«The Vista«

June 10, 2008       Vol. 37, No. 39       District 7170

Ithaca Cayuga Rotary Club

Chartered November 1, 1971     

Meets Tuesday Noon, Kendal at Ithaca

www.ithacarotary.org/cayuga    www.rotarydistrict7170.org

Editor: H. Murphy

 

Opening: President Dennis Mogil called the meeting to order and asked Doug Armstrong to lead the group in song. Doug, noting the many duties he has as Assistant District governor, stated that he had neglected the proper recognition of birthdays of members in recent weeks and wished to make amends with the Club singing Happy Birthday to Eddie Siemon, Davey Thurston, and AnnMarieny Hautaniemi, albeit somewhat belatedly.

Visiting Rotarians and Guests: We were pleased to welcome Rotarians PDG Gene Erickson and Chris Bragdon of the Ithaca Rotary Club and guests Melissa Doak, our speaker, and Eric Watkins who has just moved to Ithaca from Owego.

Next Week: Tuesday, June 17, our speaker will be the new mayor of Cayuga Heights, Jim Gilmore, who will give us a preview of the future of the Village.

Dennis' Doings: He had a request from the Ithaca Festival folks for some volunteers this Saturday, June 14, to sell Festival buttons, T-Shirts, supply information, etc. about the Festival at the Farmer's Market 9am-llam and Ipm-3pm. Members have also pledged to help out, probably on the Commons on the 21st of June, Saturday.

Dennis and others will be at the Lansing High Library, Wednesday, June 11 from 2:15 to 3:00pm to inform interested students about Interact and Rotary as we look forward to the formation of a new Interact club there this fall.

Pass the Gavel ceremonies dominate area activities this time of year.

·   Dryden Rotary Thursday, June 26.

·   Ithaca Sunrise Saturday, June 28, 6pm at the Royal Court Restaurant.

·   District 7170, June 30, 6pm at the Vestal Hills Country Club in Binghamton.

See Doug for additional information and if you need a ride.

Chris Bragdon, who has spoken to us in the past about his projects in Bosnia, will soon be going there again in an effort to establish a computer center for young folks and asked for any financial assistance we might provide. The Board will take under advisement.

Program

Doug introduced Melissa Doak, our GSE Team member, who recently returned from her team’s month long tour of South Korea. They were based in central Korea in Chueng Ju, the capital of the only landlocked province in that country. Her first impression was that with its many lakes and mountains, it was much more beautiful than she had expected. The team's Rotary hosts were most generous in taking them out to various restaurants for meals, some of which were quite elaborate. Stays in Pusan and Seoul contrasted with the more rural central province. Tours included an ancient fortress and a traditional village that had been built with old buildings that were saved from areas to be flooded as dams were built.

Melissa said that Korean children have long school days with parents supplementing regular school sessions with additional tutoring extending students learning day late in the evening. Parents are extremely devoted to their children's education. She found the subservient role of women in Korea an eye opener. The team proved to be a magnet for children who wanted to tryout their English.

Asked about golf courses, she said she didn't get to see any but saw numerous driving ranges, often five tiers high. A visit to their air force academy revealed an airfield camouflaged with strawberry fields. Her most satisfying day was visiting with a university professor of English literature and sitting in on her seminar.

Melissa has a number of suggestions for future teams going to Korea with near the top of the list is having a translator with the tour and having advanced training in the culture of any country to be visited. Although she felt uncomfortable as a woman in some situations, she is determined to return to South Korea which must be an indication of the positive aspects of the GSE Program. We hope to hear more from Melissa and get a viewing of her many photos.

June 17	Karen Besemer	Chuck Brodhead	Jim Lorbeer
June 24	Bill McGuire	Ed Moy	Ev Morse
July 1	Joe Quigley	Hank Murphy	Jim Shreve

Father's Day Breakfast, Sunday, June 15, 7am-lpm

The very best breakfast. All you can eat. New Hope Mills pancakes, Pure NY maple syrup, fresh local eggs, sausage, coffee, orange juice. Special displays and events. Cornell raptor program with live peregrine falcon. Scenic plane rides all morning. Home built aircraft and antique planes.