Thought of the day: Marilyn and Ron attended the Hanover Rotary Club's 100^th Anniversary Dinner yesterday, at which she was asked to say a few words. She read to us an excerpt from RI’s own Centennial book which likened Rotary to a river: one can decide to be at anchor temporarily or to move; drifting leaves you at the mercy of the current.

 

 

 

John Yacavone reported that our speaker from Simple Energy finally responded to John’s attempts to reach him by writing this morning that he was “out of state on a family matter,” and therefore unable to speak to the club today. Two other possibilities John spoke with likewise weren’t available. So today, President Marilyn delivered a version of her own classification talk without benefit of her clever slides, but full of her excitement, her love of Rotary, and her good sense of humor. Marilyn and Ron recently celebrated their 51^st wedding anniversary.

 

Marilyn believes that Rotary is transformative and that her life has been greatly enriched through her association with the organization. (Most of us know that Lebanon Rotary, our district, and beyond have been greatly enriched by Marilyn and Ron’s dedication and service.)

 

She was born and raised near Pittsburgh, PA, first living in the town of Ingram and then moving to a Sears pre-fab house at 24 Lincoln Avenue in Crafton, PA, where her family’s front porch became a neighborhood gathering place. Marilyn remembers her 4^th grade teacher who allowed her to repeat a puppet performance she did in 3^rd grade to the new 3^rd graders, and who introduced her to proper dental care—she still has all her own teeth!

 

In 5^th grade, her teacher allowed the class to listen to the radio to hear the walk-off home run hit by Bill Mazeroski on October 13, 1960—a stroke that won Game 7 of the 1960 World Series for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Crafton High School graduated 82 seniors in Marilyn’s class of 1971.

 

At age 4, Marilyn contracted measles and endured a strep infection that led to renal failure. She spent a month in the hospital followed by 3 months of home bed rest. In the hospital, Marilyn divided nurses into “good nurses” and “bad nurses.” A good nurse was one who brought Lorna Doone cookies and turned the tv at 7:00 a.m. to Captain Kangaroo instead of a network news program.

 

Right after graduation from nurse training (she decided to become a nurse very early in her life), Marilyn and two friends looked into employment in the northeast. Dave Roberts, at that time the new human resources director for the Mary Hitchcock Hospital, stopped in Pittsburgh to interview Marilyn, Gail, and Cheryl, offering them positions. They rented a van with two seats and an upturned bucket between the two for the third person to sit. The ride was long before Interstate 80 had been completed. They reached Greenwich, Connecticut, on Sunday, staying with a relative of one of the other girls, then hauled up to Hanover the next morning for their first day of work the next day!

 

The girls shared a former schoolhouse in Canaan and a ’66 Chevrolet for several months until each could put money down on a car for herself. Marilyn’s first car was a Gremlin she bought at McNamara Motors, whose owner was a Lebanon Rotarian. It had no air conditioning but did have the AM radio Marilyn had to have.

 

In 1974, Ron and Marilyn were set up by friends while helping with a show in Bradford, Vermont. Her friend shouted out to them in the theatre, “You’re a boy; you’re a girl; have fun!” Ron took her to see The Sting, and Marilyn made him lasagna. They were married a few short months later.

 

Marilyn mentioned several important mentors-who-became-friends over the course of her nursing career. By 1990, Marilyn had become director for in-patient oncology nursing, eventually retiring from the position of Associate Director of Oncology Nursing In-patient and Out-patient at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. She is proud to be member #1824 of the Oncology Nursing Association which now numbers around 34,000 members. In 2001, she received a nursing management award from the association.

 

Marilyn played a role in the 1991 relocation of Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital in Hanover to the new Dartmouth-Hitchcock campus in Lebanon. While working, she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in nursing from Colby-Sawyer College and went on to achieve her Master’s as well. 

 

At the age of 57, Marilyn, who together with Ron had lived a very frugal life, retired. Since then, they have enjoyed the thrill of travel in various places around the world along with their move to Quail Hollow.

 

Marilyn’s Rotary career was fore ordained by her father’s devotion to Rotary. She accompanied him on service projects; and she connected with Foundation Trustee Lou Picone, who obtained a replica of her father’s Paul Harris Recognition, which had been lost.                                           Marilyn in blue, building the new DHMC in Lebanon!

 

She is proud that Lebanon Rotary helped Walter Hughes with his earliest efforts to eradicate guinea worm in Ghana (she reminded us that Bill Babineau and Ron Michaud put Lebanon Rotary feet on the ground to see what was being done in Ghana) and has supported his efforts there many times over the years.

 

During her district governor year, Marilyn remembered the joy of sending Haley Karr (Lori Fortini’s daughter) to Brazil for a full year exchange, and the Vermont flood recovery “Matching Grant” of $412,000 that she and DG Jan of District 7870 put together, funds which were used to take care of things that other funds couldn’t or wouldn’t, like new appliances for a flooded-out family, a new drinking water well, or even a septic disposal system for a family living “off the grid.”

 

Marilyn and Ron have taken advantage of Rotary Friendship Exchanges to make new friends and share new experiences in South Africa, Australia, England, and Scotland. They traveled to see a total solar eclipse in Oregon and Mardi Gras in New Orleans.

 

Finally, Marilyn paid tribute to her life partner Ron, who, she says, has always pushed her to accomplish what he knew she could. She treasures him as a mentor as well as her partner.

 

 

 

 

Tinkerbell tinkled to end the meeting, after which we returned the room to its original state.

 

Many thanks again to Jake’s Market for provision of sandwiches, drinks, and cookies.