Local entertainment and excursion company owner Michael Embrey of FunME Events gave Sycamore Rotarians an historical and personal overview of Veterans Day during this week’s meeting. Veterans Day is observed annually on November 11 to honor persons who have served in the Armed Forces. It traces its history to Armistice Day which marked the end of World War I when hostilities were formally ended on the 11th hour of the 11th Day of the 11th month of 1918. Embrey noted that following World War II, major U. S. veteran organizations urged the day of remembrance be expanded to celebrate all veterans. Congress passed a bill supported by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and the Veterans Day holiday was established in 1954.
Embrey, who came to DeKalb as Show Band Director for NIU, served in the U. S. Air Force as a musician and arranger for their Band/Drum and Bugle Corps. However, he said his earliest recollection of a military performance was when he was asked to play “Taps” at age 14. Since then he has personally played “Taps” at more than 1,000 military funerals. The song itself has its origins with the Civil War when it was introduced as a signal for the end of a day or “lights out.”
Embrey also gave insight into other military traditions, such as the 21 gun salute used for a President; the three volleys of seven shots used for a funeral based on the traditional battle signal that fighting had ceased allowing dead and wounded to be recovered; and the ceremonial 13- triangle folding of a flag. Embrey noted the importance of these various traditions to honor the service of those who served in the Armed Forces.
Thanks to the great interest and generosity of Rotarians, extended families, and the larger community, the Harvest Raffle raised enough funds to allow the Rotary Club of Sycamore to donate $5,000 to the two area food pantries! $2,500 has now been distributed to the Spartan Food Pantry as we as the food pantry hosted by the Sycamore United Methodist Church. Thanks to all who contributed!
Our speaker this week will be Michelle Toczafrom the Barbed Wire Betties,DeKalb's very own roller derby team to share more about this unique local sports team.
Following is our schedule of upcoming speakers/presentations:
Wednesday, April 28 (Hybrid meeting: In-person at Blumen Gardens, pending status of Covid mitigation efforts, and online via Zoom): DeKalb Roller Derby (Michelle Tocza)
Wednesday, May 5 (Hybrid meeting: In-person at Blumen Gardens, pending status of Covid mitigation efforts, and online via Zoom): High Speed Rail Alliance (Rick Harnish)
Wednesday, May 12 (Hybrid meeting: In-person at Blumen Gardens, pending status of Covid mitigation efforts, and online via Zoom): Barn on Baseline
Wednesday, May 19 (Hybrid meeting: In-person at Sycamore Veterans Club, pending status of Covid mitigation efforts, and online via Zoom): Sycamore Food Pantry (Joe Maurer)
Wednesday, May 26 (Hybrid meeting: In-person at Blumen Gardens, pending status of Covid mitigation efforts, and online via Zoom): Kishwaukee Valley Wanderers Club (Brian Wallace)
Wednesday, June 2 (Hybrid meeting: In-person at Blumen Gardens, pending status of Covid mitigation efforts, and online via Zoom): RAMP (Justine Whitehouse)
Wednesday, June 9 (Hybrid meeting: In-person at Blumen Gardens, pending status of Covid mitigation efforts, and online via Zoom): Rotary Foundation (Paul Stromborg)
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Looking for the hottest in fall merch?! Look no further! Checkout the best merchandise our Rotary Club has to offer. Below is a link to the website that Paulette and her team at Priority Promotions have put together for our club. Consider sharing this link on social media and with friends, family and co-workers!
The profit from the sale of these items goes to support our Rotary Club.
November 2, 1795 – 11th U. S. President James K. Polk is born in Mecklenburg County, North Carolina.
November 4, 1879 – American humorist Will Rogers is born in Oologah Indian Territory (now Oklahoma).
November 4, 1916 – United Press International wire service correspondent and later CBS-TV news anchorman Walter Cronkite is born in St. Joseph, Missouri. During his lifetime, he is widely ranked as America’s most trusted journalist.
November 7, 1867 – Polish chemist Marie Curie is born in Warsaw. In 1903 she shares the Nobel Prize for physics with her husband, Pierre, for their discovery of the element Radium.
November 1, 1776 – Mission San Juan Capistrano is founded in California becoming the historic place where swallows return each March.
November 2, 1947 – The first and only flight of Howard Hughes’ “Spruce Goose” takes place in Long Beach, California. The 200-ton plywood eight-engine plane cost $25 million to build; it flew about one-mile at an altitude of 70 feet.
November 3, 1948 – ‘Dewey Defeats Truman” is the banner headline on the front page of the Chicago Tribune newspaper. Of course, we know their polling projections were wrong because Harry Truman defeated Thomas Dewey in the 1948 election.
November 4, 1922 – King Tut’s tomb is discovered at Luxor, Egypt by British archeologist Howard Carter.
