Hamilton Rotary Club news

Hamilton Rotarians were pleased to see Emerson Jones return to our meetings, after a few weeks absence.

After a very pleasant lunch, (somebody in the Colgate Inn’s kitchen knows how to make a great tasting tomato soup), President Maria Parenti opened the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance. This was followed with a prayer.

President Parenti announced the Rotary District Conference to be held in mid-to-late September at Lake Placid.

Happy dollars was started by Vickie Taylor donating $3. Her three reasons were: her son had just turned 16, her 25th Wedding Anniversary was soon to come, and she had her sister and brother-in-law as guests. Eve Ann Schwartz gave $2, and announced the soon to come Hamilton Music Mix. Eve Ann solicited Rotarians for help with putting on the occasion. Finally Scott Truett contributed a happy dollar to celebrate the signing of a lease for a new location of his bike shop. Truett’s shop will move to the present location of Rosita’s store right in the center of town.

Vickie introduced the speaker, her brother-in-law, with personal comments about the wonderful visits she has shared with him and her sister, and expressing her debt to him for the career advice he has so freely given her.

Chief Master Sergeant Retired Douglas E. Blair gave a talk about his life in service to our country in the US Air Force. He started by mentioning his roots in upstate New York. Blair grew up in Oriskany Falls and attended school in nearby Madison. After noting Rotary’s involvement with schools at the local level, he went on to observe the importance of schools to himself and to his family.

The school in Madison prepared him, without further education, to enter the Air Force, which then trained him for all the tasks required of him. Schools have been important to his family because they have been so accepting and helping to integrate his children into the 12 communities they have lived in the last 28 years.
He started out in Finance, but soon migrated to Satellite Technology. The Air Force sent him off for a year’s training in Satellite launching and communications. CMSgt. Blair mentioned that he was in the Pentagon when it was hit on September 11, 2001. Someone had heard the Twin Towers had been struck, and everyone’s TV set was turned on to see the second hit. Not long after that, he felt a shock rather like a small earthquake. The Pentagon itself had been hit. The plane had hit the Northwest side of the building, which after a recent renovation was probably the strongest part of the building. As a result there was less damage and loss of life. Fortunately Blair was working on the South side of the building, about one mile away.

As was made clear by CMSgt. Blair, the military has a deep sense of service to the citizens of our country, and their top priority was to insure the safety of the civilians in the Pentagon. About half of the personnel in the Pentagon is civilian. Blair’s current plans are to stay in the Northern Virginia area for several more years, but eventually he wishes to retire to his true home, upstate New York.

Question: What is next now that you have retired from the service?

Blair: I plan to stay in the area working for a contractor in Satellite operations.
Question: After the second tower was hit, was it realized that the Pentagon might be next?

Blair: Not really. Requests were made to civilian air traffic control to determine whether or not other planes had strayed from their flight plans, but it was too late to be of help.

Rotary would like to thank the Optimist Club for its help in arranging the 4th of July parade units in the assembly area. Phil apologizes for the oversight. Rotary very much appreciates the help the Optimist Club has done for us over the years.
Also we have been asked to mention that Karyn Belanger lost a video camera on the Fourth, near the Baptist Church. If anyone knows the whereabouts of this camera please call her at 824-8496, or leave a message at 825-0220. She would be very grateful.