Newsletters from September of 2022
thru the Spring of 2023
MINUTES OF MEETING OF March 21, 2023
Our speaker was Austin Neilson (Austin.NeiIson@soundtransit.org) who had the daunting task of giving us a good news-bad news status report of the construction and opening of the portion of the project which will ultimately give the South Sound access all the way to Everett and points in between.
FIRST, THE GOOD NEWS: Sound Transit is the regional public transit provider for the Central Puget Sound. The Sound Transit District is made up portions of King, Pierce and Snohomish Counties which is more than 1,000 square miles and contains 52 cities and towns with just over 3 million people, which is 40% of the state’s population. The Sound District is divided into 5 geographic areas, Snohomish, North King, East King, South King and Pierce all of which will pay taxes, however, their taxes stay local and pay ONLY for projects that benefit the people who live in that sub-area. The system will support 323,000 direct and indirect jobs by 2046. Nearly 25% of the workforce building the South Sound projects live in Pierce County.
NOW, the BAD NEWS: The current schedules for completion of the projects put Pierce County as the last to be completed by 2046!
QUESTION: Considering the average age of us CASCADIANS, how many of us will be able to enjoy the great new system?Our speaker, Austin Neilson, was kind enough to leave us his PowerPoint slide print outs and the maps of the construction buildout should anyone need this info. Just ask and we can email these items.
COMING EVENTS
MEETING OF MARCH 28, 2023: our speaker will be JOE HILLYER, one of our newest members telling us of his company HomeWatch Care Givers of Tacoma, a topic of future relevance for many of us.
MEETING OF APRIL 4, 2023: CEDRIC ROSS of AMAZON FULFILLMENT CENTER. We are inviting our spouses, mates and guests to this program which is of special interest to our spouses, mates and other guests so they can learn how all those packages end up on their porches. To assist the TC&GC in planning for the food, please notify Mike Jones, currently our Club Secretary and our next Club President, at mhionesdvm@aol.com if you are bringing a guest.
REMAINING MEETINGS OF THIS SEASON: Please refer to our website https://TacomaCascade.org/meeting-schedule/ for the schedule and note that the last meeting will be held on May 23, 2023.
SAVE THIS DATE: Sunday JULY 16, 2023: our SUMMER FLING PARTY at the home of MARY and DICK MURI in STEILACOM. 5:30PM–8:30PM DETAILS TO FOLLOW
An email containing the zoom link will be sent to all members about 9 AM Tuesday morning. The link will become active at 11:45 AM for you to join the meeting. If you are having any trouble connecting to ZOOM then give me (JohnMc) a call at (253) 312-5902 and I will talk you through the connection process.
Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan scribe, who is praying that the rains in California stop because he really does not want any of his relatives moving to the Great Northwest.
MINUTES OF MEETING OF March 14, 2023
Mr. Raschke’s presentation was so interesting that it was not possible to keep up with him, so attached is a bibliography he prepared for those who wish to learn more about this fascinating topic.
COMING EVENTS
MEETING OF MARCH 21, 2023: AUSTIN NEILSON of SOUND TRANSIT on SOUTH SOUND TRANSIT DEVELOPMENT. With the postponement of the development, this promises to be a lively topic.
MEETING OF MARCH 28, 2023: JOE HILLYER OF HOME WATCH CARE. Joe is now a member of our club!
SAVE THIS DATE: Sunday JULY 16, 2023 5:30 – 8:30 pm OUR SUMMER PARTY AT THE HOME OF DICK AND MARY MURI. DETAILS WILL FOLLOW.
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED, CO-SCRIBES CHUCK FOSTER AND PHIL SLOAN, whose mate has a Black Belt in Amazon shopping.
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT FRONTIER LIFE AND THE BUFFALO SOLDIERS:
From a very professional slide show presentation by Phil Raschke of The Lakewood Historical Society, we learned “Facts, Fictions and More” about the origin, history, lives, and accomplishments of United State Army regiments composed mostly of African Americans that became known as The Buffalo Soldiers. We learned that theses regiments were formed in the late 1800’s to serve on the western frontiers of the United States to protect settlers, fight Indians, and help tame the wild west. We learned that becoming a soldier offered a former slave a career and that the regiments were led by white officers, who originally viewed duty on a such remote posts as undesirable, but, ultimately, leading Buffalo Soldiers became the choice of some top white officers. We learned far more from this impressive presentation than may be recounted in this newsletter. He recommended the following books and movie for those interested in learning more about frontier life and The Buffalo Soldiers.
Soiled Doves by Anne Seagraves. This is a book on prostitution in the early American West.
Buffalo Soldiers (1997) – Danny Glover DVD
The Black Regulars, 1866 – 1898, by William A Dobak and Thomas D Phillips. In this book, “the authors shed new light on the military justice system, relations between black troops and their mostly white civilian neighbors, their professional reputations, and what veterans faced when they left the army for civilian life.”
Carbine and Lance: The Story of Old Fort Sill Paperback – September 15, 1983, by Wilbur Sturtevant Nye The speaker strongly recommended this book which is described online as follows:
“Fort Sill, located in the heart of the old Kiowa-Comanche Indian country in southwestern Oklahoma, is known to a modern generation as the Field Artillery School of the United States Army. To students of American frontier history, it is known as the focal point of one of the most interesting, dramatic, and sustained series of conflicts in the records of western warfare.
From 1833 to 1875, in a theater of action extending from Kansas to Mexico, the strife was almost uninterrupted. The U.S. Army, Kansas militia, Texas Rangers, and white pioneers and traders were arrayed against the fierce and heroic bands of the Kiowas, Comanches, Cheyennes, Arapahoes, and Kiowa-Apaches.
The savage skirmishes with the southwestern Indians before the Civil War provided many army officers with a kind of training that proved indispensable to them in that later, prolonged conflict. When hostilities ceased, Sherman, Sheridan, Dodge, Custer, Grierson, and other commanders again resumed the harsh field of guerrilla warfare against their Indian foes—tough, hard fighters.
With the inauguration of the so-called Quaker Peace Policy during President Grant’s first administration, the hands of the army were tied. The Fort Sill reservation became a place of refuge for the marauding bands that went forth unmolested to raid in Texas, Oklahoma, and Mexico. The toll in human life reached such proportions that the government finally turned the southwestern Indians over to the army for discipline, and a permanent settlement of the bands was achieved by 1875.
From extensive research, conversations with both Indian and white eyewitnesses, and his familiarity with Indian life and army affairs, Captain Nye has written an unforgettable account of these stirring times. The delineation of character and the reconstruction of colorful scenes, so often absent in historical writing, are to be found here in abundance. His Indians are made to live again: his scenes of post life could have been written only by an army man.”
MINUTES OF MEETING OF March 7, 2023
This year, 2023, is the 100th anniversary of the founding of The Tacoma Gyro Club, now known as Cascade Club of Tacoma. In 1923, Angelo V. Fawcett was serving his 4th term as Tacoma’s Mayor. He ran for Mayor twelve times in the period from 1896 to 1922 and was elected four times, the last time being for the term 1922 to 1926. He was recalled twice and once resigned in the middle of a council meeting. Amongst the many achievements in that period was the construction of the 11th Street Bridge, now known as the Murray Morgan Bridge which opened in 1913 to a crowd of 10,000. It was an engineering marvel, being the highest lift bridge in the world and allowed access to the Tideflats area which is now the Port of Tacoma. It changed Tacoma in many ways, including opening Tacoma to Suburbia which allowed people to commute to downtown Tacoma from the suburbs. For more information, Google “The Murray Morgan Bridge in Tacoma”. Also, by Googling Angelo V. Fawcett, you can learn much more about Fawcett who is described as Tacoma’s most colorful, controversial and resilient politician.
COMING EVENTS
MEETING OF MARCH 14, 2023: PHIL RASCHKE of THE LAKEWOOD HISTORICAL SOCIETY on THE BUFFALO SOLDIERS and more.
MEETING OF MARCH 21, 2023: AUSTIN NEILSON of SOUND TRANSIT on SOUTH SOUND TRANSIT DEVELOPMENT. With the postponement of the development, this should be a lively topic.
MEETING OF MARCH 28, 2023: JOE HILLYER of HOME WATCH CARE GIVERS. Joe has recently joined our club.
PLAN ahead to the second or third Saturday in July when Dick and Mary Muri will be hosting our annual Summer/ Spring Fling at their home in Steilacoom. The firm date will be set soon.
NEW MEMBER APPLICATION: JOSE (JOEY) VELIZ has submitted an application for membership. He was nominated by Mike Jones and Chuck Foster.
We need to complete a SLATE of certain OFFICERS for the Fall: We are still seeking volunteers for the offices of Vice President, Secretary and a couple board members for the Fall resumption of meetings after our summer break. Please let David Cotant know if you are willing to serve. Dr. Mike Jones has agreed to become our President to replace David Cotant who has served us so well this year. Mike has been our secretary this year and we need a new secretary to replace him.
An email containing the zoom link will be sent to all members about 9 AM Tuesday morning. The link will become active at 11:45 AM for you to join the meeting. If you are having any trouble connecting to ZOOM then give me (JohnMc) a call and I will talk you through the connection process.
Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan, scribe who reminds you to set your clocks ahead one hour this weekend because Spring is on the way!
MINUTES OF MEETING OF FEBRUARY 28, 2023
Its web site is www.washingtonpolicycenter.com.He gave an engaging presentation in which he briefly described many of the bills being considered during the present session of the Washington State Legislature and the position of the WPC on each of them. Examples of the bills that he discussed are:
• A bill to reduce teacher class time to allow for professional development.
• A request to the federal government to provide universal health care or to allow Washington state to provide it.
• Modifying the present worker’s tax for long term care program.
• Employee reimbursement for on-the-job injury.
• Road usage charge (mileage tax) to compensate for loss of income from gas tax for road maintenance.
• Allowing trade of carbon credits.
• Making charter schools accountable to public schools.
• Establishing education savings accounts.
• Establishing farmer’s internship programs.
• Mandating use of recycled plastics be used in packaging.
• A program to compensate landowners impacted by endangered species regulations.
• Establishing overtime pay for agricultural workers like it is for white collar workers.
• Requiring small business office workers to meet ergonomic standards.
• Require landlords to give notice 6 months in advance of any rental rate increase larger than 5%.His presentation stimulated a number of thoughtful questions from Cascade members.
COMING EVENTS
MEETING OF MARCH 7, 2023: BILL BAARSMA, FORMER MAYOR OF TACOMA AND LOCAL HISTORIAN ON THE HISTORY OF THE GYRO CLUB AND THE CASCADE CLUB OF TACOMA. His talk will be of special interest to our new and prospective new members.
MEETING OF MARCH 14, 2023: PHIL RASCHKE OF THE LAKEWOOD HISTORICAL SOCIETY ON THE BUFFALO SOLDIERS AND MORE.
MEETING OF MARCH 21, 2023: AUSTIN NEILSON OF SOUND TRANSIT ON SOUTH SOUND TRANSIT DEVELOPMENT: In view of the announcement that the project has been delayed for a year, this promises to be most timely presentation.
MEETING OF MARCH 28, 2023: JOE HILLYER ON HOME WATCH CARE GIVERS. Joe has also applied for membership in our club.
We anticipate that the ZOOM equipment will be setup for the March 7th meeting. An email with the zoom link will be sent to all members about 9 AM that morning. If you are having any trouble connecting then give me a call at (253) 312-5902 and I will talk you through the connection process. The link will become active at 11:45 AM for you to join the meeting.
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED, Phil Sloan and Chuck Foster co-scribes. Phil especially thanks Chuck who came to his rescue after he lost his notes.
MINUTES OF MEETING OF FEBRUARY 21, 2023
Our member, Ret. Lt. Col. Tom Morgan, a graduate of West Point, introduced our speaker, Ret. Lt. General (3 Stars) Keith Dayton to the more than 40 members and guests present who were honored to hear General Dayton give us his sobering analysis and opinions regarding the war in the Ukraine and its potential international consequences. It is difficult to imagine a more knowledgeable person. While serving in the Army, he personally spent years in Russia and the Ukraine and met regularly with key leaders of the countries in that area. His career resume is most impressive and is set forth in detail on Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Dayton. He was explicit in saying that he was expressing his opinions and not necessarily the official positions of the U.S.
His presentation was filled with so many thought-provoking observations that this scribe found it impossible to take notes which captured all of his comments. What follows are “bullet points” taken from my notes. I apologize for any errors.
1: Russia is the clear aggressor and is fighting a war of attrition which is not justified.
2: Putin’s goal is to recapture sovereignty over the parts of those lands which formerly belonged to the USSR and/or whose culture is based more on Russian than Ukrainian culture, such as Russian language being the dominant language. Putin does not seek to go beyond those areas. The General opined that the U.S.’s claim that the domino theory of Russia capturing countries beyond those areas does not apply. Putin does not intend to attack NATO countries.
3: Ukraine is a deeply divided country. The population of the Eastern side of the Ukraine tends to identify as of Russian heritage and speaks Russian more so than Ukrainian. The Western side of Ukraine is of lesser interest to Putin because the population speaks Ukrainian and is more hostile to Russia.
4. A primary goal of Putin is to gain total control over the Eastern border of Ukraine all the way to Crimea so it will have a land bridge giving it unimpeded access to and from Crimea to utilize its seaports for its military and world trade.
5: Russia considers this as a proxy war in which the United States is the real opponent.
6: Ukraine is one of the most corrupt countries of the world. It is the world capital for money laundering. There is great concern that much of the money the U.S. is giving to it is going to corrupt people for their own purposes and not to fund its military. It is an economic disaster. Its infrastructure is being destroyed. It is now totally dependent on the U.S. Other countries which have been supporting it are losing interest. The General predicted that the German people do not like the war and within 6 months there will be a problem with it continuing to support Ukraine.
7: The sanctions which have been imposed on Russia are not working.
8: China is currently the Big Winner in this war because it is not depleting its resources, so it will later be stronger for aggression toward Taiwan and other countries. Its support for Russia is increasing.
9: There will not be a “Big Victory” for either side such as in WWll. The Ukrainian troops are becoming exhausted, at the same time, Russia is assembling massive numbers of soldiers for a major offensive. Ukraine is consuming weaponry faster that its suppliers will keep up with the demand.
10: The war is causing the U.S. to deplete its war stock to the point where it will severely impair its ability to defend itself against aggression from countries such as China.
11: The war has no natural stopping point and a clear military victory is not possible. Both Russia and Ukraine have “dug in their heels” and are not currently amenable to negotiating a peaceful resolution. Russia will not voluntarily quit the war.
12: Ukraine is also determined to keep fighting. It has lost 20% of its territory and is almost totally dependent on the West. It has had some success in its North but has lost in its South and East. Its demands for settlement are not realistic, for example, it demands that Russia pay it reparations for the damage it has inflicted on it.
13: The U.S. media is not being truthful in its reporting of the war and it is overlooking the war’s impact on our country and its military strength. It gives its audience only “happy talk”. The General recommends the “Daily Mail” in London as a source for more objective reporting.
14: It is time for negotiation to end this war, but no meaningful negotiations are now occurring. A potential resolution would be to divide Ukraine such as the division of Korea.
Our Past President, retired Lt. Colonel Dick Muri, opines that “If General Dayton had been appointed Ambassador to Ukraine, this war probably would not have happened. He is respected by both Russia and Ukraine”.
COMING EVENTS
MEETING OF FEBRUARY 28, 2023: DONALD KIMBALL, Communications Manager Washington Policy Center on The Capital Gains Tax and what is expected in this year’s legislature. In the past, colleagues of his have spoken to us and have been thought provoking. This talk promises to be stimulating.
MEETING OF MARCH 7, 2023: BILL BAARSMA, FORMER MAYOR OF TACOMA AND LOCAL HISTORIAN on the history of the GYRO CLUB and the CASCADE CLUB. Bill is a regular speaker and is always informative and entertaining. His talk will be especially helpful for our new and prospective members.
SCRIBE’S COMMENTS: It was great to have such a large group to hear General Dayton. We have an excellent roster of speakers for the upcoming meetings before the last meeting of this season which ends on May 23 for our summer break.
We were not able to ZOOM the General’s talk because no one has come forward to operate the equipment in the absence of our overworked president, David Cotant who was on a well- deserved vacation. If a volunteer comes forward, the meeting of February 28 will be on Zoom. A notice will be sent to the membership in advance of the meeting so you can plan accordingly.
Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan, scribe, who has reevaluated his opinions on the ongoing war after the outstanding talk by General Dayton.
MINUTES OF MEETING OF FEBRUARY 14, 2023
Our speaker was Brent Mason, executive director of the Foss Waterway Seaport Museum. When the idea of creating the museum was first being floated, several members of our club, then known as GYRO, now Cascade Club, led by the late Phil Hayes, established a fund to get it going. Several years ago, when the museum was in its infancy, we had a well – attended field trip to the museum.
If you haven’t been there recently, you would be amazed by how much it has grown and flourished. Because of the excellent presentation by Mr. Mason, a return field trip is now being planned. Today, his talk focused on the history of the Willits brothers and the 900 unique canoes they built between 1913 and 1963. Many of the canoes are still in existence and are in great demand. They are treasured by their owners because they were then and still are the “Rolls Royce” of canoes.
The Willits brothers, Earl and Floyd, were eccentric perfectionists who refused to allow anyone to assist them in building the canoes. They offered to fully refund all money paid by customers if they were not satisfied with their boat, but no canoe was ever returned. Many are still in active use, but they are also treasured as pieces of functional art. After the second brother Earl, died in 1967, their heirs closed the factory but kept it intact and never built another canoe. Fortunately, they recently donated all of the equipment, supplies and inventory to the Seaport Museum which is preparing for a major permanent exhibition which will include several of the boats in various stages of preservation as well as the custom made tools. They can be seen at the museum’s web site, https://fosswaterwayseaport.org . The drawings and plans for the boats were donated to the Tacoma Public Library and may be reviewed at www.tacomalibrary.org/northwestroom/.
COMING EVENTS
MEETING OF FEBRUARY 21, 2023: Lt. General Ret. Keith Dayton who for 10 years was the Director of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies. He will speak on the Ukraine.
Regretfully ZOOM will not be available for this presentation.
MINUTES OF MEETING OF FEBRUARY 7, 2023
Our meeting this date started on a sad note; President David Cotant announced that our past president, Dr. William “Bill” Jackson died unexpectedly a few days earlier. Bill was a friend to all and was a vital member of our club. We send our deepest sympathy to his wife, Donna.
Our speaker was Becky Newton, Economic Development Officer of the City of Lakewood, WA. She gave us a review of the impressive growth of the City with many surprising statistics, i.e. the number of businesses in Lakewood and her optimism about its future growth. 2,500 businesses have offices here with the highest concentration engaged in health care. Washington is the State most dependent on trade and trade is a substantial component of Lakewood’s economy. For more information, Ms. Newton invited your inquiries. She may be reached at 253-983-7738 or BNewton@cityoflakewood.us
COMING EVENTS
MEETING OF FEBRUARY 14, 2023: Our speaker will be Brent Mason of the Foss Seaport Museum speaking on the status of the Museum. Scribe’s note: Several of our members were instrumental in establishing the museum. There will be a meeting of the Cascade Board at 11:30 that morning.
MEETING OF FEBRUARY 21, 2023: Lt. General Ret. Keith Dayton who for 10 years was the Director of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies. He will speak on UKRAINE.
We are especially privileged to have such a prominent authority speak to us on the war in the Ukraine, so we are inviting spouses and guests to attend. However, we must give prior notice to the TC&GC so they can prepare for a larger than normal crowd. To reserve a spot for your guests, you must notify our secretary Mike Jones no later than noon on Wednesday, February 15 or they may not be able to serve lunch to them. Contact Mike at 253-229-0010 or by email: mhjonesdvm@aol.com This will be an excellent opportunity to bring guests who might be interested in joining our merry band.
Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan, scribe whose mate refused his offer of a hot air balloon ride on Valentine’s Day.
MINUTES OF MEETING OF JANUARY 31, 2023
Our speaker was Alan Billingsley, a volunteer for Partners for Parks, who told us of its plan to raise $3.5 million from the private sector of the community to be added to $4 million from the public sector, including the City of Lakewood, to fund the restoration and renovation of the H-Barn Complex at Fort Steilacoom Park.
The H-Barn was built in 1844 on the 640 acres of the farm and consists of two long parallel barns connected by a central structure. It originally housed farm animals. In 1931 four large silos were built to store crops grown on the farm. Two silos remain and will be reconditioned. If the funds are raised, the renovated buildings will be owned and operated by the City of Lakewood and will serve as a multipurpose community center for events such as weddings, banquets, farmers’ markets and private and public meetings. Today the park is annually visited by nearly one million people for baseball, soccer and other events. With the renovated H-Barn, it is expected that there will be a substantial increase in the number of visitors. For more information, see its website www.partnersforparks.net or call 425-658-2240.
COMING EVENTS
MEETING OF FEBRUARY 7, 2023: BECKY NEWTON, Economic Development Officer of the City of Lakewood speaking on Lakewood Development.
MEETING OF FEBRUARY 14, 2023: BRENT MASON OF Foss Seaport Museum on The Foss Seaport Museum.
MEETING OF FEBRUARY 21, 2023: LT. GEN. RET. KEITH DAYTON, previously the Director of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies for 10 years speaking on “UKRAINE”.
These meetings will be available on ZOOM. See the instructions on how to log onto ZOOM, on our web site at https://TacomaCascade.org .
REMINDER: We still need nominations for next year’s President and Vice-President. Don’t be modest, please offer to serve or forcibly twist the arms of others to volunteer for these positions. Please send your suggestions to David Cotant at Cotant@comcast.net or 253-226-7895.
Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan, Scribe who urges all members to deny that George Santos was ever a member of our Cascade Club.
MINUTES OF MEETING OF JANUARY 24, 2022
Our program was another in a series pertaining to local issues of general interest and relevance to all of us. Our speaker was Ryan Dicks, the Sustainable Resource Administrator for Pierce County. His talk about trash surprised some of us because it was not about trash talking amongst the politicians in the newly elected 117th Congress. Instead, he gave us an informative Power Point presentation on recycling of solid waste and sustainability.
His talk was so wide ranging and full of practical information each of us took away something new and useful. For example, we learned that what gets recycled is dependent on for what there is a local market and on how recycling facilities equipment can process what recycle trucks bring from homes and businesses.
Shredded paper and aluminum foil/thin plates fall off conveyors or snarl machines. Glass is made of sand, which is abundant in nature, so reprocessing is marginally competitive with new fabrication. Glass in a landfill eventually returns to sand. We learned that there is new trend in legislation to require manufacturers to plan, finance, and manage end-of-life recycling of their products and its packaging.
There was an interesting discussion of composting. Pierce county does not compost food waste at this time because it would require ~140 days, which is more than three times longer than their present ~37 days for yard waste.
There was a brief discussion of an aunt who wishes to have her ashes composted and another discussion of the long term need to move away from the use of natural gas.
Finally, we learned that you can get SOUNDGRO® fertilizer for free. SoundGRO® fertilizer is distributed from the Chambers Creek Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant located at 10311 Chambers Creek Road, University Place, WA 98467. Regular pick-up hours are 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday – Friday.
Thanks Ryan for such an interesting presentation.
For more info go to the website: https://www.piercecountywa.gov/1507/Recycle-Reduce-Waste.
COMING EVENTS
MEETING OF JANUARY 31, 2023: ALAN BILLINGSLEY of Partners for Parks on Restoration of the historical barn at Ft. Steilacoom Park.
MEETING OF FEBRUARY 7, 2023: BECKY NEWTON, Economic Development Officer of the City of Lakewood on Lakewood Development.
MEETING OF FEBRUARY 14, 2023: BRENT MASON of FOSS SEAPORT MUSEUM on THE FOSS SEAPORT MUSEUM. Scribe’s note: Several of our members were amongst the founders of this museum, including Tal Edmond, Archie Matthew & Phil Hays.
MEETING OF FEBRUARY 21, 2023: Lt. GEN. RET. KEITH DAYTON; Previously the Director of the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies for 10 years speaking on “UKRAINE”.
We will have ZOOM available again this week.
SCRIBES’ NOTES: Reminder, we are still looking for nominations for Officers for this next season. Please submit your suggestions, for president and vice president, including yourselves, to David Cotant, outgoing president, Cotant@comcast.net, (253) 226-7895. We also need volunteers to operate the ZOOM. All of us are asked to recruit new members and to suggest speakers. Our ability to attract speakers depends on assuring them that we will have a good-sized audience for them.
Respectfully submitted, Chuck Foster and Phil Sloan, co-scribes who do NOT want to be composted.
MINUTES OF MEETING OF JANUARY 17, 2023
We had a nice group in person and on ZOOM for our first meeting of the New Year at the T&GC. It was good to see members who we haven’t seen in a long time. They apparently included attending more meetings in their New Year’s resolutions. We had two guests, Joe Lewis, who was one of our hosts at the tour of the Fort, and Dr. Art Knodel. Dr. Knodel has submitted an application for membership.
Our speaker was Ms. Sue Scott, the immediate past president of the Lakewood Historical Society whose talk linked nicely with last week’s field trip to Fort Steilacoom. She gave an interesting Power Point presentation of the history, organization, funding, location, and features of the city. It is an all- volunteer organization which operates a museum on the main floor of the Lakewood theater in the historic Lakewood Colonial Center. It has over 300 members and is growing. Membership costs are modest, $20 per individual and $35 per family. They raise over $20,000 annually and receive some support from hotel/motel taxes. Their website is https://www.lakewoodhistorical.org The museum has permanent and temporary exhibits and produces an official publication, “Prairie Gazette.” The museum is open on Friday and Saturday afternoons from noon until 4 PM. There is no admission charge. It would be open more often if they had more volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering, Ms. Scott asks that you contact her at the above website.
Ms. Scott also discussed “The Ivan Exhibit” which is featured at the museum. Ivan was world famous and had a long history at the B&I. This topic raised many questions from the interested audience, particularly so because our Dr. Michael Jones, DVM was Ivan’s veterinarian for years. He told several anecdotes of Ivan’s dental and other care. Ivan was sent to the Atlanta Zoo where it was hoped that he would find love and romance and propagate (to no avail).
Ms. Scott’s presentation was brief, so we all enjoyed the opportunity to socialize, which is one of the great benefits of our Friendship Fraternity.
COMING EVENTS
MEETING OF JANUARY 24, 2023: RYAN DICKS of Pierce County Waste and Recycle department on the new solid waste and recycle plan.
MEETING OF JANUARY 31, 2023: ALAN BILLINGSLEY of Partners for Parks on Restoration of the historical barn at Ft. Steilacoom Park.
MEETING OF FEBRUARY 7, 2023: BECKY NEWTON, Economic Development Officer of the City of Lakewood on Lakewood Development.
SCRIBES’ NOTE: The Board met before the meeting with the primary topic being the election of officers for next year. In spite of being offered emoluments, bribes and threats, our President, David Cotant, who has served nobly and tirelessly, announced that he will not serve for another term, so we are now looking for nominees for president and vice president. The vice president will become the president- elect. Please submit your nominations, including yourselves, to David Cotant.
REMINDERS: Because of frequent changes, please be sure to check our web site, which is maintained by John McGowen, https://TacomaCascade.org to keep current on our schedule of events.
Respectfully submitted, Chuck Foster and Phil Sloan, co-scribes who encourage you to recruit new members and to suggest speakers so we can sustain the vigor of our Friendship Fraternity.
IVAN the gorilla
MINUTES OF CASCADE CLUB FIELD TRIP OF JANUARY 10, 2023
Joe Lewis, Secretary of the Fort Steilacoom Museum, met the group of 25 members and their guests in the Interpretive Center as we gathered at 11 am to tour the restored buildings of the Fort and to have lunch. Here Joe, in the dark blue sweater, is seen with President Cotant overlooking the diorama of the Fort in the Interpretive Center.After learning from Joe many interesting bits about the history of the Fort, its role in the history of the region, and the way of life of the men and women who lived in it in the late 1800’s, we split into two groups. One group was led by Joe and the other by Walter Neary, Museum President. The groups left the Interpretive Center to tour three other buildings on the site which also housed officers. Buildings that originally housed regular soldiers and later were used to house the mentally ill no longer exist. In each building were many artifacts of the times and lives of the soldiers. We learned from Joe, important things like chamber pots have only one handle, so as not to be confused with soup tureens, which look very similar but have two handles. He also showed a rope bed and pointed out that since it had to be tightened periodically, it led to the well-known saying “Sleep tight and don’t let the bed bugs bite.”For lunch we gathered around a large table for boxed lunches where we were joined by Museum Board member, Laurel Lemke. From her and Walter we learned that the Museum property is owned by the Department of Health and Human Services, DSHS, which is responsible for Western State hospital on the same site. Also, we learned that the Museum is on the national historic registry, has an annual budget of about $25,000 and was restored and is operated by dedicated volunteers. For more information go to the website: https://historicfortsteilacoom.org .Thanks to Joe, Walter and Laurel, we had a fun, interesting, and informative outing to a historical gem.
COMING EVENTS
MEETING OF JANUARY 17, 2023: SUE SCOTT, Past President of the LAKEWOOD HISTORICAL MUSEUM. On the development of the museum and also about IVAN the Gorilla – resident at the B&I.
MEETING OF JANUARY 24, 2023: MEARA HEUBACH, Pierce County Water and
Recycle Department on the new solid waste plan and recycle.
MEETING OF JANUARY 31, 2023: ALAN BILLINGSLY of Partners for Parks on Restoration of the historical barn at Fort Steilacoom State Park.
Respectfully submitted, Chuck Foster and Phil Sloan co-scribes who agree that the field trip was a great start of 2023 and exemplified our Friendship Fraternity at its best.
MINUTES OF MEETING OF DECEMBER 13, 2022
AND
ANNOUNCING A CLUB FIELD TRIP ON JANUARY 10, 2023
There was no meeting on December 6, 2022 because that evening we held our annual Holiday Party. It was a great success. The Memphis Belles trio got the party off to a roaring start. They were brought back by popular demand because of their great performance at our Spring Fling which was hosted by Dick and Mary Muri.
On December 13, our speaker, before a disappointingly small crowd, was Walter Neary, who gave us such a fascinating and rapid presentation of facts about the History of Fort Steilacoom that this scribe could not keep up with him. With apologies for this newsletter because his notes are so incomplete, on January 10, 2023 our club is going to have a guided field trip to tour the Fort followed by a box luncheon. We promise your questions will be answered.
Did you know that the Fort was started in the 1840s by the British Army as the first military installation in the Puget Sound Area? (Washington did not become a state until 11/11/1889). At first, the land was a farm to grow food for and to protect settlers from the indigenous Indians. The settlers had been brought there by the British from the Red River area near Quebec, Canada.
In 1856, the U.S. began moving Indians onto reservations. Marriages between the Indians and the U.S. Military were encouraged. A recent graduate of West Point, General Kautz was put in charge of the Fort and later married an Indian woman. Today, there are still members of the Nisqually Tribe with the last name Kautz. A tragic historical fact: the U.S. decided that not enough Indians had been killed, so a group of Washington Territory Volunteers from Oregon slaughtered many women and children.
The oral history of that tragedy was documented by the historian Ezra Meeker. The survivors were brought to the Fort.
Go to the web site: https://historicfortsteilacoom.org for more facts and to correct the errors in this scribe’s reporting. Better yet, join us, with your better half and others, including prospective members for the guided tour and box luncheon on January 10, 2023. Our President, David Cotant will be sending details in a separate email. You will learn a lot and have a great time.
COMING EVENTS AND NON-EVENTS
however, President David Cotant has invited all member to join him at TC&GC for a no-host lunch.FOR YOU PROCRASTINATORS, THIS IS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO BUY THOSE LAST MINUTE GIFTS. Scribe’s warning: Vacuum Cleaners and push lawn mowers are not appropriate gifts.NO MEETING ON DECEMBER 27, 2022. THIS WILL BE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO BUY MAKE-UP GIFTS FOR THOSE YOU FORGOT TO BUY GIFTS FOR AND/OR YOUR MATES WHO WERE NOT PLEASED WITH THE GIFTS YOU BOUGHT AT THE LAST MINUTE AND/OR DID NOT SPEND ENOUGH ON: Scribe’s warning: It is too late to make her happy with a power lawn mower and your only chance for redemption is jewelry.NO MEETING ON JANUARY 3, 2023. Check your membership list for the addresses to send get well soon cards to those members who did not heed these warnings. Recommendations of divorce attorneys will be available on request.NO MEETING ON JANUARY 10, 2023. TC&GC will be closed for its annual house cleaning. HOWEVER, on this date , we will have a field trip to Fort Steilacoom for a guided tour and a box luncheon. Watch for details from President David Cotant.Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan, scribe who now gives you this most important warning, based upon his personal experience: NEVER, NEVER believe your mate when she tells you she has everything she could possibly want and wants no gifts for Christmas.
HAVE A HAPPY, HEALTHY AND SAFE HOLIDAY SEASON
MINUTES OF MEETING OF NOVEMBER 29, 2022
Our speaker was Randall “Randy” Black, General Manager of the Lakewood Water District, who updated the Club on current priorities of the district. The four current priorities are: Growing water system demands, dealing with PFAS, Infrastructure Funding, and ShakeAlert Earthquake Warning System.
The Lakewood Water District is a “Special Purpose District” that is separate from the City of Lakewood. It was founded in 1943. It only provides drinking water service, provides effective utility service to about 140,000 retail and wholesale customers in Lakewood and surrounding communities, and is overseen by a board of three customer-elected Commissioners. Daily operations are managed and directed by the General Manager.
To meet growing water system demands, the district must maintain its present infrastructure, plan for expansion, and find funding for that expansion. Presently, their system includes: 30 groundwater wells, 260 miles of water mains, 13 water storage tanks, 13 pump stations, over 2,000 hydrants, over 5,000 valves, and over 16,000 services. Two new wells are being drilled.
PFAS stand for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances which are contaminants. The two that are most common are PFOA — perfluorooctanoic acid — and PFOS — perfluorooctane sulfonate. Though they’re no longer manufactured in the United States, they’re still manufactured around the world and imported into the country in products that we use every day, like takeout food containers and microwave popcorn bags. And before their use was curtailed in the early 2000s they were released by chemical companies, used to coat non-stick cookware, and incorporated in stain-and water-repellent fabrics, polishes, paints, cleaning products, and fire-fighting foams. They are very stable compounds that are now in our water. They are not currently regulated. Washington state has set an action level of 10 parts per trillion for PFOS and 15 parts per trillion for PFOA. The Lakewood Water District with funding help from the state has invested in activated carbon treatment systems to ensure that PFAS levels are at safe levels.
The district is integrating the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System to aid in the rapid recovery from an earthquake by remotely sensing motion of water storage tanks and other elements of the system. ShakeAlert is an earthquake early warning (EEW) system that detects significant earthquakes so quickly that alerts can reach many people before shaking arrives. ShakeAlert is not earthquake prediction, rather a ShakeAlert Message indicates that an earthquake has begun, and shaking is imminent. The Water District has an excellent website which may answer any questions you may have: https://wwwLakewoodWater.org
COMING EVENTS
PLEASE NOTE SCHEDULE CHANGES
THERE WILL BE NO NOON MEETING ON DECEMBER 6, 2022. Those who signed up will be enjoying a great time wining and dining at our Holiday Party that evening. Recommended attire: For the ladies,
as dressy as you like;
for the Gentlemen: 
business casual or more dressy for those whose tuxedos still fit.
MEETING OF DECEMBER 13, 2002: Ms. BECKY NEWTON, Economic Development Officer for the City of Lakewood on Lakewood Development.
THERE WILL BE NO NOON MEETINGS ON DECEMBER 20. OUR PRESIDENT, DAVID COTANT HAS INVITED ALL CASCADIANS TO JOIN HIM ON DECEMBER 20 AT NOON IN THE TC&GC BAR FOR A NO HOST LUNCH. AS OUR LATE MEMBER JIM GALLINATTI FAMOUSLY SAID “YOU HAVE TO EAT LUNCH SOMEWHERE”.
THERE WILL BE NO NOON MEETINGS ON DECEMBER 27 and JANUARY 3 2023 while the TC&GC is undergoing maintenance
NEW MEMBER APPLICATION: Rick Ellingson (and wife Betsy), now retired from Bargreen Ellingson, has applied, sponsored by Dr. Mike Jones and endorsed by Bob Rezba and Phil Sloan. For details, contact Mike at mhjdvm@comcast.net.
Respectfully submitted, Chuck Foster and Phil Sloan, co-scribes and John McGowen, editor and publisher, who wish all Cascadians and their mates a Joyous, Safe and Healthy Holiday Season
MINUTES OF MEETING OF NOVEMBER 22, 2022
She reviewed the history of PSE and the services its more than 3,000 employees provide in delivering natural gas and electricity. She quoted from its website, www.pse.com, which states that PSE “aspires to be a beyond net zero carbon energy company by 2045. We‘re committed to reducing emissions from PSE electric and gas operations and electric supply to net zero by 2030”
When those goals were met with skepticism from the audience, she offered to find the answers to all questions. Her email address is shakishaross@pse.com.
COMING EVENTS
MEETING OF NOVEMBER 29, 2022: RANDY BLACK of LAKEWOOD WATER DISTRICT on “WE HAVE WATER!” (The topic of water availability is one of great relevance, especially to our snowbirds who nest in Arizona, Nevada and Southern California.) REMINDER: We are back on ZOOM, so all can participate.
THERE WILL BE NO NOON MEETING ON DECEMBER 6, 2022 BECAUSE OUR CHRISTMAS PARTY WILL BE HELD THAT EVENING. For details, see the attached notice from President David Cotant below.
MEETING OF DECEMBER 13, 2022: BECKY NEWTON, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICER FOR THE CITY OF LAKEWOOD on LAKEWOOD DEVELOPMENT.
Because of the Holidays and the annual closure of the TC&GC for maintenance, we will not have meetings on December 20, 27 and January 3. The Club will also be closed on January 10, but we are seeking an alternative location to hold a meeting on that date. If a location is selected, we will meet there, otherwise there will be no meeting on January 10. We will keep you posted.
Note that we have a new applicant to join our club, Rick Ellingson (wife Betsy) who spoke to our club several weeks ago.
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED, Phil Sloan, scribe, who along with our Officers and Board Members wishes you a Happy, Healthy and Safe New Year.
A Christmas message from our President David Cotant:
Our annual Christmas Holiday Party is scheduled for December 6th. Plan to arrive at about 4:45 pm at TC&GC. We will have a no-host bar available for Happy Hour and our entertainment, The Memphis Belles, will begin 5:00pm. Dinner will be served at 6:00 pm.
Menu:
• Country Club Salad (Seasonal Greens tossed in Caper-Oregano Dressing topped with Toasted Pine Nuts and Parmesan Cheese.)
A choice of:
• *Steak and Salmon (8 oz Flat Iron Steak served with Fillet of King Salmon and Roasted Garlic-Herb Butter.)
The Steak and Salmon can be prepared Gluten Free if you so specify with your reservation.
• Chicken Cordon Bleu (Stuffed with Applewood Smoked Ham, Gruyere Cheese & topped with Mornay Sauce)
• Vegetarian choice that can be prepared from Country Club menu.
• Dessert Buffet (A Decadent Assortment of Holiday Desserts.)
Cost of Dinner: $70.00 per person.
Please make your reservations for the Christmas Party by sending your check to our Treasurer, Chuck Hellar, at
• Cascade Club of Tacoma,
• P.O. Box 39393,
• Lakewood, WA 98496.
Your check is your official reservation
. Your check must be received no later than November 28th
*** Please include your choice of entrées with your check ***
Please reply to this email with your indication of attending and how many guests. Please also include in your reply your choices of entre’ so that I may confirm with Chuck and the club a count of attendees and choices.
This will be a fun holiday party, a kick-off to the season, enjoyable entertainment (you may remember the Memphis Belles from the summer party at Muri’s. They have a great holiday show.), good fellowship and a chance to meet members and spouses or (significant others).
MINUTES OF MEETING OF NOVEMBER 15, 2022
Fortunately, our club is blessed with attorneys who, true to their profession, are always willing to step into the breach and save the day. Mark Adams, a retired Court of Appeals Commissioner and now a semi-retired attorney, was once again called upon to give us an extemporaneous presentation. Regretfully, he chose to regale the non-attorneys in attendance with jokes which demean that Noble Calling. He then outlined the judicial system in Washington State and answered questions from the audience.
COMING EVENTS
MEETING OF NOVEMBER 22, 2022: Shakisha Ross, Puget Sound Energy on What’s new in Energy. (Scribes note: This is not about vitamins).
MEETING OF NOVEMBER 29, 2022: Randy Black, Lakewood Water District on We’ve Got Water!
SCHEDULE CHANGES DUE TO HOLIDAYS AND ANNUAL CLOSURE OF TC&GC
NO NOON MEETING ON DECEMBER 6, 2022: HOWEVER, OUR CHRISTMAS PARTY WILL BEGIN AT 4:45 PM. For details SEE THE ATTACHED EMAIL FROM PRESIDENT DAVID COTANT. The Memphis Belles, who were a smash hit at our Spring Fling are being brought back by popular demand with their Holiday Show. They promise to sing songs to which you know the words!
REMEMBER: Mail your check payable to Cascade Club of Tacoma, P.O. Box 39393, Lakewood 98496. Your check must be received no later than November 28th to make your reservation. There will be no meeting on January 3 and possibly on January 10 because the TC&GC will be closed for annual maintenance. IF an alternate meeting space can be arranged for January 10, we will meet, otherwise, we will have no meeting. Watch for further announcements.
NEW MEMBERS: Please welcome Larry Baer and David Graves.
As your doctor’s recorded messages caution you when calling, please pay special attention to these dates as our menu has recently changed.
RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED, Phil Sloan, scribe, who knows you will have a great time at our Christmas Party
MINUTES OF MEETING OF NOVEMBER 8, 2022
On a fine fall day in early November, we gathered and zoomed for fellowship and to hear Sue Potter, Chief Executive Officer of Nourish Pierce County, speak. Nourish Pierce County has been “Providing nutritious food to our neighbors in need for nearly 50 years. No one in need is ever turned away.” It does this through 21 distribution sites spread throughout the county and with the help of 1000 volunteers per year, who drive around to pick up food that might be thrown away and many other tasks. More volunteers are needed. They strive to provide a family of four three meals a day for three days each week and are respectful of religious, ethnic, and cultural food preferences and restrictions.
Sue devoted most of her talk to the issue of food waste. 30% of edible food is wasted in America. Some is left in the fields, some spoils in transit, and some perishes in stores. But the largest portion is wasted in homes. She indicated that the average cost of wasted food for a family of four was $1,500/year. More than 200 pounds of food per person is wasted on average in the United States. An Oregon study indicated that 70% of food thrown out is edible. She mentioned that there are many reasons for our food waste and suggested that home food waste can be reduced by better planning. One interesting idea she presented was to “shop your refrigerator first.” Maybe that should be expanded to shop your refrigerator and pantry before you shop. Shop smarter!
She asked, “Why does food waste matter?” 35 million Americans are food insecure. 1 in 8 soldiers in Pierce County are food insecure. Wasted food could help feed them. Wasted food goes to our landfills, uses lots of fertilizer to grow it, and causes damage to the environment. 17% of methane gas emission is from landfills.
There was an active question and answer session following her presentation. Among other things, it was learned that corporations get tax breaks for donating waste food, food donated that is not suitable for people is passed on to feed farm animals, the Emergency Food Network (EFN) is a pantry which provides food to Nourish Pierce County for distribution and that it is better for individuals to donate money than food items to food banks. They can get $7 to $12 worth of food for each $1 donated. Also, some of food obtained through food drives may be outdated, which requires labor intensive sorting.
For more information about Nourish Pierce County and how you can participate, go to its website, https://nourishpc.org.
The Cascade Club has another new applicant for membership, Larry Baer of University Place. Please join us in-person at the next meeting and introduce yourself to him.
COMING EVENTS
MEETING OF NOVEMBER 15, 2022: BRENT MASON of FOSS WATERWAY SEAPORT MUSEUM. Topic to be announced.
MEETING OF NOVEMBER 22, 2022: Shakisha Ross of Puget Sound Energy
Topic: What’s New in Energy Plans
SAVE THIS DATE: DECEMBER 6, 2022: THE ANNUAL CASCADE CHRISTMAS PARTY. Details to follow. We will be entertained by the Memphis Belles. More details to follow. No noon meeting that day.
President Cotant invites Cascadians to join him for lunch at the TC&GC on December 20th . As one of our previous members, Jim Gallinatti, famously said “You have to eat lunch somewhere.”
ZOOM BROADCASTS: Today’s meeting was live streamed and the quality of the sound & video was excellent. We plan to continue live streaming our meetings on zoom. You will be advised by email each week as to whether the next meeting will be available on zoom. Watch your email 1 – 2 hours prior to the meetings for the “invitation” to zoom.
Respectfully submitted, Chuck Foster
MINUTES OF MEETING OF NOVEMBER 1, 2022
An enthusiastic and supportive group enjoyed an upbeat (and non-political) presentation from Ms. Sherrana Keldon, Chief Development Officer of the Tacoma/Pierce County Affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International. A local, she grew up in University Place and graduated from Bellarmine High School. She gave us a brief and inspiring review of the historical background of Habitat and the current status of the Habitat Affiliate here in Tacoma/ Pierce County and then answered many questions from the floor which revealed that at least half of the attendees have participated in one or more forms of Habitat’s programs. Habitat’s mission and achievements are well known and supported by our membership.
Habitat was founded in 1985 in Georgia by a minister, Millard Fuller. Contrary to popular belief, Former President Jimmy Carter was not its founder. However, he was an early participant and has been continuously active in Habitat up to today when he is 98 years old. He and his wife, Rosalyn, have been Habitat’s most visible goodwill ambassadors.
Habitat has built over 300 homes in Pierce County and hopes to build 10 to 12 new homes each year. Today, there is an emphasis on rehabilitating existing homes because there are so many foreclosures available, such as 80 homes in Lakewood and 32 in Tillicum. Volunteers under the supervision of 3 paid staff members are doing repairs and renovations such as installing ramps and new roofs on existing homes.
To be eligible to purchase a home from Habitat, one must earn more than 30% and no more than 80% of the defined level of poverty income for the area. While buyers do purchase the house, the ownership of the land remains with Habitat. Buyers acquire an equity ownership in the buildings of 1.5% per year which they can take with them if they move before the loans are paid in full. The buyers must also contribute “sweat equity” of at least 200 hours into the construction of their homes. They have limited choices as to the colors of paint, but the designs of the houses are standard and not custom. Buyers must pay the property taxes and other expenses of home ownership.
Habitat’s philosophy is that it offers a “hand up” not a “hand out”. They do not offer homes to homeless people. 60% of the purchasers are people of color and 75% are single mothers.
Habitat operates 3 retail stores which offer at good prices building materials and furnishings which have been donated. There are now three stores, the original one on South Tacoma Way, one in Puyallup and the third in Lakewood.
Now that COVID hopefully has lost its momentum, up to 1500 volunteers are now offering their services, but there is always a need for more. For those who are not physically able to do manual work, there are many other ways one can serve, such as providing meals and snacks to on site workers.
For more information about Habitat and how you can participate, go to its website at Tacoma/Pierce County Habitat for Humanity.
COMING EVENTS
MEETING OF NOVEMBER 8, 2022: SUE POTTER of NOURISH PIERCE COUNTY. Topic: Food Wasted.
MEETING OF NOVEMBER 15, 2022: BRENT MASON of FOSS WATERWAY SEAPORT MUSEUM. Topic to be announced.
SAVE THIS DATE: DECEMBER 6, 2022: THE ANNUAL CASCADE CHRISTMAS PARTY. Details to follow. There will be no noon meeting to allow men sufficient time to refresh their memory on how to tie a necktie.
CANCELLATION OF MEETINGS: Because of deferred vacations, holidays and the annual closure of the TC&GC, there will be no meetings on December 20 and 27 and January 3, 2023.
ZOOM BROADCASTS: We hope we will finally be able to again broadcast our meetings on zoom. You will be advised by email each week as to whether the next meeting will be available on zoom.
The Cascade Club has a new applicant for membership, David Graves of Lakewood.
Please join us at the next meeting and introduce yourself to him.
Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan, who once took enough of Fill’s Phamous Tacos to a Habitat work site to feed the 30 workers who were expected, but a major storm had driven all but 5 away. His neighbors enjoyed a Taco Tuesday. Recipe available upon request.
MINUTES OF MEETING OF October 25, 2022
Summer is over and the rain has returned which apparently has driven a bunch of our members back to the desert because only a small group gathered to hear an entertaining presentation by Deborah Lynn Armstrong.
Since 2017, she has been the Director of Education of the Lakewood Institute of Theatre at Lakewood Playhouse. Her extensive resume shows that beginning at age 5, when she played munchkin in a production of Wizard of Oz, she has been involved in ALL aspects of theatre production from stage manager to actor.
Ms. Armstrong said that when she retires, she plans to settle on a small farm and herd cats, because that would be easier!They offer classes and “camps” ranging from business management, set design, including carpentry, script writing, make-up, special effects and language accents. For more information, go to their website at www.lakewoodinstituteoftheatre.org.
Their Mission Statement is to focus on nurturing students of all ages, at all stages, by offering a variety of theatrical education and performance opportunities and empowering life skills through the experience of theatre.These skills include: Empathy, Sense of Self, Confidence, Teamwork, Problem Solving, Communication and Accountability.
They have students ranging in age three years to ninety, the only requirement being they must be potty trained. (Scribe’s note: that means that most members of our club are eligible.)
MEETING OF NOVEMBER 1, 2022: SHERRANA KILDUN of HABITAT FOR HUMANITY. Topic to be announced.
MEETING OF NOVEMBER 8, 2022: SUE POTTER of NOURISH PIERCE COUNTY. Topic: Food Wasted.
MEETING OF NOVEMBER 15, 2022: BRENT MASON of FOSS WATERWAY SEAPORT MUSEUM. Topic to be announced.
SAVE THIS DATE: DECEMBER 6, 2022: THE ANNUAL CASCADE CHRISTMAS PARTY. Details to follow. There will be no noon meeting to allow men sufficient time to refresh their memory on how to tie a necktie.
CANCELLATION OF MEETINGS: Because of deferred vacations, holidays and the annual closure of the TC&GC, there will be no meetings on December 20 and 27 and January 3, 2023.
ZOOM BROADCASTS: We hope we will finally be able to again broadcast our meetings on zoom. You will be advised by email each week as to whether the next meeting will be available on zoom.
REMINDER: If you ever have questions about future meetings and speakers then go to our website at TacomaCascade.org
Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan, scribe, who was rejected when he tried out for the Junior Play in high school.
MINUTES OF MEETING OF October 18, 2022
largest attendance of the season turned out to hear an entertaining and
informative presentation by Rick Ellingson who, with his brother Paul, have taken
Bargreen-Ellingson from a small restaurant supply company owned by their father
serving a clientele mostly based in the Puget Sound area to the 5th largest
company in that field with 400 million dollars in annual sales.His father, along with Mr. Bargreen founded the business in 1960. His father later bought Mr.
Bargreen’s interests. Paul joined the company in 1968. Rick joined in 1976. Their
father retired in 1987. Paul and Rick recently turned the operation of the
company to their sons.The company now has over 700 employees based in 10 regional offices. It is
licensed to do business in 42 of the 50 states and throughout Canada. The
company offers services in every aspect of the restaurant business “that you don’t
eat”. They design, manufacture and supply everything needed by a restaurant
from its premises to the table top, including China and glass ware. Most of its
growth has come from acquisition of other companies.The hospitality business is the third largest in our economy. The Pandemic
wreaked havoc on the industry. It not only caused a high percentage of
restaurants and bars to close, it also forced many manufacturers throughout the
world out of business, resulting in continuing shortages of needed supplies for the
industry.Following its paternal policy toward its employees, the company carried all
employees at full pay which has resulted in the high morale of its employees to
whom Rick credits much of the continuing success of Bargreen-Ellingson. Because
time expired, Rick had to stop, but he could have continued to captivate us for
hours. We will ask him back.
MEETING OF OCTOBER 25, 2022: Deborah Armstrong, Lakewood PlayhouseEducation Director on the Lakewood Institute of Theatre.
MEETING OF NOVEMBER 1, 2022: Sherrana Kildun of Habitat for Humanity. Topic
to be announced.
MEETING OF NOVEMBER 8, 2022: Sue Potter, of Nourish Pierce County on Food
Wasted.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT FUTURE SPEAKERS AND OTHER NEWS: GO TO
OUR WEBSITE, maintained by John McGowen, at TacomaCascade.orgSAVE THIS DATE: CHRISTMAS PARTY: DECEMBER 6, 2022: DETAILS TO FOLLOWCANCELLATION OF MEETINGS: BECAUSE OF DEFERRED VACATIONS, HOLIDAYS
AND THE ANNUAL CLOSURE OF THE TC&GC, THERE WILL BE NO MEETINGS ON
DECEMBER 20 AND 27 and JANUARY 3, 2023.ZOOM BROADCASTS: WE NOW ANTICIPATE STREAMING OUR MEETINGS. YOU
WILL BE ADVISED BY EMAIL EACH WEEK AS TO WHETHER THE PENDING
MEETING WILL BE ONLINE via ZOOM.RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED, PHIL SLOAN, SCRIBE, who is writing this while a crew
of 5 men is digging up his driveway and replacing a water line at ENORMOUS
EXPENSE.
MINUTES OF MEETING OF October 11, 2022
There was no Zoom or prearranged speaker for this meeting.
President Cotant announced that he will be away for the October 25th and November 1st meetings.
Mike Jones will chair the meeting on October 25 th and Bud Winter will chair on November 1 st .
He also announced that the Christmas party will be on December 6 th and requested that each member to recruit a new member.
Who is that guy?? Our own member, Mark Adams, told the Club about himself, his recent trip to Bisbee, Arizona, and the Washington state court system. He served as a Washington State Court of Appeals Commissioner.
Bisbee is an old copper mining town about 90 miles southeast of Tucson. It was a company town. There were a dozen mines in Bisbee. The mines were closed in 1975. Mining copper and other materials was a dangerous process. Many men died mining in Bisbee. Mark found his tour of a mine and the town quite interesting. On the way from Tucson to Bisbee, he visited Tombstone, Arizona. He found Tombstone to be very touristy and fascinating.
A member mentioned that there are two cave tours near Tucson that are well worth visiting. They are Kartchner Caverns State Park and Colossal Cave Mountain Park.
Mark shared some of his court room humor collection with the Club after which he answered many
questions about the Washington state court system. His impromptu presentation so interested us all
that he will hopefully tell us more at a later date.
Respectfully submitted, Chuck Foster, scribe.
MINUTES OF MEETING OF September 27, 2022
Ruthann Howell, Executive Director of the Zoo Society, and Alan Varsik, Director of Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium/Northwest Trek, teamed up to inform the Cascade Club about the mission, programs, funding and animal care of these wonderful animal parks.
Their mission is: “Creating a connection to wild life with everyone in the Pacific Northwest.” Through their formal presentation and response to many questions from Cascade Club members, much was learned. We learned that the zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) and how important that accreditation is as it ensures high standards of animal care and enables cooperation among accredited zoos.
We learned that the Zoo has the largest population of endangered red wolves in the United States, ~ 50. The details of transferring 6 nurse sharks to a zoo in Texas while their enclosure was refurbished was shared with us. Special tanks had to be designed and built by zoo staff to accomplish this mission. The combined annual budget of the two parks is about $33 million. Since they are part of Metro Parks, about 35% of this budget comes from sales taxes. The rest comes from memberships, fundraisers, special events like Zoo Lights, and the support of the Zoo Society.
Alan proudly pointed out that the displays for Zoo Lights were all designed and made in-house by the zoo staff.
Reported by Chuck Foster, Apprentice Scribe.
GOOD NEWS: A brave soul has volunteered to host our ZOOM broadcasts. If arrangements can be made in time, we will send an email to all letting you know so those who can’t make it to the October 4 meeting in person can participate.
Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan, who is hoping his great grandchildren in Melbourne, Florida stay away from the alligators emerging from the pond behind their home.
MEETING OF OCTOBER 4, 2022: We will have a speaker, but due to Hurricane Ida, communications have broken down, so the identity of the speaker will be a surprise.
MINUTES OF MEETING OF September 20, 2022
After a lengthy delay in getting started, our speaker, Peter Cook gave us a fascinating review of the many factors leading to the sinking of the Titanic on its maiden voyage on April 15,1912 in which only 37% of the 1178 passengers and 24% of the 880 crew survived. Although it happened over 110 years ago, the sinking continues to be newsworthy and is described as a perfect example of Murphy’s Law. When launched, it was the largest ship in the world, 882’9″ long, costing $7.5 million, which in today’s dollars would have been $229 million dollars. (The movie, Titanic, cost $200 million to make.) The one-way fare for 1st class passengers was $150 ($4,500 in today’s dollars.) A reason for building such a large vessel was the need to carry the huge numbers of immigrants to the U.S.
The crew was not properly trained in many necessary areas, including launching the lifeboats, of which the ship had only enough to carry 1,100 people out of the 2,200 on board. Binoculars for the lookouts were left on shore.
The seas were calm, it was cloudy and there was no moonlight. The captain was not aware of the warnings that they were headed to an area with a large ice field with icebergs. They were running at 22 knots out of a maximum speed of 24 knots when it hit the iceberg. The point(s) of impact were below the water line, tearing holes in the hull about 12 square feet in size. It took 37 seconds to report to the captain. For a while, only 4 men on the bridge were aware that there was a danger of sinking. The ship sank in a little over 2 hours. Once the order to take to the lifeboats was given, many passengers were skeptical and hesitated to prepare to abandon ship. Orders had been given to give the women and children in first class priority in boarding lifeboats. Third class passengers were physically restrained from the lifeboats until it was too late for most of them. Because of lack of training and the chaos, most lifeboats were not nearly full. The band members kept playing and went down the ship.
Mr. Cook could have kept us fascinated for much longer, but time ran out. A detailed summary of the disaster can be found on Wikipedia at https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinking_of_Titanic.
COMING EVENTS
MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 27, 2022: Speaking on the Point Defiance zoo and Aquarium. There will not be a ZOOM broadcast because no one has volunteered to operate our equipment.
MEETING OF OCTOBER 4,2002: To be announced. Unless someone volunteers to operate our ZOOM equipment, the meeting will not be broadcast on ZOOM.
Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan, scribe, who wishes Mr. Cook had hours more to tell us of the sinking of the Titanic.
MINUTES OF MEETING OF September 13, 2022
A nice group of 30 whose faces with fading suntans gathered for the first meeting of our Fall Season. We had extra time to catch up with each other because the start of the meeting was delayed due to problems with the ZOOM broadcast. Our President, David Cotant, who is a great oral surgeon, but is not a great computer techie, has received no offers to operate the ZOOM broadcast which left him alone to run the ZOOM Broadcast while also running the meeting. This is not fair to him so would someone please come forward and volunteer for that job. Amongst the many rewards of that position is the entitlement to use the Club’s Company Car, a classic 1977 Yugo, for travel on the Club’s business (only).
Our speaker was Victor Hogan, a member of the School Board of the Steilacoom Historical School District 1 (SHSD) who gave an interesting summary of the District’s programs and accomplishments over the past year which he graciously attributed to the “students, staff, community, superintendent and the board.” The SHSD Board was named the medium- sized school district board of the year by the Washington State Directors’ Association. U.S. News and World Report named Steilacoom High School to its “Best High Schools 2022” list. The school received this honor in 2019, 2020 and 2021! The High School is ranked 46th out of 712 high schools in the State of Washington. High Schools around the nation are ranked on the following indicators of school quality: college readiness, college curriculum breadth, math and reading proficiency and performance and graduation rate.
These programs and accomplishments together with the commitment, dedication and effort of all those involved resulted in a remarkable 92.5% district graduation rate for SHSD, a rate of which to be justifiably proud.
MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT, DAVID COTANT:
It was very good to see so many members in person at the September 13th meeting. If you have questions as to who the speaker will be at future meetings, please go to our website, TacomaCascadeClub.org and check under MEETINGS for the upcoming schedule of speakers. If you have a suggestion for a potential speaker and are trying to find an open date, please check the schedule and let John McGowen or me know. A speaker will not be scheduled until John posts it our website.
Due to business obligations, Jim Tutton has resigned from being our Vice President, so we are seeking a volunteer or nominations to fill that spot. Please report your suggestions to our Club Secretary, Mike Jones @mhjonesdvm@aol.com. We are in critical need for a volunteer to operate our ZOOM equipment. Because we have no one to operate the equipment, the meetings of 9/20 and 9/27 will not be broadcast on ZOOM.
Please invite your friends to attend a meeting and hopefully they will want to join our merry group. I will be missing in action for the next two meetings, but the meetings will be masterfully led by Past Presidents Dick Muri (9/20) AND Bud Winter (9/27).
Everyone take care, have fun and come to meetings. David Cotant, President.
COMING EVENTS
MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 20, 2022: PETER COOK on THE TITANIC- The rest of the story. There will not be a ZOOM broadcast.
MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 27, 2002: RUTHANN HOWELL on The Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. There will not be a ZOOM broadcast.
Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan, scribe who is hoping for a ZOOM techie.
DICK MURI’S REPORT ON THE SPRING FLING OF JULY 13, 2022
I believe it went exceptionally well, with 60 people including guests, and about 30 vehicles. Entertainment was exceptional. Thanks Bud for setting this up. Though it was very funny that my very lush lawn, which has thousands of hidden worms buried below, one big one decided to escape and scare the “Memphis Belles” ladies. Mary Muri also had a good time which is critical, if I am going to get permission from the “house boss” to do this again next year, if that is what the board wants. We also went “first class” on our choice of caterer. We have used Brank’s BBQ out of Sumner now three times in the past two years. Awesome food for a reasonable price.
Goal was to keep it under $30 per person. Looks like we made that goal. On an interesting note, attendees drank a lot more white wine this year than last year. Must have been the warm weather which makes white wine on ice a very good choice. I give the event an A+. Everything went perfectly
COMING EVENTS
The next event of the Cascade Club is “Opening Day” of the new year
at noon on Tuesday September 13, 2022.