• New Member Proposal
  The Ithaca Rotary Club Board of Directors will be considering membership application(s) from the person(s) listed below. Any concerns about these membership proposals should be made in writing to the Secretary of the Club by September 8, 2003.
  
  Name: Barbara Eckstrom
  Sponsor: Jeffrey True
  Classification: County Government Management
  Employer: Tompkins County Solid Waste
  Title: Manager
  
  Name: Brenda J. Dalmida
  Sponsor: David Flaccus
  Classification: Education Administration
  Employer: Ithaca City Schools
  Title: Associate Principal
  
  Name: Richard Gallagher
  Sponsor: Casey Stevens
  Classification: Sales/Coaching Consulting
  Employer: Acuity Learning Group
  Title: President
  

• Meeting Location Reminder
  Reminder that on Aug. 27, we will be having an out-of-room experience as we will be meeting at Stewart Park instead of the Holiday Inn. The lunch prices will remain the same - $8.00 for members, $10.00 for non-members and guests - however children will be welcome for half price - $5.00. Reservations will be requested soon, so please mark your calendars and plan ahead for any guests you may wish to invite. Terry Harbin will be our guest speaker, telling us all about how "They Made Movies in Ithaca." There will also be an ice cream social to follow, with members of the Red Badge Society doing the serving. We will meet in the large pavilion at the park, rain or shine and we hope to see you all there!

• UN Day in New York City
  Our district is planning a group trip to United Nations Day in New York City on October 3 and 4. This will be an overnight trip and interested Rotarians should visit the district web site as soon as possible for details (www.district7170.org). Last year our district was honored at this event for our participation in the Wheelchair Project and we are looking for good attendance from our district for this year's event as well. Rotary's Polio Eradication Project works with and through the United Nations and is also an integral part of this day of celebration. Check it out!

• Special Guests
  

  We welcomed a number of recent Youth Exchange students to our club today. First up was Lisa Linken who was an inbound student from Germany in 2001, hosted by the Ithaca Sunrise club. Lisa was with her parents, Ulrike and Reinhart, and was given a banner by PJ to commemorate her return visit to Ithaca. Recent returnees Paula Epps (Thailand), Tom Costello (Slovakia), and Dorie Deats (Mexico) also joined us, each standing up to give us a brief report on their experiences. Everyone had a great time and they all made many new friends and adopted new families while abroad.

  Each had a slightly different tale to tell - Dorie enthralled us with her story of personal growth and Tom brought us up short with the recounting of an unpleasant incident which left him in the hospital for a couple of days. Fortunately, he was not seriously injured and the outpouring of support and concern from his new friends and families made him all the more appreciative of the opportunity that he was given. Paula too had her share of interesting experiences, attending and all-girls, private school in Thailand where the girls are mostly taught how to be good mothers and wives. All of these wonderful students thanked the Rotary club for choosing and sponsoring them on this opportunity of a lifetime. After hearing them speak, even for a brief moment, it is hard to tell who profited more from their experiences - them or us! Our sincere thanks to all of our guests and we hope to see them again.

• Ambassadors
  7/31: Mike Brown, Phil Meyer, Joanne Lamoreaux, Jim Johnston, Jeff True (Ithaca Sunrise)
  8/5: Dave Dunlop (Ithaca-Cayuga)
  8/12: Jessie Ripple (Dallas North, TX)
  8/14: Bill Rusen, Phil Meyer (Ithaca Sunrise)
  8/19: Guy Tabacchi (Ithaca-Cayuga)

• Visiting Rotarians
  Barry Downing, Endwell, NY.

• Our Visiting Exchange Students
  Lisa Linken (Inbound 2001)
  Paula Epps (outbound Thailand last year)
  Dorie Deats (outbound Mexico last year)
  Tom Costello (outbound Slovakia last year).

"Downtown from a Developer's Perspective"

Mack Travis, Gateway Plaza Developer

Nearly topping off a month-long look at downtown Ithaca, our guest speaker today was Mack Travis, a developer in downtown Ithaca - Ithaca Center and the new Gateway Plaza being just a part of his portfolio. Mack was also one of the founders of the Downtown Business Partnership. He has Rotary connections as well - and apropos at that - as he was a Youth Exchange student to Sweden in 1961. Mack gave us his view of happenings in and around downtown Ithaca these days.

Given his belief that development grows from three primary elements: Desire, Vision, and Perseverance, Mack has been a leader in this area. His latest project, Gateway Plaza will either bring or keep over 100 jobs in downtown Ithaca. The IDP's overall goal is to bring 1,000 new jobs to downtown over a ten-year period (2000 - 2010). Naturally, the Ciminelli hotel project and the Cayuga Green project will be key components of this growth plan, but Mack has his own plans as well as he and his wife Carol continue to expand the Gateway Plaza project. As we have heard all month, there are tremendous development opportunities to be taken advantage of and there are always hurdles to overcome, but with people like Mack who have the desire, vision, and perseverance to see their ideas through to the finish, the future of downtown looks much brighter than many other small-town business districts.

Our thanks to Mack for his thoughts, his time, and his views on what's going on in downtown Ithaca these days.

• Please view the calendar posted on the main page of this website for the most up-to-date information. [View Rotary Calendar]

Program Chair: Doug McDonald
Kettle Watch: Bill Hawley
Greeter: Jagat Sharma
Thought: Gene Erickson
Introductions: Peggy Haine
Music: Jack Burns and Siu-Ling
Photography: John Ziegler
Setup: Mike Billing
Editor: Dale Flinn
Website: Matthew Dearing

• Please address all correspondence to the club to:
  Ithaca Rotary Club P.O. Box 306
  Ithaca, N.Y. 14851
  Attn.: Scott Russell, Secretary
  
  
• For eNewsletter comments, questions or corrections, and subscription requests please contact the Editor at bigd@starflinn.com.