It was St. Patty's Day during our Rotary meeting last week!
Words of Inspiration
Dave Hannan gave us our Words of Inspiration:
One definition of INSPIRATION in the Merriam-Webster Dictionary is: “A divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation.”
So, let us bow our heads and seek inspiration.
Today people of many faiths, creeds, colors, national origins, genders, and sexual preferences celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
St. Patrick would have been a great Rotarian, but he was born about 1500 years too soon, in 385 A.D., or thereabouts, in the then Roman-controlled area of Great Britain. He died on March 17, 461 A.D., or thereabouts, in what is now Northern Ireland. When he was 16, he was captured by Irish pirates and enslaved in Ireland for 6 years, until he escaped and returned to his family in Britain. While in captivity, he was inspired to study Christianity, and later was ordained a priest in France. He was inspired to return to largely pagan Ireland as a Christian missionary, and later was named a Bishop. Despite this, he remained humble, stating in his autobiographical writings, “My name is Patrick. I am a sinner, a simple country person, and the least of all believers.” He performed many of his priestly duties on a voluntary basis, which was not the ordinary practice at the time. He understood the need to do good in the world. He is also widely credited with driving snakes from the Emerald Isle, although there is no archeological evidence that there ever were snakes in Ireland! Perhaps he understood the need for a positive Public Image!
As we celebrate today with corned beef & cabbage, some Irish soda bread, and maybe some Guinness beer or Irish coffee, let us be inspired by St. Patrick’s “Service Above Self.”
Visitors
Luis Rivera and our speaker Mark DeCracker
Wellness
We were sad to report that Tim Johnson’s sister recently passed away.
Announcements
- Jan announced that the Pancake Breakfast is cancelled as our grills are no longer allowed in the school kitchen. She asked for ideas for new fundraisers.
- Norma updated us on Newark Rotary Salutes.
- We are scheduled to clean up the Erie Canal trail on April 23rd as part of the multi-district Great Lakes Watershed Cleanup.
Wedding Anniversaries
Brian and Crystal Manktelow recently celebrated their wedding anniversary.
Happy Moments
- Dave Johnson was happy that he became a dad 16 years ago on March 17, 2006.
- Adam O gave a lecture at Hobart and now is now Dr. Adam.
- Marc was happy that Virginia Tech made it into the NCAA Basketball tournament by beating Duke.
- Hannelora was happy to be back and just recently celebrated her birthday.
Rotarian Brief Biography
Marty Wemett was born in Amherst, MA and moved to Newark in 1969 with her husband David. She has a BS in physical therapy from Ithaca and an MS in clinical orthopaedics from Indianapolis University. She worked at the hospitals in Newark and Geneva until she opened her own clinic in Newark. She retired in 2008. She has four children and two sisters. Marty has interests in the environment, cooking, reading bridge and outdoor activities.
Guest Speaker
Mark DeCracker discussed Trail Works which he helped to start to grow trail development and expand trail use. Trail Works provides a unified voice for Wayne County trail users. They coordinate the development and maintenance if high-quality, year-round multi-use trails. There is a downloadable app. One of the better-known trails is the Trail of Hope. He has a goal of creating more pull-off points for kayaks on the canal. Mark also discussed Lockville. Much of his knowledge of the history came from Louie DeJohn. He acknowledged our club’s upcoming project to build a pavilion between Lock 58 and 59. Someone asked where Lock 58 is located? Behind where Newcut used to be on East Union St.Next meeting:
Greeter: Alex Q
Cashier: Gary Reilly
Words of Inspiration: Lynne Mooney