“What Lies Ahead for the Short-Handed Supreme Court”
Only two groups of people at the U.S. Supreme Court – justices and their law clerks – have insiders’ knowledge of how the Court chooses which cases to hear and what opinions to issue on those cases after oral arguments. Dick Fallon has that perspective as a law clerk to Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr., from 1981-1982.
Dick joined the Harvard Law School faculty in 1982, was promoted to full professor in 1987, and is currently the Ralph S. Tyler, Jr., professor of constitutional law. He has written extensively about U.S. constitutional law and federal courts law, and he ranks 9th on a list of the 20 most-cited constitutional and public law faculty in the United States (2010-2014).
Dick is a two-time winner of the Harvard Law School’s Sacks-Freund Award (2001 and 2006), which is voted annually by the School’s graduating class to honor excellence in teaching. Comments from former students include: “[H]e does a great job of explaining difficult and complex topics” and “If you get a chance to take a class of his while at the College, do it! You won't regret it!”
An Augusta native and graduate of Cony High School, Dick attended Yale University (History, 1975) and Yale Law School (1980). He served as press secretary to then-Congressman Bill Cohen from 1974-1975 (Nixon impeachment years) and attended Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, B.A., 1977).
When he wants to escape to Maine, Dick and his family heads to their seasonal home in Bar Harbor.
Kevin Hancock, CEO of Hancock Lumber, joined us on Friday to talk a little about life. Specifically, he spoke of his life and the way in which he turned his diagnosis with a rare vocal disorder into an opportunity for self-reflection and transformation.
He told us the story of his new memoir, Not For Sale: Finding Center in the Land of Crazy Horse, traces his own journey “deep into Indian country, and even deeper into his own soul.” What began as a search to learn non-medical ways to control his spasmodic dysphonia, a rare and uncurable (though controllable) condition characterized by failure of the vocal cords, turned into a form of “vision quest” that permanently changed his outlook on life and leadership.
When the story began, Hancock Lumber was gripped by the Great Recession, and had suffered a 50% loss in sales “without losing a single customer.” Building was dead in Maine, and this meant severe disruptions at his company. At the same time, Kevin’s voice was vanishing, causing him to ask how could the CEO of a corporation do his job without a voice? As it turned out, this forced him to listen and to reconceive how he managed his people, and he became increasingly less directive.
At the same time, he started to visit the Sioux tribe on their reservation, America’s poorest community located in the Southwestern corner of South Dakota. They had a radically flat power structure, with great equality among members – few visible leaders, and a society based on the individual. As he spent more time there, he realized that the partial loss of his own voice was a major opportunity, as it allowed him the chance to disconnect from business, reflect more, listen more, and help others who themselves were voiceless (though generally in a less-literal sense than he).
He realized that his “job” was less about how to “fix” the problems of the Sioux than to listen and forge connections with them. Ultimately he wrote the book, telling the story of his journey. Copies were sold at the end of the meeting and are available at www.kevinhancock.com with all proceeds in excess of printing costs going straight back to the tribe.
It was a most unusual program. The Club awarded Kevin Hancock a Paul Harris Fellowship in recognition of his remarkable humanitarian work. (See Bits & Pieces)
Photo: President Laura, Kevin Hancock and Rusty Atwood.
President Laura is more than one-quarter way through her Rotary year......this week welcoming a packed house and per usual, she had to fit 10 pounds into an 8-pound sack, which she did very well. We had such a crowd that we had to set up chairs at the dessert table to accommodate the overflow of attendees! (See Photo Corner) We had 67 club members, the visiting President-elect of the Marblehead, Mass. Rotary Club, David Deutsch, and also 5 non-Rotarian guests.
Julie L”Heureux took advantage of the beautiful day and the resplendent foliage season to provide an invocation of perfection. Tapping her love of literature, Julie chose Sonnet 73 from the Bard to call forth the magnificence, especially here in the great state of Maine, of the autumnal transition.
Our gang is known to many as the “singing club” and on this day, Past President Don Lowry selected the perfect song to get us in harmony. We belted out I’ve been Workin’ On The Railroad and it was one of the better performances, thanks to the familiarity and leadership. Of course with Russ Burleigh at the Eighty-Eights, you always have a great foundation.
(Photo: Russell Voss, Lionel Nima, Pres. Laura, Major John Lock and Past President Jim Willey.)
The association of the Rotary Club of Portland and the Salvation Army has over many years been strong and we always seem to have at least one officer as a member of the Club. Thanks to Jim Willey that relationship continues. Jim introduced John Lock, who has returned to his Maine roots and will be a great member. Our second new member, introduced by Russell Voss, is Lionel Nima, who has traveled the country and can be an interpreter as well as an ambassador, since he speaks 4 languages. Please welcome our newest members!
Our Rotary moment was presented by one of our newer members, Nick Lotfey, who impressed us with tales of his late grandfather and former member, Naj Lotfey. He told us how Naj would recant stories of Rotary to him and their family through the years and how proud Naj had been to be a member. Out of respect for Naj and wanting to follow in his footsteps, Nick knew he wanted to become a member of Portland Rotary. (Those who knew Naj, loved and respected him, as well.)
Our club focus is on eradicating food insecurity and aiding in the education and literacy of the children in our community through our CHE initiative. Erik Greven, our Community Service Chair, has been doing a terrific job of coordinating our efforts at the Preble Street Kitchen, among other projects. Adding to the outreach and emphasizing our commitment to CHE, the club was delighted and proud to present a check in the amount of $2,400 to Cultivating Community and the work of the Locker Project.
(Photo: Member Katie Brown of Locker Project, President Laura, Community Service Chair Erik Greven and Lily Chaleff, School Garden Educator at Cultivating Community.)
For a long time we have worried that we have not invested enough time and effort into welcoming and cultivating new membership. Leisa Collins and the Membership Committee have decided that placing a red dot on the name tag of newbies is a good idea, but we have to do more to welcome and help them feel the love and passion for doing good deeds that is emblematic of our organization. Consequently, a great new idea to develop our new relationships by having teams of two members, one newer and one seasoned, to coordinate a mentoring and fellowship relationship with all new members, so they feel comfortable and capable from the get-go. For more information, contact Leisa at: leisa.g.collins@gmail.com.
President Laura announced the members of this year's Nominating Committee, who will be entrusted to deliberate the slate of officers for the Rotary year 2017-18. Members on this important committee are: Chair, Past President Bowen Depke, 2nd Vice-president John Curran, Janelle LoSciuto, Justin Lamontagne, Jan Chapman, Bruce Jones and Kathy Grammer.
The Rotary Club of Portland has a phenomenal number of Paul Harris Fellows (PHF). Part of that success is due to the Foundation Chairs, especially Amy Chipman. The bestowing of a PHF is recognition of that individual who embodies the “Service Above Self” principles of our founder. We decided long ago, that it was not limited to members of the club, because it’s service, not relationship that counts.
At this meeting we learned how Kevin Hancock had taken a personal hardship and turned it into an opportunity to listen, learn and lend a helping hand. Given the work of Mr. Hancock with the Sioux nation of South Dakota, Past PresidentDick Hall, took the opportunity to present him with a Paul Harris Fellow. Congratulations, Kevin!
It was a packed house for Friday's Rotary meeting.
New member, Lionel Nima and Larry Gross wade through the buffet line........
and the overflow of members had to grab some table space at the dessert table to hear a wonderful presentation by our speaker.
Portland Rotarians and friends who volunteered at the recent Deering High School Financial Literacy Fair.
L-to-R: Dave Smith, George Carr, Patty Erickson, Mike Fortunato, Leisa Collins, David Small, Amy Chipman, Tom Ranello, Bruce Moore, Tom Nickerson, Jim Willey, Jan Chapman, Barbara Willey, Jennifer Frederick, and President Laura.
The International Service Committee's 3-H (Hearing, Hands and H2O) Project Team will be traveling to the Dominican Republic (DR) early in 2017.
(Photo: Dick Giles demonstrating a portable solar light.)
The Batays in the Dominican Republic are located some 15-20 miles outside of the city, where night darkness is intense. Access to electricity is very limited and without light, the safety of the inhabitants is an issue. The 3-H team would like to take 70-100 collapsible portable lights with them on their upcoming trip and are looking for volunteer donations of $15 per light to help fund this important project.
For further information or if you would like to help, please contact Elise Hodgkin atportlandrotary@maine.rr.comor 899-6342. You may bring your cash/check to a meeting or mail your check to: Portland Rotary, P.O. Box 1755, Portland, ME 04104. Please make your check payable to Portland Rotary Charitable Account. Make a memo note on the check: for DR solar lights.
Invocation: Tom Nickerson Program Reporter: Julie L'Heureux Bits & Pieces Reporter: Alan Nye Registration/Greeter: Elizabeth Banwell Sell Meal Tickets: Jim Willey Raffle: Chris Thomas Badge Box: None Collect Meal Tickets: Jan Chapman* Song Leader: Gracie Johnston Pianist: None Sgt-at-Arms (Early): Mike Fortunato Sgt-at-Arms (Late): Mac Collins
If you would like to mark your calendars,
we are at the following locations through
the end of this calendar year:
2016: Oct 21 - Clarion Hotel
Oct 28 - Holiday Inn By-the-Bay
Nov 4 - Clarion Hotel
Nov 11 - Holiday Inn By-the-Bay Nov 18 - Holiday Inn By-the-Bay
Nov 25 - No Meeting - Happy Thanksgiving!
Dec 2 - Holiday Inn By-the-Bay
Dec 9 - Holiday Inn By-the-Bay Dec 16 - Holiday Inn By-the-Bay
Dec 23 - Holiday Inn By-the-Bay
Dec 30 - No Meeting - Happy New Year!
BlueBOLD dates are scheduled Board meeting days.
Any questions, please contact Loretta at: lrowe@maine.rr.com
The top two reasons people join Rotary are to meet new people and to get involved in their communities.
If you have a LinkedIn social media profile, is Rotary Club of Portland Maine listed there - signaling to your network that you're a member? Consider adding it to your Volunteer section. And if you hold a Club or Committee leadership position, think about adding it to the Experience section beneath your professional position.
Anyone interested in developing a new professional LinkedIn profile, see this video link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uozLz10TwNc. Thank you for your continual efforts to keep Portland Rotary membership growing and engaged!
As we receive applications for prospective members to join our Portland Rotary Club, the names of the applicants will be included in our Windjammer. Any information and/or comments you would like to share will be handled confidentially. Please contact Loretta Rowe: lrowe@maine.rr.com. Your input will be appreciated.
PROSPECT BUSINESS (Sponsor)
Stephanie Joyce Baker Newman Noyes (Kris Rosado)
The following is a list of projects happening within our club that you have an opportunity to volunteer and help with. If you know of other opportunities, please contact Loretta: lrowe@maine.rr.com
When
Project Who to Contact
Soup kitchen 4th Wednesday ea month
Preble Street (4-6:30 p.m.) Oct 26th
Erik Greven
St Vincent - Serve Nov. 23rd
Thanksgiving Erik Greven
Dinner
Bell Ringing Dec. 5 - 22
Salvation Army weekdays at noon
Erik Greven
Game Night Last Tuesday ea month
Cedar Unit Mike Fortunato
Only two groups of people at the U.S. Supreme Court – justices and their law clerks – have insiders’ knowledge of how the Court chooses which cases to hear and what opinions to issue on those cases after oral arguments. Dick Fallon has that perspective as a law clerk to Justice Lewis F. Powell, Jr., from 1981-1982.
Our gang is known to many as the “singing club” and on this day, Past President Don Lowry selected the perfect song to get us in harmony. We belted out I’ve been Workin’ On The Railroad and it was one of the better performances, thanks to the familiarity and leadership. Of course with Russ Burleigh at the Eighty-Eights, you always have a great foundation.
Our club focus is on eradicating food insecurity and aiding in the education and literacy of the children in our community through our CHE initiative. Erik Greven, our Community Service Chair, has been doing a terrific job of coordinating our efforts at the Preble Street Kitchen, among other projects. Adding to the outreach and emphasizing our commitment to CHE, the club was delighted and proud to present a check in the amount of $2,400 to Cultivating Community and the work of the Locker Project.
The Rotary Club of Portland has a phenomenal number of Paul Harris Fellows (PHF). Part of that success is due to the Foundation Chairs, especially Amy Chipman. The bestowing of a PHF is recognition of that individual who embodies the “Service Above Self” principles of our founder. We decided long ago, that it was not limited to members of the club, because it’s service, not relationship that counts.
.JPG)
.JPG)