Tuesday May 19, 2015
It was a new indoor record; 39 folks jockeying for seats and cookies. If I remember past math courses and the laws of combinations and permutations, in the year 2021, we will be meeting in the Tacoma Dome. But, in reality, my math skills are minimal as the last course I took featured the always dreaded story problems like Sally driving east at 47 miles an hour and Tom leaving later driving west at 56 miles an hour and they have to meet Bob in his black Hudson Hornet in Billings. I had Tom ending up in Bakersfield because he met up with a biker chick with random teeth and tattoos. As is de rigeur we had guests. Dave Sheean who seemingly must have attended every school west of the Hudson (the river, not the car) introduced two more classmates: Dick Picton and Jim Boyd, George Pessemier introduced Bob Smith and Jim Gallinatti introduced Joe Nealan. Seemingly, Tuesdays With Cascadians(?) is the place to see and be seen. Welcome all.
Our final speaker of the season (more on that embarrassing subject later) was the ever popular sportswriter for the TNT, John McGrath. John was fresh from a modeling gig and photo shoot for a Ralph Loren ad to appear in Vanity Fair but was able to fit us in. His usual prepared remarks lasted well into 27 or 28 seconds, also de rigeur. He is great fun answering questions on everything sports: coaches, teams, players and personalities. I’m really not sure why I didn’t become a professional athlete. The salaries are mind-blowing and now ensconced with the magic of “guaranteed.” Whether you can hit a curve ball or
not and currently on a hot streak of 1 for 36, if “guaranteed” is in your contract and you still put on your jock, the “guaranteed” $8,000,000 per year keeps rolling in. Jeez, I coulda been a contender. John thinks there well may be some negative comments by the players about Chambers Bay. Even on a beautiful day like today, Chambers Bay ain’t easy. Hello 4 put greens. Add to the above, June weather in the GNW: stir in some cold, whip up some wind and a dash of rain and the end result might be a lot of bitching and moaning. We all know that summer in the GNW arrives on the 5th of July. But, for those of us who grew up where the land is flat and a lot of corn is grown, summer comes this week-end and the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing”! It’s the Indianapolis 500, where 350,000 delirious fans are eating fried chicken and drinking Budweiser. No elitism there. So for the other two of you who may be in your Barco Loungers in front of your TV, join me in awaiting those magical words: “Ladies and gentlemen, start your engines.” Enjoy the day. Its flags, its parades with the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts , its playing cards held by clothes pins on the spokes of a bike. It just doesn’t get better ‘n this! John’s final question was his future and the future of the TNT. “I’m just trying to get to the finish line before the finish line gets to me.”
As mentioned above regarding this newsletter as it is the last newsletter of the season. In last week’s newsletter which may still be thumbtacked to your refrigerator door, I bid you all a fond farewell and wished everyone a good summer. One of the more diplomatic Cascadians (?) deftly reminded me that actually this Tuesday rather than last Tuesday is the actual final meeting of the season. All I can say is that the remarks came too early and probably as a result of premature speculation about the coming vacation.
So anyway, once more with feeling and sorta like déjà vu all over again, have a wonderful summer, and…
‘til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe
Tuesday May 12, 2015
“NOW HEAR THIS. THIS IS NOT A DRILL.” The Spring Fling is on and better than ever. After some used car salesman face to face negotiating e.g. “What’s it going to take to put you…” and some unseemly weeping, the price has been reduced from $64 per couple to a middling $52. And as the infomercials on Channel 217 always say; “But wait, there’s more…” So here is the “But wait.” The mere $26pp includes cookies. What more could one ask? So send your check as a confirmation to attend said gala to: Pres. Roy Kimbel, 709 North C St., Tacoma, WA 98403. Make checks payable to Cascade Club of Tacoma. No-host bar (of course) opens at 5:00 and dinner at 6:30. Hurry, we already have 53 sign-ups.
Rep Dick Muri presented the financial and ecological benefits of the various combinations of gas/electric and completely battery powered automobiles. The prices and manufacturers vary significantly as do the performances. The range is from a lower priced Chevy Volt through BMW to the luxurious Tesla. By the way, as we were lunching and munching Brother John McGowen is on a Lewis and Clarkian cross country voyage in his Tesla, and will be ending up in Chicago. ‘Tis a voyage of undaunted courage. The Tesla gets 200 miles on one charge. Can one surmise about eastern Montana and western North Dakota??? The Nissan Leaf is the most popular car and sells for c. $29K. It has a small support gasoline engine and gets over 100 miles on one charge and over 200 MPG. All of this made your scribe both envious and embarrassed about his wonderful Japanese made in Canada SUV that gets just a wee bit less mileage, only about 183 fewer MPG,, that is if I turn off the engine while filling it up…with Premium. By 2025 15% of all vehicles must be ZEV, Zero Emission Vehicles. So if you want to do your duty and beat the 2025 deadline which is just around the corner, buy your new car by June of this year and get a $7,500 tax credit plus no sales tax. How can you afford not to? The battery life is about 100,000 miles and the cost to replace the batteries is c. $5,500. But by the same token, you don’t have to pay for oil changes. The general maintenance is minimal as there are only about 10% of the moving parts of a traditional gasoline powered automobile. What is truly exciting for car buffs is the acceleration. It can be sucking the skin off your face fast. The new Tesla can go from 1 to 60 in 3.2 seconds. Take that you Germans and Italians!
This coming Tuesday will be our last formal luncheon for the season. But there are Cascadians, or whatever we call ourselves, that maintain that they do eat lunch on Tuesdays and thus will be found in the bar of the TC&GC all summer. We have a most entertaining speaker with lots of topics to talk about, TNT sports writer John McGrath, who is our local version of the “Odd Couple’s” Oscar Madison who charmingly resembles an unmade bed. There are the amazin’ Mariners, the Seahawks (which might put me back into therapy) and, of course,” Deflagate.” One cannot feel too sorry for Tom Terrific, who never has a bad hair day, 4 Super Bowl rings, of which 3 he deserves, a wife who isn’t exactly a bag lady to look at and who makes twice as much money as he does thus ensuring they won’t be living under a bridge. But he got caught and publicly pilloried for cheating, There is a God and He is just. Let’s face it. We have seen a lot of Bruce Jenner’s visage on every newspaper and secretly, or not so secretly, revel in him being supplanted by Brady. So there!
So, until sometime this fall upon a return from Northern Michigan, your scribe bids you all a fond farewell and best wishes for a wonderful summer.
‘Til the anon,
D, Loving Scribe
Tuesday May 5, 2015
Your scribe returns and sits with pen in hand, rhetorically or metaphorically or maybe even metaphysically speaking or some such thing, to share with you the ever changing stuff of The Cascade Club of Tacoma, nee Gyro. A most deserved “thank you” to Darrell Fisk et.al. who more than ably filled in during my absence. Kudos for a job well done. As is now the norm, a big crowd, and even guests seemingly unknown to Dave Sheean. Bob Ketner introduced Clayton Denault who as my failing memory serves me has something to do with the YMCA; or then again, maybe not. Jim Rooks introduced his wife Penny, a delightful improvement to the normal cast of characters scrounging for cookies on Tuesdays. ,But… her appearance did raise a very , very important issue, and that is, “what do we call ourselves?” If we are “Cascadians”, Francophiles will then refer to spouses and significant others as “Cascadiennes.” The more pedestrian among us may refer to us as “Cascaders” which immediately morphs into, (grown) “Cascadettes.” So you can now clearly see that this is a mind-numbing issue of great import right along with global warming, the potential for a Greek default, McDonald’s new menu and Bruce Jenner’s face. Will the troubles never cease? Anyway, welcome Penny.
Reserve May 27 for a Cascade Club Spring Fling to be held at the TC&GC. ‘twill be a fond farewell to usuns for the season ‘til we meet again in September. More details to come. Spouses, sig others and friends most cordially invited and encouraged to share the Cascade Club bonhomie. The dress will be appropriate country club casual. Black wife beater t-shirt, cammo cargo pants and flip-flops, not country club casual.
Our speaker was Laura Fry curator of western art of The Haub Family Collection at the Tacoma Art Museum. The Haubs are Germans who became entranced with the GNW many years ago and subsequently western American art. They have donated more than 300 pieces for a permanent yet rotating collection to the TAM. The current showing includes 130 works with a vast array of western art ranging from Georgia O’Keefe to Frederick Remington. As was to be expected, one of the questions to Laura was a Thomas Crowne like question, what was all of this stuff worth? After a demur pause accompanied by a wry smile…”priceless!” The current exhibition has works dating back to the late 1700s to present day, many on public view for the first time. So if you haven’t already seen the exhibit or want a most deserving second visit, catapult yourself out of your Barco Lounger and get to the TAM.
Next week our speaker will be Dick Muri 28th District Representative speaking about the status of electric cars (plse note John McGowen!) from the state’s point of view. Also, next week we will be electing officers for 2015-16. The slate is: Pres, Roy Kimbel; VP, Dave Sheean: Secy. Dick Bowe and Trea. For Life, Rick Carr. The Bd is not re-elected and includes; Bill Jackson, programs, D. Loving, scribe; John McGowen, Webmaster and Messrs.: Neeb, Simpson, Cooper and Wall. Curley, Mo and Larry did not stand for re-election.
‘Til the anon,
D, Loving
Erstwhile scribe.
April 28, 2015
Cascade Club of Tacoma
33 Cascade Club members attended their last meeting where the Club is officially known as Gyro Club of Tacoma. An old…really old…Club with a new name. Effective May 1, 2015, we will be known as the Cascade Club of Tacoma by the State of Washington Secretary of State Office. Fred Willis, our guest speaker, was approved into membership either as the last Gyro or first “Cascader”. He was happy to be either…or both…whichever works for he or us.
Fred Willis, retired Army intelligence officer, retired New York life insurance representative and Islamic scholar, shared insights in the Islamic religion and the Muslim world. “Take-aways” were that the end of ISIS is the Apocalypse (or, the end of the world); Islamic doctrine is “you join us or we kill you”; and, Islam cannot be a religion as it advocates killing everyone who is not Islamic (thus being a criminal activity, not a religious activity). Fred suggested reading an article in Atlantic Monthy pertaining to the Islam. He challenged everyone to come up with solutions for eliminating Islam.
At the May 5 Cascade Club meeting, we will vote on officers for 2015-16. The slate is: President, Roy Kimbel; Vice President, David Sheean; Secretary, Dick Bowe; and Treasurer, Rick Carr. The Board of Directors need not be re-elected and will remain as David Sheean and Bill Jackson, Programs; David Loving, Bulletin Editor; John McGowen, Website; Martin Neeb, Immediate Past President; Carroll Simpson and Bill Jackson, 2014-2016; and Ev Cooper and Rich Wall, 2015-2017.
A Spring Social has been scheduled for Wednesday, May 27 at the TC&GC. Same format as the Fall social. Approximately $30 person with a no-host bar; All-American buffet with BBQ chicken, hamburgers, salads, fruit, baked beans and cookies. We will decide at the May 5 meeting as to whether to go ahead with the function. Need minimum of 40 sign-ups including spouses.
Next week’s speaker is Stephanie Stebbish, Executive Director, Tacoma Art Museum. On May 12, State Representative Dick Muri will speak. And, John McGrath, News Tribune sports columnist will take us into the summer on May 19.
Respectfully submitted by the unknown author.
From Rick: As of May 1st the club will be registered with the State of Washington’s Secretary of State as the Cascade Club of Tacoma.
Dues:
Dues will be billed annually in May.
Dues are $80.00 per year.
Senior member dues are $40.00 per year. (Those members who have been a member twenty five years or more)
Members for fifty years or longer do not pay annual dues. (Cascade Club has one such member.)
Expect to have new name badges for the first meeting in September.
April 14, 2015
Cascade Club of Tacoma
Martin Neeb presided over the April 14, 2015 meeting of the new Cascade Club. There were 26 members present and guests, Fred Willis, Dick Eton and our speaker Bill Baarsma.
Don’t forget our field trip to JBLM next Tuesday. A bus will depart from near the (TC&GC) tennis courts at 10am. We hope to fill all 60 seats on the bus so members, spouses and guests are invited. The tour will include about one and one-half hours of an insider look at JBLM and then proceed to the Museum where we will have lunch ($15) and a presentation by the museum director. We will be back to TC&GC around 2pm. Email Dick Bowe (bowe@pnweye.com) to add your name to the list. We have 56 reservations so far.
Our speaker, Bill Baarsma, gave another historical presentation: ASARCO (the superfund site which is now Pt Ruston).
Bill provided a short history before beginning. TC&GC was in south Tacoma in the 1880s when that area was developed and sub-divided for housing. The club then moved to Lakewood.
Bill’s dad worked at the smelter (for 33 years) as did Bill. The ASARCO site was the most toxic site in the US. Eventually ASARCO went bankrupt and the “ARSENIC” cleanup was left to the “public development authority” to finish the work. The Cohens took over to buy the site and finish the cleanup. The cleanup and subsequent development of the site has been an unbelievable story of regulations and permits problems which is now paying off.
There is no speaker next week as we are looking forward to our trip to JBLM
Notes by David Sheean
Tuesday April 7, 2015
Cascade Club of Tacoma
Attendance was good (how good is uncertain because the scribe failed to count them but certainly good) for our April 7, meeting of the newly formed (renamed) club. Guests included Judge Grant Anderson; Jim Smith, third time guest of Allen McMillan; Jack Hembree; and Fred Willis who has submitted paperwork to be the very first inductee to the Cascade Club. Dick Bowe reported that 42 people are signed up to tour JBLM on April 21. The bus can carry 60 people so contact Dick (bowe@pnweye.com) to make a reservation. Members, spouses and others are welcome to the tour.
Prosecutor Mark Lindquist and Heather Songer, Communications Director, gave an informative presentation about the Pierce County Prosecutor Office (PCPO). With 220 employees the PCPO is the largest law practice in the county. As the representatives of the people of the county their objective is – Public Safety and Public Service. Mark told us about a few recent initiatives including the 2007 gang sweep when 36 Hilltop gang members were arrested the same day resulting in 34 convictions and 2 referrals to other law agencies. They used conspiracy theory to tie together the defendants, a unique approach to gang member prosecution. A meth-lab team was established which reduced the number of these kinds of cases from 370 in 2009 to 9 in 2014. Making pseudoephedrine harder to get was a significant tool in this effort. Other cases discussed included: The Clemmons Seven and their prosecution related to the slain Lakewood police officers for rendering criminal assistance to the killer. Tyler Savage, the Puyallup man convicted of rape and murder of a teenage girl. The establishment of several focused task forces including the Elder Abuse unit. Several other topics were touched on such as: Civil Law, increased communication with the public, improving the justice system, public safety laws, Kiley the courthouse dog, burglary DNA project, human trafficking and data-driven prosecution. Websites, Twitter, Facebook and maybe smoke signals are all part of the PCPO effort to improve public communication. Mark is due to return in the near future.
Bill Baarsma will be our speaker next week.
Darrell Fisk,
Associate Editor
Tuesday March 31, 2015
Cascade Club of Tacoma
Dave Sheean presided over the usual Tuesday meeting of the recently formed Cascade Club (formerly Gyro Club of Tacoma). All of our duly elected officers were excused from today’s meeting. There were 26 members present and a second time guest, Fred Willis.
The field trip to JBLM will be on April 21. A bus will depart from near the (TGCC) tennis courts at 10am. We hope to fill all 60 seats on the bus so members, spouses and guests are invited. The tour will include about one and one-half hours of an insider look at JBLM and then proceed to the Museum where we will have lunch ($15) and a presentation by the museum director. We will be back to TGCC around 2pm. A sign-up sheet was passed at the meeting. Email Dick Bowe (bowe@pnweye.com) to add your name to the list.
We were without a speaker so the meeting was opened to other member interests. Several members told us about books they thought were of particular interest. The books talked about included:
1812
The Tick Rider
Infidel
My Promised Land
Killing Patton
Sons of the Profits
Unbroken
Boys in the Boat
King of Methlehem
John McGowen suggested a book list could be maintained on the club website. Send to John book information and short summary of the book and he will add it to the list. It should be interesting to see the reading interests of our members.
Our speaker next week is the Pierce County Prosecuting Attorney. We look forward to having a full house next week.
Fill-in Scribe
Darrell Fisk
Tuesday March 23, 2015
So here’s the deal. When stoner DeWayne who is the 28 year old nephew of your twice removed second cousin and whose name you can’t remember calls; don’t answer. DeWayne, with an IQ hovering around room temperature, who is still living in his parent’s basement will be offering to be a financial planner for you in your slowly tarnishing Golden Years. Now it is agreed that DeWayne has had some “issues” in the past, but the past is the past. What were once the forbidden fruits of illegal weed, are now, fair out dude, completely legal, and thus not problematic. He is venturing out of the basement and embarking on an exciting new career which he will be willing to share with you. In fairness, it should be noted that he has had a few missteps in his educational journey, but he is sorta close to earning a G.E.D. The remedial math problem has yet to be solved. But his new career has been launched after he saw an ad in the back of a “Guns and Ammo” magazine he swipes from his neighbor. The ad introduced the exciting new career of financial planning. The University of Nairobi offers a success guaranteeing degree in financial planning after completing just four courses via mail. The program is endorsed by Warden Buffett. That small error in the name may represent DeWayne’s past housing accommodations. DeWayne is now partially through two of the four courses required to receive his diploma and thus more than qualified to handle your money. All you need to do is sign a piece of paper.
Preposterous? Not so, according to our today’s speaker, Erika Nohavec of the Pierce County Prosecutor’s Office specializing in Elder Abuse crimes. The number of elder abuse crimes prosecuted last year quadrupled over the past three years. The crime rate hasn’t truly increased; rather it is the attention now given to this category. The number one perpetrator of elder abuse is by family members, followed by “Sweetheart” scammers (cute young things preying on we older, nicer people) to name but a few, One handyman promised an 86 year old lady yard work for life and scammed over $50,000 from her literally leaving her with ONE dollar in her bank account so it wouldn’t be closed. He eventually got caught and ordered to pay restitution. But as is so often the case,” ordered” and actually “paying” restitution are seldom synonymous. Obviously one of the biggest concerns is identity theft. Once someone has your name and social security number, that person literally has a blank check into your financial and personal world. SHRED EVERYTHING! That is Erika’s message. Always be wary of anything entitled “Final Notice” you get in the mail. Ignore similar emails. If your bank has a problem with your account, IT WON’T EMAIL! It will call you; and even then be very cautious. Avoid DeWayne!
Much more to come to members of The Cascade Club, nee Gyro (please note our NEW name.) You will be hearing more but BLACK OUT APRIL 21 on your calendar! Through the auspices of fellow Gyro/Cascade Club member General Harrison, an unbelievable field trip has been organized for a guided excursion of JBLM accompanied by lunch. We will be picked up by bus at the TC&GC (be sure to bring a picture ID) and given a tour not open to the general public. We need to support all that the General will be doing for us and this would be an ideal time to invite friends, perspective new members and most certainly Gyrettes (thank God that term will be eliminated.) Much more later. But save the date.
It is just possible this may have been written by some other fella first: parting is such sweet sorrow. Your undutiful {sic} scribe and wife are leaving for a month of sun in the desert. Now, one should not complain about our winter but it does speak to our locale that Pratt& Lambert has a paint color called “Fish Belly White.” So to future fill-in scribes, a sincere “Thank you.” See ya in May.
D.Loving Not only retired, but on vacation, scribe.
Tuesday March 17, 2015
We Gyros are indeed a clever lot, if we may immodestly say so ourselves. A quick look at your Board includes a Merchant Marine Academy graduate who has sailed the seven seas, guys who swear oaths, Hippocratic, that is, snake eating ex-Green Berets and an ordained man of the cloth. And that is just the beginning. To the best of our knowledge, nary an axe murderer in the lot. That said, take a quick look again at the attached recap of where your club is in the transitional stage from Gyro to a new club. If you have comments or suggestions for your Board, please email John McGowen at jhmcg@comcast.net. Tuesday, as is de rigeur, we had guests. Allan McMillan introduced Jim Smith for a second visit, Rich Wall did the same for Jack Emery and… I know, I know, we all know who is next…Dave Sheean. Though still working through his kindergarten, grade school, high school and college friends, Dave discovered a whole new source for guests; pre-natal friends Bob Williams and Bob McMann. But in all seriousness, if we all did but a fraction of what Dave does in providing great speakers and a constant flow of new prospective members, just think what your club would be like. That said, no one wants to be far from the madding crowd of fun loving Gyros.
Last week, our own Rich Wall filled-in on short notice to tell us all about the irascible but brilliant Gen. Patton. The presentation was so well received that Rich was on the hook this week for part two on the vainglorious Gen. Douglas MacArthur. MacArthur was a strange brew of brilliance and insatiable egomania. He graduated first in his class at West Point with grades yet to be equaled. Yet, at the same time, his mother actually moved to West Point to shepherd her son through all four years at the Academy. Those years at West Point produced some of the most extraordinary generals in history. They were the generals for what Tom Brokaw labeled “The Greatest Generation.” One can hope that the greatest generation has yet to come. Four generals alone serving as junior officers in WWI accumulated 7 Silver Stars. The names of Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley and Marshall played musical chairs in rank and seniority throughout their careers establishing and reinforcing grudges and animosities from the graduation years throughout WWII. Of all of the famous generals, only MacArthur had political aspirations, and they were to one day become President of the United States. His political positions were extremely far right. FDR was claimed to have said that the two most dangerous men in America are Huey Long and Douglas MacArthur. One of MacArthur’s crowning achievements was his foresight in establishing and then maintaining the relationship with a vanquished and devastated Japan after V-J Day. His biggest failure was to blatantly disobey the President of the United States which ultimately resulted in him being relieved of command. I was but a mere pre- kindergartener watching on a black and white TV as MacArthur with a bad comb over, brilliantly delivered his speech to a joint session of Congress proclaiming : “…old soldiers never die, they just fade away.” A firestorm erupted with bloviating senators and congressman demanding special hearings and even impeachment of the President. “Plus ca la change, plus c’est la meme chose” which translates as “The more things change, the more things stay the same.” A neat expression, but possibly a bit hard to slip in at McDonald’s for your dollar senior coffee. Anyway, ignoring weeks and weeks of political posturing, every single general called to testify adamantly agreed that MacArthur needed to be relieved. Moral of the story? Don’t take on a failed haberdasher from Missouri who has been hailed as one of the best presidents of the 20th century.
Next Tuesday, Deputy Pierce County Prosecutor Erika Nahavec will speak to us about elder abuse in Pierce County. A subject that couldn’t possibly relate to any of us. Be there anyway.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe
Tuesday March 10, 2015
Of course… it was Tuesday…it was Gyro, or to paraphrase sports lingo, “Gyro” is a name to be renamed later. Free agency is coming to Tacoma Gyro. We had guests. Dave Cotant introduced Fred Willis and past speaker Steve Klingenstein sorta reintroduced himself.
“Next man up.” Another sports euphemism for when someone gets hurt or for any reason can’t play, the back-up, or the back-up to the back-up has to suck it up and play, and play well. No whining. No excuses. That said, Dr. David Smith, noted Brit historian and history professor at UPS had a medical “no show.” Ed Troyer, right hand guy to Sheriff Pastore actually had to attend to police business and was in Washington…the D.C. version, which seemingly somehow took precedence over Gyro (can you believe that!) So, the flame gets passed to our own history professor, Brother Gyro Col. (ret) Rich Wall, late of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York. Like any efficient officer, he was armed and cocked and ready to go at a moment’s notice, which is just about all the time he got. Rich gave us an amazing 45 minutes about one of the most charismatic generals of WWII, George S. Patton. It is a fascinating story of perseverance as well as military brilliance. Patton did not have the grades to get into West Point. So he did the next best thing and went to VMI as a stepping stone to get into the Academy which he eventually did and from which it took him five years to get out. Today he would be recognized as having dyslexia. As a young man, he was extraordinary in many ways; from a master swordsman (come on…with swords) and an Olympic equestrian. His reputation which accompanied him throughout his career was one of a brilliant military historian starting with the Greeks right up to Rommel. He also had a reputation of being both cocky, and lucky, and having a chip… on both shoulders. The movie “Patton” is representative of Patton, from his feuds with Ike and Omar Bradley (both of whom were not invited to his funeral at the request of Mrs. Patton) to his hatred of the pontificating and always posturing Montgomery. As an interesting aside, there were no 5 Star Generals until Monty became a Field Marshall, thus forcing FDR to make 5 Stars to outrank Monty. Ike and the General Staff tried to hide Patton, but Patton was the only General Hitler worried about; to the point of having a Patton briefing on a weekly basis. Patton was notorious for his accomplishments as well as his brashness. An example was stealing gas for his tanks. At one staff meeting he was given an assignment and the plan was to achieve the objective in 120 days. He did it in 28. The stories and anecdotes by Rich went on for a long time. Not only was the presentation fascinating, but Rich, even though the official speaker and thus entitled to the proverbial free lunch, paid for his own lunch. Thanks, Rich. If you weren’t there Tuesday, you shoudda been there. At ease. Carry on.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe
Tuesday March 3, 2015
FYI, please read the attached. As you may recall, the vote to disaffiliate from Gyro International was 92“Yea”, 8% “nay.” Soooo? So what is going to happen? To use the proverbial analogy of a dog chasing a car, what do you do when you catch it? The attached will provide an update of the Board’s recommendations based upon input received from your fellow Gyros. A more detailed report will be coming but this should provide insight for your consideration. The Board has successfully addressed elements such as a new name, dues, membership structure, etc. But there are still some significant issues to be explored. One is the legal ramifications of disaffiliating and restructuring. Bro Phil Sloan had volunteered to supply the necessary legal counsel pro bono. We are assuming it would have been reasonably good, and you certainly couldn’t beat the price. But… and this causes great concern, Phil had to excuse, not recuse, himself because, gasp, he is still gainfully employed…and has a JOB! This may suggest an intervention, or at the least, a corrective interview. One would think with the many, many, many Menses in Gyro, we might have another lawyer we could get to work on the cheap (allow me to quickly acknowledge that the words “Mensa” and “Attorney” are understandably seldom used in the same sentence) but no such luck. Anyway, please read the attached. Thanks.
Bro Gyro/Col. (USA)/Ret./Board Member Rich Wall shared with us a most moving and memorable presentation on the American Memorials and Overseas Military Cemeteries. The American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) is the guardian of America’s overseas commemorative cemeteries and memorials which honor the service, achievements and sacrifices of United States armed forces. The ABMC administers, operates and maintains 24 permanent military burial grounds and 22 separate memorials, monuments and markers on foreign soil and three memorials in the U.S. Currently there are 124,904 U.S. war dead interred in these cemeteries. Each of the dead is commemorated individually by name on stone tablets. The grounds of these cemeteries are meticulously maintained; not Tacoma Country Club fairways meticulous, Augusta National putting greens meticulous. The grounds are maintained traditionally by NCOs who permanently live in those countries. The crosses and Star of David’s need to be replaced much more quickly than one might expect because they are continuously scrubbed white. It is said that if a bird poops on a monument in the morning, it is gone by the afternoon. Those of us lucky enough to visit the cemeteries at Normandy appreciate the moving grandeur of these rightfully hallowed places. One thinks first of Normandy but these places spread from throughout Europe to the Philippines, Guadalcanal, Saipan, New Guinea, Morocco, Panama and even Mexico which has a small monument for the War of 1847. The American Battle Monuments Commission is something of which to be rightly proud and for our service men and women to be so honored and remembered.
Next week, another wonderful presenter; Dr. David Smith, Professor of History at UPS. This will be David’s third visit, the first presentation was on WWII, his second was on the British monarchy and if I may say so immodestly myself, my good and personal friends, the Royals. So come be informed and entertained. There will not be a pop quiz later.
‘Til the anon,
D.Loving
Scribe.
The New Gyro
After reviewing the input from members and evaluating and discussing them, these are the preliminary recommendations from the Board of Directors being shared with the members.
Name – Men’s Club of Tacoma
Membership – men only. BUT, women (NO MORE “GYRETTES!!) and guests are ALWAYS invited and welcome and are encouraged to join us for lunch, the informative speakers and field trips as they constantly become more and more interesting.
Dues – dues will go from $170 of which 68% went to Gyro to $80.
Dues timing – dues will be billed one time on an annual basis.
Treasurer – treasurer temporarily/for life will be Rick Carr.
A final presentation along with the annual bill is scheduled to mail by the end of May.
The formal resignation- procedures and protocols to be explored with everything completed with a target date of no later than 4/30/15.
Gyro/Men’s Club of Tacoma season – September through May. But as one long time member so states, he continues to eat lunch on Tuesdays and those so interested may possibly see him in the Tacoma Country and Golf Club bar at noon on Tuesdays during the summer.
Other topics – Other areas such as application for membership forms, name tags, etc. to be addressed.
By the way, those of you not at Gyro last Tuesday missed the new hands free microphone our speakers will be using in the future. A nice addition and yet another reason to enjoy Tuesdays with Gyro/Men’s Club of Tacoma.
Tuesday February 24, 2015
Just another big crowd; 26 of “usuns” {sic}. We had a guest as is now the norm. Gyro Dave …wait…wait, and as the NPR Weekly Quiz Show is entitled “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell me”… Gyro Dave Sheean introduced yet another high school classmate. Dave’s high school must have had the same enrollment as the University of Michigan. Anyway, ‘twas the second visit for Jim Boyd. We also had jokes and cookies and comradery; what more could one ask on a Tuesday?
Michael Savage is the new PIO at Western State Hospital. Now, I must admit that I am sorely tempted to make cheap, cheesy references about Gyros and Western State. But noooo. We are a classy organization with an upstanding reputation to zealously maintain, that we never, ever engage in any activities of note, or of worth, to justify our being and must preserve our unsullied reputation. Thus, Gyros in no way should be mentioned in the same sentence as Western State Hospital; which was once officially called the “Insane Asylum.” Ed. Note: said reference may, just possibly, verge on being politically incorrect. Also, your Gyro weekly newsletter which chronicles all of the things we don’t and never will do as true red blooded Gyros, thus warrants the literary coffee table quality of The Atlantic or The New Yorker. It is indeed a challenge to recap that we do nothing. But speaker Savage does do something…and of note. The mission of Western State has evolved from housing and institutionalizing to “recovery.” The hospital covers 267 acres, occupies 1.4 million square feet, has an annual budget of $166,000,000, a staff of 1.755 to support an always to capacity 827 beds. The cost per patient per day is $541. There are two ways to be committed: civil and criminal. The former is based upon the presumption that an individual may be of danger to others or to himself. The latter is where an individual has already committed a crime and there is the need to establish whether the individual was competent at the time of the crime. This is what the jury in Texas is considering in the American sniper trial. If the individual is determined to be legally insane at the time, and later, after appropriate treatment determined to now be legally sane, that individual cannot be retried. All of this should remind you, even though you were in grade school at the time, of the 1975 movie “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” where Jack Nicholson tries to game the system and avoid jail and goes to a mental hospital where he matches wits with the never to be forgotten terrifying Nurse Ratched. “Nurse Ratched” is now part of the American lexicon. Savage shared with us the same perspective that those who did the same as Nicholson in the movie who opted to be institutionalized to beat jail time freely admit later that it was a bad decision because they would have spent a lot less time in jail; and not even a “Nurse Ratched.” The ratio of men to women is %65 to %35. All of the above just goes to support the sign in the Tides Tavern men’s room: “A bottle in front of me is better than a frontal lobotomy.” What more is there to say?
Next week. There will be a speaker. Two have been invited. We don’t know which will appear. It will not be D.B. Cooper.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
It is probably too late to remind you to buy your Gyrette a Valentine as you may be reading this from your bed in the garage. Anyway, the vote is in! Alas, the honored and hoary tradition of “Self Above Service” was selflessly ignored by an alarming 63% member vote whether to disaffiliate from Gyro International. We could only wish for such a number for a presidential election. I do not know the per cent four years ago but one could always Google it or “Ask Siri.” For those few of you not in the know and owner of the latest IPhone 23, or something, you can press a button on your phone and “Ask Siri” all of which is pretty creepy because with a chirpy voice she responds… with the answer! How does she know all that stuff? She should be on “Jeopardy.” The same holds true about the Thermos bottle. How does it know whether to keep things cold or keep things hot? The vote: of the 63% who voted, 92% voted in favor of disaffiliating. With said mandate, your Board is moving swiftly to address an assortment of issues including, but not limited to: a new name (working name is “Men’s Club of Tacoma), bylaws, legal issues, dues structure (c. 50% of previous dues), timing, communication, financial/banking, etc. As to the latter, should we as a club be concerned that long time Treasurer Rick Carr has not been seen lately and rumored to be vacationing in a locale that does not honor extradition? The treasury is finally back in the black after the disastrous Xmas Party several years ago featuring “Open Bar”…words never again to be used. So, if you wish to share comments or opinions about your new club, please do so to a Board member. Thanks.
Dude, far …out…weeeed! Our speaker was Randy Simmons from the Washington State Liquor Control Board telling us about legalized marijuana. The samples were, indeed, far…out….! OK, I just made that up; the usual Gyro cookies were not replaced by the infamous “brownies.” A lot has been learned in just a few years. The state estimated that there would be c. 2,000 requests for marijuana licenses. They received over 7,000 requests. But all that green weed isn’t gold. 50% of the growers have gone out of business due to the stringent controls on growers, packagers and retailers. Part of what was discovered is that people who have been growing pot for 40 years could not comply with the quality controls mandated by the state all of which means you now get good weed. As to retailers, 2,200 have applied for a license, of the approved 332 stores only 119 are now open. The controls are unbelievable, literally plant by plant, bud by bud, packaging graphics, store location, etc. The real issue is medical marijuana which is legal in 24 states and seemingly has none of the stringent controls now in place for recreational pot including age limit, child protective packaging, strength (there are over 2, 000 strains of marijuana), etc. The usage is trending from smoking pot to 47% ingesting the oils through edibles. The question was asked if pot is a “gateway drug” to stronger drug usage. The answer is “No”, its alcohol. 90% of the pot consumed is still purchased illegally as the multi-layer controls instituted by the state and the 35% tax still make illegal weed a lot cheaper. But the price is coming down, I mean, come on, who can argue with raw capitalism, as costs go down and a reputation for quality goes up so will volume, state tax income, more distribution, etc. Far out!
Next week our speaker will be Michael Savage, PIO of Western States Hospital. In case some of you may have a justifiable concern, we have requested that when Mike recognizes you that he not greet you by your first name.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe
PS. One guest. Allen McMillan introduced Jim Smith
Tuesday February 10, 2015
Gyro “bidness.” Your Board of Directors asks you that if you haven’t already voted, to PLEASE do so, and quickly! Hopefully, you are not asking “what for?” I am confident that your Gyro newsletter of January 28th, is still stapled to your refrigerator door. In that missive, the recap of positions for and against remaining a participating and contributing member of Gyro International are presented. The abbreviated rationales “fer” and “agin” are basically as follows: there are the benefits of being a member of an international (primarily US and Canada) organization, our Gyro club is an important financial contributor to Gyro International, and our club has a 70+ year history as part of Gyro International. The” agins” are that the annual dues will be $170 of which 68% goes to support District and International organizations of which we as a club for whatever reasons have scrupulously avoided, our club dues would now be +/- $100 with all of the monies being used exclusively for our club expenses which are basically the printing and mailing newsletter (gasp,) paying for guest speaker lunches and social activities. Sooo… if you haven’t already done your civic duty, PLEASE email John McGowen BY THIS FRIDAY, February 15, your vote as to whether or not to disaffiliate from Gyro International and establish our own local club, e.g. “The Men’s Club of Tacoma.” John’s email is: jhmc@comcast.net. Thank you. We had guests: Ev Cooper introduced Dean Minor, Harold Meyer introduced son Tom and Dave Sheean, as expected, introduced yet another in the seemingly endless cascade of friends who freely acknowledge knowing him, Tom Morberg. I would be remiss not to thank Phil Sloan, Gyro’s answer to Saul Goodman. Huh? OK, that is a bit off the wall if you didn’t watch the TV series called “Breaking Bad” or the just introduced prequel “Better Call Saul.” If so, you have missed the picaresque ambulance chasing attorney, Saul Goodman. Motor running and police scanner or not, thanks Phil for writing last week’s newsletter.
Today another in a series of top notched guest speakers: Maj. Gen. Pete Franklin (ret.) of the Strategic Defense Initiative. Simply said, he really is a rocket scientist. Since I am a true “techie” with an original flip phone which was introduced shortly after the Reformation, I will dumb down for thee of lessor knowledge, some of the ramifications of “payloads,” “velocity,” “reentry” etc. so as to not confuse or obfuscate some of his presentation. Basically, what he said is that The Dear Leader in the Hermit Kingdom is crazy, and scary. The North Koreans have an assortment of missiles which they can shoot, they are just not always be sure where they will land. We have sophisticated and highly classified (here again, I trust you appreciate that I can’t elaborate as is to be expected) anti-missile defense systems. The problems increase with the degrees of sophistication with the Russians and the Chinese and the burgeoning nuclear program of the Iranians. The anti-missile missiles we have are sophisticated enough to pinpoint a target as small as a soccer ball on a missile travelling as many as 6 times the speed of sound (again, for you of lesser competence, that is “Mach 6”… I think.) All in all, a truly impressive presentation as to the expanse and sophistication of our Strategic Defense Initiative
Next week, Randy Simmons, Executive Director of the Washington State Liquor Control Board.
Be sure to VOTE if you haven’t already done so. But if you have, it is best to ignore the Chicago motto; “Vote early and often.”
‘Til the anon,
D .Loving Scribe
Tuesday February 3, 2015
Two days before this assembly of 28 or so of our faithful band of whatever name, a cataclysmic event occurred in Aridzona which reconfirmed the historic truth that at crunch time, someone from the University of Spoiled Children should not make decisions that can change the course of history. Such a pall was cast over the Great Northwest that this humble reserve scribe was still so overcome with grief that the few notes he managed to scrawl are illegible, having been smeared by his tears (or possibly spilled soup). Alas, the ball should not have been passed to an anonymous scrub-scribe when our A team scribe should have run with the ball,so we now must wait until next time to learn the names of our guests and for corrections to these minutes.
Our speaker, David Flentge, President and CEO of Community Health Care of Tacoma (CHC), gave us an update, having spoken to us before. He was introduced by Dick Bowe, a member of the Board of Directors and along with several other GYROs, a volunteer medical provider at CHC.
CHC is a private, non-profit organization which, since 1987, has provided medical, dental and pharmacy clinical services to low income and uninsured people which many probably would not otherwise receive. CHC also trains medical professionals. Most of us have no idea of the magnitude of its work unless we are part of the medical-social services community. Thanks to Obamacare, aka The Affordable Care Act (ACA), last year CHC served 25% more patients than the previous year for a total of 36,000 patients. It operates six medical and two dental clinics. A disturbing fact is that 65% of the patients in 2013 were children and a high percentage of all the patients, children and adults have never previously had medical care or dental care. To learn more about CHC, go to www.commhealth.org/about-us/. You will be impressed.
We are honored that our Speaker on Tuesday, February 10, will be Major General Peter Franklin. His topic, The Strategic Defense Initiative, could not be more relevant considering what is happening throughout the world.
REMINDER: Be sure and cast your vote on our remaining part of GYRO International. You can telephone John McGowen at 253-584-7072 or email him at jhmcg@comcast.net.
P. Sloan, Former Deputy Scribe
Tuesday January 27, 2015
Internal club discussion. No newsletter.
Tuesday January 20, 2015
We had a big crowd of 31, a Gyrette speaker, and guests. As to the latter, Bro. John McGowen intro’ed Matt Johnson of the Olympia Gyro club who has seen the light and been saved and wants to join Tacoma Gyro. This is the second time for Matt and a formal membership application has been submitted. Many of you will recognize Matt as a Past District IV Governor and official Gyro poohbah who officiated at the always solemn mixed with shock and awe annual installation ceremony lasting well into several minutes. We also welcomed current Gov. Dan Durbin. More later on Dan’s raison d’etre for lunching with our merry band. Sheean introduced guests Herb Munson, son Ketner and Todd Clarke.
Our speaker was the always well received Gyrette, Connie Bacon, Commissioner of the Port of Tacoma. Lots going on. Due to the worldwide economic troubles (Citibank, Goldman et.al. gave us all a gift that keeps on giving) the shipping lines are hemorrhaging red ink and contracted from 14 to just 4 lines. The situation at all of the ports is comparable and Seattle and Tacoma are joining resources with an alliance now entitled “Northwest Gateway.” Unloading container ships has dropped from 30 a week to 8 or 9. To make things even more challenging, one union controls all of the ports on the West Coast; certainly a comforting thought. Since working without a contract, a, gee whiz, really, unofficial slowdown now exists which means a ship that used to be unloaded overnight now takes two and one half days. If you have been encouraging your grandchildren to go to Stanford and then Wharton for an MBA, forget it. Class A longshoreman make six figures with a LIFETIME of outrageous benefits that would even embarrass a congressman. OK, I take that back. You can’t insult a used car salesman or make a congressman embarrassed about outrageous benefits. Connie is scheduled later in the year for updates.
Yogi is right. It ain’t over ‘til it’s over. The Hawks are in the Super Bowl against the accursed Patriots and Tom Brady who never has a bad hair day. But poor Tom, making millions, he isn’t even the primary bread winner in his house. The potty mouthed gorgeous, exotic, lithesome, beautiful (I probably need not go on) international super model wife (more reasons not to like him) made ONLY $16,000,000 MORE than poor Tom last year. I believe we can all rest easy that they won’t be living under a bridge. And then, there is Bill Belichick; the same brilliant/sleazy Bill Belichick, owner of Spygate and now, possibly, Nerfballgate. We’re lucky to have Pete Carroll who runs up and down the sidelines like his hair is on fire, clapping, frowning, and gesticulating. Belichick looks like someone just kicked his dog or his shoes are nailed together. On a scale of 1 to 10,000 with one being Tutankhamun and 10,000 being Richard Sherman, Belichick slips in at about a strong 4, making Marshawn Lynch seem positively garrulous and possibly ADD. But being both crafty and creepy, it really comes down to this: would you want to spend Thanksgiving Dinner with Bill Belichick? We will be inundated with overinflated underinflated football stories for the next two weeks. Anyway, GO HAWKS!
Next week, no speaker…by design. The issue of our continued affiliation with Gyro International will be open for general discussion and even what we may possibly call ourselves (other than clever and dashing, of course) Constantly trying to upgrade the tone of this tome, I shall again quote the bard : “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” So come prepared to speak your mind, assuming you still have one and can find your car keys. The discussion could well maybe/possibly/probably/undoubtedly be short lived so bring jokes, war stories from your experiences in the trenches of The Great War and Black Jack Pershing and other miscellaneous time fillers. But prognostications are often wrong. The Sports Illustrated cover story January 12: “College Football Championship The Prediction Ducks 45 Bucks 41.” Wow, ‘just missed by an eyelash. Anyway, see ya next week.
‘Til the anon,
D.Loving
Scribe
Tuesday January 13, 2015
‘Tis said that 10% never gets the word. Not true with we Gyros. Seemingly no one showed up for Tuesdays with Gyro last week as the Club was closed (it was not closed as a result of our end of year “Wine and Joke” luncheon just before Christmas I must quickly add) and 30+ diligent Gyros did show up for if It’s Tuesday, it must be Tuesdays with Gyro. It is obvious to all that none of us went to school in the little yellow bus. In fact, you may weep if you so choose, there are many among us who travelled great distances without the benefit of any yellow bus, and actually had to walk to school…both ways. Clever lads we are, yessiree, Bob, who may in fact be your uncle. That comment may result in a “huh?” I never did understand that quirky expression: “Well, Bob’s your uncle.”
We had guests. Sheean introduced a number of guests some of whom may not be frequenting Ponders on a regular basis. Assuming their names won’t appear on a list in the Post Office, they may actually appear in a future newsletter. Dug Stewart introduced Alan Reames who seemed quite impressed with Gyro. Past District IV President Matt Johnson made an anticipated visit to position future discussions as to why we should maintain our affiliation with Gyro International. This author shall not prognosticate as to the outcome of that discussion. Scientifically calculated guesses are not always well founded as evidenced by the recent Ducks disaster as the Ducks were a 6 point favorite over the Buckeyes. FYI for those of you who for some reason have always lived west of the Olympics. A Buckeye is a Horse Chestnut (which is a tree) and ergo, the leaf decal on an Ohio State helmet is a Buckeye leaf not to be confused with a cannabis leaf, which after the game was desperately needed but only for medical purposes. We did have one other guest, Ward Melby, but unfortunately as is the norm, I have absolutely no idea who brought him.
We had a speaker, and I do in fact, know his name; Alan Archambault. He is the past Executive Director of the Fort Lewis museum. As soon as Alan opened his mouth to speak, we knew he was not born and raised at the Roy “Y” but Neeeu Pwort, Rhode Island. We are a forgiving bunch. The history of Ft. Lewis is long and storied and goes back before The Great War which some of you may fondly remember. The fort was only renamed prior to WWI and took the name of a famous individual; hint, some guy named Merriweather something. The fort absolutely mushroomed after local businessmen donated 700 acres. When the US actually entered the war in 1917, 1,757 buildings were built by civilian contractors in only 90 days. What is now the museum was originally the Red Shield Inn (the Salvation Army) and used as a recreation facility for the soldiers as Tacoma was “Off Limits.” As the CO Gen. Green said “To keep the good boys away from the bad girls.” The facilities of the fort offered most of the soldiers their first experience with electricity and indoor plumbing. When Alan took over the assignment of restoring the facility it was in terrible disrepair. Thanks to fellow Gyro Gen. Harrison, the resources were provided to preserve the facility. I know, this comes perilously close to total disregard for a sacred Gyro tenant of “Self above Service” but it’s OK this time.
Next week, Gyrette Connie Bacon from the port will tell us about the agreement between the Port of Seattle and the Port of Tacoma.
‘Til the anon,
D.Loving
Scribe
Tuesday January 6, 2015
OK, if you are one of the seven people who still writes checks to pay bills rather than click keys and hit “send” and thus trust “The Cloud” (whatever that is) and distrust those pesky North Koreans in The Hermit Kingdom to insure that Puget Sound Power doesn’t leave you in the dark, so to speak, you need to reprogram your Palmer Penmanship Method to write: 2..0..1..5 in the upper right hand corner of your checks. Yikes, another year has just evaporated. If you got up January first and padded to thebathroom and threw some water on your face and looked in the mirror and gasped that you looked another year older, don’t worry. It was an old mirror. The new 71 is the old 69. So much for the NewYear and the resolution to not make any more New Year’s Resolutions. Just be resolved to come to Gyro on Tuesdays, meet friends, hear good speakers, and eat cookies. That’s a resolution to be kept: that is, if you still make New Year’s Resolutions.
Next Tuesday, next Gyro, next great speaker. Alan Archambault is the former Director of the Ft, Lewis Museum and he will share with us a presentation on the history and establishment of Camp Lewis in WWI. If some of you want to add your own memories of being in The Great War, plan to do so.
‘Til the anon and a big Amen,
D. Loving
Scribe
Tuesday December 9, 2014
The Dinner/Dance
What can one say? It was glorious, glamorous just too marvelous for words (by the way, if you were humming along or soft shoeing around in your living room that’s OK. Johnny Mercer wouldn’t mind.) All of that just relates to the wonderful Gyro Christmas party Tuesday evening which was just too marvelous for words. It was an evening of elegant ladies and gentlemen in still fitting tuxedos with nary the faintest whiff of a mothball. Of course, one had to suffer through the indignities of filet mignon or Maine lobster, but 51 of us did it, and survived quite nicely, thank you very much. The evening was topped off with a scrumteledicious dessert bar and of course, for the more pedestrian, Gyro cookies. There was music to trip the light fantastic. Now, that being said, and for those of you with schedule conflicts, THE GYRO CHRISTMAS PARTY NEXT YEAR WILL BE WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 2nd, a whole week earlier.
Yes, Virginia, there will be Gyro this coming Tuesday. Our speaker is John Dobkin, Senior Public Affairs Analyst for Energy Northwest. Energy Northwest owns and operates Packwood Hydroelectric, the Nine Canyons Wind Project, the White Bluffs Solar Station and the Columbia Nuclear (or as Dubya used to say, “nuculer”) Generating Station. Mr. Dobkin will focus on the environmental benefits of nuclear energy and where we are headed utilizing future technology.
The following week, YES, again, there will be Gyro, after all it will be Tuesday; but no speaker. We will be sharing the joys of the season with our fellow Gyros, possibly a beverage of choice and a story or two.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe
Tuesday December 2, 2014
OK, this is your last chance to sign up for the Christmas gala. The next approach will be a knock on your door by a Jehovah’s Witness…and they’re tough to get rid of. Board member Bill Jackson has done some telemarketing to get last minute attendees and he thinks maybe he missed his calling in life. Gee, I would be delighted to talk to Bill rather than the usual: “Hello, Mr. David, my name is “Bob” (by the way, I feel very comfortable guessing that “Bob’s” real name isn’t “Bob” and that he is pretty comfortable getting around in Mumbai.) “May I call you Mr. David?” “No, you may not.” “Good. Now Mr. David, you have been approved for…” Bring on the Jehovah’s Witnesses!
Being sticklers for the very few rules that Gyro has other than to have very few rules; this piece of yellow journalism that you endure weekly is required to announce that Messrs. Hellar and Hirz have officially applied for membership. After probably well into three milliseconds the Board has approved their request for membership and said action now is submitted to the members of Gyro Club of Tacoma. So, hear ye, hear ye. This is how it works, I think, but close enough for government work. So there you are. Jim Griffin introduced second time guest Martin Kuhns and Phil Sloan introduced Judge Jack Emery.
Our speaker, yet another in a series of unique and most interesting speakers, was Steve Curran. Steve is the owner of the eponymous Steve Curran Karate and Fitness Academy and a 10 Degree Black Belt in Karate. He was on the sport karate circuit, 11 time World Champion, Gold Medal winner at the Good Will Games, won 170 national and international titles, leading money winner, to name but a few of his accomplishments. But then, who wants to argue with a guy like that! I have decided that the next time I get into a bar fight, which hopefully I can put off until after The Gyro Christmas Party, I want Steve on my side. I used to think I would want Jack Reacher (those of you who read books not destined for a Pulitzer should recognize that name) but I may have to reconsider my decision. Steve had some interesting stories to tell about Hollywood actors like Steven Segal and Chuck Norris, either of whom would be wiped out by his teen age daughter. As I recall, his daughter is a 7th degree Black Belt which means Steve need not worry about hormonal teen age boys dating his only daughter. Steve claims you are never too old to take up karate. So next time, after winging three balls out of bounds and carding a smooth 11 on a par 4, dump golf and take up something new.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe
Tuesday November 25, 2014
Apologies. I intended to trip the light fantastic on my laptop keys and get this missal written BEFORE Thanksgiving. But then I had intended to eat less turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy and mincemeat pie. I had also intended to watch less football. But then we all know that the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Before one can ask, do people really eat mincemeat pie? Yup. A seasonal delicacy. Lutefisk is not. GYRO CHRISTMAS PARTY. When (a minor detail previously omitted) –December 9th. Where–TC&GC. What time–NO HOST cocktails 6:15, NO HOST dinner 7:30. How much–$85 single, $165 couple, guests and friends welcome. Menu– filet, Maine lobster (no, not the whole crustacean, just the tail,) sea bass or vegetarian. Who(m) do I tell– D. Loving, scribe 588-4107 or dloving1@comcast.net. Is that all–nope, a check made payable to GYRO but sent to me is your confirmation. Can I weasel out later–any time BEFORE Dec. 5th that is when the food is ordered. Attire—probably fully dressed preferred, black tie optional. Do I need to get off the dime and decide—yes, space is limited to the main Club dining room. Finally, do I have to dance—not in the by-laws. Gyrettes make that rule.
“Bidness” Ralph Johnson and Dave Sheean introduced Dale Hirz and Chuck Hellar respectfully and respectively as guests. Since that time, and after milliseconds of Board discussion, they are no longer guests but actual by God, card carrying Gyros. Welcome. Bill Young intro’ed Brian Sonntag who was a previous speaker who claimed he had so much fun, he wanted to join our merry band. Self above service.
36 Gyros and guests heard previous mayor Bill Baarsma tell us about Tacoma sheriff, George Janovich. He was the part of a gang known as “The Enterprise” led by Tacoma mobster John Carbone that terrorized Tacoma from 1971-1978. “The Enterprise” was involved with among other things: assault, arson, extortion, prostitution, insurance fraud, illegal gambling, bribery and attempted murder. It took the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms to have to have the power to take down “The Enterprise.” Sheriff Janovich was no Andy Griffith from Mayberry. What he and his associates did would make Tony Soprano blanch. They were Tony Soprano on steroids. For example, one of the mob enforcers worked on piece rate…literally. He was paid by the pieces of his victims he cut off, limb by limb. The ghoulish to the bizarre prevailed. Some G-men from Chicago acting as hit men were brought in as a sting operation. “The Enterprise” mob was finally arrested and went to trial in 1979. All but one were convicted with sentences ranging from 12-25 years in prison. Sheriff Janovich was released on parole in 1986 after serving 6 years of his sentence. He had been moved from prison to prison some 30 times and kept segregated from the general prison population because of his background of 30 years in law enforcement, There was a distinct possibility of some prevailing hard feelings and therefore he was not to be left out on a limb…so to speak.
This Tuesday our speaker was to be D. B. Cooper, but he couldn’t be found in time. Dave Sheean has procured Steve Curran and somethin’ about karate. So bring your old bricks and 2×6’s and you may learn how to break them with a head butt or karate chop. Always interesting Gyro!
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving,
Scribe and Christmas Party Planner
Tuesday November 18, 2014
OK, READ THE ATTACHED! Better still, please have your Gyrette read the attached. We know who the decision maker is.
Yesterday a Gyro mentioned that his wife reads the newsletter first and she wondered if your scribe was an English major since he seems a bit obsessed about sentence ending prepositions; ‘n stuff. The answer which I’m sure is greatly anticipated is “yes.” English, which happens to be my native language, coupled with another college major, both of which of marginal benefit in a subsequent business career and are only reasonably good for “Jeopardy,” does entitle me to yell at the TV, ‘Tis especially true when a sports caster says that a player does good, because “good” is not an adverb or worser {sic} when a commentator asks where a person or thing is “at” (just before the “at.”) In other words, Gyros want to always be punctilious!
Gyro biz. FORTY ONE munchers, lunchers and guests yesterday. Last week Dave Sheean introduced guests Charles Hyde and James Boyd. This week, Pres. Roy introduced past member Chuck Hellar for his second visit, John McGowen introduced Lloyd Elmer, Jim Griffin introduced Martin Kuhns, Jim Gallinatti introduced wife Linda and Liz Lufkin, wife of late Gyro Lucky Lufkin. Finally. Apologies to new member Jim Rook’s wife as I forgot her name other than Mrs. Rook. Welcome one and all to Tuesdays with Gyro.
Dugald Stewart introduced our speaker Sarah Ioannides who is the new Musical Director of the Tacoma Symphony Orchestra. We are delighted to have her as a part of our community. Several Gyros are active in the Tacoma Symphony and are on the Board of Directors. Sarah is most excited about the opportunity to expand the musical horizon to various segments of the South Sound area. There is a wonderful assortment of upcoming concerts with everything from Tchaikovsky to The Messiah to a St. Patrick Day themed Celtic performance featuring Kaitlyn Lusk, the voice of the movie “Lord of the Rings” and “River Dance” type Irish dancers. Much to be enjoyed with tickets starting for as little as $19. Let’s welcome and support Sarah.
One never knows what to expect from a Gyro speaker other than the unexpected; just another of the many reasons to be an active Gyro. Last week we heard about (other than a somewhat prurient obsession about nubile brown bodies) legal gambling and sorta legal weed. This week we tripped the ivories with Beethoven and Brahms. Next week, retired Tacoma Mayor Baarsma will share with us the escapades of notorious Tacoma Sheriff George Janovich, , who seemingly never met a convenient fire he didn’t like or didn’t set. ‘Twill be a burning topic. The Tacoma Country and Golf Club is where it’s at (yikes!!) on Tuesdays.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe and grammarian
Christmas Party Menu
Apple, Candied Pecan and Blue Cheese Salad with Dried Cranberries
with Raspberry Vinaigrette Dressing
Entree Choices
Filet mignon
Or
Maine Lobster Tail
Or
Chilean Sea Bass
Or
Vegetarian
Plus
Dessert Bar
All of the above PLUS dancing. What more could one want? The price per person is $85 with single Gyros and Gyrettes most welcome and $165 per couple. Price INCLUDES tax and tip. The “no host” bar opens at 6:15 with dinner at 7:30. A selection of wines and champagnes will be available by the glass or by the bottle. Black tie is optional; brown wing tips and white socks are not. Seating is limited. Call or email David Loving, 588-4107 or dlovingl@comcast.net for a reservation WITH YOUR MEAL CHOICE!!! Your check made payable to Gyro is your reservation confirmation.
Tuesday November 11, 2014
This scribe, on a number of occasions, has been told that ‘tis the Gyrette who reads this pap as their Gyro, among other “dysfunctions,” has a short attention span. The Gyrette therefore is forced to occasionally provide a Cliff Notes version of the newsletter. All of that being said, ‘tis to this audience I now share that God is not dead and SHE has a sense of humor. Bro. Sloan gave us an update on his 77 year old college friend now an ex-pat living in Nicaragua who had acquired a 27 year old girlfriend. Phil has been advised that the girlfriend…wait…hold your breath… whaaat…is gone! Gee, who woulda thunk? When his friend may have referenced “The Honeymooners”, that being Lucy and Ricky Riccardo, the only Ricky she knew was the guy selling tacos from the roach coach on the square. Seems the 50 shades of tan have paled. Reconciliation is progressing nicely.
But enough of prurient fantasies about nubile brown bodies. After all, we are Gyros and hunger after cookies. Our speaker today was Frank Miller who gave us the scoop on Indian Casinos, of which there are 28 in the State of Washington. Washington is third in the number of casinos. Yup, just another thing to be proud of (oops, “of which to be proud” – one does not end a sentence with a preposition.) Frank asked for a show of hands of who had been in an Indian casino. There was a modest and possibly reluctant show of hands but to best of my knowledge, none was attached to a wrist sporting a new gold Presidential Rolex. The reported pay out for gamblers at the casinos is 92%. All of which means that the last time I was in Vegas, I must have been one of the really unlucky or really stupid 8%. Now I feel even worse. Rhetorical question: did you ever ask a gambler how he did at the tables and the answer wasn’t: “I did OK, I broke about even.” Yeah, and the world may be flat. Unfortunately, the 28 casinos of which we may be so rightfully proud (see, no sentence ending preposition) contribute ZERO to the state coffers. No tax revenue. No nuthin’. The casinos distribute the millions of dollars in profits in various ways to the tribal members ranging from free college for children to $2,000 per month per person. When I was an Indian Guide (that is upper case, as in the organization like Boy Scouts, not as an occupation) my name was White Eagle. Humm. Frank also touched briefly about the marijuana evolution in Washington. It seems that the medical weed business will be going up in smoke as legit weed takes over. Currently, demand is far outstripping supply. Far out, mmaaaan.
We did have guests ‘n stuff but I had too much fun commenting on nubile brown bodies. ‘Next week.
Next week we will be elevating the level of subject matter beyond that of nubile brown bodies, gambling and weed; ‘just may be a tough act to follow. But come on, we are supping at The Tacoma Country and Golf Club. Next Tuesday Dugald will be introducing Sara Ioanides who is the Musical Director of the Tacoma Symphony. Ta Ta Ta Daaaa (in case you for some strange reason don’t recognize the Ta Ta Ta Daaa, its Beethoven’s 5th.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe
PS: Since many of you actually were in the Great War, you will know the significance of 11-11-11. I hope you bought a poppy.
Tuesday November 4, 2014
Repeat offenders. Dr. Ralph Johnson introduced Dr. Dale Hirz. Any more doc new members and we will have a quorum for an AMA meeting. Great. I am always open to free medical advice. Bill Young introduced his bro-in-law Bert Magnuson (this time spelled correctly.) Bert is not a doc but a Correctional Sergeant, retired, Washington State Corrections Center for Women. With the ever growing size of our merry band of rascals, the time may be upon us for a Sergeant of Arms. Bert should also qualify as a future speaker about working in a woman’s prison; and thus confirm or deny sophomoric and prurient tales of life in a woman’s big house. President Roy introduced Chuck Hellar who claimed to have once been a Gyro 30 years ago which means, like the rest of us, he must have joined when he was 18. Gyro does create a high degree of recidivism. Jim Rooks was formally announced as an official card carrying member in good standing after the vulturous {sic} Rick Carr swoops in and gives him a bill. Thus ensconced, if any one knows about a secret grip or password or such, now would be the appropriate time to dredge them up.
As advertised in last week’s piece of yellow journalism, the topic ohhis week’s meeting was the Washington Health Care Authority. The in- chargee presenter changed from Rebecca Burch to Dennis Martin, but the topic didn’t. The primary focus was the transition of Medicaid into the Affordable Care Act, aka. Obama Care. After yesterday, the dogs may have been let loose and once again, chaos may rein. Currently, the ACA consolidates 4 different programs into one. The baseline for qualification to receive Medicaid is the Federal Poverty Level. Anyone up to 138% of that figure qualifies. That 138% equals $15,864 for a single individual or $26, 952 for a family of three. I believe it is safe to say that the assembled throng found it almost incomprehensible to live on an adjusted gross income of $15,864. But even more alarming is that in Washington State there are currently 1, 300,000 individuals receiving Medicaid. That equates to a bit over 20% of the population at or below the poverty level. There were a lot of supporting charts and graphs in the Power Point presentation but rest assured there will not be a pop quiz next week. A quirky comment was that the government prefers that people register for Medicaid on-line. Somehow to this author, it seems a bit inconsistent that one making less than $15,864 has either a computer or the skills to do so. But it is obvious that on-line approval process which may take a matter of hours is far better than the paper procedure which may take 45 days. Some probing questions ensued such as: do aliens (illegal, not extraterrestrial) qualify for Medicaid? No. Since these Medicaid/ ACA is predominantly federally funded, where does the money come from in the future? The State answer. .. he Federal government. OK, but federally funded means … oh, well. Keep sending those “Get Well” cards to Uncle Sam every quarter with the accompanying check.
Next week, another meeting not to be missed. Frank Miller of Miller Malone and Tellefson a boutique law firm with expertise, among other things, the Washington State Gambling Commission, and now, maaaaan, weed! Who knows, the traditional cookies may be replaced by the brownies of legend.
‘Til the anon,
D
Loving Scribe
Tuesday October 28, 2014
I am not going to note the fact that there was another big crowd of Gyros jostling to get in the prime position for the arrival of the cookie platter: 34 ofus’uns. But I am not, not going to not mention, that we did not have any guests. Jim Rooks has filled out an application for membership and presently going through the requisite back ground check which really means will his check this time through and, for the third time, finally clear. As is now the norm with such eloquent and interesting speakers, we did not have time for jokes. However, Phil Sloan did provide some insights into possible future interpersonal relationships. He visited an old college friend, aged 75, who moved to Nicaragua for the good life of an expat; cheap living, cheap housing and cheap booze; oh, and by the way, he acquired a 27 year old girlfriend. After some desultory conversation and unseemly discussion, it was suggested that one should keep the one one has.
Our speaker was Al Weaver who has been a long serving member of the advisory board for the Tacoma Narrows Bridge. He shared with us the only freebie he has ever received for many years of service was the lunch he received Tuesday. See, there is such a thing as a free lunch. We can all circle our calendars for July of 2030 (I’ll wait if you want to do so now) as that is the date the tolls are scheduled to expire (possibly but not probability.) In the meantime, tolls will go up from $5 to $6. The amounts will always be in dollar amounts. Can you imagine the chaos if change would be required for a $5.35 toll? There was much initial discussion as to how various constituencies might be charged differently such as seniors, daily commuters, students, etc. Various scenarios proved to be disastrous. The final recommendation was “no exceptions.” 70% now use the “Good to Go” program with the balance primarily using cash. It was anticipated that by adding the second bridge, the daily traffic would increase significantly. In fact the opposite has happened. The daily traffic has decreased from 90,000 per day to 80,000. The option of paying a cash toll may well disappear. The Golden Gate Bridge in California has done so. That raises the question of what do to for the scofflaws who don’t pay. There are currently two options but possibly a third to be considered. The first is a ticket in the mail. The second is that a renewed driver’s license or clean title needed to sell a car cannot be acquired with outstanding tickets. The third is a man like Luca Brasi working for Don Corleone shows up and makes you an offer you can’t refuse. Best to pay up.
Next week, Bill Jackson will introduce Rebecca Burch of the Special Initiatives of Washington Health Care Authority. The Health Care authority is aptly named as it is the largest health care purchaser in the state. IT manages the state Medicaid program, the Public Employees Benefit Board and the new Obamacare program. I think 29 minutes should be more than enough time to address and clarify all of the ramifications of these programs.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe
Tuesday October 21, 2014
We’re in our 30’s. Oh my God no; not our ages. The number of Gyros who chose to dine at “Tuesdays with Gyro.” Even Bernie Madoff GAP accounting could not financial engineer our collective ages to the 30’s. And aren’t we glad; not about Bernie, but about not being 30. I believe the final count was 35 lunchers and munchers. Yet just another good crowd. As ‘tis the norm, the good news of “Self Above Service” is justifyingly spreading. Bill Young introduced his brother-in-law Bert Magnusson. Also, the banns are now posted for Jim Rooks to become a card carrying Gyro, that is assuming we have cards to carry, which, of course we don’t. So… speak now or forever… You get the idea.
This week our speaker was Shane Klingenstein, financial advisor/ stock broker .We didn’t really determine whether or not we should head for the Narrows Bridge and get in line to jump. We did discover that the best strategy is to buy good stocks and hold them and dump the losers. Best said, one should buy low and sell high.
We have a most interesting speaker lined up for next Tuesday, Al Weaver. He seems to be a local boy from Olympia made good. Buck Thompson and Jim Griffin will like that he is a Stanford Indian/Cardinal and others may ameliorate that error in judgment in that he also has a degree from Udub. Unfortunately, it is a law degree, but what the heck, you can’t have everything. After graduation, Al worked as a law clerk on the Washington State Supreme Court where his father happened to be a judge. As Al is prompt to say, don’t knock nepotism. Anyway, he slipped into real work and spent the next 50 years at Eisenhower and Carlson. Al is going to speak about the above mentioned Narrows Bridge. Assuming you have not made the trek to the same for a full gainer in the tuck position, that calmer heads have prevailed and you are still taking your Maalox and Prozac in light of an ever entertaining stock market, you might as well show up next Tuesday.
So, ‘til the anon,
D. Loving
Scribe
PS. Since I have some blank space to fill, Stanford is one of the few schools whose nickname does not end with an “s,” (like “Huskies” and “Cougs”) such as “Fighting Irish,” etc. Instead of watching CNBC and be depressed, work on that worthless bit of bar trivia.
PPS. I know your social calendar is quickly filling-up so take a MAGIC MARKER and on December 9th, write “Gyro Christmas Party.” Some delightful changes are coming and we will be limited to about +/- 64 at said gala. That also means that “joining” a fitness club is not the same as actually “using” the fitness club and thus reverse the damage those pesky dry cleaners do by shrinking your tux.
Tuesday October 14, 2014
Yup; 45. It just shows to go you (a Spoonerism which is named after the late Reverend Spooner of Oxford College who is possibly unjustly renown for getting his birds wackwords; whereas that great American philosopher Yogi Berra does warrant credit for his insights such as “when you come to a fork in the road, take it.”) Anyway, there were 45 ‘Roes and ‘Rettes at the Foss Waterway Seaport. That being said, field trips are of interest to all, so: the Tacoma Historical Museum, the new wing of the art museum, the Glass Museum, the Fort Lewis Museum, etc., etc. Someone, surely (don’t call me Shirley) has some strings to pull; so pull ‘em for future field trips. Trivia. When the President of the United States is introduced, why is his, or possibly future her, name never used?
Bill Jackson perseveres in bringing new members. Jim Rooks was a second time attendee. I must unabashedly and immodestly acknowledge last week’s clever bon mots (that too is clever) regarding Jim Rocks (“Rocks, by the way, that is a noun, not a verb.) It would have been even more clever if that was ACTUALLY his name, which by the by is ACTUALLY Jim Rooks. Anyway, welcome back Jim.
We had a wonderful gathering at the museum hosted and toasted by a number of Gyro Seaport Museum Board members as well as the Executive Director Wesley Wenhardt. Tal Edman welcomed our loyal band, and I guess that means that the female guests, of which there were many, are therefore “ bandettes?” The museum is an integral part of the $100,000,000 Foss Waterway clean-up. The museum is a $27,000,000 project of which over $20,000,000 has already been raised. I would be remiss if I did not mention that a late past president of Gyro was a significant leading force and substantial benefactor of the entire project. As was their want, Phil and Sally Hayes always remained anonymous. They both would be delighted to see what they helped create.
Next week our speaker will be Shane Klingenstein from the brokerage firm of Edward Jones to talk to us (gasp) about the market. He will offer his insights as to what is happening in the market and provide guidance as to whether one should get in line at the Narrows Bridge. In the meantime, keep taking your Maalox and Prozac until we convene next week.
‘Til the anon,
L. Doving
Scribe
P.S. Trivia question answer. In 1931, announcer Harry Von Zell referred to President Hoover as Hoobert Heever. Since that time, names have never been used.
GYRO MINUTES OF MEETING October 7, 2014
OK, this time your not remotely reliable scribe really is back. But after all, being back ONE whole week should warrant a sabbatical for a trip in search of the wily trout in places in Montana that don’t even have names. If one were to consider the whole exercise rationally balancing the cost of trout per ounce, said fish, if even caught, promptly returned to their environs, compared to counting on winning the lottery, the latter is much the more rational. Anyway, ‘tis the most fun one can have standing up. I would be remiss if I did thank most profusely those who filled-in during my AWOLisms and scribed the newsletter. Bro. Phil Sloan leads the list. It is appropriate to offer fair warning about personally thanking Phil should one be standing near a door when an ambulance goes by. But, it is to be expected when business cards are purchased by the 10,000. Harold Carr…AND ASSOCIATES…watch out!
A good Fall opening party. Bill Jackson brought guest Jim Rooks (by the way that is a noun not a verb) and wife Penny to share first hand in the Gyro mystique, whatever that may be. Today, another big crowd; 31. Next week, GYRO BUT NOT AT THE TC&GC. It is a field trip and a permission letter from a parent or guardian is not required. The meeting will be same time, same price, but not the same station. 12:00 (noon, not the other) at the Foss Waterway Museum, 705 Dock St. A box lunch will be provided for the same miserly price of $15.00. If you have committed to attend and need to cancel, or would like to attend, please call 272-2750 so that the correct number of lunches will be prepared. Thank you.
Great speakers just keep tumbling along; like the proverbial circus clowns tumbling out of a tiny VW. That may not be a great metaphor, but you know what I mean. Our speaker today was Sally Jones, Director of the Sleep Analysis Unit at St. Claire. Unbeknownst to me, since the innocent sleep like babes, sleep disorders affect millions and millions of people resulting in $1.3 BILLION in disability related expenses. The major cause is sleep apnea which is best explained as your body actually stops breathing, possibly as long as a minute. Your brain finally senses the event wakes you up. During such an episode, the blood pressure raises significantly, as does the heart rate and adrenaline output, among other reactions. This may occur as many as 300 times per night. There is no medication to eliminate this condition. The best response is the GPAP system which, roughly speaking requires the use of a face mask pumping oxygen into your nose or mouth which is worn all night. Though not exactly neither a romantic image nor an aphrodisiac, it does beat being dead. Other common sleep disorders include restless leg syndrome, insomnia and, what to behold, never in my house, snoring (remedial actions include but are not limited to: punching, hitting, kicking, yelling and if all else fails moving.) Any Gyro worth his salt knows that a nightcap is an appropriate tonic, so to speak. Sorry to say, not so. Within four hours, the alcohol turns into sugar, burns off and you wake up. Nice try. There is a home sleep testing kit which costs about $ 680 which is 1/10th of the cost of enrolling in the overnight stay at the clinic. So, what the heck, skip the Ambien, have a nightcap anyway, and sweet dreams.
See ya next week at the Foss Waterway Museum. 12:00 SHARP.
‘Til the anon,
D. Loving
Occasional Scribe
GYRO MINUTES OF MEETING SEPTEMBER 30, 2014
Approximately 25 GYROs (the scribe was limited to fingers and toes for the tally) and one guest, Mr. Don Beardsley, were in attendance. President Roy made a couple of announcements:
There will be a memorial service for departed GYRO Glenn Kray on October 4 at 2pm at St Luke’s Episcopal Church.
The chili party is looking doubtful for lack of a venue. Inquiries have been made regarding alternatives to a residence for hosting the event but so far there is a lack of suitable alternatives.
The GYRO FALL KICK-OFF PARTY was attended by 45 GYROs and spouses. By all accounts it was a successful party and enjoyed by all.
The October 14 meeting will be at the Seaport Museum. Spouses and guests are encouraged to attend this event. Box lunches are available but must be ordered in advance. A box lunch sign-up sheet was initiated at today’s meeting and orders will be taken next week also. If you are planning to visit the museum on 10/14 and can’t get to the meeting next week contact Dave Sheean.
Our scheduled speaker was unable to attend the meeting so things quickly deteriorated to joke sharing. Lack of space and good taste preclude committing said jokes to paper. I will report that there were some good ones.
Our speaker next week will be Sally Jones, director of the Sleep Analysis unit at St. Claire Hospital. Sleep deprivation or narcolepsy, there should be something for everyone in this presentation.
Your Occasional Scribe
Darrell Fisk
GYRO MINUTES OF MEETING SEPTEMBER 16, 2014
37 Gyros, guests and speakers attend meeting.
Guests: Frank Crawford (member 14 years ago) hosted by Rick Carr; Dick Muri (2nd luncheon and eligible for making application) hosted by John McGowen; and Dan Durr hosted by David Sheean. Importantly, we need members to bring guests in order to perpetuate Gyro’s existence. The room was packed for WSDOT pooh-bah Lynn Peterson and her #2 Kevin Dayton, Olympic Region honcho. Great energy (she even told a joke). Excellent presentation that updated us on Bertha…the “real story” (if all goes well, the tunnel will be completed by late 2016 with the “tunnel company” absorbing all the additional expenses connected with the debacle. No cost to the state; the contractor knew about the pipe that shut down Bertha…identified in the plans they were given). Lynn shared thoughts on toll roads (complicated issue that is being studied; looking for ways that “if you use the road you pay for it”; roads only funding support comes from 8 cent gas tax that just doesn’t pack it); Ferries (excited that an operations person, Lynn Griffith of Pierce Transit fame, has been hired to run the ferry system and not a bureaucrat that has left something to be desired; system actually running at 99.5% efficiency despite what you read and should get to 100%). Her goals for WSDOT are to maintain roads, take care of safety issues and finish projects.
Gyro season opening social function Friday, Sept. 26
26 Gyros and spouses now signed up for the event. Time: 5 p.m. to 7:30/8:00 p.m. Casual attire. Barbecued hamburgers, chicken breasts, salads and COOKIES. $30 per person. No-host bar. Gests are WELCOME! Please call Roy Kimbel (253)572-2073 or e-mail (rekimbel@net-venture.com) to make your reservation. You will be billed following the event. Last chance to sign up is at meeting on Sept. 23. Also, if you make a reservation and do not cancel by 1 p.m. on 23rd
Misc.: Anyone wishing to support John McGowen (be trained) in Webmastering, please let John or Roy know. We need a back up just for drill. Also, we need substitute scribes for when David Loving is away. Phil Sloan has been doing great as back up though sometimes he is unavailable (like NOW). Please let David L., Phil or Roy know if you can help. Little training necessary. We still need a chili party location (help!). Executive Committee will meet at 11 a.m. in the bar before our September 23 meeting.
Speaker on September 23: Colonel Ramona Fiory, Commander of Madigan Army Medical Center. (See her background on website at www.tacomagyro.org)
Roy Kimbel, erstwhile scribe (& President & Jack of all trades)
GYRO MINUTES OF MEETING SEPTEMBER 9, 2014
Our first meeting of the season was attended by 25 GYROs, including Larry Ghilarducci who attends so infrequently that this scribe forgot how to spell his name. Larry is also one of the three commissioners of the Lakewood Water District, the 13th largest in the state, whose General Manager, Randy Black, was our speaker.
The best joke of the day was about the lady who accidentally cut off the tail of her cat while trimming her hedge. She scooped up the cat, the tail and raced to Walmart. When asked why Walmart, she replied: “They are the world’s largest retailer.”
Mr. Black presented us with a brief, but most interesting overview of the Water District, including lots of statistics which made those of us who don’t live in Lakewood jealous because of its low rates, abundant supplies and high quality. All of its water comes from ground wells which tap aquifers. The district does not charge for its water, it is free; its charges are for delivery of the water. Its services end at the water meter. The District does not have a significant collection problem, unlike Detroit. Customers receive a warning and then their water can be cut off. They usually promptly pay thereafter.
Only 8% of Lakewood’s land is undeveloped, so the demand for water is not anticipated to increase substantially in the future. 35-40% of the District’s costs are expended in the long range project of replacement and rehabilitation of its 256 miles of main water lines targeted at 4 miles per year. The system consumes only half of its capacity, so unlike most other water districts which face potential shortages, the outlook for Lakewood’s future supply is excellent.
COMING EVENTS
REMINDER: The agendas for planned events and the programs for the following three weeks, including the bios and topics of our speakers are posted on the
GYRO website by our webmaster, John McGowen at http://tacomagyro.org/meeting-schedule
Speaker for the September 16 meeting
Lynn Peterson, Head of Washington State Department of Transportation. Scribe’s note: She recently spoke at the Gig Harbor Chamber of Commerce and was entertaining and informative. She oversees 6,600 employees and 18,600 miles of state highways amongst many other responsibilities.
Speaker for the September 23 meeting
Colonel Ramona Fiorey, Commander of Madigan Army Medical Center
GYRO FALL KICK-OFF PARTY for GYRETTES and GYROS
Friday evening September 26 at the Tacoma Country & Golf Club. 5:00 PM cocktails on the patio, (weather permitting), 6:00 PM Barbecue Dinner (inside): burgers, chicken breasts, salads, cookies. $30 per person, no- host cocktails.
For reservations contact President, Roy Kimbel, rekimbel@net-venture.com, or 253-572-2073
HOST AND HOSTESS NEEDED FOR FALL CHILI PARTY– please contact Roy Kimbel.
Associate Scribe Phil Sloan
THE FIRST NEWSLETTER OF THE 2014-2015 GYRO SEASON
It is September and all is normal: the rain has returned, quarterly taxes are due, the kids, grandkids and great-grandkids are back in school, the Mariners are collapsing, the Seahawks are beginning the defense of their Championship; the Huskies and Cougars aren’t pushing over the teams which were scheduled to be pushed over AND it is time for Tuesdays with GYROS!
GYRO season begins September 9, same time; 11:45, same place; Tacoma Country Club and a great line up of speakers thanks to the stellar efforts of our speakers’ bureau headed by Dave Sheean and Bill Jackson. REMINDER: Everyone of us is an ex-officio scout for the bureau.
The BIG GYRO event of the summer was the sold out August 16 round trip outing on Tom Murray’s Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad to Mineral from Elbe which, for the prudent, began at the Country Club on a chartered bus featuring a toilet, a liquor permit and a driver who didn’t know the route. Like the Boy Scouts many of us once were, we came prepared– with abundant refreshments, so hardly anyone noticed that we had gone the wrong way. Those tightwads who wouldn’t spend the bus fare impatiently awaited our arrival whereupon we filled every seat on the most elegant of the train’s cars thanks to our having an inside track (pun intended) with Tom Murray and off we went amongst clouds of steam and smoke and whistles. At Mineral, we were regaled with banjos and tubas and barbecued chicken and more beverages. The crowd was more subdued on the rides back to the Country Club. It was a great day; great weather; great fellowship and, best of all, we were home and in bed by dark.
Coming Events- Thanks to our Webmaster John McGowan, henceforth the meetings scheduled for the following three weeks will be posted on the GYRO website at
http://tacomagyro.org/meeting-schedule
and will feature the bios of the speakers and their topics.
Speaker for the September 9 meeting
Randy Black, General Manager of the Lakewood Water District. He has been with the District since 1985 and its General Manager since 1994. He will tell us all about how the District fulfills its mission of providing its customer with water service that meets or exceeds all water quality standards, maintaining policies and practices that benefit the health and welfare of the community. If asked, we predict he will comment on Detroit’s cutting off the water of its customers who don’t pay their bills.
Speaker for the September 16 meeting
Lynn Peterson, Washington State Secretary of the Department of Transportation
Speaker for the September 23 meeting
Colonel Ramona Fiorey, Commander of Madigan Army Medical Center
Friday evening September 26
The GYRO Season Opening Party. The first, but not the last, GYRO
And Gyrette party of the season. Save the date- Details to follow.
Associate Scribe Phil Sloan