President Dick opened the meeting at 07:30 and David shared some inspiration.
Attendance:
27
Live
4
Zoom
0
Visiting Rotarians
0
Guest
1
Guest Speakers
32
Total
Announcements:
Dick Swett read a letter from Cole Cochrane, one of the scholarship recipients, expressing gratitude for the Rotary Club's contributions.
The next board meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, January 20th, due to Monday being MLK Day.
Peter Imse mentioned that the school moderator position will be open this year.
The four-way speech contest is set for March 31st at the Baker Free Library at 6:30 PM, with a snow date of April 7th.
A judging panel is being formed with representatives from various organizations. They are looking for one judge from the club.
Dick Swett announced that next week's club meeting will be a club assembly with a presentation.
Sergeant at Arms: David Farr
Birthdays: none
Fines: none noted
Happy Bucks:
Ryan Anastasi is looking forward to going to a UNH hockey game with college buddies
Gerry Carrier gave a happy buck about Bill's Ames’s ugly sweater.
Bob Couch had eyelid surgery and can now see better.
Dick Swett’s grandson’s hockey team won hockey game 5-1, grandson s doing well, averaging two goals and an assist per game.
The next game is on Martin Luther King Day at 1pm at the New England College Arena.
David Farr went to their son's girlfriend's hockey game and enjoyed it.
Bill Ames attended the Friends programs 50th Anniversary Soiree and spoke with Michelle Fortin and Michelle Olivier.
Durwood Seargeant sat at table with all the old-timers. (he dubbed the Civil War heroes). They reminisced about John Lyford and learning about the history of Bow.
Peter Imse’s grandson, about 5 years old, wrote a letter to Santa with his mom's help before Christmas. About a week before Christmas, while sitting on Santa’s lap, he told him about an additional item he wanted that wasn't on the list. His mom tried to soften it by saying Santa might not be able to get the message, and he responded with seriousness, "Well, I just told Santa."
Mike Ard is excited about their daughter’s pregnancy in Texas, expecting their first grandchild soon.
Dave Gazaway youngest son, Caleb, has employment for the summer with two internship offers.
Eric Anderson encouraged everyone to read the Concord Monitor article featuring their leader. Opportunity to sign up to run for political offices in the town opens on Wednesday and runs through the last Friday of the month.
Mike Gula is in Zermatt Switzerland, six hours ahead, enjoying a ski trip with family. Expressed gratitude for a great meeting with the scholarships and a follow-up.
Program: Steve DeStefano introduced our speaker Jim Jeannotte
Jim Jeannotte has been the voice of the capitol city for a long time.
Has experience in broadcasting, including WKXL, hosting the Grand State Challenge quiz show on New Hampshire Public Television, and UNH sports.
WKXL was a "hometown radio station" known for its local connection.
Personalities like Jim Rivers, Don Dunkley, and Gardiner Hill stayed at the station for extended periods.
The station provided news, weather updates, and covered high school and youth sports.
The station had a "Swap Shop" program where people could buy and sell items.
Jim introduced changes to the news format, incorporating interviews and actual voices instead of just "rip and read" Associated Press stories.
He would interview local figures like mayors and congressmen.
Jim recalls an incident where Mayor J. Herbert Quinn delivered a press release to his home at 3 AM.
Notable WKXL Alumni
Dick Osborne had a knack for identifying young talent.
Jackie Judd (ABC News, CBS News, PBS NewsHour) started at WKXL.
Barry Bagnato (CBS Radio Network) and David Malthus (NPR) also began their careers at WKXL. Jim Noted that WKXL was a "dinky 1000 watt radio station".
Concord Legion Team
Rick Flanders: Catcher, became a longtime football coach assistant at Yale for 20+ years.
John Merrill: First baseman, became the captain of football at UNH.
Brian Sabian: Second baseman, went on to become the general manager of the San Francisco Giants.
Rick Lancelotti: Had "a taste" of major league baseball, with 2 home runs and 11 RBIs in his career.
Mike Curry: Outfield, once had a 5 RBI game for Maine in the College World Series.
Joe Lepe: Pitcher and outfielder, played for the Yankees for a number of years. Brian Sabion hired him as a coach and first base coach.
Jim forgot to mention Steve DeStephano.
UNH Sports
Jim did UNH sports for 35 years, starting with football in the 70s.
"What's happening in college football right now is not going to help UNH football."
UNH Players in the Pros
Jerry Azuma: Cornerback for seven seasons with the Chicago Bears, to be inducted into the National Football Foundation's College Football Hall of Fame.
Dan Kreider: Fullback for eight seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, a blocking back.
Dwayne Gordon: Linebacker for five years with the New York Jets, two years with the Atlanta Falcons, two years with the San Diego Chargers.
Dylan Lobby: Running back for UNH, spent the last two years with the Oakland Raiders as their return guy.
Max Brosmer: Quarterback for UNH, used his extra year of eligibility to go to the University of Minnesota, now the backup quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings.
Granite State Challenge
Jim hosted Granite State Challenge on New Hampshire Public Television.
Initially, schools were hesitant to participate due to fear of losing on statewide television.
The program became popular, and the speaker enjoyed watching the kids' personalities grow.
Granite State Challenge Quiz
Jim conducted a quick quiz with questions from the show.
Example question: "Who is the 15th president sometimes referred to as the bachelor president?" Answer: James Buchanan.
Teams became specialized with members focusing on math, history, etc.
Coaches became very involved, even scouting other teams.
Example questions:
"What cartoon character was created by Charles Schultz?" Answer: Snoopy.
"What is the southernmost country in Africa?" Answer: South Africa.
"What type of central character is morally flawed but relatable as seen in And Walter White, Michael Corleone, and Tony Soprano?" Answer: Anti-hero.
Quiz Recap
Jim gave a quiz to the audience, including the question: "What species of medium sized bear native to India and Sri Lanka bears the name of one of the seven deadly sins?" The answer is a sloth bear.
Jim then opened the floor for questions.
President Dick closed the meeting with a toast to Rotary the world over.
