Dublin-Worthington News Stories
August 05, 2020 Virtual Meeting - Eric Wittenberg - West Virginia Statehood and the Civil War
Thursday, August 6, 2020
By: Christie BruffyPresident Jim Miller welcomed everyone to the first morning meeting of the new Rotary year. There were several members that indicated previously that they preferred the early meetings, so this reflected a return to our original monthly schedule which offered half morning and half afternoon meeting times. Wynn Wiksell gave the invocation and led the Pledge of Allegiance.
President-Elect Steve Payerle then called for any “Happy Dollar” announcements:
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Teresa Russell was happy to announce that her daughter made the varsity volleyball team yesterday and that their season was proceeding as planned this weekend.
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Steve announced that he was preparing to go on vacation this Friday, alone, for one night to his hunting cabin. He is “looking forward to some alone time to recharge”.
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Dave Kittredge was happy that the International Services Committee had been able to help our Twin Club in the Dominican Republic assist the Barrio Lindo Medical/Dental Clinic in restoring water service. This was accomplished by helping them purchase an auxiliary water pump and roof top storage tank. The cost to us was around $400, $200 of which was funding already on deposit for another project that we diverted to this project so work could begin immediately.
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Roe Mauro, a travel agent, has not been able to book a trip for a customer in 5 months, but she recently had the opportunity to assist someone with booking a trip to Hawaii in 2021.
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Katie McCartney was happy that she was done with physical therapy following ankle surgery.
President Jim Miller called for any announcements:
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Steve Payerle gave an update on the Communications Committee, with another call for additional members. Things are falling into place, and the first newsletter went out this week. He is optimistic as the committee solidifies tasks and scheduling for a smooth Rotary year.
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President Jim Miller made the announcement for club members who may not have heard: the home of member Phil Giessler and his wife Carol had been destroyed by fire on Sunday, August 2, while they were away. While the rebuilding process is expected to take at least 8 months, they are relying on the support of family, friends and neighbors. On the evening of Tuesday, August 4, former club president, John Butterfield, notified the club via email, saying,” If you would like to comfort them as they deal with their loss, you may reach them at: philgiessler@camtaylor.com”.
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Alan Grossman announced a call for help with the Membership Committee. He also noted that our annual Pizza for Polio fundraiser, which occurs in October, will need to be retooled due to the pandemic. He would like us to think of alternative ways to raise funds this year.
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Jim then thanked Alan for all of his hard work in planning the memorial service for member Bill Shantz. The service was a wonderful show of support to Bill’s family and was attended in person by Rotarians, friends and colleagues, as well as virtually by approximately 12 guests thanks to a live stream on Facebook hosted by the Westerville Bible Church.
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Joe Patchen, as chair of the Speakers Committee, announced once again that his committee is seeking more members. We were reminded that the virtual format allows for speakers to present from literally anywhere, so we should all be thinking about who we know and/or who we would like to hear from.
Joe then introduced his colleague and friend, Eric Wittenberg, as our speaker. Eric is a lawyer with Cook, Sladoje and Wittenberg, where he heads the business litigation practice. He also happens to be an award-winning Civil War historian. He has published 22 books on the Civil War as well as over three dozen articles on the subject in national magazine.
The presentation focused on his newest book, Seceding from Secession: The Civil War, Politics, and the Creation of West Virginia, co-authored by Edmund A. Sargus Jr. and Penny L. Barrick. In 1863, the northwestern third of the Commonwealth of Virginia broke off to become West Virginia- the Union’s 35th state. The social, legal, military, and political factors that converged to lead to this separation are chronicled in the book.
Eric is interested in joining our club, so we’ll be sure to “see” him again soon.
President Jim Miller followed the speaker by leading members through the FOUR WAY TEST.
Approximately 20 members remained online after the formal meeting, with about 4 members actively engaging in a discussion on the speaker’s topic.
Jim then asked for ideas on where we can hold our in-person meetings when the time comes. There is a concern with rental fees and the cost of meals.
He also asked for feedback on how we can improve our virtual meetings. There was a reminder announced of the next session in the District’s Master Class Series will be held on August 11, 2020 from 5:00-6:00pm: Teambuilding During Virtual Times. Registration is now open for this Zoom session.
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