Newburyport Rotary - Newburyport Clipper

Zack and Russ led us in singing the opening song, "God Bless America", on August 3rd. Since the flag was not yet displayed, John Salter made a very noble effort to set it up during the singing, but ended up fighting with the overhead fan. Thank you, John. Bob Kirsner gave the invocation and we enjoyed a lunch of baked fish or beef stew. After lunch we had lots of help with our song. Ted, Zack, and Bill Lipman led the singing of "She's a Grand Old Flag". And once again, John tried to set up the flag.

Guests and Visiting Rotarians

Lydia and Dominic Garcia, from Los Gatos, California, were visiting Rotarians who used to live in Salisbury. Kathy Heywood, our Yankee Homecoming Chairperson, was an invited guest. Peg Bauman, a Rotarian from Dalton, was here with her son Derek from Amesbury. Norm Jutrus brought his daughter Liz. And we also had Seaman Hadlock and Capt. Kenney of the United States Coast Guard. Pictures were taken by Sue Christ of the visiting Rotarians presenting Pres. Geri with her club flags.

Birthdays and Anniversaries

Sheila and Russ Johnson are celebrating 42 years of wedded bliss on CG Day (8/4)

Happy Dollars

Sheila was pleased that her granddaughter's picture was on the front page of one of the sections of the Newburyport Daily News where she was performing in the YH Talent Show. Lew Burridge was happy that his sister had her first child at age 42 and is doing well. John Budzyna said there will be a movie at the Firehouse this weekend..."Invasion of the Bodies." Geri paid $40 for the 40 Rotarians who showed up to help with the Chicken BBQ. Yeah, Geri.

Announcements

Geri made mention of past YH Chairmen present in the room - George Cashman, Norm Jutrus, Geri Dorr, and Dan Appleton (not present).

Chicken BBQ

Geri, again said thank you for all the Rotarians who volunteered their time. Bruce Bear announced that the dinner took in $2322 and after expenses, we made a profit of $1791...Very Good! Jay McGovern, chairman of the event, was delighted that all went well. He thanked Geri, Sue Christ, and Kate Kelly for all their help beforehand. He stated that Chip Nutter was the rookie of the year, while Don Beliveau was the most valuable player. Don was there from 9:30 to 2:30 working at the grill.

Program

Kathy Heywood, Chairman of Yankee Homecoming, spoke to us today. The theme for this year - "Welcome to Newburyport, My Hometown" - was her idea because she loves Newburyport and wanted people to become involved with the activities so they could love Newburyport also. She thanked the Rotary Club for their involvement and said she really appreciated our efforts.

Geri then introduced our Coast Guard visitors. Capt. Kenney was present in place of the Admiral since the Admiral was called to New York City. Capt. Kenney graduated from Officer Candidate School in 1981 and now is a legal officer at Group Boston. He spoke about the growth period the Coast Guard is having, the biggest since World War II. Being the largest segment of the Dept. of Homeland Security, they were greatly involved in the security of the Democratic National Convention in Boston and will be in New York for the Republican Convention. Seven hundred personnel were actively involved and since both Boston and New York are in the First District, the same team of people will be in New York. He also gave a brief overview of the Coast Guard and what new projects are taking place. In the field of technology, they have Marine Domain Awareness which tracks the whole harbor via computers. They have a Deepwater Project which is currently updating some of the very old ships and aircraft. Rescue 21 is updating communications and search and rescue technology. Also, the structure of the Coast Guard is changing. Group Boston, which handles Search and Rescue, and the Marine Safety Division are merging to better serve the public. He spoke of the tough winter they had with breaking up the ice in the Cape Cod Canal, and told another story of apprehending people who were hoarding female lobsters. The Coast Guard is, indeed, very busy.

Geri presented Capt. Kenney with a proclamation from the Mayor of Newburyport for the Coast Guard's 214th Anniversary.

Raffle

$25 went to George Cushman.