President Steve Goranson welcomed members and guests to the 37th meeting of the 2015 calendar year.  The Thought for the Day was presented by Fran Caan:  “Imagination will often carry us to worlds that never were. But without it, we go nowhere” – Carl Sagan.

President Steve thanked those who helped staff the day’s meeting.

 

Steve reminded the membership that there will be NO BREAKFAST MEETING NEXT WEEK (Sept. 15).  Instead, the Club will hold its Annual Picnic at the home of Fran Caan, 2236 Orrington Ave. (yellow house on the corner of Orrington Avenue and Noyes Street)   Tables and chairs will be delivered at 5 p.m.  Volunteers are needed to help with set-up.   The Club will provide burgers, brats and beverages.  Club members are asked to bring ready-to-serve appetizers, side dishes, and desserts.  One grill will be available.  If anyone has an additional large grill that they could transport to Fran’s, it would be appreciated.    Auction items are also needed.  Please email Helen Oloroso with details of your auction or food items.   Parking should be available on the street, or in the Northwestern parking lot at Sheridan & Noyes. 

 

Steve Goranson announced that the next Board meeting will be held on Monday, Sept. 14, 7 p.m., at his home, 729 Milburn Ave.  Board members should come prepared with a brief summary of their activities.  Members – new and seasoned – are always welcome at ELRC Board meetings.  Make-up credits are given for Board meeting attendance.

Marisa Naujokas boasted her twins who have successfully begun their first years of college.

 

Kate Collinson boasted her son Rob’s recent engagement.

 

Marv Edelstein boasted his knee surgeon who commented prior to his recent surgery “I’ve done a thousand of these operations and I’ve finally figured out what I was doing wrong.”

 

Zbig boasted Andy Murray and Kevin Anderson who were locked in a close U.S. Open tennis match before (& after) he watched an entire movie.

 

After quizzing the membership about the Northern Illinois Rotary Alumni Association (which welcomes alumni of any Rotary program, including Ambassadorial Scholars, Group Study Exchange participants, Peace program participants, etc.), Ken Green announced that they will be helping with the upcoming Beach Clean-up.

Marv Edelstein introduced Fr. Simon Peter from Arc of Hope, Uganda.  A man of humble means, inspired by his father’s belief in the value of education, Fr. Simon Peter envisioned a place where children with limited opportunities could receive a quality integral education.   

For several years, the International Service Committee has funded the resulting Kindergarten through 7^th grade school.  This year, the Club was able to leverage its giving, using District matching funds and an Arc of Hope match, to expand solar panel use at the facility.  In a country with very limited power and minimal electricity, solar panels can make night time a productive, safe, and less scary time for both students and staff.

 

Aware that handouts to those in need do not provide the impetus for change, Arc of Hope is working to create “a community of well educated, integrated practical leaders whose faith in God inspires their service to society”.

 

Fr. Simon Peter presented a series of slides, highlighting the facilities and the programs of the school. Since its opening in 2008 with 214 children, the school has grown to serve more than 580 children with 20 teachers and 18 support staff.  The enclosed campus includes 4 dormitories, 3 classrooms, a large multi-purpose hall, kitchen, staff quarters, playing fields, gardens and agricultural areas.  In addition to emphasizing hygiene and sanitation, the school offers a rigorous academic curriculum, with music, dance, drama, sports and other enrichment activities.  The school also seeks to instill students with the practical skills needed to raise a self-sustaining family.

 

Fr. Simon Peter graciously accepted the first of several checks for the solar panel program and invited Rotarians who find themselves in Africa to come to the school for a visit.  It is clear that our money is being well spent at Arc of Hope. 

 

Ira Graham introduced Irwin Weil, his neighbor of more than 40 years.  Professor Emeritus in the Department of Slavic Languages and Literature, Dr. Weil has been teaching Russian literature at Northwestern for 50 years, attracting more than 800 students annually. Born in Cincinnati, the son of a former owner of the Cincinnati Reds, Dr. Weil knows the language and the people of the former Soviet Union intimately and has devoted a career to pedagogy and cultural exchange.  In addition, Dr. Weil plays the balalaika and makes delicious potato latkes.

 

Dr. Weil began his presentation by congratulating Rotary on its impact in Russia since the fall of the Soviet Union.

 

From the Cincinnati Reds to the Moscow Reds: The Memoirs of Irwin Weil  traces an interesting and impactful life through stories and memories.  Irwin Weil was the son of a “very unusual man” – the aforementioned Cincinnati Reds owner -- who did not let Henry Ford’s antisemitic views keep him out of the auto industry.  Studying at the University of Chicago, exposed to the writings of Fyodor Dostoyevsky (and determined to read them in their original language), young Weil began a course of study that altered his life’s trajectory.

 

In addition to learning the Russian language and its literature, Dr. Weil became an early proponent of and participant in numerous cultural exchanges.   To date, he has made more than 100 trips to Russia.

 

Fascinated by Soviet writer Maxim Gorky’s play, The Lower Depths, Dr. Weil decided to devote his dissertation to an analysis of his work.  At the time, a leading Gorky specialist was named Bialik, also the name of the greatest poet of the Hebrew language in the 20^th century.  Dr. Weil met Bialik and was completely rebuffed. (“Get away, you bourgeois reactionary”!)  Later, after he had published a book on Gorky, he was encouraged to reach out again to Bialik who had praised his book. 

 

On second meeting, while still a “bourgeois scholar,” Dr. Weil found a man who would come to be a very close friend.   He learned an early lesson in Soviet reality.   Bialik had cursed at him in order to keep him at a distance, protecting him. 

 

Dr. Weil learned another lesson in Soviet reality when he served as interpreter and guide for composer Dmitrii Shostakovich on his trip to NU in 1973.  Shostakovich, who was receiving an honorary degree, expressed the most subtle reactions to the rhythms of his own music, noticeable only to those very near him.  Dr. Weil considered it an enormous privilege to interact with the musical genius.

 

Through his interaction with children’s verse writer Korney Chukovsky, Dr. Weil learned the truth about Maxim Gorky’s death. After proposing “a little talk, a little walk” in order to assess Weil’s background and loyalties, Chukovsky relayed the story of Gorky’s last day. Not assassinated by Fascist agents as often rumored, it appears that Gorky died of natural causes. This finding was borne out by medical records to Dr. Weil’s satisfaction.

 

Dr. Weil has been integral to the establishment of an American Studies Center at the Moscow Humanities University. With the cooperation of many Russian and American specialists, it promises to focus a unique light on the work of American specialists in both countries.

 

In response to audience questions, Dr. Weil characterized Vladimir Putin as a realist, disinterested in ideology, but interested in ruling. Popular among the less educated masses, but considered a totalitarian brute by Weil’s friends, pragmatist Putin is likely to continue in power. In contrast, Mikhail Gorbachev, while popular among Weil’s circle, presided over the country during the collapse of the Soviet Union, engendering mixed feelings from the public.

 

Proud of his course, “Intro to the Soviet Union and its Successor States,” Dr. Weil explained its Reading List:  And Quiet Flows the Don (Mikhail Sholokhov); Poetry by Vladimir Mayakovsky; Satires by Mikhail Zoshchenko; and One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich (Alexander Solzhenitsyn). Each exhibits a different attitude toward life in SU.  Together they provide a genuine view of one of the most important events of the 20^th century. 

 

In his own words, Dr. Weil worked at a “fascinating time,” sparking an interest in Russia for hundreds of students each year. Dr. Weil cordially signed copies of his memoir for interested members of the audience. 

Larry Stoler, friend of Steve Goranson and prospective member

 

Kent Anderson, friend of Kevin Breunig and prospective member

 

Fr. Simon Peter, Arc of Hope, Uganda

 

Gerry Baumann, Sept. 15

 

Sid Doolittle (Honorary member), Sept. 7. Sid and his wife Barb are also celebrating their 60^th wedding anniversary this month