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Meeting Notes from October 13, 2015
President Steve Goranson welcomed members and guests to the 42nd meeting of the 2015 calendar year. An impromptu Thought for the Day was offered by Anton Dokov: “We all have an obligation to make ourselves more interesting.”
Announcements
President Steve noted that there is an opportunity to volunteer at the upcoming RI Architectural Tour on Oct. 23. Please contact Steve if you are interested.
All members should have recently received an email message from Steve containing a link to details of the upcoming One Rotary Summit on Oct. 24 at Harper College. Morning sessions will be helpful to both new and seasoned members. Please visit the District 6440 website for more details.
The Holiday Sales Committee will be meeting Wednesday morning, Oct. 14, at 7:15 a.m. in the RI Cafeteria. At this time, we will be finalizing flyers, orders forms, and marketing strategies. Any and all interested Rotarians are welcome. Steve also encouraged the membership to begin thinking of potential commercial contacts that might be interested in our holiday floral products and greenery. You will be hearing more about the sale in the coming weeks.
Debbie Stacey of the Rotary Club of Wilmette explained that her club will be hosting a Wine, Dine & Dance event on Friday, Nov. 6, at the Penthouse Ballroom of the DoubleTree Hilton Hotel in Skokie. The evening will be a fun one, combining food and wine pairings, dance lessons, a 50/50 raffle, and live and silent auctions. Please visit their club’s website or take a Save the Date card (on each table) for additional information.
Don Gwinn reminded members that the upcoming theatre outing to The Story of the Story at the Chopin Theatre (Division & Ashland with parking at the Church down the street) takes place this Sunday at 4 p.m. The Story of the Story has received positive reviews and it promises to be a fun event. The production is not sold out and tickets are only $20. Please contact Don promptly if you are interested in joining the group.
Kristin Brown reminded the membership that she, John Osterlund, and Bill Vernon will be participating in the Ride to End Polio next month. Both John and Kristin have fundraising pages on Rotary.org. The goal is to raise $3 million (which will be leveraged with matching grants to raise $10 million).
Kristin also announced that our club may be involved in hosting both inbound and outbound Rotary Youth Exchange students during the coming year. Jackie Mack and Jane Grover have generously offered to host an inbound student. Phoebe Curry, a home-schooled 10th grader and potential outbound student, spoke to the club briefly about her interest in studying both the language and culture of the Netherlands or Japan. Phoebe’s personal interests include horseback riding, reading, drawing, and travel.
New Generations Chair Marv Edelstein noted that RYLA applications will be available soon. Past participants are consistently enthusiastic about the mix of leadership, team training, and fellowship activities. Eligible participants must be high school students. Please contact Marv with possible candidates, or for more information. Service above self begins early!
Roasts & Boasts
Gary Peterson roasted himself for missing several planned dinners at the home of Lesley Peters, arriving at the wrong time and then on the wrong date. He also boasted Lesley, his host, who dealt with these glitches graciously.
Lesley roasted herself for a time-sensitive blunder. She overslept today, missing her set-up shift prior to our meeting.
Horton Kellogg told an engaging ‘boast/roast’ story. Describing himself as the “last pig out of the mud puddle,” he visited the hall coat rack several weeks ago after a meeting – only to find no jacket (and therefore, no car key fob and no super-strong bike lock key. Several weeks went by with frequent contact between Horton and the Hilton Garden Inn. He found his key fob at home where it had broken off his key ring, but still no jacket. The good news is that he eventually DID get his jacket back, with the bike lock key still in his pocket. There’s a mystery, however, as a beautiful new Bradley Investments umbrella was also in the pocket. Was the umbrella a reward from Dale Bradley, who may have accidentally taken the jacket? Or did Dale put an umbrella in every coat’s pocket?
Fran Caan boasted ETHS, announcing another ribbon cutting ceremony. On Thursday afternoon at 4 p.m., ETHS will be hosting a celebration of its renovated planetarium. Originally constructed in 1968, the structure has recently undergone an $800,000 facelift. This state of the art facility will now be used by a variety of ETHS classes. In addition to Astrophysics students, students in Biology (heart chambers), Art History (European cathedral ceilings) and other classes will enjoy its IMAX-like capabilities. The ceremony is open to everyone with lots of appetizers and beverages. It’s easiest to park on Dodge Street, across from the Main Entrance to the School. The Planetarium is in the Courtyard closest to that entrance.
John Searles boasted those responsible for making the recent Dental Access Days at the Levy Center an overwhelming success. Our club donated $3,000 to this worthwhile annual event. Don Gwinn, another volunteer, added that he’d talked with organizer Bill McKinnon who noted more patients were seen than ever before, thanks to the long hours put in by the volunteer dental staff. The City of Evanston’s Social Service Department identifies particularly needy patients who are treated at no cost. As we head into the Holiday Sale, please keep in mind that its proceeds fund this incredible work!
Program
Member Bios, Marisa Naujokas & Susan Prout
Speaker: Marisa Naujokas
Marisa Naujokas presented a “quilt of stories” which summarized her life. Always an animal lover, Marisa nursed birds, geckos, tortoises, and other animals, driving her parents crazy in the process. The child of two 100% Lithuanians, Marisa grew up with strong ties to that community. She has fond memories of extended family gatherings in a small apartment near Comiskey Park, where fireworks (signaling home runs) prompted only brief pauses in conversation. A product of the Catholic educational system through high school, Marisa was ready for the academic challenges of college at an early age. She attended the University of Chicago and was thrilled to be surrounded by nerds. She met her husband Matt there (with his girlfriend), but his relationship status soon changed and they’ve been married now for many years.
At the U of C, Marisa was particularly successful and happy doing research on immunology. Her undergraduate thesis is still available online and is frequently downloaded, to Marisa’s surprise and pleasure. Her research work continues to bring her satisfaction. She relayed the story of one project (as a U of C post-doc) on which she was the sole scientist pushing to continue in a particular direction. Her instincts proved correct and the project went on to uncover something truly ‘new,’ providing another special career memory.
The birth of Marisa’s twins was another important juncture in her life. On track to become a professor, Marisa’s career path quickly became more complicated. Marisa remembered the story of a famous University of Chicago geneticist who took years off to raise a family – and then was accorded the Lasker Award (the runner-up to the Nobel Prize). Marisa decided to stay home with her twins for their first five years. From there, she worked into her current science writing specialty. She produces communication pieces, primarily for the EPA and the Environmental Health Institute. When it comes to her projects, “the nerdier the work, the better."
Marisa explained that she met Kristin Brown (her primary Rotary contact) at an exercise class that Marisa was teaching. Noting “Kristin meets people and they’re her best friend forever,” she explained how Kristin volunteered to keep her son busy when she had to be briefly hospitalized. Her son bonded with Kristin’s son and returned happy, and Marisa had a true friend.
Last but not least, she is grateful to Kristin for the introduction to the Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club -- of which she’s proud to be a member.
Marisa
Speaker: Susan Prout
Susan began her presentation by noting she was a proud, 4th generation Evanstonian. Her mother’s grandparents were from Malmo, Sweden; her father’s family was a hash – English, Dutch, German, Welsh. All were Evanston Township High School graduates. Susan’s mother is Dorothy Wyandt; her father was John Wyandt, a charter member of the Evanston Lighthouse Rotary Club and its second President.
Susan has been married for 34 years to Steve Prout, a fellow student at Lawrence University. He currently works as an attorney for the Chicago Transit Authority. They have two sons -- a 24 year old who is a second year medical student and a 22 year old who is employed by Acquirent in Evanston. Susan shared a picture of the family’s recent Utah vacation which occurred just before her husband was the high bidder on yet another Utah vacation at our club’s Spring Fundraiser Auction. (Her son questioned, “Aren’t there 49 other states?”)
In 2011, with sons at Juniata College and Butler University, Susan found herself an empty nester. She spent time that year catching up on unwatched TV shows via Netflix. In Spring 2012, Susan’s dad passed away unexpectedly. Feeling that it was time to work on her own health, Susan visited her doctor and failed a stress test. She began to exercise and eat more carefully and ultimately lost 85 pounds, using apps (myfitnesspall) and technology (Fitbit). She’s now an exercise and strength training enthusiast who has worn out her family with conversations about those subjects. (“Unless you tripped & smacked your face on the treadmill, no one wants to hear about your workouts”.)
Susan felt she had more to give to the world and started looking for additional volunteer opportunities. Her father had always encouraged her to join Rotary and her mother was a big supporter of the ELRC, noting that it was a great place to become involved in community service. Susan joined the club in March of this year and is happy to be here.
Professionally, Susan has worked as an Attorney with the Environmental Protection Agency since 1987. As a result, she has connected with Marisa (who writes for the EPA) and Steve Goranson (who she knew when he still wore a suit to work). She counsels on a variety of issues and works to enforce all environmental media. She has been particularly involved with the Great Lakes Legacy Act, a bi-partisan effort funded to address the most contaminated sites around the Great Lakes. In FY2015, $50 million was allocated for this purpose. Susan works on the deals required to get projects underway. With a series of slides, she illustrated the improvement in the Kinnickinnic River in Milwaukee. Thousands of feet were dredged along both side of the canal in the Beecher Street area, sediment was removed and barged out to disposal facilities, and the channel is now wider and more navigable.
 Susan
Guests and Milestones
Visiting Rotarians
Debbie Stacey, RC of Wilmette
Other Guests
Phoebe Curry, prospective Outbound Rotary Youth Exchange student, guest of Kristin Brown
Judd Curry, father of Phoebe Curry
Birthdays
Neil Gambow – Oct. 16
Anniversaries
Randy Usen – 21 years
Jim McGuire – 28 years
Yves Lassere - 2 years
Next Week’s Speaker
Larry Stoler, Can You Digest Your Life? A New Look at Food, Digestion, and Wellness
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