Mark Abramson said registration is now open for the District 5520 annual District Conference in El Paso, April 24-26. Art suggested we take our Rotary soap there to see if there is interest in buying from other clubs.
Art said he had written to Yasser Murga about the status of the polio campaign since the US is pulling out of the World Health Organization (WHO) inquiring as to whether or not it will be a
signature program any longer.
Art said it had been suggested that we establish a food venue committee to discuss whether we should meet somewhere else besides the University. Ray Goellner agreed to chair the
committee with members Tom Bates and Phil Schoenberg. Basic criteria for a meeting place were discussed: a place that will support us, parking, private meeting space, affordable lunch.
The committee was given many factors to consider. Ray said the committee would get together after next week’s meeting, and he felt they should meet with the University cafeteria manager first.
 

Art gave a craft talk which was an autobiographical sketch. He discussed his life path which had led him from his birthplace of Alexandria, Virginia to Silver City. His career included a brief stint in city planning, which he left and went into accounting. He was an auditor working on not-for-profit accounts. He later became a house husband and raised his daughter while doing part time consulting. He eventually started a company that wrote software for YWCAs. Next he got into sales of computer networks. During a mid-life crisis he and his wife bought a sailboat and moved to Cape Cod. He bought a furniture company there where he got into the
business of making furniture. Later he and his wife moved back to Virginia and started a furniture company there to make Shaker inspired household furniture which he owned until 2018. He then went to work for Virginia Industries for the Blind where visually impaired people were employed. He said this was a great job, He retired from that job when his wife came down with Alzheimer’s. He was able to work part time from home for an accountant. A good friend from his college fraternity introduced him to Rotary. Art got involved with a not-for-profit company that was the beneficiary of a Rotary grant. Soon he got involved in Rotary and
realized it was a great place to be. Because of another friend, he moved to Silver City and was soon involved in Rotary here.

 

After answering questions, the meeting was adjourned.