The Rotary Club of Catonsville - Sunrise, Maryland

Greeter John Monck welcomed each of us Wednesday morning. 

President George  called the meeting to order after the Pledge and Devotion. 

Guests:  Riggs Jones attended so as to have breakfast with his NC-living father Chris.

New member prospect Dick Zahn also attended again. Dick is married to a cousin of Susan Souder. He is a long-time Catonsville resident whose business on Bloomsbury is Horizon Title. He also owns a mortgage company.  Dick is a former FBI agent who went to law school and had a successful general practice for many years.  In addition, he is a retired Professor who served as the head of the Business Department at CCBC at Catonsville. At one time he served on the Board of the Children’s Home (and may still do so, I’m not sure).  He is a good friend of Larry Aaronson; and we’d be fortunate to have him join us. 

New Business:  Peter reported that the YMCA race has garnered $34,000 in sponsorships. $35,000 is still the goal. 278 runners have enlisted including 150 team runners.  Many more runners may appear on Race Day which is Saturday, September 30, 2006. A meeting for volunteers was today (Friday). 

The Club gave John Galley a standing ovation for the successful booth at the Arts & Crafts Festival. John has crafted our booth of funnel cakes and pretzels to a fine art.  

Susan Souder received a Paul Harris award.

A Bull Roast meeting was scheduled for Thursday, 9/14/06, at lunch at the Café at the Grove at 12:30.

BOARD meeting – Tuesday, September 19, 2006 7:30 at the Café at the Grove.

Happy Dollars:  Cal promised $1 for each member who agreed to help Cal stay after the meeting to organize the closet to make room for dictionaries. As members rushed to agree (and run up the tab) Cal cut it off. It’s a small closet.

George reported that he and his granddaughter created some noise as they tried merging onto the Beltway in this week’s driving lesson.

Chris was happy to be at a meeting and he was also happy about buying a new motorcycle.

John Monck was happy to join us after the big CEFM move . John donated another dollar to encourage Chris to drive the new bike to MD for a meeting.

Karen Roberts was happy that politicians will stop leaving messages (for a day or two) on her machine now that the primary is over.

Tom mentioned that Philadelphia looked OK this past week (although not as good as the ******)

Bruce donated a happy dollar for Craig  (sp)Sigismondi’s donation to the Club for the use a deep fryer for funnel cakes.

(Susan agreed to write a letter to the Catonsville times thanking Craig for his help, etc.)

CLASSIFICATION talk by Steve Arum :  Mimicking recent political ads, Steve told us that his parents had not come from a lot of money ; but they worked hard. Steve played tennis, basketball, stickball and sold sandwiches in Long Beach Long Island. He is Steve Arum and he approved this introduction.

Steve’s father was a jeweler; his mother was a medical secretary and then, a homemaker. His family lived 4 blocks from the ocean. Steve’s younger bro works with the NEA; his sis is in the food industry (French chocolate). The 3 Arum siblings help care for mother who is now 95 and still living in her NY home.

Steve attended Hobart College in upstate NY where he majored in extracurricular activities and minored in English and French. As an upperclassman, he studied in France. Following college, he volunteered to teach in East Africa and was fortunate to have an Extreme Orientation which lasted 9 months including stints in London, Kampala, Uganda and travel throughout Tanzania.

After Africa, Steve completed his Masters in education at Yale where he again mastered in extracurricular activities. He accepted a teaching position in Chappaqua.

He met his delightful wife Ester in an Experiment in International Living, a program for students from Columbia to  obtain their college degrees in the US. They married in 1964 and moved to U. Penn where Ester continued her education and Steve was the Assistant Director of the International Office. During his last 2 years at U Penn, Steve participated in a national review of foreign study programs which enabled him to travel all over the US visiting colleges and coeds (or something like that).

Steve then moved back to NY and finished his doctorate. His dissertation concerned the history of foreign area studies before WW II. He moved to the U of Iowa (for the next 30 years) and worked to create programs in Latin American studies, East Asian studies, Easter European studies and African studies. Steve’s office staff began with a secretary and ½ graduate assistant. 3 decades later there were 7 professionals, 5 secretaries, 17 graduate assistants, and 12 work study individuals with 50 programs sending 500 students abroad to study.

During his career, Steve received many honors including two (2) Fulbright awards to study in Japan and in Germany. Other countries  have consulted Steve in the area of International education. Steve taught a course one year at the University of Yucatan (he didn’t actually stay in Iowa the whole 30 years – appears to have left frequently.)

Steve and Ester have twin daughters they raised as sisters (not dressing them alike, etc.) They encouraged Ester’s mother to live with them and the daughters are bilingual, like their mother.  Consistent with Steve’s career to encourage multi-cultural experiences, the Arums also encouraged the twins to learn Chinese.

Ester finished her Masters degree in Social work; she has a position at UB where she works in the Honors Program. Daughter Laila graduated from Brown and works at Wells Fargo Bank in San Francisco. Kesia graduated from Wellesley, spent 2 years in Taiwan perfecting her Chinese. She also has an MBA from Duke. (It’s an extremely educated family.)

Steve joined rotary in Iowa. His club had 275 members, about half of whom were university-connected; half were business people. They were a musical group who always sang selections from the Rotary songbook at their lunch meetings. In addition, one member regularly told 2 – 3 jokes. New members would shake hands with members leaving induction meetings.

Steve has hosted scholars from Russia and the Ukraine, and thus we have the Russian librarian connection explained.

Steve and Ester decided to leave Iowa, and Steve accepted a position at CCBC at Essex which brought him to Catonsville eventually. He has since retired, and like Voltaire,  is gardening literally (trying to dispel the “gangrene” thumb image he has) and figuratively on long neglected projects. Following his departure from academia,  he and Ester have traveled to Greece and Egypt. He is now planning a trip to China for the whole family.

Respectfully submitted,

Susan Souder

President George, a terrific executive, called the meeting to order. 

Guest:  Richard Zahn visited us again and was provided with membership materials. 

New Business:  Richard reported that Susan will host meetings of the Committee at her house. There will be fewer actual meetings, more virtual meetings.

Richard asks that everyone respond to his list of suggested tasks. 

Russ secured Tom Booth as a sponsor for the Bull Roast which will be a BIG help.

Tom is walking to raise $ for ALS because his sister has the disease. Richard passed around an envelope to donate.

Membership:  Susan will order name badges for Kimberly and Steve Dare. Does anyone else need a name badge?

Kimberly passed out a card to help us remember to talk up membership.

Kimberly also distributed a very impressive draft tri-fold brochure she prepared to use at the YMCA 5 K which describes our Club.

Finally, Kimberly reported that she has been following up on membership prospects suggested by members.

YMCA 5K:  George distributed packages from the Volunteer meeting which include red T shirts.  We will have a table at the Race. Tom will bring the skirt for the table.

Ad Hoc PR Committee:  Steve Arum obtained a number of videos, DVDs and promotional materials from Rotary International that we may be able to use in oureffort to devise a PR effort to secure new members. They were divided up for Committee members to review.  The Committee will meet next Wed.

SIGN:  Cal is a whirling dervish of Rotary activity these days.  Bev made us a sharp looking sign.  Cal brought a post hole digger, 4x4 post, tools, etc.  After the meeting, Tom dug the hole;  Russ fastened the new sign on the hanger, the guys put it in the hole, Cal kicked the dirt around it and tamped it down.  Susan, Steve and Richard laughed and watched.  The sign looks really terrific!! 

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Happy Dollars:  Tom has a son turning 40 years old who he will surprise with a visit this weekend. He donated another dollar for the Phil. Eagles near win.

John mentioned the free concert by Tom Snyder’s band at the Lurman on Friday 9/29 from 6 – 8 PM to benefit the West Side Shelter.

Steve Dare is happy Steve Arum hooked him with some college professors to be speakers. He asks that we suggest topics.

Richard said they are looking at a Car Show for the second week of September 2007 probably at CCBC to benefit CEFM.

Speaker:  Baltimore County Sheriff Jay Fisher was our speaker. He commented that of all the many groups to whom he has spoken the last 4 years, he always appreciates that Rotary begins meetings with the Pledge and a Devotion.  Jay related his background – 33 years in professional law enforcement in Baltimore City before retiring.  Jay was elected in 2002. The Sheriff’s Department in Baltimore County is not a full service law enforcement operation which is true of other urban jurisdictions in Maryland and throughout the US. 

Jay described the operations of his Department where he supervises 67 deputies  – 7,000 felony warrants served since 2002, reducing violent crime. The Sheriff is responsible for the security of the Circuit Court including security in the courtrooms. They serve summonses, writs, warrants including efforts to secure payment of court-ordered child support. They identify fugitives, assist in foreclosures, and other law-related operations.

Sheriff Fisher also described the difficulties in identifying applicants who are eligible for recruitment to work in law enforcement. They must pass a written test, polygraph, criminal background investigation, and an in-depth interview.

50-50:      Tom won but did not pick the magic 6 of spades.

Respectfully submitted,

Susan Souder

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Club Meeting September 20, 2006