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Meeting Notes from January 19, 2016
Presiding was President Steve Goranson and the Thought for the Day was presented by Lincoln Janus.
Announcements
Steve Goranson announced that Wally Bobkiewicz, president of the noon Evanston Rotary club, and his wife welcomed a new baby yesterday and sent pictures to be shared with fellow club members.
Kristin Brown announced that next week’s speaker, Walter Reed, passed away. This sad situation has resulted in next week being open and program recommendations by the members would be appreciated.
Charlotta Koppanyi announced that Andre Wallace, one of last year’s RYLA students, was awarded the 2015 Community Diversity Scholarship by the City of Evanston’s Human Relations Commission. The $1,000 scholarship was sponsored by First Bank & Trust and will be used for educational purposes.
Charlotta hopes to bring Andre as a club guest in the future. Charlotta also noted that the period to submit RYLA applications is still open and encouraged members to seek out young individuals who could benefit from the program to apply.
Kate Collison announced that authorization is given to members whose Holiday Sales buyers have complained about bad oranges. Members can reimburse the purchase amount and be reimbursed by the club or obtain a club check from Kate. Kate emphasized the need to resolve these issues at the earliest possible time. She also noted that there are extra Trail Mix bags that could be available to these customers at no charge. Kate also mentioned that all payments need to be made very soon. Overall, Kate noted that the Holiday Sale was successful. Steve Carlson distributed a list containing members’ names and corresponding sales.
This coming Sunday, Jan. 24, Ken Green will be delivering meals for Campus Kitchens and conducting a training/familiarization session for anyone who wishes to join him and learn how to make the deliveries. If interested, meet Ken in the east parking lot of Allison Hall on the Northwestern campus at 2 p.m. The parking lot is entered on the north side of Clark Street, just east of Orrington and west of Chicago Avenue. It is also just east of a small brick building which is closer to Clark Street. The temperature this Sunday is supposed to be in the upper 30’s, so Ken will be waiting outside his car in the parking lot until approximately 2:10 p.m., after which he will leave to make the deliveries.
Horton Kellogg announced that there will be a concert by the Old Men’s Jazz Band on Sunday, Feb. 21, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. (Buffet served between 5:30 and 6:30) at Monastero’s Restaurant, 3935 W. Devon Ave., Chicago. Tickets are $35, with free onsite valet parking.
Special Presentation
A Paul Harris Award 3 was bestowed upon MaLu Simon.
Steve and MaLu
Roasts and Boasts
Neil Gambow boasted his granddaughter, who is currently in Patagonia and had the opportunity to take some spectacular pictures and videos with a colleague. Neil will show these pictures and videos to the club next week.
Bruce Baumberger boasted the Rotary leaders who are currently meeting in San Diego and preparing for next year’s theme of Rotary Serving Humanity.
Program
Member Bio: Michael Merdinger
Michael began by telling how he decided to join Rotary. After his last volunteer engagement, he was looking to do some local volunteer work. Through his friendship with Rotarian Keith Sarpolis and his research into the work of Rotary, he decided there was a match and can contribute to what Rotary does, locally and internationally.
Michael was born and raised in Skokie. His family fit well in the area as a white Jewish family in what was a mainly white Jewish neighborhood. He has two older brothers and a younger sister. His mother was an English teacher, whence his love for reading. His father and uncle owned a meat processing company in Chicago. His father’s hard work allowed a good life for the family with a farmhouse in Wisconsin.
Michael attended college in Lawrence, Kansas. He remembers fondly all the music concerts he attended at a renowned local bar. He loves the Blues. The only two things he cannot bring himself to like are the opera and Scotch. His most notable experience in Kansas is being bitten by a copperhead snake. The snake was the largest copperhead snake ever seen by the emergency room staff. That experience resulted in several weeks of painful recuperation.
Michael had an interest in attending law school and sought a job at a law firm to understand better how lawyers work. He observed that one of the lawyers at the firm spent his days trading futures. He figured he could skip law school and join a financial firm to trade futures. He was able to find a job in the financial industry. He subsequently joined a London-based trading firm which gave him many opportunities to travel across Europe. He is currently at the Financial Strategic Network.
He met his wife at a wedding shower event for one of his cousins and they have been married for 30 years. He has two adopted children from Peru.
His daughter Liz, 26, is currently working on an advanced degree. His son, Jamie, spent four years in the Marines, which was an experience that helped him to mature. His son is currently working on a degree in Ecology. He has spent time volunteering in Kenya. His son is also planning on working on a documentary focusing on poverty in Peru and Kenya.
Family is very important for Michael and he also strongly desires to do things that positively impact the world.
Michael mentioned that he received a very warm reception into the club. He also mentioned many club members he knew before joining – he worked for a long time with Fran Caan’s husband; he knew Randy Usen from a long time ago; he also knew Keith Sarpolis. He was pleasantly surprised to know they are members of the club.
Immediately after joining the club, Michael quickly immersed himself in the club’s activities by joining the Young Leaders group. He is eager to contribute by using his extensive experience in the financial industry.
Michael Merdinger
Guests and Milestones
Birthday: Julianne Dieterich, January 18
Anniversaries: Steve Carlson, 18 years, and Kristin Brown, 4 years
Next Week’s Assignments
Greeters: Elaine Clemens and Kate Collison
Thought for the Day: Scott Kaplan
Scribe: Helen Oloroso
Meeting set-up: Ira Graham and Jon Carlisle
Breakdown: Don Gwinn and Carol Bild
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