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News of the Elyria Ohio Rotary Club
Visit the: Elyria Rotary web site: elyriarotary.org
Tuesday March 26, 2013
President Spencer called the
meeting to order today and led
us in singing Grand Old Flag
and reciting the Pledge of
Allegiance.
Deb Warden led us in prayer and then Janet
Long led us in song. We sang All Hail To Rotary
which is to the tune of the Navy anthem – sort of
water related in keeping with our speaker today
who talked about the Port of Lorain.
ELYRIA ROTARY NEXT
WEEK:
MATTHEW WEISMAN,
200 YEARS OF SHIP
BUILDING ON
THE BLACK RIVER
Matthew Weisman is an Elyria native. He began
collecting ship building material on the Black
River over 30 years ago. He has a large collection
of photos and a listing of all the boats built on the
river, over 530.
VISITING STUDENTS:
Dave Pacanosky introduced us to two students
from Midview High School: Alex Nilges and
Steven Frye.
Both are outstanding students and members of the
National Honor Society. Both are also athletes and
active volunteers in the school and community.
Midview students Alex Nilges and Steven Frye
visited us at Rotary and their parents came along
as well.
Read the MEMBER SPOTLIGHT on page 3!
Alex plans to attend Ohio State University in
medical biology and wants to pursue a medical
career. Steven has not yet chosen a school but
wants to major in business and finance before
going on to Law School.
New Member:
Tim King introduced our newest member, Brian
Jankowski. Brian is owner of BCT Alarm
Services and active in the community. In
introducing him, Tim said that he will be a great
addition to our club. Welcome, Brian!
has been hired by Carnival Cruise Line to bless
every ship in their fleet.”
Mark Skellenger introduced our speaker, Rick
Novak from the Lorain Port Authority.
Tim King introduced our newest member, Brian
Jankowski.
Announcements:
 April 9th Photos by Dan Messaros;
 May 17th-19th District Conference at P-I-B;
 March 1st- End of School Year Reading at
Elementary Schools;
 April 18 – Mike Rogan (representing the
Social Committee) announced that we will
have a Wine Dinner at Cork & Stubby’s in
Amherst. Cost will be $50 per person for
dinner and accompanying wines. More
information will be sent out to all
members.
 June 14 – 20 – MESA Bike Ride with
several events in Elyria including the June
15 Kick-Off Event and the June 20 End
Reception – more information to come!
 June 21st Steak Fry/Auction
Jug:
Jugster, Don Boddy, fined an entire table today –
probably a first in the history of the Jug. His
targets included Mark King, Megan Flanigan,
Pete Mealwitz, Mike Rogan and Bill Kaatz.
Perhaps his best quip of the day: “Pete Mealwitx
The Program:
Mark Skellenger introduced our speaker, Rick
Novak who told us about the Lorain Port
Authority.
Rick began by noting that now that it is spring, it
is time to think about the lake and fun things to do
in the summer. He shared a little of the history of
the Lorain Port Authority with us and then talked
about what is happening in Lorain and on the
waterfront.
Rick gave us a sneak preview of the many events
coming up at the Port this summer. The summer
concert series includes a number of groups
including Parrots of the Caribbean (June 1),
Almost Queen (June 15) and The Soul Men (Aug.
24).
River Tours and Lighthouse Tours are beinf
offered again this summer. And, the Jet Express
will have a number of special trips as well. They
include wine tasting cruises, beer tasting cruises
and cruises to the Horseshoe Casino in Cleveland.
Finally, mark your calendars for the Port Fest on
July 3rd from 5 to 11 pm. It is always a fun event
with lots of food, tours and entertainment!
SECRETARY’S REPORT
By Greg Kruszka
Kelch (mkelch@rossenvironmental.com) for
inclusion in the Ramrod and to receive make up
credits.
New Members
UPCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS
Elizabeth P. (Beth) Maiden
Res: Amherst
Leadership Lorain County, Elyria
Sponsor: Steve Hosler
Charles A. (Chuck) DeAngelis
Res: Avon
Lorain National Bank, Elyria
Sponsor: Steve Hosler
4/9 - Jillian Riddell, GSE Trip to India
4/16 – Tom Wilson, Misty Gonzalez, Music
Ministry in Haiti
4/23 – Amber Fisher, Services for people with
disabilities
4/30 – EHS Musical Cast performing for our
enjoyment!
May 7 - STAR New Member Reception
Diana L. (Diana) Fredriksen
Res: Lagrange
Lorain National Bank, Elyria
Sponsor: Steve Hosler
June 14 – 20 – Rotary Tour for MESA June 14
- pre-trip welcome in Elyria Find more
information at:
www.RotaryMesa.com/BicycleTour
Brian J. (Brian) Jankowski
Res: Lorain
BCT Alarm Services, Elyria
Sponsor: Tim King
June 21 – The Auction will be held during the
Steak Fry
Please visit our secure website for details or
contact Secretary Greg Kruszka
Literacy project readers needed. If you would
like to read to a class you can do so between
March 1 and the end of the school year. Sign up at
the next meeting or contact Carrie Pope
popecarrie@elyriaschools.org
MAKEUPS
Ramrod, Maggie Kelch, Debbie Richter
Carl Wagner, 3/7, Marco Island, FL; 3/12 and 3/12,
Marco Island Sunrise; 3/19, Naples Beach, FL
Spotlight for March, 2013
Mark Mathes
Pete Mealwitz, 3/22, North Ridgeville
Paul Rigda, 3/21, STRIVE meeting
Bill Thomasson, 2/27, 3/6, 3/13, Dunedin North, FL
Bill Kaatz, 3/21, Elyria Sunrise
Gary Kneisley, 3/5, 3/19, 3/26, Fountain Hills, AZ
3/14, Scottsdale Sunrise, AZ
Correction: Technology Committee meeting was
held on 3/12 and not 2/13 as previously reported.
Reminder: Committee chairs should send the list
of attendees at committee meetings to Maggie
Employer:
Mark owns Guardsman Furniture Pro, a
franchised unit of Valspar Corp.
Number of years as a Rotarian:
Three
What do you like most about what you
do (or did) for a living?
Mark has been with Guardsman Furniture
Pro for 18 years, and with his work he most
enjoys “… the satisfaction of helping
customers repair or restore furniture that is
either valuable or important to them and their
family.” What might be ordinary pieces to
some of us are often very valuable to Mark’s
customers for sentimental reasons – they
have been in the family for a long time or
perhaps were given as a gift.
What is your favorite thing to do
outside of work?
Bicycling is Mark’s favorite thing to do – and
he tries to do it as often as he can – even
during the winter months. Over the past few
years he has averaged about 3,100 miles per
year! “I enjoy the freedom out on the road
and the ability to get places under my own
power,” he says. He’ll be riding in this year’s
Rotary Tour for MESA in June and would
love our support. This year’s goal is to raise
$65,000!
What is one thing most people don't
know about you?
Mark says that most people don’t know that
he has lived over half of his life here which is
“almost three times as long as anywhere else.”
But, he’s not an Elyria native. Though, he
says, “It's been home for quite a while.”
Why did you join Rotary?
“The opportunity to serve my community,
here and in the wider world,” says Mark, is
why he joined Rotary. “An added benefit,” he
continues, is that “I've met a lot of great
people here and in the District.” Well, we are
lucky to have met Mark.
What has surprised you most about
your Rotary membership?
“I have been impressed by the time
commitment of many of the members in our
Club and the community activities. “
What one suggestion would you make
to improve the Elyria Rotary club?
According to Mark, we could improve our
club my offering more programs that
highlight the History of Lorain County.
“There is just a lot of interesting history in the
area and many members are not area
natives,” he says.
What is your favorite hidden gem in the
community where you live?
The Black River Valley, including Cascade
Park, Elywood, and Burr Oak are Mark’s
favorite hidden gems within the community.
“There is great beauty…just a short distance
from much of Elyria and surrounding areas.”
(Spotlight Monthly feature by Debbie Richter)
Mark is also one of our song leaders!