The Rotary Club of Trumbull

Club No. 6755, District 7980, Region 1

President-elect Mike Redgate called the meeting to order and led the Pledge of Allegiance to the flag. Jack Quinlan said the invocation. Steve Hodson sang “De Colores”.

Attendance:  39 of 65 members attended. Marge Anctil, Jim Bardon, Greg Bivona, John Bogannam, Jayne Bolton, Doreen Boutote, Bev Cambras, Jackie Carlino, Barry Diamond, Don Emond, Lynn Fontana, Tom Galla, Len Germano, Tom Heaney, Steve Hodson, Thelma Hoyt, Steve Jakab, Phil Lane, Jim Lang, Gene Leone, Ron Lesko, Dana Lonergan, Steve Lupien, John Makar, Bob Matthews, Ian Mc Millan, Preston Merritt, Jack Quinlan, Michael Redgate, Joe Ruospo, Ray Rzasa, Russell Schwartz, Dale Seymour, Rose Marie Spatafore, Dick Stein, Dick Stutz, Steve Taylor, George Voynick, Dave Wilson.

Guests:  Bill Dunn, a guest of Ted Merritt; Bob Patragnelli, a guest of Tom Galla; Tim Rivers, a guest of Ray Baldwin; Carl Carlson, a guest of Len Germano. All have been approved as new members at our Board Meeting of 2/13/02, and will be inducted soon. Prospective members Adam Chambers, and Tricia Brown, a guest of Jayne Bolton. Charles Jones, of the Wilton Club, and Dave Wolf of the Monroe Club.

Exchange Student: Grisel Pezos, our exchange student from Mazatlan, Mexico, thanked our club for supporting her stay while studying at Trumbull High School. She also thanked the families who have served as her host, including the family of Dana Lonergan.

Happy Dollars:

Phil Lane – 5 – For the successful resolution of a dangerous situation at Fairfield University several days ago, and because he is going skiing soon.

Steve Jakab –2- In prayerful thanks for the Fairfield U. situation that Phil mentioned, and for prayers for the troubled former student that made other students hostages.

Barry Diamond – 1 –because the TOCC and the Better Business Bureau had an attendance of 72 people at the ‘Economic Forecast Breakfast”.

Joe Ruospo – 2 –for his daughter’s 16^th birthday, and because he is going to Florida soon.

Tom Galla – 1 – For the success of the batting cage at Winterfest. New member Tim Rivers spent hours pitching balls to kids lined up to hit.

Dick Stutz – 1- He is nominating all the Sikorsky Aircraft Black Hawk helicopters in the movies, because they always crash in conformance with FAA standards.

Dave Wolf – 2 – For the Trumbull Rotary Club hosting our Exchange Student, Grisel Pezos, and for her speech to our club.

Gene Leone – 2 – One sad dollar because his children have the chicken pox, and one happy because he and his wife had a nice Valentines Day dinner at the Great Hill Country Club in Milford.

Doreen Boutote – 20 – The Rotaract club made $500.00 selling pizza at Winterfest, to advertise the THS play “No, No Nannette”, because she is going to Los Angeles, because she recently spent some time with her brother, and because she has almost completed her sixth year degree.

Rose Marie Spatafore – 2 – She and the rest of the admission gate volunteers survived at Winterfest, and because reservations for the Spain convention are starting to come in.

Thelma Hoyt – 1 – for a short meeting of our singing group after the regular meeting.

Birthdays and Anniversaries: None

Announcements:

Jim Lang announced that he spent last week with his wife in Anaheim, CA with 500 other people presently serving as “District Governor Elects”. Jim used the pins we bought for him to trade with other Rotarians at the meeting. Jim then provided each member with one or two of the pins he obtained by trading.

Student of the Month:

Sister Carolyn, Principle of Saint Therese’s School, introduced our Student of the Month Ashley Panese. Sister Carolyn said she is very proud of her school and its many fine students, such as Ashley. Sister Carolyn said Ashley is timely, creative, neat, inquisitive, and willingly helps other students. She is active in basketball, soccer, drama, choir, and track, as an altar server and as Editor of the yearbook. Ashley introduced her parents and brother who were at the meeting. She thanked our club and said she plans on attending Laurelton Hall High School, then study to become an Ophthalmologist in medical school.

Program:

  Steve Jakab introduced our guest speaker, Ron Travaglino, who is the Director of the Bloodless Medicine program at Bridgeport Hospital. Among other things, Ron said:

1.      Only Hartford Hospital and Bridgeport Hospital offer complete Bloodless Surgery programs.

2.      Many outlying hospitals in Fairfield County send their most difficult cases to Bridgeport Hospital, which is a tribute to the level of care available.

3.      Some people are opposed to blood transfusions for religious reasons, and others because they fear contracting an undiscovered disease from someone else’s blood.

4.      The nations blood supply is safer than it has ever been, but it is not 100% safe.

5.      Medicine is not a perfect science, and you don’t want to be in worse condition when you leave the hospital then when you come in.

6.      Surgery has advanced rapidly in the last 20 years, and all major surgeries can now be performed using the bloodless method.

Raffle:  Jackie Carlino and Barry Diamond drew for $40.00, with no winning card selected.

                        UCOMING PROGRAMS AND EVENTS

February 22     New member inductions and discussion of the last Board Meeting

March 1           Deborah Kovachi, Anti-bullying, Anti-harassment Program, Trumbull Schools  

Respectfully Submitted,

Dale J. Seymour