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The guest speaker for the club's July 22 meeting will be Bill Nicklas, DeKalb City Manager. Bill will join us to discuss Facebook's decision to build a data center in Dekalb with the prospect of Microsoft, Google and Apple joining them. The 900,000-square-foot DeKalb facility being built at Peace and Gurler roads will be one of only 12 Facebook data centers in the US and 16 in the world that handle the data for the tech company’s 2.5 billion monthly users.

We Will Miss You, Barry Schrader!

Posted by Bob Brown

"Former Daily Chronicle editor, columnist, and lifelong newspaperman Barry Schrader, 79, died Tuesday afternoon [June 30] after a battle with pancreatic cancer. DeKalb Mayor and close friend Jerry Smith confirmed the news Tuesday, and said he was informed by one of Schrader's sons of his death around noon. He said he found it poignant that Schrader, whom he called a 'news hound' died the same day that Facebook announced it will build an $800 million data center in DeKalb, a story Schrader would have loved." - Excerpt from June 30 article by Kesley Rettke for the Daily Chronicle

Earlier in June, the Sycamore Rotary Club recently joined with Rotarians from the DeKalb Retirement Center-Oak Crest and friends who all honored Barry for his many contributions to the Sycamore community and to Rotary. Family members in attendance included Barry's sons Darrin and Todd and sister in law, Carol Larson, sister to Kay Schrader.

During the ceremony, 2019-2020 President of Sycamore Rotary Club Pat Shafer said "If a man is measured by his family, friends, and contributions then Barry Schrader is truly worthy of our honoring him this morning at Oak Crest with this newly planted red maple tree."

One of Barry’s recent contributions to Sycamore and to Rotary was the founding of a satellite Rotary Club here at Oak Crest. Schrader, a former editor of the Daily Chronicle, along with Sycamore Rotarian Dr. Paul Stromborg began the Oak Crest Club with 17 members, many first-time Rotarians. The Rotary motto of "Service Above Self" has truly been a guiding principle for Barry contributions to the Sycamore community.

Barry's obituary states a memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 7, 2020, at Sycamore United Methodist Church, 160 Johnson Ave., Sycamore, and later at Oak Crest. His ashes will be interred at Elmwood Cemetery in Sycamore and also near Yosemite National Park, his favorite vacation destination. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to help fund historical markers throughout the county.

We will miss you, Barry!

The Best Songs for Your July 4th Picnic

Posted by Prepared by Mark Zurlo; Submitted by Bob Brown

With hot dogs and hamburgers sizzling on the grill, plenty of bright sunshine, the kids enjoying the pool, and a brilliant fireworks display once the sun has set, nothing says summer like the 4th of July. There's no better way to complement the festivities than with the perfect mix of patriotic music playing in the background, from Lee Greenwood's anthem "God Bless the USA" to classics such as Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind." Use the list below, as well as your personal favorite Independence Day tunes, to create a playlist worthy of its own celebration.

"God Bless the USA," Lee Greenwood (God Bless the USA, 1994)
"Peaceful World," John Mellencamp (Cuttin' Heads, 2001)
"God Bless America," Celine Dion and various artists (God Bless America, 2001)
"Undivided" Bon Jovi (Bounce 2002)
"America the Beautiful" Ray Charles (Ultimate Hits Collection 1999)
"The Star Spangled Banner" Jimi Hendrix (Live at Woodstock 1999)
"Only in America" Brooks & Dunn (Steers and Stripes 2001)
"Independence Day" Martina McBride (The Way That I Am 1993)
"Land of Hopes and Dreams" Bruce Springsteen (Live in New York City 2001)
"America the Beautiful" Elvis Presley (America the Beautiful / If I Can Dream 2001)
"Blowin' in the Wind" Bob Dylan (The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan 1963)
"America" Neil Diamond (Jazz Singer 1980)
"Living in the Promise Land" Willie Nelsona (The Promise Land 1986)
"American Child" Phil Vassar (American Child 2003)
"On the 4th of July" James Taylor (October Road 2002)
"Song of the Patriot" Jonny Cash (Song of the Patriot 1990)

Founders' Wisdom: Quotations from Signers of the Declaration of Independence

Posted by Compiled by Elizabeth Olson; Submitted by Bob Brown

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." - Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)

"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." - Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790)

"I always consider the settlement of America with reverence and wonder, as the opening of a grand scene and design in providence, for the illumination of the ignorant and the emancipation of the slavish part of mankind all over the earth." - John Adams (1735–1826)

"That these united colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British crown; and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved." - Richard Henry Lee (1732–1794)

"There, I guess King George will be able to read that. - John Hancock (1737–1793)

"Idleness and pride tax with a heavier hand than kings and parliaments. If we can get rid of the former, we may easily bear the latter." - Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790)

"Liberty cannot be preserved without a general knowledge among the people, who have a right…and a desire to know; but besides this, they have a right, an indisputable, unalienable, indefeasible, divine right to that most dreaded and envied kind of knowledge, I mean of the characters and conduct of their rulers." - John Adams (1735–1826)

"While Gen'l Howe with a Large Armament is advancing towards N. York, our Congress resolved to Declare the United Colonies free and Independent States. A Declaration for this Purpose, I expect, will this day pass Congress...It is gone so far that we must now be a free independent State, or a Conquered Country." - Abraham Clark (1726–1794)

"The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." - Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)

"I am well aware of the toil and blood and treasure it will cost us to maintain this declaration, and support and defend these states. Yet through all the gloom I see the rays of ravishing light and glory. I can see that the end is worth all the means. This is our day of deliverance." - John Adams (1735–1826)

"Equal and exact justice to all men…freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of person under the protection of the habeas corpus; and trial by juries impartially selected,these principles form the bright constellation which has gone before us." - Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)

"We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately." - Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790)

Rotarian(s) of the Year Named and New President Inducted on July 1

Posted by Bob Brown on Jul 03, 2020

[See photos at bottom of newsletter.]

The Sycamore Rotary Club’s highest annual award, Rotarian of the Year, was awarded to two key members on July 1: Paulette Renault and Tim Neubert. Congrats and thank you to both of these important members for all of their contributions both publicly and behind the scenes.

Michael DeVito was inducted as President in a hybrid meeting via Zoom members coupled with in person Board members. We all look forward to a great Rotary year under Michael’s leadership.

Famous July 4th Birthdays

Posted by Paul Callighan on Jul 03, 2020

1804 – Novelist and short story writer Nathaniel Hawthorne (“The Scarlet Letter’ and “The House of the Seven Gables”) is born in Salem, Massachusetts.

1826 – Popular song writer Stephen Foster is born in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania.

1872 – 30th President of the United States Calvin Coolidge is born in Plymouth, Vermont.

1878 – Entertainer, composer, and theatrical producer George M. Cohan (“Yankee Doodle Boy” and “A Grand Old Flag”) is born in Providence, Rhode Island (technically his birth certificate says he was born on July 3 but he and his family always maintained he was born on July 4).

1883 – The creator of popular cartoons depicting complicated gadgets Rube Goldberg is born in San Francisco, California.

1927 – Prolific American playwright Neil Simon is born in the Bronx, New York.