Highlights of January 9 Meeting

President Jim Schmidt opened the meeting by asking Dick Myren to offer the invocation and Tom Mellen to lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

 

PDG Terry Cowan was visiting from the E-Club.  Don Bevis was visiting from the Rotary Club of Calgary.  Bob Zarling introduced Maria Lopez, an applicant for a vocational education grant from The Rotary Vocational Fund of Arizona who had been interviewed prior to the meeting hoping Mesa West Rotary would sponsor approval of her application.  Penny May was back from Alaska.

 

The attendance drawing was won by John Pennypacker.  Chuck Flint announced that the holder of the winning ticket in the weekly raffle would win $30 and have a chance to draw the Ace of Clubs from the dwindling deck of cards.  Should that person draw the Ace of Clubs, they would win $896.  Bert was asked to draw the ticket and John Pennypacker was lucky a second time.  John's luck did not hold out, however, because when he drew from the deck, the card he chose was the Five of Hearts.

 

Penny May was happy to be back among her Arizona Rotary friends and enjoying warmer weather.  She said the Tuesday high back home in Alaska was -14° with snow falling.  Rik Bucy from Soldatna Alaska said it was -16° there on the morning of our meeting.  Bob Zarling was happy to report four Rotarians have already signed up to go to participate in Dr. Blessman's mission projects in South Africa in the fall of 2020.  Steve Ross was happy to report he would be celebrating his 73rd birthday in Las Vegas.  Dick Myren was happy to report Rod Daniels may be back to Mesa West Rotary soon.  John Pennypacker paid $20 for the twenty days he had just returned from spending with his 3 and 5-year-old grandsons.  He had adopted Warren Williams' resolution to no longer indulge in excessive moderation.  Lola McClane was happy to report good news.  She said her world was turned upside down when she lost her husband two years ago.  She needed to sell her home.  Her good news was that the woman they had purchased their home from called and wanted to buy it back.  Polly Schumacher was happy to be able to see PDG Don Kelley.  She had served as his District Registrar during his term as District Governor.  John Pennypacker reminded members that it was National Law Enforcement Day.  Pam Cohen contributed because she was happy to see PDG Terry Cowan.

 

Before Pam Cohen introduced the speaker, she reminded members that any month with five Thursdays, Mesa West Rotary has elected to have a hands-on service project rather than have a regular meeting.  Since January does have five Thursdays, we will not meet on January 30.  Participating in the homeless count Melodie had announced will be the Mesa West hands-on service opportunity for January, 2020. 

 

Pam said it was her humble pleasure to introduce Don Kelley, a Past District Governor who has been a Rotarian since 1989.  Don is a member of Tempe South Rotary Club. Don achieved the highest academic rank at Arizona State University as a Professor of Manufacturing and Mechanical Engineering Technology.  He served as Department Chair for five years and is a founding member of the Emeritus College at ASU.

 

Don was on an Eniwetok Island in the Pacific in the winter of 1954 during Operation Castle at the US Pacific Proving Ground.  He saw the first hydrogen detonation from 200 miles away. Cameramen were there to record the event.  Following the countdown, in less than a second they were bathed in light and the mushroom cloud expanded by 1,000' per second.  The detonation evaporated an island which was over a mile across.  The resulting crater was 200' deep.  

 

Don was in the Air Force.  He was trained to repair the B36 - the largest plane the government owned.  The tail section was five stories high.  Its wingspan was 230'.  It did not drop the bombs - it flew over the bombs which were already on the ground.  It could not fly fast enough to escape the shock-wave of the exploding bomb.  Its wheel-well doors, bomb bay doors and elevator were broken.

 

In the winter of 1954, six bombs were detonated in all.  The last one was only twenty miles away.  The commanders were warned that the winds were in a bad direction followed by a response that the winds would change.  That didn't happen.  Don realized the volunteers for this project were actually guinea pigs - to study the effects of radiation.  When that last bomb detonated, his skin was so hot, he thought it would melt.  He could see the bones in his arm.  When the heat subsided, there were white spots all over his back. 

 

After the second detonation, he had to check the plane.  A corporal who had tested the plane for radiation said it would be okay to go aboard as there was no structural damage.   Afterward he returned to his tent.  Before long, police came running calling his name.  What he learned was that the technician who had cleared the plane to be entered had not turned the machine on.  They took Don to be examined by a doctor who stayed 20' away from him.  After scrubbing himself in a shower nearly making his skin raw, there was very little change in his radiation level.  They let him go indicating he would likely die soon, and definitely wouldn't live past 40.  After Don was back in Fort Worth, Texas, all the B36's were gone.  He had to stay until all the planes were back.

 

Don suffered from PTSD, but it was not yet diagnosed.  He would be overcome at times with fear of an evil, faceless force.  When his wife would ask him what was wrong, he could not tell her as he was sworn to secrecy.  He worked in many different jobs before he happened into a path that uncovered his enjoyment and aptitude for working with metal and fixing things.  For a long period, he worked as an engineer but was paid technician wages.  He went to ASU to formalize his qualifications as an engineer and stayed on as a Professor.  He accepted the department chair position before he had tenure.

 

Don is now past the thirty-five years of "required secrecy."  He has written a memoir of his hydrogen bomb radiation survivor experience .  He had copies of the book available at the meeting.  The book is also available on Amazon.