Issue 26
President: Robert Cunningham
Past President: Dennis Gill
Vice President: John Arrowsmith
2nd Vice Pres.: Fran Berting
Secretary: Jim Baran
Treasurer: Cindy Eaton
Lt. Gov.: Charmian Schaller
Newsletter:
Louise Mendius, Mgr. Editor
Charmian Schaller, Reporter
Caterer: Denise Obermayer
Serving the Children of the World and their Families
Kiwanis Club of Los Alamos
Chartered in 1948
Meets each Tuesday, noon-1:00
Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church
Invocation:
Heavenly Father,
"We Build"
bless this food to our use, and us
to your service; make us grateful
for all your mercies, and mindful of
the needs of others. Amen.
Programs:
Apr. 7—TBA
Apr. 14—TBA
Apr. 21—TBA
Apr. 28—Committee meetings.
The Kiwanian
Activities:
Table of
Contents
1 Activities/
News
6 Humor/Recipes
7 Science
8 Miscellaneous
1
Kiwanis Pledge
As our country's flag signifies purity, valor,
and justice, may we, as true Kiwanians,
exemplify those virtues as we build.
Southwest District Kiwanis Pledge
As our country's flag signifies purity, valor,
and justice, may we, as true Kiwanians,
exemplify those virtues as we serve the
children of the world.
Kiwanis Vision
Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one
child and one community at a time.
Aug. 7—Los Alamos Kiwanis
Board of Directors meeting
from noon to 1 p.m., in the
Chamber of Commerce meeting room.
Apr. 10—Los Alamos Kiwanis
Board of Directors meeting from
noon to 1 p.m., in the Chamber of
Commerce meeting room.
Sept. 4—Los Alamos Kiwanis
Board of Directors meeting
from noon to 1 p.m., in the
Chamber of Commerce meeting room.
Apr. 17—Auction '09.
Sept. 29—No noon meeting.
May 8—Los Alamos Kiwanis
Board of Directors meeting from
noon to 1 p.m., in the Chamber of
Commerce meeting room.
Jun. 5—Los Alamos Kiwanis
Board of Directors meeting from
noon to 1 p.m., in the Chamber of
Commerce meeting room.
Jun. 27—Squibbing party.
Jun. 30—No noon meeting.
Jul. 4—4th of July Festivities.
Jul. 10—Los Alamos Kiwanis
Board of Directors meeting from
noon to 1 p.m., in the Chamber of
Commerce meeting room.
Pictured are (L to R): Morrie Pongratz, Katherine Rudell,
Claire Bounds, Lucie Zhang, Kate
Rooney, Emma Carroll, Pati Stam,
Matt Lopez, Kelsey Souza and
Stephanie Mitchell.
The President’s Column
By Robert Cunningham
There is no President's column
this week.
KIWANIS INTERNATIONAL INC.
Apr. 6, 2009
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Serving the Children of the World and their Families
Issue 26
Apr. 6, 2009
THE KIWANIAN
Division 3 News
By Lt. Gov. Charmian Schaller
to Boys’ State and one girl could
go to Girls’ State this year.
On March 26, I met with President Daniel Maes and SecretaryTreasurer Lillian Martinez of the
Española Kiwanis club and took
charge of their banner as they officially terminated their charter.
They returned $217.61 to Kiwanis,
and I suggested that it be used for
the Kiwanis International Annual
Club Gift campaign, which had
come up just a little short in Division 3 this year.
I believe that they did the right
thing. Their club’s decision came
after a slow decline that had continued for many years. Still, I felt
very sad to be saying the official
good-bye to one of our Division 3
clubs.
Young people, the elderly needy,
the hungry, and high school students all gained from their good
work. It was a perfect list.
The Española club had existed
since 1954. Two of its members,
C.L Hunter and Michael Redman,
had belonged since the club’s
first day. There are members
of Los Alamos Kiwanis, just 20
miles away, who can remember
when Española Kiwanis was a
thriving organization. Now, except
for final details such as taking
down two Kiwanis road signs, the
Española club is only part of its
community’s history.
The club's final financial decisions, however, showed the
quality of its members. They
gave $200 to Mariachi del Sol so
that this young Hispanic musical group could participate in the
Inaugural parade in Washington,
D.C. They gave $500 to Amigos del Valle, an organization
that provides help to the needy
elderly. They gave $500 to San
Martin Soup Kitchen. And they
gave $325 to McCurdy Mission
School so that one boy could go
I asked Daniel and Lillian if they
could share with other clubs just
what had happened to their club.
Daniel said the bottom line was a
lack of membership, which was,
in a variety of ways, a sign of the
times. He said, “A lot of our talent
goes up the Hill (to Los Alamos),”
where thousands of people work
long hours at Los Alamos National
Laboratory and find that they have
a decreasing amout of time for
other activities after they have
commuted home. He said the
chain stores that have come into
Española in recent years prefer to
donate money to civic organizations rather than giving time. And
he noted that as club members
got older, they had less energy for
volunteer efforts and preferred,
really, just to get together for a
friendly lunch. There seemed to
be no new members coming in to
replace those who retired or ran
out of energy, and so Daniel and
Lillian and a few others served
term after term and gradually
burned out.
KIWANIS INTERNATIONAL INC.
Kiwanis Local News
Apr. 6, 2009
Serving the Children of the World and their Families
Issue 26
3
Kiwanis Local News
I understand. I really do. But the
situation provides a clear message to other Kiwanis clubs:
Recruiting new members isn’t
just for pride’s sake. We all need
new ideas and new people to help
those who have been struggling
to fulfill heavy responsibilities year
after year after year.
I want to thank the Española
club for its good work. I will miss
them—and I reminded them that
the new Kiwanis International
rules allow for the formation of
“satellite clubs” that can meet and
operate in their own communities while paying dues through an
esablished club in a neighboring
city. I would be very glad someday
to welcome former members of
the Española club as a small but
active satellite of Los Alamos.
Turning to another topic of importance in Division 3: It appears that
I will be your lieutenant governor again in 2009-2010. It is a
privilege to serve you, and I very
much enjoy visiting your clubs and
sharing in your work. I hope to
help you next year by encouraging you, pointing out your good
work to other clubs, and helping
you to feel that you are a part of a
regional and international organization that is doing great work
for communities and for young
people.
But I too need help. From the first
day of my next term, I will be looking hard for someone to replace
me on Oct. 1, 2010. I cannot
serve a third term, and I really
believe that lieutenant governors
serve an essential role in knitting us together and keeping us
active and vibrant. Anyone who
has served as a club president
or secretary by Oct. 1, 2010, will
be eligible to serve as lieutenant
governor. If you will be eligible,
please think about trying something new and interesting; please
step forward early and volunteer
to run so that we will have time
share information before I “retire.”
As always, “thanks in advance.”
Kiwanis Local News
Fifth Tuesday Party Draws
~30 People
Los Alamos Kiwanis held a “Fifth
Tuesday Party” at the Ridge Park
party room on March 31, and approximately 30 people came.
As always, the call for potluck
items produced a mountain of
food, and both old and new members seemed to enjoy a delightful
two-hour “visit.”
President Robert Cunningham
and his father, Paul Cunningham,
sold tickets for an Administrative
Fund drawing as people came
in the door. Paul then served as
the master of ceremonies, calling
out numbers, asking “winners” to
choose a bag number, and handing out prizes. Some people—
Rick Reiss, for example—took
home bottles of good wine. Others, including Morrie Pongratz,
lugged home large bags of ice.
Charmian Schaller won garden-
THE KIWANIAN
KIWANIS INTERNATIONAL INC.
Finally, there were only 10 members left, and those 10 decided it
was time to terminate.
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Serving the Children of the World and their Families
Issue 26
Apr. 6, 2009
ing gloves, and several other
people claimed the decorative
plants provided for the tables at
the party.
It was a night of laughter and
sharing, and except for Robert
and Paul, nobody worked!
We look forward to finding out
how much money the ticket sales
brought in for the Administrative
Fund. Our thanks to the Cunninghams for their good work and
clever presentations.
THE KIWANIAN
Short Takes
Membership Chairwoman Sue
Hofmann closed the recent
new-member drive March 24 by
telling club members, “Thank you
from the bottom of my heart.” If
the newsletter counted right, five
guests (and potential members)
attended Kiwanis March 24 on
the last day of the drive, and several of them had already attended
more than three times and said
they planned to join. Of course,
members don’t need to stop
looking for good potential new
members now. New members are
always welcome….
Chairwoman Cheryl Pongratz
now has tickets available for
the Kiwanis Auction, scheduled
Friday, April 17, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.,
at Hilltop House’s La Vista Room.
They cost $50 each. Please
open your wallets and invite your
friends. This event produces
more money supporting Kiwanis
service than anything else we do.
Emily McGay showed off a painting by local painter Janice Muir
on March 24 and said that it will
be the featured art item at this
year’s Kiwanis Auction. Emily said
that Janice allowed her and Cheryl
to come into her shop and choose
the painting they wanted for the
auction. Emily said, “We agonized
over several.” Janice told them
she donates one painting a year—
and this year, it goes to Kiwanis.
Kristy Keane has invited all Kiwanians to join with her from 8 a.m.
to 10 a.m. on April 18 at Entrance
Park to do the club’s share in “Los
Alamos Clean-up Day.” She plans
to bring bagels. T-shirts and lunch
will be available once the clean-up
concludes.
Rick Reiss pointed out March 24
that Kiwanis will have a chance to
pay a hands-on role in the coming
makeover of a classroom at Los
Alamos High School. The project,
scheduled in July, will involve
sanding, cabinetry, and replacement of hardware. If Kiwanis is to
participate, we will need a knowledgeable chairman….
Lieutenant Governor Charmian
Schaller says that four Los Alamos Kiwanians—Dennis Gill, Jay
Wechsler, Mary Mariner, and Paul
Cunningham—will be going with
her to Las Vegas for an interclub
visit on Wednesday, April 8. She
was pleased to be able to make
the trip an interclub because this
will be a special meeting in Las
Vegas. The Las Vegas noon club,
which is 80 years old, will be hosting the Las Vegas morning club,
which is celebrating its 25th birthday this year. The “birthday party”
should be a lot of fun.
KIWANIS INTERNATIONAL INC.
Kiwanis Local News
Apr. 6, 2009
Serving the Children of the World and their Families
Issue 26
5
Kiwanis Local News
Morrie Pongratz says that Key
Club’s “sweat equity” this year is
amazing. The club participated
in a book drive, collecting more
than 200 volumes; helped with the
recent Family Festival; distributed
daffodils for hospice; and helped
with the Family Council sock hop
in March. And in April, they will be
going to their district convention,
helping with the Kiwanis Auction,
ushering and setting up chairs at
the Living Treasures presentation, and assisting at the Chamisa
Carnival and the May Kiwanis
pancake breakfast.
Lana Schulte, chairwoman of the
Interclub Committee, says the
Cimarron Kiwanis Club has told
her that if Los Alamos can conduct
an interclub visit before mid-May,
the Cimarron club can find room
for their visitors to stay at Philmont
Scout Ranch. Let Lana know soon
if you can go.
and a remarkable and interesting
hotel.
Rep. Jeannette Wallace has
returned from the Legislature
(at least until the committee
meetings start up again). Lana
Schulte, who worked at the Legislature again this year, is also
back, having survived a broken
furnace and collapsing dental
work that made her time in Santa
Fe a real endurance contest in
2009. We were delighted to see
both of them at the March 24
meeting.
Rick Reiss paid a “Happy Dollar” recently to say, “My daughter
is going to have a daughter.”
Emily McGay stood up next, just
a moment later, and said, “My
daughter is also going to have a
daughter.” Our congratulations
to both of these proud grandparents-to-be.
Secretary Jim Baran is taking a
well-deserved vacation in Tahiti.
We wish him perfect weather,
clear skies, and beautiful beaches.
Jack Gehre said he recently
talked to his daughter, who had
taken three kids to Washington,
D.C., where they saw the U.S.
flag that inspired Francis Scott
Key, author of the “Star Spangled
Banner.” Jack says his family told
him that the flag is 45 feet long,
and he commented, “No wonder
he could see it!”
Jay Wechsler drove through Dolores Canyon to Gateway, Colo,
recently to “dog sit” for his children, Perry and Julie, who were
competing in a half-marathon.
Perry and Julie both won in their
age groups, and Jay came back
delighted by “a beautiful canyon”
Bob Carlos said his wife’s recent
shoulder surgery went better
than expected. The doctor found
that she did not need rotator
cuff surgery, and, as a result, her
expected recovery time dropped
from several months to several
weeks.
THE KIWANIAN
KIWANIS INTERNATIONAL INC.
Speaking of birthdays, Paul
Guthals paid a “Happy Dollar”
recently to say that his is happy to
be celebrating being “eight tenths
of a century old.”
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Serving the Children of the World and their Families
Issue 26
Apr. 6, 2009
THE KIWANIAN
Baked Ham with Honey-Apricot Glaze
10-14 pound spiral-sliced, fully-cooked smoked ham
1 cup honey
1 6 ounce orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup apricot jam
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Place ham on rack in shallow roasting pan. Stir together remaining ingredients in medium bowl; set aside. Bake ham for 30 minutes; pour
glaze over ham and continue to bake until ham is heated through, about a total of 2 1/2
hours. (About 15-18 minutes per pound.)
Easter Hunt Pie
1 (6 oz.) Keebler ReadyCrust Graham Cracker Crust
1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese , softened
1 can (14 oz.) Eagle Sweetened Condensed Milk (Not evaporated Milk)
3/4 cup cold milk
1 pkg. (4-serving size) instant vanilla flavor pudding and pie filling
1-1/2 cups non-dairy whipped topping, thawed
16 mini chocolate eggs or other holiday candy
In large bowl beat Cream Cheese until fluffy. Gradually beat in condensed milk until
smooth. Add milk and pudding mix; beat on low speed until smooth. Spoon half of filling
into crust. Place chocolate eggs evenly over filling. Top with remaining filling. Chill 3
hours. Serve.
KIWANIS INTERNATIONAL INC.
Humor/Recipes
Apr. 6, 2009
Issue 26
Serving the Children of the World and their Families
7
Science Stuff
The Colliding Spiral Galaxies of Arp 274
Two galaxies are squaring off
in Virgo and here are the latest
pictures. When two galaxies collide, the stars that compose them
usually do not. This is because
galaxies are mostly empty space
and, however bright, stars only
take up only a small fraction of
that space. But during the collision, one galaxy can rip the other apart gravitationally, and dust and gas common to both galaxies
does collide. If the two galaxies merge, black holes that likely resided in each galaxy center may
eventually merge. Because the distances are so large, the whole thing takes place in slow motion
-- over hundreds of millions of years. Besides the two large spiral galaxies, a smaller third galaxy
is visible on the far left of the above image of Arp 274, also known as NGC 5679. Arp 274 spans
about 200,000 light years across and lies about 400 million light years away toward the constellation of Virgo.
The Seagull Nebula
Credit & Copyright: Frank Barrett, Steve Davis
Images from two different cameras, a digital SLR and an astronomical CCD camera, are combined in this color starscape. Both cameras made use of the same telescope at the oceanside
Winter Star Party in the Florida Keys, appropriately creating this portrait of the Seagull Nebula.
The wide view covers a 4x3 degree swath across the plane of the Milky Way, near the direction
of Sirius, alpha star of the constellation Canis Major. Of course, the broad region includes objects
with other catalog designations:
notably NGC 2327 - a compact, dusty emission region
with an embedded massive
star that forms the bird's head
(above center), and IC 2177
- forming the sweeping arc of
the seagull's wings. Dominated
by the reddish glow of atomic
hydrogen, the complex of cosmic gas and dust clouds with
bright young stars spans over
250 light-years at an estimated
3,800 light-year distance.
THE KIWANIAN
KIWANIS INTERNATIONAL INC.
Credit: NASA, ESA, M. Livio
(STScI) and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
8
Issue 26
Serving the Children of the World and their Families
Apr. 6, 2009
The resurrection gives my life meaning and direction and the opportunity to start over no
matter what my circumstances. ~Robert Flatt
Easter says you can put truth in a grave, but it won't stay there. ~Clarence W. Hall
THE KIWANIAN
Easter is the demonstration of God that life is essentially spiritual and timeless. ~Charles
M. Crowe
On Easter Day the veil between time and eternity thins to gossamer. ~Douglas Horton
Easter spells out beauty, the rare beauty of new life. ~S.D. Gordon
Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection, not in books alone, but in every leaf
in spring-time. ~Martin Luther
Latin Sayings - Useful Expressions
Ut humiliter opinor.... (In my humble opinion..... )
Birthdays for the Month
Purgamentum init, exit purgamentum. (Garbage in,
garbage out.)
Nescio quid dicas. (I don't know what you're talking
about.)
Kiwanis Club of Los Alamos Members
Conlige suspectos semper habitos. (Round up the
usual suspects.)
John Arrowsmith
Jim Baran
Al Barlich
Jim Beinke
Alison Bennett
Fran Berting
Marla Jean Brooks
Bob Carlos
Don Casperson
Paul Cunningham
Robert Cunningham
Linda Daly
Gary DeRosier
Cindy Eaton
Bob Emigh
George Erickson
Cliff Fortgang
Jack Gehre
Dennis Gill
Glen Graves
Paul Guthals
Lorraine Hartway
Ann Hayes
Kathy Hirons
John Hofmann
Sue Hofmann
Kevin Holsapple
Joan Hurd
Mark Karaffa
Kristy Keane
Jack Killeen
Katy Korkos
Steve Lloyd
Eric Loucks
Mary Mariner
Emily McGay
Louise Mendius
Stephanie Mitchell
Marla Jean Brooks
Don Casperson
Bob Emigh
Sue Hofmann
Eric Loucks
Morrie Pongratz
Rick Reiss
Katherine Rudell
Maridell Nochumson
Becky Parker
Susan Pacheco
Morrie Pongratz
Cheryl Pongratz
Allyn Pratt
Rick Reiss
Jane Roberson
Katherine Rudell
Charmian Schaller
Lana Rae Schulte
Marthe Sims
Pat Soran
Steve Stoddard
Barbara Stoddard
Sharon Stover
Roger Stutz
Dale Thompson
Andy Trottier
Apr. 7
Apr. 19
Apr. 7
Apr. 7
Apr. 2
Apr. 10
Apr. 4
Apr. 2
Jeannette Wallace
Terry Wallace
Jay Wechsler
KIWANIS INTERNATIONAL INC.
Quotes on Easter