This meeting featured a fun presentation by UNH Associate Professor Amy Boylan. Amy teaches Classics, Humanities, and Italian Studies with six other colleagues. Together, they work with about 500 students per semester.
Italy is the second most popular place where young Wildcat scholars like to study abroad. English-speaking Australia is the first.
Amy, whose allegedly spectacular slide presentation crashed before she started, was here to plug Cinema Ritrovato. It’s on tour locally for eight days, but mostly at UNH. The program includes workshops with international filmmakers, silent films with live musical accompaniment, guest lectures and more. Details can be obtained at www.cinemaritrovatonh.com.
The workshops are free and part of an enhancement with our Italian Sister City Santarcangelo in north central Italy. In fact, Santarcangelo is sending a delegation (led by its mayor) to the event and PHS is engineering a youth exchange. To be sure, a sizable portion of Portsmouth’s Italian population has roots in Santarcangelo.
While most of the program is at UNH, in keeping with its mission of community outreach, the festival will be right here in Portsmouth at the end of March. You can catch a screening and concert at the Press Room on Saturday March 28 and at the Music Hall Lounge March 29. Check their website for details.
During the Q&A, we learned a bit about how so-called “Spaghetti Westerns” became a popular genre in the 1960’s. They were more violent than their American counterparts. The drive-in movie era Hercules films spoke to the Italian fascination with strong men. A trait first manifested in silent films, later Fascism, and finally American body building.
Where have you gone, Steve Reeves?
Nuts and Bolts.
St. Paddy’s Day is coming up, so the meeting’s start was tinted with green. Dave McMahon was Four Way Test leader. Al O’Lantinen attempted to get us through Irish Eyes without music. At least everyone knew the first line. Jamie’s inspirational messages were spot on.
Announcements.
We’re back in the Big Room April 9, just in time for the Gordon Allen Humanitarian Award presentation…Ian’s free library “kits” have arrived and will soon be a “hands-on project.” Collect those books!
Golf Tourney Leader Eileen Coute needs golf sponsorships and donations for the PHS Teen Sleep out to benefit homeless students.
The Rotary Social is slated for the Black Rock Club on March 26 at 5 p.m. The Club can be found behind the Lafayette Road Market Basket.
Guests.
Portsmouth City Counselor Rich Blalock and Mary Carey Foley were here representing the Sister City Committee. Priscilla invited a banking colleague, Abby Geel. Other guests included Matt Grebowski, Paul Berton, and Margherita Giacobbi, Players Ring Executive Director.
Our club has lost a dedicated Rotarian. Director Emeritus Cliff Taylor passed away on February 26. Cliff was a Past President of our club and a Paul Harris Fellow. As the GM of WHEB, Cliff was intimately involved in supporting our community. As a Director of Service Federal Credit Union, he fostered the strong bond between our club and the credit union that exists today. Cliff’s 
