File - The Rotary Club of Metairie Sunrise

Metairie, Louisiana
December 30, 2011
Volume I, Week XII
RING OUT THE OLD, RING IN T HE NEW
HERE COMES 2012
Well, how about that a new year, 2012, and twelve years into this Century,
and what a year it has been: The word is, just how did it go by so fast? But the big
event of the year was a second shot at New Orleans hosting the Rotary International
Convention. And to think it happened before in 1976, just 35 years ago. This edition was
a slam bang mighty successful event when 23,000 plus Rotarians coming from over 200
countries made it to the Big Easy, the Crescent City with the result, just the best
Convention ever outside of Chicago’s 100the Anniversary Convention in 2005. And
would you believe it, the HOC, (Host Organization Committee), headed up by our own
PDG Subhash Kulkarni came out of the Convention with a sizable profit. This is
generally un-thinkable in modern day terms. But we did it! A good time was had by all!
Further, a salute to our District, District 6840 that led a group of six Districts
across Louisiana & Mississippi in putting together such a marvelous experience. The
HOC was composed of some sixty persons. At one point I counted 19 PDGs. But when it
came down to the nitty gritty there were about thirty highly dedicated members who
came continually from as far north as Shreveport to the west and Petal to the right. And
the main stay of this group had been with HOC Chair Subhash Kulkarni and Vice-Chair
Randy Feldman for better than eight years. The HOC had met at Channel 12, WYES out
near City Park until that facility was inundated by flood waters from Katrina. The HOC
then found a home on Magazine at the headquarters of the Baptist Church. Then it was to
the World Trade Center until we found that out side of t he Management Office, we were
the last of the Mohicans to occupy space in that building. Finally, we arrived at the Best
Western Landmark Hotel for the last year an a half where conducted meetings were held
on a Saturday uutil the Convention. It was always a proud moment to come to a Saturday
meeting when we met in our own digs for Metairie Sunrise, the Mardi Gras Room with
our Rotary Banner unfurled. From our club on the HOC, was our Chair Subhash
Kulkarni, Rene, Dana, George, Bob, Dick & Vaughn. And many of you attended from
time to time.
NYRFNTP…”NOT YET READY FOR NOON
TIME PLAYERS BECAME ACTIVATED”: Under the
leadership of Charlie Bosworth who gathered up musicians with their trusty guitars were
master guitarist & composer Craig Cortello, Jim Ray from the Noon Bunch, yet a
dedicated Met. Sunrise person, George Jackson along with Glenn Higgins who
additionally supplied his recorder. To this list we had Dick Neff who belts out a song and
plays the piano, our songstresses Colleen Morgan & Amy Alverez and finally the old guy
who rounds out the pack, Vaughn Brennan This group is getting good!. We did two
performances on the Small Stage at the Convention, a gig at the Espri Group at Holy
Spirit Catholic Church in Algiers, and finally a Christmas gig at St. Anthony’s
Convalescent Home where Queen Jackie, who set it up, danced with Santa Claus!
AN OUTSTANDING CHRISTMAS PARTY WAS
HELD AT DICK & CAROLE NEFFS’ ON ALGIERS
POINT. I BELIEVE WE HAVE COVERED THIS
ALREADY.
OUR FINAL REGULAR MEETING WAS HELD
22 DECEMBER WITH
COLLEEN MORGAN
GIVING US A RUN DOWN ON HER NEW
BUSINESS ENDAEVOR…(will cover this next week),
and then we played ‘Dirty Santa Claus’: We have many photos
to view that will include our NYRFNTP gig at St. Anthony’s,
December meeting, and note immediately below.
along with our 22
OUR FINAL GASP IS A SURPRISE BIRTHDAY
PARTY THAT IS NOT ACTUALLY A SURPRISE
AND A GENERAL CELEBRATION TO BE HELD
TONIGHT, 30 DECEMBER, AT CHARLIE &
GRETCHEN BOSWORTH’S HOME THAT IS TO
ACCOMMODATE METAIRIE SUNRISE’S LAST
MEETING OF 2011: Yes, we decided to blow it all out at Charlie’s for our
final meeting of the year. A full run down will be given next week along with some
telling photos.
WE DID A LOT OF STUFF, WE ENDED THE
ROTARY YEAR WITH PRESIDENT CRAIG
CORTELLO AND WELCOMED PRESIDENT TONY
BIRD. PDG SUBHASH KULKARNI BECAME
METAIRIE SUNRISE’S
‘ROTARIAN OF THE
YEAR’: Yes, a lot happened, we had a lot of good speakers. Dr. Bob went to
Antarctica to again be among the Penguins, (he will tell of this latest experience in
January). And much of this will be covered in next week’s News Letter.
PDG DICK MCCARTHY ENDED HIS YEAR
FOLLOWING THE CONVENTION ON A VERY
HIGH NOTE AND WE WELCOMED DG BETTY
GILL ON 6 OCTOBER FOR HER ROTARY YEAR.
THE VERY GOOD NEWS IS THAT THE NEXT
DISTRICT CONFERENCE IS TO BE HELD RIGHT
HERE AT THE LANDMARK BETWEEN 19 – 22
APRIL, A CONFERENCE TO LOOK FORWEARD
TO.
Well Guys & Gals this has been an active week. Much to report, that has not been
reported, but in all fairness, I have had little time. I will see if a better job is in store next
week which will be a New Year.
So for the moment, may I wish you and yours the very best of the incoming year
in that may we have good, health, good happiness, great camaraderie, with a
dedication to ‘Service Above Self’, and let us not forget the Rotary Four way Test. So
again until we meet at a thousand sunsets…and that is a promise and that is a fact!
Vaughn