former KSU President Dr. Todd Diacon, perhaps a legacy for the four students killed that morning — Allison, Jeff, Sandra and Bill. “We must listen, really listen, to others whose views are different from our own; we must always act in kindness and respect in all we do.”
“May it be so,” Mark concluded.
Submitted by Allen Gress, Secretary
Louisville Rotary Club
Meeting Minutes
June 17, 2020
For the 10th consecutive meeting due to the lockout caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, the club meet on-line using the Zoom programming. There has been a notable and praiseworthy number of Rotarians zoomed-in for each of the meetings; a low of 10 persons and a high of 19. Some Rotary Clubs ceased meeting for the duration and their concern now is will members return? This Wednesday evening the club will officially begin our new year with a family dinner/social beginning about 6 o’clock at the Scratch Steak House. Hopefully, we will have a good turnout.
Bob Hallier conducted his last meeting as club president with District Governor Dan Morgan handling the induction of new member ceremony. The program began with Jennifer Anderson giving thanks to God, and Jared Shive led the Pledge of Allegiance. The Four-Way Test was recited and members were to sing along with America the Beautiful.
The installation followed encouraging remarks from the Governor. The new slate of officers are: President Jared Shive, President-Elect Glenn Heiller, Secretary Allen Gress, Treasurer Justin Kuhn, Sargent-at-Arms Dave Yeagley, Past President Bob Hallier and board members Barbara DeJacimo and Jennifer Anderson.
Bob gave a farewell message, citing the goals and activities for the last year. His three goals were:
G1 Build club membership. Accomplished. We began the year with 32 members; now proudly boast 37.
G2 Work on community needs and projects. We supported 21 separate projects.
G3 Connect better with Rotary International and the Rotary Foundation. We continued our support for Polio Plus.
Bob listed those 21 projects along with other informational meetings including:
* Community Cupboard ($1,000)
* Community Grant Program ($6,00)
* Foreign Student exchange — inbound ($6,400)
* Foreign Student exchange — outbound ($1,000)
* RYLA World Affairs Seminars — (4 students $1,000)
* Farmers Market — (June through October - $800)
* Constitution Festival — ($2,200)
* LHS Band awards — (2 - $650)
* Louisville Hall of Achievement plaques
* LHS Scholarship fund — ($1,000)
* Four-Way Test Speech contest — ($150)
* Operation Warm Coats — (125 children served - $3,000)
* Splash Park — (5-year project - $35,000)
* Military Family Center — $300)
* Future Project Fund — ($5,000)
* Polio Plus — ($1,000)
* Purple Bag Project for Women’s Shelter
* Leopard Nation Senior Capstone Project
* Participated in city’s Strategic Planning Impact Group
* Published a History of the Louisville Rotary Club
* Metzger Park trail clean-up
* Girl Scout project at Wildwood Park
It needs to be noted that we could not have done these good will projects without the Flag Program and the work of members and volunteers.
In addition, the club has had helpful and information meetings such as:
Chamber of Commerce, Homeless outreach program, iCare with Louisville City Schools, School and library levies, 911 New York City, Mt. Everest climb, RYLA students, Louisville football coach, Umbrella Alley, 50 year anniversary of Kent State Shootings, Encino, Stark County Court of Common Pleas Judge, Kid Watch, Rotaplast, Refuge of Hope and the Mercy Medical Center.
Bob’s closing message to the members
All life-changing journeys start with the first steps in a new direction. We fear the unknown. We fear failure. We fear rejection. We are all humans. We want to love someone and we want someone to love us back. How do we overcome our fears and be loved by all? We join the Rotary Club of Louisville. We learn the 4-Way Test and our Rotary motto Service Above Self. We learn to look beyond ourselves to others in need. Finally, we try to reach out and address those needs here at home and throughout the world. Rotarians recognize the humanity of all mankind. In this time of pandemic and civil unrest let us be the helping hands that calm our communities and seek peace for all. We are 1.2 million strong; our mission is to serve mankind all over the world. We are Rotarians!
Speaking for the members
Bob, thank you for your leadership and inspiration; this has been an excellent year and a half under trying conditions. We do not forget that you voluntarily stepped in to complete Wendy Jackson’s term and then went on to serve the year just completed.
But most of all, the members got to really know you, not just as the club’s president, and leader, but as a caring, wonderful human being. While setting the club’s moral compass you provided the example for Service Above Self. God bless you and we look forward to sharing your friendship.
Submitted by Allen Gress, Secretary
June 24th - I'm not sure what happened
June 31st -no meeting