Rotareminder Rotary Club of Kent October 27, 2020
Meeting Opening: David Dix played God Bless America; Pledge of Allegiance was led by President Randy Smith, and Lang Kennedy provided the Invocation.
Guests: Anne Moneypenny joined the meeting, Jack Amrhein and Julie Kenworthy, Kent Historical Society guests of Tom Hatch, Heather Malarcik and Lesley Sickle from Main Street Kent guests of Tom Hatch, Karen Fuller guest and wife of Doug Fuller,
November Programs: David Myers announced the November programs being coordinated by Tom Hatch.
11/10 District Governor Patricia Myers
11/17 Abdoulaye Fall, former ILEP scholar from Senegal, will speak about the Read Center at Kent State where he is a Ph.D. candidate and other former Kent State ILEP scholars.
11/24 Ricardo Sepulveda, Director of Kent Blossom Music, will speak about the School of Music and what is happening with Blossom next year.
Announcements:
President Randy reported that the recent amendments to the By-laws passed by a vote of 51 for, 3 against, and 1 abstention. Charlie Beckwith turned 93 this week, Happy Birthday.
Rachel Kerns informed the club of a toy campaign. Purchased toys can be dropped off at their Kent location. All toys will be donated to Kent Social Services and Salvation Army.
100th Anniversary Moment: Jim Myers shared with the club another 100-year moment. During the great depression Rotarians adapted, assisted, and inspired our community. Membership had dropped from 63 to 58. The club also reduced fees from $25-$20. A garden plot was also started from food.
Anthony Horton introduced this month’s Rotary Student of the month at Stanton Middle School is Leah Mercer. A member of the 8th grade Voyagers Team, Leah participates in many school and co-curricular activities that qualify her for this prestigious award. Her team of teachers report that Leah is a good student who embodies hard work, dedication, and a positive attitude. She is a compassionate soul that makes our classrooms and school a better place.
At Stanton, Leah is a three year member of Choir, a two year member of Student Council, a two year member of Student Ambassadors, a two year member of Sketch Club, a one year member of the stage crew for Drama Club and a one year member of Ski Club. Leah likes being involved in activities because she likes being able to have an impact on the culture and climate of her school and she likes being involved. She is currently taking Spanish 1 as a high school credited class and since she’s been at Stanton her accumulative GPA is a 3.8. All of her advisors report that Leah is a joy to work with and that she is always striving to be the best that she can be.
Outside of school Leah is a very active young lady. She participated in gymnastics for several years then she started studying Dance concentrating in Jazz and Acro and she is very involved in her Girl Scout troop. This fall through her Scout troop, she helped make and prepare meals for people in need. Leah likes to stay active and she likes being able to give back to her community.
After high school Leah is planning on attending Kent State University and majoring in Art Education. She is very passionate about Art and she gets that passion from her parents and her aunt who are all artists. When asked, “Where do you get your desire for service?” She replied, “From my parents, they set a good example for me to treat others with kindness and respect.”
Leah is truly honored to be recognized by our club and she is joined at today’s meeting by her proud parents Isabel Farnsworth and Sean Mercer.
Program:
David Myers introduced Tom Hatch. Tom took the club on a historic tour of the buildings of Kent by covering Historic Facades of Kent, Ohio. The book was authored by Mark Prues and Tom was the editor. Mark Prues, a graduate of Kent State University, took on a project of looking at the history of over 60 buildings in downtown Kent and how they have transformed over the years. The project turned into the book mentioned. The book was completed in 2018 and then went into a one-year prep time to go to production. Mark is currently a designer and Metis Construction. Mark took the club through his process in developing and researching the history. Doug Fuller rounded out the discussion explaining many other parts of the book.
The book is available for purchase from the Kent Historical Society, Kentohiohistory.org, for $40 dollars. All proceeds will go to Main Street Kent and Kent Historical Society.
Response was by Jim Meyers.
Respectfully submitted by Michael Lewis.
