Changing of the Guard
...and Goose

We will induct out new President, John Cuneo, and the 2008 Haverhill Rotary board of directors at this week's lunch meeting. This meeting concludes Vin Bonanno's year as president. We are all grateful for the hours of service that have been donated to Haverhill Rotary projects and fund raisers. 2008 was a profitable and successful year thanks to everyone's hard work. We may get a glimpse of the Rotary Goose but John seems to have ducks on his mind for the coming year.

June 26, 2008

As important as the induction of the new Officers and Board is this week, it's even more noteworthy to recognize that Vin Bonanno has done a great job and will pass from the role of President to immediate Past President (does RI have an abbreviation for that, too, like IPP ...or is that just a Haverhill Rotary abbreviation?). One of his major goals when Vin began his year was that we would have fun. He meant this and I think achieved it in a genuine, not a saccharine, way. Certainly there have been some challenges, but he has always kept it light except where it's been important to be more serious. By not taking other than the really important matters too seriously, Vin has enabled us to accomplish goals and deal even with tough stuff with grace and mutual acceptance. Thanks, Vin! I for one am so glad you will continue on the Board as IPP to offer your insight and encouragement.

It's important also to realize that Darlene Beal will move off the Board of Directors after serving as IPP for the past year. What a terrific human being, club resource and exemplary member you are, Darlene! On the Board you always offer great info, perspective and support to us all. I wish you the very best in the year to come and hope you'll continue to be there for the Board and the club as you have been so often in the past and as we continue on our organizational journey.

See you on Thursday, everybody!

Luca has been a model exchange student and an example for others to emulate. These were the words from Haverhill Superintendent of Schools Raleigh Buchanan at last week's meeting. Mary Gale is presenting Luca with a plate that was signed by members of our club to take back with him to Milan. We are looking for host families for this coming year's exchange student from Russia. If you know of a family who are interested in hosting during the next year, contact Mary Gale or John Cuneo.

I used to dig clams for recreational use at Seabrook, New Hampshire. One day in the dead of winter I got a phone call from a fellow clam digger. He wanted to go digging a few clams. We would have to go up the river at Seabrook and so we took along an aluminum row boat.

The light weight boat was good and slid along the ice and snow until we got to the river. We rowed up the river until we came to a flat in the wide river and pulled the boat up onto the flat. We didn't put out an anchor because we were fairly high up on the clam flat. From there we walked all over the large flats area and had filled our buckets to the quota.

Because the tide was now coming in we headed for where we had pulled up the rowboat, It was gone. The rising tide had come up as high as where we had left the boat. The boat was gone. The rising tide had picked it up and floated it away.

It was late in the day. It was cold. We were the only human beings in sight anywhere. Looking off in the distance we could see that our boat had run up on an opposite shore. I said to my friend "We're dead". He didn't disagree.

This must have been our lucky day for soon we saw some local people coming down the river in a boat. They saw us, they saw our boat on the opposite shore, they said nothing, they went and retrieved our boat and towed it over to the now flooding flat where we were standing and shoved it over to us. They never said a word. I like people from Seabrook.

Keep up with what's happening in Rotary District 7930.
You may download a copy of the May 2008 Newsletter or visit the web site:http://www.rotary7930.org

Stan Usovicz spoke to us last week about the future of fiber optics and the investment Verizon is making to bring fiber to everyon's home. Basically the future is really unknown. Placing fiber in your home is like replacing a garden hose with a 16 inch pipe. It opens the door for much more data to be transferred in both directions and it is uncertain what uses we will find for this technology in the future. Whatever it is surely this will be an interesting technology to watch and will effect us all.

June 26 - Induction of New Officers and Board
July 3 - No Meeting
July 10 - Joe DeMarco, Latitude Sports Clubs, Pro Fitness Manager
July 17 - Kevin Buckley, HHS architect
July 24 - District Governor Tom Elliot
July 31 - Reverend Paul H. Dionne, Atkinson Congregational Church

An attendance record of 50 percent is required to remain an active Rotarian. Any missed meeting must be made up within 14 days before or after the regular meeting. To accommodate busy schedules, there are various opportunities to make up missed meetings:

Monday 12:15PM Danversport Yacht Club
Monday 12:15PM Exeter Country Club
Tuesday 7:30AM The Village Pancake House in Georgetown
Tuesday 12:15PM Glenn's Galley
Tuesday 12:15PM Caffe Paradiso in Lowell
Wednesday 12:15PM Angelica's Restaurant in Middleton
Thursday 7:30AM Cochichewick Lodge in North Andover
Thursday 12:15PM Redhook Ale Brewery in Portsmouth
Friday 7:30AM Rockingham Park, Belmont Room in Salem NH
Friday 12:15PM Sweetheart Inn in Methuen