Marana Rotary Club
Meeting Minutes August 3, 2021
The meeting was held hybrid with a smoother start thanks in large part to Richie and John D.
Announcements
Randy informed the club of Sally Montagne’s birthday party which sadly coincided with her husband, Ernie’s, bout with Stage 4 brain cancer. Randy asked members who knew them to reach out with messages of support.
Don reported that 50% of the membership questionnaires had been received.
The club has an opportunity to provide volunteers for the upcoming Balloon Festival, mid-November (exact date to be confirmed). The event will begin the afternoon and extend into the evening with tethered balloon rides. Randy was supportive; however, reminded all that it will occur close to the Zone Institute (November 11) where dignitaries from Rotary will be arriving at TIA for which volunteers are also needed.
Mary reminded the club of the Peace Builder Network occurring August 17 at 6PM(date and time to be confirmed). As a member of a Peace Club, all are welcome to attend. Marana has informed us that the club will be responsible for the landscaping at the installation. Mary suggested a rock garden with few plants instead of a full blown garden. More peaceful, Zen-like. Volunteers are being sought for the project.
Felicia’s Farm- Cathy has already made a produce run and is excited to have our support. Volunteers for deliveries, maybe twice per month, will be required. Harold noted that the woodchipper they have is inadequate for their purposes. Therefore, the grant amount will need to increase above the approved $3,000 budget.
Happy Bucks
Laura is happy for the flowers produced after the recent rains
Mary is happy that she was able to mow her lawn after an apparent long period of growth.
Denise was happy that her husband was feeling much better
John Zwitzer was happy to be back amongst friends.
John Dooley went fishing at Big Bear Lake where he attempted mountain biking. This is apparently not his sport as he fell no less than 5 times and suffered a concussion. Being a potentially serious matter, the club wished him a speedy recovery.
Richie was happy that, unlike his neighbors, he didn’t lose his roof in the monsoon storms. And he was able to watch kayakers and fisherpersons plying the swollen washes.
Andy was happy to have his internet back after lightening fried his electronics
Denise was grateful for the rains but not the weeds
Don was happy to be in the countryside north of NYC and looking forward to attending a 50 year wedding anniversary in Rhode Island
Beckie echoed the happy sentiments regarding all of the refreshing rains
Randy happily reported that the earth was indeed round as evidenced by the curvature observed in the Nebraska flatlands where he is visiting his cousin on his Jack Kerouac journey across the USA
Speaker
Alex Wright, Executive Director of the 390th Memorial Museum, gave a fascinating talk about this museum located on the grounds of the Pima Air Museum. Alex is a former Air Force fighter pilot who joined the museum in the summer of 2019. The 390th was one of three principal fighter wings based in England in WWII responsible for bombing campaigns over Germany and Nazi occupied Europe. The aircraft used was the B-17, of which one of 40 remaining is on display at the museum. This B-17 has a fascinating history. While it was produced in 1945 near the end of the war and never saw battle, it was deployed by the US Coast Guard in cartography projects followed by use as a slurry bomber in fire fighting until its retirement in 1979. It was installed in the museum in 1986.
The purpose of the museum is to memorialize and commemorate the role of the 390th bomber wing in WWII. Alex described the many stories and ways in which the stories are preserved. The sacrifices and losses over the wing’s 20 months of bombing campaigns initiated from English soil. The museum has the largest collection of flight jackets in addition to exhibits on aircraft nose art, POW stories, a soon to be added turret exhibit, and an exhibit for the Chow Hound campaign at the end of the war where the 390th B-17’s were used for food drops into the winter-hardened Netherlands.
Alex was an engaging speaker with a myriad of interesting facts about the 390th. The museum’s stories and objectives are described in their excellent website, www:390th.org.
Randy indicated that the Museum would be ideal for one of the Club’s social meetings that occur monthly. Alex said he would welcome us and provide for a private experience for our club. An opportunity we will surely act upon.