Kiwanis Club of Historic St. Augustine

Newsletter – 9 March 2006

President’s Message:

It’s Still Official!! Village Inn is the place to be on Thursday mornings at 0700 hours. We had a good turnout last week, and they were still able to keep up with the demand. Everyone turn out and see if we can swamp the kitchen this time.

                We (five of us) attended the Division Council meeting at Selva Marina last Thursday evening. The club is a really nice place to meet and it is always good to get together with other clubs and other members to find out what others are doing. We are about the largest club in the division now. The only negative was the length of the meeting. We didn’t get home until after ten o’clock, which makes for a very long day and a slow start for the next day. However, we have a District Governor who likes to talk and her husband ain’t too bad either. When she said, “And finally,” one our group commented that that was what he had been waiting for. The bad part was that once she stopped talking we had to listen to what seemed like a 16 verse theme song. No, we did not get orders to make every member learn the song; we just had to sit through it. The length of this meeting is what keeps people away from them. Those attending and representing our club were Bob Braden, Tim Chiu, Richard Welty, Harry Matteson, and your hard working Prez.

                We had a Board meeting last Monday at The Allegro, which I will update at the meeting; some enticement to make you want to come to the new digs.

                Lastly, our next big function is the Geography Bee on the 16th. I think Bob has all the worker slots filled, but every member and their spouses should show up and enjoy the contest.

 

Coming Events: [Advise the editor of events of interest at 797-4332]

11 March 2006: Kiwanis College (formerly Zone Conference) held in Lake City, and it begins at 0730. Early wake up for the ones attending that meeting.

16 March 2006: Our annual Geography Bee to be held at Sebastian Middle School beginning at 1900 hours.

3 April 2006: Regular monthly board meeting to be held at The Allegro. The meeting will start at 1700 hours. There is much to discuss, so be prompt and be prepared to share some ideas.

 

Guests: Harry Matteson, our fellow Kiwanian from Malone, NY, is here for his annual vacation; he is also the fifth member of our delegation to the Council meeting and we used his car. Thanks, Harry.

 

Programs: (Check the website for your speaker assignment date.)

LAST WEEK: No speaker, we just got accustomed to the new digs.

THIS WEEK: This is the Human & Spiritual Aims meeting along with our Student of the Month. This month’s student is from Bartram Trail

NEXT WEEK: Otis Mason is up, and he usually has a very good speaker in tow.

 

⅓-⅓-⅓ DRAWING WINNERS: Chief Richard Hedges and Dave Thompson were the winners. (See Dave, it pays to attend. Can’t win if you don’t buy.) Congrats and mix those tickets up better next time. Buy your tickets early and often.

 

Late Breaking News:

The annual Geography Bee is coming up soon and Bob will keep us posted as the time draws neigh. New members, this is a MUST attend! You will enjoy it as much as the kids. This really is an event that you don’t want to miss. It is educational for one and all.

                We are all getting older, and we don’t like it! Don Knotts (the ever lovable Barney Fife), Darren McGavin (the father in the Christmas Story and the Nightstalker), and Dennis Weaver (Gunsmoke’s Chester) all died in the span of less than a week. These were all actors that I grew up watching on television. They should live forever, but that is not the way the world works. We will have to catch them in re-runs, because there is precious little taking their place on TV now.

                And Kirby Puckett died this week. Kirby Puckett for crying out loud! He was very young. He was born the same year I was graduated from high school. Obviously he was not as healthy as we think all athletes are. He had to retire early because of medical reasons. Still the second youngest Hall of Famer to die, Lou Gehrig was only 37 when he died.

            And speaking of baseball, it is about to crank up for another season. I wonder if Bart would like to go to another spring training game? If nothing more, we should plan to go to a Sun’s game as a group. I haven’t been to the new ball park, and really want to go.

Quote(s) of the Week:
"I pronounce it as certain that there was never yet a truly great man that was not at the same time truly virtuous." —Benjamin Franklin

"True patriotism sometimes requires of men to act exactly contrary, at one period, to that which it does at another, and the motive which impels them—the desire to do right—is precisely the same." —Robert E. Lee

"The things that will destroy America are prosperity-at-any-price, peace-at-any-price, safety-first instead of duty-first, the love of soft living, and the get-rich-quick theory of life." —Theodore Roosevelt

Jay Leno: Senator Ted Kennedy announced that he and his dog Splash are writing a children's book. Is Splash the best name for Ted Kennedy's dog? Isn't that a bit like Jack Abramoff naming his dog Bribe?

"They that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." —Benjamin Franklin

"For years, I've heard Kennedy fans say that it's a cheap shot to dredge up Chappaquiddick. Forgive and forget about Kopechne, they say—but not the Concerned Alumni of Princeton." —Debra Saunders
"So many of the talking heads seem to miss the point: the current scandal is less about lobbyists than it is about members of Congress and other people in high government positions. If members all refused to take bribes, there would be no bribery." —Lynn Woolley