Newsletters for the Fall of 2019
and the Spring of 2020

MINUTES OF CASCADE CLUB MEETING APRIL 14, 2020

Greetings  Cascadians!

Today  Dick Muri (our next president) presided over our second ZOOM meeting. About 10 of us met the  technological challenge and joined the meeting and participated.

After watching each other eat lunch and sharing our gains in weight and  attempts to overcome boredom while avoiding  gardening orders from our mates , it was agreed that to energize these virtual meetings,  we should resume having speakers.

Dale Hall immediately suggested Dr. Barry Weled, a pulmonologist as a speaker and called him. Dr. Weled volunteered on the spot to address us NEXT WEEK, April 21. He will bring us up to date on the status of the Corona Virus pandemic here in Pierce County and related concerns.  There could not be a more timely topic .

If you haven’t ZOOMED yet,  next week’s meeting should be a great motivator to become ZOOM savvy.  It is so easy that even this dinosaur scribe  was able to do it by referring to the emails below from John McGowen and Dick Muri.  They will answer your questions by email as well.

There  will be no mailing of this notice, so please share this with others who may not be on our email list.  IF you have jokes which are appropriate and not intended to engender political hostility, you may send them to the membership by forwarding this email and deleting the content.

Phil Sloan, scribe and  aspiring computer consultant.

MINUTES OF CASCADE CLUB MEETING MARCH 10, 2020

Despite the Corona Virus pandemic, an almost average sized group of our age vulnerable band gathered to hear the comments of Keith Galbraith the Director of the Family Renewal Shelter, however, Mr. Galbraith had to postpone his appearance until a later date. Fortunately, Dick Muri, our Vice President is a politician (a recently retired State Representative) so he was glad to step forward and to give us an entertaining and comprehensive review of his life and times.

Dick was raised in Massachusetts. He was a state wrestling champion at 135 pounds in high school and then a college wrestling champion. He also was a successful wrestling coach for many years, all of which led to his being appointed to the National Wrestling Hall of Fame (as confirmed by his special auto license plate).

Dick was a member of the Air Force ROTC in college after which he enlisted in the all- volunteer Air Force. He trained as a navigator which led to his being in the Air Force for over 20 years. He retired as a Lt. Colonel after seeing a great deal of action and receiving many commendations and awards, including induction into the McChord AFB Civilian Hall of Fame. Dick was in charge of the evacuation of 2,300 dependents from the tyranny of Saddam Hussein and directed as many as 400 air drops of food and aid per day to the Kurds.

After retiring from the Air Force, Dick settled in Steilacoom with his wife and kids.

He became heavily involved with Kiwanis. For 7 years, he served on the Steilacoom School Board. In 2003 he was elected to the Pierce County Council and in 2012 ran unsuccessfully for Congress against Denny Heck. In 2008, he was elected to the State House of Representatives where he served until being involuntarily retired in the last election. There were those in the audience who suspect that he will be BAAACK !

He concluded his comments by saying “Life is Good”. We are honored to have Dick Muri as our fellow Cascadian.

(Scribe’s note: Dick bet this scribe $2.00 that Burnie would beat Biden in the primary which was being held on this date. As of the time this going to press, the winner of that bet is not yet known. This scribe offers to sell half of his bet for $1.75)

John West regaled us with several good jokes. Next week is St. Patrick’s Day. Even though New York has cancelled its annual parade, we are still planning on holding a meeting unless we notify you to the contrary. On that day, we are all Irish, whether authentic or temporary and you are encouraged to come with your traditional jokes, old or new. You may also share your photos of kissing the Blarney Stone (unless you were wearing a kilt at that time).

COMING EVENTS

Meeting of March 17, 2010: Dear Cascade members,  I am cancelling our meeting of Tuesday, March 17.  We have older members who do not need to be in crowds and be at risk during this Coronavirus epidemic. Sincerely, Jim Rooks.

Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan, sometimes Irish scribe.

MINUTES OF CASCADE CLUB MEETING OF MARCH 3, 2020

A meager 27 members (corona virus?) attended today, no guests, Jim Rooks presiding.

PROGRAM

Bill Jackson introduced our speaker, Michael Kenneth Hemp, a historian and author of a history book, “Cannery Row,” which contains many amazing historical photographs. Mr. Hemp’s friend, John Steinbeck, also wrote a book, “Cannery Row,” about the characters he encountered there, such as “Doc”, patterned after Ed Ricketts, the central person in Mr. Hemp’s book.

Ed Ricketts was a marine biologist who came from Chicago to Monterey 1923 and made his living selling specimens from tidal pools to schools or whoever needed them. He had a magnetic personality and was surrounded by an orbit of interesting friends.  One of them, Jack Calvin, suggested they write a book about the tidal organisms.  This resulted in trips up and down the Western coast from Canada to Mexico and “Between Pacific Tides,” published in 1939 by Stanford University and now a well-used handbook.  An interesting fact they discovered concerned what organisms could survive together in the tide pools. Puget Sound had the most variety due to not having the wave shock suffered by the rest of the coast.

Mr. Kemp had some interesting stories about the sardine industry in Monterey Bay. The Sicilians drove out the Italians, and the Croatians built the boats, 4-6 of them a year. They fished at night, finding the sardines by their “green flash,” using special nets that could bring in 6 tons at a time. Peak seasons had them catching 200,000 tons a year. Two-thirds of that went into more profitable fertilizer, and they depleted the stock by 1967, ending the industry.

Mr. Hemp and friends chartered the Western Flyer in 1937 from the Croatians. The boat was almost forgotten for many years, but is now in Port Townsend being reconstructed. Mr. Kemp was instrumental in that, and in keeping the exterior historically accurate. He believes it is as historically important as “Old Ironsides.”

WHO IS THAT GUY?

The last time I was scribe I mangled the bio of Jim Kelley. Sorry, Jim. It should have read like this:

Jim Kelley received his undergraduate degree from the University of Oregon and his medical degree from the University of Oregon Medical School. He joined the Army while in medical school and ended up serving for 29 years. He did a year of clinical internship and then a four year residency in pathology at Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu. After a three year assignment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center he was reassigned to Madigan Army medical center where he served for the next 20 years, retiring from active military service in 2000. His positions at Madigan included director of the pathology residency training program, pathology department chief and consultant to the Army Surgeon General for the specialty of pathology.

Upon his military retirement, he was employed by Digestive Health Specialists, a large gastroenterology group in Tacoma, interpreting their gastrointestinal tract biopsies as their pathologist. He retired to play golf full time in 2017.

Today Rob Erb was on the spot. He grew up traveling all over until graduating from high school in Houston in 1968, knew the astronauts. He married, divorced, married Vickie 43 years ago, and their combined four children have produced 20 grandchildren. At age 19 he was in the oil business, often climbing the rigs, something his crew didn’t like to do. He became the youngest registered land surveyor in Washington, but had to close the company’s Tacoma office in the 1982 recession. So he started his own company, selling it in 1985. He was the surveyor for what property got transferred in the Puyallup Tribe land decision, including a lot of the Port of Tacoma parcels. In 1979 he became an aviator, resulting in 15 years in the Civil Air Patrol. He retired 2012, has served on several boards, and as a lobbyist in Olympia.

COMING EVENTS

March 10, 2020 meeting: Our speaker will be Keith Galbraith, Director Family Renewal Shelter; his topic will be “Abuse and Sex Trafficking.” (wonder if he knows what’s in those tiny houses.)

Tuesday June 9, 2020: Mark this date on your calendar; it’s our Spring Fling.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

So, when you RSVP back to a wedding invitation, “maybe next time” isn’t the best response.

Respectfully submitted, Bill Abbott

MINUTES OF CASCADE CLUB MEETING FEBRUARY 25, 2020

Spring is coming, our snowbirds are returning and plans are being made for summer travel. It is a perfect time for Travel Nurse Linda Henslee to tell us how to stay safe and well while traveling abroad. She is with the Travelers Health Service, a service of Infections Limited, a group of specialists of which our fellow Cascadian Peter Marsh is a founding member. Amongst the services provided by a qualified travel nurse are reviews of medical history of clients, reviewing and prescribing medications and administering injections.

Ms. Henslee gave us such a comprehensive summary of the many reasons for visiting a specialist as part of planning to travel abroad that there isn’t space in the newsletter to summarize them, so you are urged to review the website at travel@nwmedicalspecialties.com. The site provides access to many resources such as recommendations for packing, personal medications and supplies, foods and drinks to avoid, vaccines medical needed for your specific itinerary, the need for travel insurance and finding medical care while abroad.

COMING EVENTS

MEETING OF MARCH 3, 2020: Michael Kenneth Hemp, historian and author. He is an authority on the history of Cannery Row and John Steinbeck and their connections with the Northwest. He is involved with the restoration of the fishing vessel Western Flyer. After living in the Monterrey, California area, he now lives in Gig Harbor.

MEETING OF MARCH 10, 2017: Keith Galbraith- Director Family Renewal Shelter

“Abuse and Sex Trafficking”

REMINDER- We still need “Who Are Those Guys” speakers. Please contact Bill Jackson or Jim Rooks to volunteer or you may be commanded to speak extemporaneously.

For a schedule of fall future speakers, check our website: HTTPS:/www.TacomaCascade.org.

Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan, scribe who needs a vacation after he visits a travel nurse

MINUTES OF CASCADE CLUB MEETING  FEBRUARY 18, 2020

At long last, it was a bright and sunny day when another good sized crowd, including guests, turned out to hear Bill Baarsma regale us with stories of his 60 years plus of involvement with the Democratic Party at all levels from being a war protester in the 60s to attending National Conventions, precinct captain, conducting caucuses and Tacoma Councilman for two terms and then Mayor of Tacoma for two terms. He was one of the plaintiffs who lost their case in the U.S. Supreme Court case of Marchioro, et al. v. Cheney, 99 S.Ct.191 (1979) in which the Supreme Court held that the Washington Statute which required a major political party to have a State Committee consisting of only two persons from each county in the state regardless of the county’s population did not violate the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

COMING EVENTS

MEETING OF FEBRUARY 18, 2020: Linda Henslee, Travel Nurse of Infections Limited, P.S. on Infectious Diseases and Travel Medicine.  Our member Peter Marsh M.D. is a founding member of that group.

(Scribe’s note: Had I not visited her just before my last trip to Latin America and had a last minute injection, I would have been denied entry into Nicaragua from Peru).

MEETING OF FEBRUARY 25, 2020: Michael Kenneth Hemp, Historian and Author. He is an authority on the history of Cannery Row and John Steinbeck and their connections with the Northwest. He is involved with the restoration of the fishing vessel Western Flyer. After living for many years in the Monterrey, California area, he now lives in Gig Harbor.

For a schedule of all future speakers, check our website: HTTPS://www.TacomaCascade.org.

Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan, politics weary scribe

MINUTES OF CASCADE CLUB MEETING FEBRUARY 11, 2020

There were 40 attendees, including 2 guests, Jim Rooks presiding. Rich Wall brought his wife, Sandy, to hear their grandson speak, and Tom Morgan brought his West Point classmate, Tom Maliska, who lives in Steilacoom.

PROGRAM

Rich Wall introduced our speaker, his grandson, SPC4 Tanner Bush, from the 2nd Bn 75th Ranger Regt, who gave us an idea of what it’s like to be a PFC and “lower than whale shit” in the Rangers.

SPC4 Bush graduated in 2017 from Bellarmine, a Roman Catholic high school in Tacoma, did extremely well in Boys State and Boys Nation, and achieved Eagle Scout. He decided he wanted a little more maturity before college and fewer school loans so enlisted with the option of getting into the Rangers. Besides his grandfather, both parents served with duty overseas; it runs in the family.

He completed basic training September 2017, airborne school in December. After completing the Ranger Assessment and Selection Program (RASP), he went to Special Ops training, a course where half his class didn’t graduate, an half of those are no longer qualified. His grandfather saved him from going into the 3rd Battalion Intelligence Unit, Fort Benning, by knowing someone who helped him get to the infantry in the 2nd Battalion of the 75th Ranger Regiment. This might make sense to a few military; he explained it but I couldn’t keep up. Anyway, he was sent to Syria for a three-fold mission:

1.  Combat ISIS
2.  Support the Delta Force Unit, an elite group of the best from all services; and
3. Train the Kurds.

He preferred the first two, where he could blow up stuff, but didn’t really get to do much. He ended up teaching Kurds how to fight, sometimes more dangerous than missions, and found he enjoyed it. So much so that after he gets his B.S. before his enlistment ends, he intends to study International Relations.

Answering questions: No, you can’t always separate the bad guys from the good; the Kurds are resilient, stellar warriors; and he successfully evaded politics.

WHO IS THAT GUY?

Jim Kelley went to the Univ. of Oregon medical school, joining the Army as a 2Lt, and serving 29 years. He did his internship at an Army hospital, discovered he didn’t really like to serve patients, so went to pathology school in Honolulu.

After a stint at Walter Reed he ran the training program at Madigan from 1980 to 2000, retiring from the Army.

Going back to work as a gastroenterologist, he retired again in 2017. He explained how the pathology field includes hematology, microbiology, chemistry, and other sciences, joking that “A surgeon does everything but knows n thing; a pathologist knows everything but does nothing.”

COMING PROGRAMS

Feb. 18, 2020: Bill Baarsma, a former Tacoma mayor, was the plaintiff in a 1st Amendment case that went to the Supreme Court. He’ll explain how the case now affects our primary elections. A presentation for which you may wish to bring guests.

Feb. 25, 2020: (assuming I looked this up correctly) Linda Henslee tells us about infectious disease and travel medicine. Coronavirus maybe?

Respectfully submitted, Bill Abbott

MINUTES OF CASCADE CLUB MEETING OF FEBRUARY 4, 2020

On yet another rainy day, the largest group in recent weeks turned out to hear Dr. Kim Mebust, Neurologist and Director of Multicare’s Sleep Medicine Group update us on advances in sleep medicine, a topic of relevance for almost all of us. We had three guests: Bud Winter introduced Steve Bowden; Jim Rooks introduced Cobb Laslie and Jack Cunningham, introduced his wife, Maggie.

Dr. Mebust gave us an interesting, but for those of us who were hoping for “quick and easy” solutions for our sleep problems, a disappointing review of the devices and potions which are being offered today, many of which border on quackery. For those with Obstructive Sleep Apnea, C-PAPs are still effective but their effectiveness is hampered by the hoses and pumps. Tetherless C-PAPs are not available. Common medications for insomnia such as Ambien are no longer deemed to be as effective as earlier believed. Some such medications should be avoided by older people, a concern which some of us may one day have to consider. There are medications under development which show promise, but which have not yet been approved.

Dr. Mebust recommends behavioral change therapy, but older people may resist. We should avoid blue light from electronic devices, such as computers. For some, sleep problems are caused by a vitamin deficiency. Excessive napping can interfere with sleep later. For others, sleep disorders are genetically caused. Stretching before bedtime is recommended for restless leg syndrome and cramping. This scribe was so discouraged by the lack of a magical cure that he went home and took a long nap.

COMING EVENTS

MEETING of February 11, 2020: PFC Tanner Bush, 275^th Ranger

Division (and grandson of our recent past president, Rich Wall) Experiences of a 2017 Bellarmine Graduate in a Ranger Battalion in Northern Syria.

Our “Who Are Those Guys” presenter will be our newest member Dr. Jim Kelley.

Meeting of February 18, 2020: To be announced. For this and all future speakers, check our website: HTTPS://www.TacomaCascade.org.

REMINDER

The TC&GC has increased the price of lunch to $16 effective February 1, 2020. If you underpaid last week, please add $1 to your next meal.

Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan, sleep deprived scribe.

MINUTES OF CASCADE CLUB MEETING OF JANUARY 28, 2020
Despite the spellbinding (just kidding) impeachment hearings and the seemingly never ending days of rain (not kidding), a good sized crowd, including two guests, gathered to hear Joel Kachmerak, head groundskeeper of TC&GC tell us the how the grounds of the golf course evolved to their world famous present day state. Despite having a degree in agronomy, he modestly describes himself as a high tech farmer, but after hearing his fascinating presentation, it is obvious that he is much more; he is a terrific storyteller, historian and landscape artist who loves his job where he has worked for most of the years since 1993. Millions of years ago, this area was covered by the

Cordilleran Ice Sheet which, as it retreated, created the core prairie soil which ultimately led to its unique habitat for flora and fauna, including the ancient Garry Oak Trees which are found only here. The first golfing started in 1892 in an area near the present course which was known as Eisenbies Cow Pasture. Although there are some skeptics who argue that the Club was only the second golf course formed west of the Mississippi, it has proclaimed itself to be the oldest.

COMING EVENTS

Meeting of February 4, 2020: Dr. Kim Mebust, Neurologist and Director of Multicare Sleep Medicine:

“Advances in Sleep Medicine”. (Notice to Chuck Hellar, our next treasurer, this program is for you!)

Meeting of February 11, 2020: PFC Tanner Bush, 275^th Ranger Division (and grandson of our former President Rich Wall):

“Experiences of a 2017 Bellarmine Graduate in a Ranger Battalion in Northern Syria”.

Welcome to our newest member, Dr. Jim Kelley

Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan, water- logged scribe.

MINUTES OF CASCADE MEETING OF JANUARY 21, 2020

The string of excellent programs remained unbroken with the presentation by Jason Whalen, Deputy Mayor of The City of Lakewood. Mr. Whalen gave us an enthusiastic review of the achievements of Lakewood in 2019 and he even made sense of its branding slogan for 2020: “Build Your Better Here.” The city completed and has several projects underway to enhance the livability for its residents and its financial stability. Lakewood’s population has remained stable, its crime rates are down and there is an atmosphere of optimism about the future. For specifics about the plans and projects of Lakewood, go to its website at “City of Lakewood.us.” Mr. Whalen is so enthusiastic about the improved livability of Lakewood that he almost convinced those of us who are not Lakewood residents to consider moving there.

Coming Events

Meeting of January 28, 2020: Joel Kachmerak, Grounds Manager of Tacoma Country and Golf Club on “The Early History of TCGC.”
Meeting of February 4, 2020: Dr. Kim Mebust, Neurologist and Director of Multicare Sleep Medicine on “Advances in Sleep Medicine.”

Revised Procedure for Applying for Membership:

Prospective members must attend two meetings and then submit an application for membership which will be evaluated by the Board. If the application is tentatively approved, the name of the applicant will be published in our newsletter. Any member who objects to the admission of an applicant, must so notify the Cascade Club President within 7 days after the applicant’s name is published. The final decision regarding admission will be made by the board.

Under the sponsorship of President Jim Rooks, Dr. Jim Kelley has applied and his application has been tentatively approved by the board. Any member with objections or questions must notify President Rooks on or before Friday January 31, 2020.

IN MEMORIUM

With condolences to their wives and families, we sadly announce the loss of two of our long-time members in December: Al Bacon, member since 2004 and Ron Pemberton, member since 1985. They will be missed.

Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan, scribe.

MINUTES OF CASCADE CLUB MEETING OF January 14, 2020

For reasons which those of us who grew up in other parts of the country do not understand, folks in this area are notoriously timid about driving whenever there is even a threat of snow, so a smaller group than usual gathered to hear an enlightening presentation by Lorraine M. Ralston of the U.S. Census Bureau. She reviewed the history of and reasons for the Census. It is taken every 10 years by mandate of the US Constitution. (Article 1, section 2) on April 1 in years which are multiples of 10. The first census was taken in 1790 at which time the population of the US was 4 million, including 700,000 slaves. Although the census results are utilized in many ways, contrary to popular belief, its only purpose is to count the population of each state for determining the number of Congressional

Representatives of each State. The Federal Government distributes 675 Billion dollars to the states based on those numbers.

There will be substantial changes in 2020 as to how the census is taken. The historic door-to-door visits by census takers will occur only as a last resort. The primary mode of gathering the counts will be through self-responding via the internet and toll-free telephone numbers. The answers for all persons living in a single residence may be given by only one person. There are multiple means to prevent people from being counted twice. Only 10 simple questions are asked.

No questions regarding citizenship are included. The Bureau is hiring thousands of people on a temporary basis at a good wage- if you are interested, call 1-855-Job2020. For more information, go to the website at www.2020census.gov/iobs.

Our ^t‘WHO ARE THOSE GUYS” speaker was Dave Sheean. We all know better, so Dave failed in trying to convince us that he has lived a boring normal life.

COMING EVENTS:

MEETING OF JANUARY 21,2020•. Jason Whalen, Deputy Mayor of Lakewood: “Build Your Better Here — Lakewood’s Forward Momentum”.

MEETING OF JANUARY 28, 2020: Joel Kachmerak, Grounds Manager

Tacoma Country and Golf Club. “Early history of TCGC”

THE FIRST CASCADE CLUB NEWSLETTER OF 2020 (and the last for 2019).

We were in recess on December 10, 24, 31 and January 7. Our last meeting was on 12/17/19 when our speaker was Michael Mirra, Director of the Tacoma Housing Authority, (THA). With apologies to Mr. Mirra, because this scribe is an Octagenarian and the TC&GC generously served us with our traditional holiday wine tasting, my notes now are totally illegible and my memory has faded, so for details of the fine work of the THA, please go to the website of the THA and refer to the Message from the Director and the statements of Vision, Mission and Values. To the (pleasant) surprise of most of us, we learned that the THA is not a welfare agency, but rather has the primary mission of providing affordable housing and supportive services to persons and families in need.

Mr. Mirra’s presentation left us feeling confident that the THA is doing good work while being “careful stewards of the public and private financial and environmental resources”.

MIDYEAR COMMENTS FROM PRESIDENT JIM ROOKS

At the request of the senior of our two scribes Phil Sloan, Esq. and his associate Bill Abbott, Esq. I am writing to let the club know my gratitude for the great year we are having and more to come. Thank you Bill Jackson for the outstanding speakers you have arranged for us, they have been great and well received. Thanks to Vice President Dick Muri for his always enthusiastic approach especially this year in helping us get new members into the club. I hope everyone is checking the Tacoma Cascade Club group on FaceBook. I must give an especial shout out of praise to Rick Carr for his 29 years of serving the Club as treasurer, and his amazing leadership in setting up our two social events. We are also very grateful to Chuck Hellar for taking on the treasurer job next year. Dr. Mike Jones has lent very valuable assistance with much work for the club that at times goes unseen. I am also so grateful for the support of the other members of our board Bud Winter, Drs. Dale Hall, Carroll Simpson, Dave Cotant, and Mr. Dave Sheean for keeping us laughing. Thank you also past President Colonel Rich Wall for “drafting” me into this I really enjoy this club. Lastly and definitely most important thank you to the Club’s Membership for your support, attendance, and cogent advice at times (which I often need). I look forward to a great second half of the year. – Jim Rooks

COMING EVENTS

Meeting of January 14, 2020: Lorraine Ralston, Partnership Specialist, US Census Bureau:  Topic:   Census 2020

Meeting of January 21, 2020: Jason Whalen, Deputy Mayor of Lakewood

“Build your better here”- Lakewood’s Forward Momentum (This is not a typo)

Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan, nervous scribe who is hoping our veterans are not activated

CASCADE CLUB MEETING MINUTES OF DEC. 3, 2019

On another gloomy day, 31 members and one guest were treated to a thought provoking presentation by Colonel Andrew “Andy” Watson. the Deputy Commanding Officer of the 5 th Security Forces Assistance Brigade. It is the newest unit assigned to JBLM. Its mission is to deploy in support of a Combatant Commander, integrate with foreign partner forces, assist and advise local security operations to build partner security capacity and achieve regional security in support of US National interests. The U.S. is competing with China and Russia for the loyalty of our partner nations throughout the world. The brigade is composed of experienced volunteer officers and enlisted personnel of the rank of sergeant or higher. They are highly trained and motivated and are distinct from Special Forces such as Green Berets, Navy Seals and Marine Raiders. They wear brown berets to emphasize they are “down in the mud” with conventional forces. Col. Watson reminded us that we live in a dangerous world with adversarial threats from 4 major states, Russia, China, factions in the Mideast and North Korea. We should all be grateful that men and women such as Col. Watson are on our side.

COMING EVENTS

There will be no meetings on December 10*, December 24, December 31 and January 7.

*December 10

Christmas Party at Tacoma Country and Golf Club –

Cocktails 6:00 PM – Dinner at 7:15 PM.

Your check along with your food choices will complete your reservation.

Please send your check ($80 per person or $160 per couple) immediately in the mail to Cascade Club, P. O. Box 39393, Lakewood, WA 98496.

The food choices are Slow Roasted Prime Rib, Chicken Cordon Bleu or Chilean Sea Bass.
Black Tie attire is optional. Dancing (not mandatory) to the music of a disc jockey.

Meeting of December 17, 2019 (Our last meeting of 2019): Michael
Mirra, Executive Director, Tacoma Housing Authority on the History and Status of the Tacoma Housing Authority.

Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan, scribe- with thanks to President Jim
Rooks for assisting in summarizing the talk by Col. Watson.

CASCADE CLUB MEETING MINUTES OF NOV. 26, 2019

An enthusiastic group, including Ward Fletcher, a guest who returned for the second time, gathered to hear from a representative of the Census Bureau, but alas, she failed to show. However, we were treated to a great program because our “Who are those guys” speaker was Wally Labrie.  Wally was born in Canada 92 years ago.  As a boy, his family migrated to the US, but for bureaucratic reasons, he was briefly deported back to Canada. His family settled in the Great Northwest. When he was a teenager, he enlisted in the military and served in WW II and was an engineer on ships and later in the merchant marine. He traveled to many ports of the world. His shipboard duties usually required him to perform maintenance while in port, so he did not get to spend much time enjoying the amenities of the countries they visited. Wally met his wife when she was serving as a shipboard nurse. After their careers at sea ended, they moved to this area where they raised their family. Wally enjoyed success in the insurance business, in real estate and banking. Later he devoted much of his time to charitable work and was deeply involved in developing and as a board member of what is now St. Clair’s Hospital in Lakewood.

Our “Who are those Guys” program was started at the suggestion of Chuck Foster. It has been a great success.  By sharing our life stories, our membership has drawn closer. As one member commented after hearing Wally’s talk, “Who needs outside speakers?” Another said he did not realize what an impressive membership we have until hearing our members’ life stories.  The combination of outside speakers and our own members has made this a great time to be a Cascadian.  Bill Jackson, Dave Sheean and Dick Muri deserve special recognition for arranging for speakers, but they need your suggestions for future speakers.

COMING EVENTS

Meeting of December 3. 2019: Col. Andrew Watson, Deputy Commander, 5^th Security Forces Assistance Brigade JBLM. His nearly 23 years of service have taken him to postings around the US and across the globe with service in Kuwait, Iraq, Germany and Afghanistan.

There will be no meetings on December 10*, December 24, December 31 and January 7.

*December 10- Christmas Party at Tacoma Country and Golf Club- Cocktails 6:00 PM – Dinner at 7:15 PM.  Your check along with your food choices will complete your reservation, however your check ($80 per person or $160 per couple) must be received by Rick Carr in person at the meeting of December 3 or in the mail by December 5  at Cascade Club, P. O. Box 39393, Lakewood, WA 98496 .  The food choices are Slow Roasted Prime Rib, Chicken Cordon Bleu or Chilean Sea Bass.  Black Tie attire is optional. Dancing to the music of a disc jockey. 

Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan, scribe- who forgot that Thanksgiving was this week,  so once again he apologizes for being tardy in getting this to the printer, hence for those of you who are not Luddites, this is also being sent to you by email.   

COMBINED MINUTES OF CASCADE CLUB

MEETINGS OF NOVEMBER 12 AND 19, 2019

On November 12, more than 30 of us assembled to hear Mark Dolan tell us of his work with the   Freedom Foundation which according to its website, FreedomFoundation.Com, is the best “Union Opt-Out resource in the nation. He said the Teachers and other educators’ unions have been buying elections with the single point agenda of growing the government. While Mr. Dolan focuses on diminishing the power of the unions, the Foundation’s agendas also include Education, Labor, Litigation and Local Government.  

At the meeting of November 19, Ms. Chris Dobler, CEO and founder of Dobler Realty Property Management, the largest rental property management company in Pierce  County  (with 5,600 rental units under its management) and Heather Pierce of the Rental Housing Association of Washington shocked  us with a review of  the State of Washington Residential Landlord Tenant Laws effective as of July 28, 2019 and highlights of new regulations enacted by various cities and counties as well. As an example, the new City of Tacoma Renters’ Packet is 30 pages long.  A summary of the new Washington State laws is attached.  

Once again, we had no volunteers for our Who Are Those Guys? speakers so the Board must now resort to extreme measures to conscript “volunteers”  who haven’t  spoken previously and those who refuse will be sentenced to being bound to a hard chair by duct tape and forced to watch the “talking Heads” on the network television shows for 8 hours non-stop without libations or cookies or listening to 30 minutes of Dave Sheean’s jokes. We want to learn more about you—especially you newer members.  

Speaking of New Members, welcome to Rob Erb, introduced by Chuck Foster, and Steve O’Connell introduced by Mike Jones.   

COMING EVENTS

Meeting of November 26: Loraine M. Ralston, Partnership Specialist U.S. Census Bureau.  “The 2020 Census.”  

ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY

December 10, 2019 at Tacoma Country and Golf Club.   Black Tie Optional. Cocktails 6:00 PM – Dinner 7:15 PM.   Music and Dancing until your feet give out.  

Dinner Choices:  Slow roasted Prime Rib, Chicken Cordon Bleu or Chilean Sea Bass.  

Make your reservation by sending your (valid) check for $160 per couple or $80 single along with your dinner choices no later than December 3 to Cascade Club, P O Box 39393, Lakewood, WA 98496.  

Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan,  scribe, who apologizes for missing the deadline for sending the November 13th newsletter to the printer because, upon turning 80 years old,  he overslept while dreaming about taking his date, Sara  Brownell, on his 16th birthday to McDonald’s even though he could not afford it.  

Washington Residential Landlord Tenant Laws

A landlord may apply a payment to non-rent Any charge can be considered “rent” as A landlord may have a court order

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© Rental Housing Association of Washington 2019 I Revised 5/9/19

McDonald’s® Golden Archives 630.623.2345

MAY I HAVE YOUR ORDER PLEASE? MAY I HELP YOU M’AM (SIR)?

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THANK YOU FOR COMING TO McDONALD’S

THANK YOU, PLEASE CALL AGAIN CS-8961

In good faith, Phil

2

MINUTES OF CASCADE CLUB MEETING OF NOVEMBER 5, 2019

On a beautiful Fall Day, thanks to our Vice President Dick Muri, our band of septuagenariuims and above assembled to hear a witty and thought – provoking presentation from Todd Myers, Executive Director of The Washington Policy Center, a non-profit think tank.  (Scribe’s note:  Wikipedia defines “think tank”  as a research  policy institute which performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military technology and culture. It has been noted  that many talking heads on TV spawned in think tanks.)   

Mr. Myers said his Policy Center tends to offer advice which is “center right”. Amongst other topics, he has opined on salmon and water rights issues, efficiency of “green schools” and environmental policies with the goal of empowering individuals to achieve  better public policies based on free -market solutions- and doing more with less. For more information, go to WPC@WASHINGTONPOLICY.ORG.  

There was no “Who are those Guys” speaker so, absent a volunteer next week, President Jim Rooks will pick one at random and, should he refuse, he will be required to wash the dishes.   

COMING EVENTS

Meeting of November 12, Mark Dolan of the Freedom Foundation on Workers’ rights and the Government- Public Union Influence Circle 

Meeting of November 17, Chris Dobler, CEO and founder of Dobler Realty Property Management on recent laws surrounding rental management  

December 10-  Annual  Christmas Party.   Rick Carr is arranging the BIG EVENT of the Year. Details to follow.  

Reminder, The Board of Directors meets at 11:15 in the Board Room on the third Tuesday of each month. The next meeting will be on November 19.  

Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan, scribe- who has never been asked to join a think tank.  

MINUTES OF CASCADE CLUB MEETING OF OCTOBER 29, 2019

There were about 30 members attending today and two guests: Dick Muri’s brother, Ed, From Hopkinton, MA, where the Boston Marathon starts; and Bill Abbott’s son, Jay, from Indianapolis, IN, home of the Indianapolis 500. Quite a ways to come, gentlemen, thank you.

PROGRAM

Our club Vice President, Dick Muri, a retired USAF LtCol and a past state representative, told us how to increase membership by using Facebook. As an example, Dick became the membership chair of the Kiwanis Club about 15 years ago, discovered Facebook 10 years ago, and there are now 975 people in their Facebook group.The club has a healthy 149 members and last year added 31 more, 29 of them from Facebook.  He asked everyone under the age of 70 to raise their hands. I didn’t see any hands, although there might have been someone. Man, are we getting old. He encouraged us to post any deeds, especially fun ones, on our Facebook page, which can be found at facebook.com/groups/CascadeClubofTacoma. You may have to use the search block to type in “Cascade Club of Tacoma.” If there’s problems, call Dick. Right now, we only have 27 Facebook members and need some younger club members, via Facebook possibly. Dick has started and managed around 20 Facebook groups. To gain members, just: (1) Invite potential members to join our Facebook group. It’s free and easy to do, then (2) Communicate with them in a different way as encouragement. Nothing they have to do but enjoy the people at their table and the speaker; three choices for lunch; $15.00.

CLUB HISTORY

At our last board meeting, Dave Sheehan and Rick Carr brought up some interesting history about the Cascade Club. One thing that caught my ear was that some years ago, five past presidents of the Rotarians joined, having enough of service and wanting to be in a less do-good group. From hence came our motto, “Self before service.” We’re definitely a less do-good group. But nice.

COMING PROGRAMS

November 5: Todd Myers, Director, Center for the Environment, WA Policy Center, will present “A contrary view of the environment.” Sounds dangerous but interesting.
November 12: Mark Dalan, Freedom Foundation, on workers’ rights and the Government-Public
Union Influence circle. This should be another controversial talk.
December 10: Our annual Christmas Party, a chance to bring wives and enjoy the season.
Details will follow; Rick Carr is presently working on the price.

Respectfully submitted, Bill Abbott

MINUTES OF CASCADE CLUB MEETING OF OCTOBER 22, 2019

We had a packed house of 38 people, among which were three guests: Mike Gross, sponsored by Randy Lindblad; Col (ret) Mike Swalko, sponsored by Dick Muri; and Ward Fletcher, sponsored by Jim Rooks. In addition, our speaker, LtGen Gary J. Volesky brought three aides: LCol Brian Panaro, Maj Nick Mumm, and Capt Zach May, all quite personable and a joy to have as guests. Jim Rooks presided, but didn’t deter Dave Sheehan from telling a joke.

PROGRAM

Bill Jackson has already published LtGen Volesky’s impressive bio, so it’s needless to say that he’s been to so many foreign hot spots, he has blisters on his blisters, and has so many medals they named a quarry after him. What may surprise you is that he’s from Spokane and graduated from Eastern Washington, not West Point. His wife, LeAnn, is from Yakima and graduated from Central Washington. He’s also had postgraduate work at Princeton and others.

LtGen Volesky told us about America’s First Corps, which he commands, some 44,000 soldiers. He takes pride that they are trained to go anywhere at the drop of a hat. As an example, the ones stationed in Hawaii are sent to Alaska for training, and vice versa, which reminded me of my old Navy detailer and my duty requests. At any rate, 4000 soldiers are deployed to South Pacific areas 10 months a year. Their mission, among others, is to deter China by establishing Regional Security Cooperation among eleven other countries China plans to dominate, among which are Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and Mongolia.

He presented a map of a circular area including China, Japan, and Indonesia, which is only a small part of the world, but has more people than the rest of the world, one half of tonnage shipped, and one-third of the world’s gross national product. He pointed out the two island chains southeast of China, where China is trying to create a barrier to U.S. influence. Not too long ago, LtGen Volesky went to Korea 5 times, thinking there was going to be a war. China wants North Korea as a border barrier to free enterprise, so helps very little with Kim Jong-Un, Mr. Rocket Man.

After 36 years in the Army, LtGen Volesky’s enthusiasm for the job has not diminished. He says that the soldiers are more important than the equipment, and that half of them leave after their first enlistment. He wants them to gain college educations, develop leadership potential, and really “Be the best they can be.” Only about 25% of the population qualify to be a soldier, and recruiters compete with businesses for them.

One of the questions was about the middle east. Considering all the century-old, tribal hatreds, how do you determine mission? LtGen Volesky said, “By the vital interests of our country, as determined by our civilian leaders, whom I trust.” A good answer for a true soldier.

CLUB BUSINESS

Last week’s minutes omitted our Board meeting. I don’t recall what we did exactly, but it was important.

COMING PROGRAMS

Next week Dick Muri will explain social media, a mystery to many of us, and how it can go with membership. When someone asks about the club, he suggests saying, “We’re a group of older, professional men who meet regularly to discuss topical events. We enjoy lunch, a knowledgable speaker, jokes, life stories, and fellowship. Our motto is ‘Self before service’.” If you can’t remember that, try “a bunch of good guys.”

The following week, 5 November, Tod Myers, Director, Center for the Environment, WA Policy Center, will present, “A contrary view of the environment.”

Respectfully submitted by co-scribe Bill Abbott

MINUTES OF CASCADE CLUB MEETING OF OCTOBER 15, 2019

There were 25 members and 3 guests attending today’s meeting. Two of the guests are proposed new members: Steve O’Connell, sponsored by Mike Jones; and Rob Erb, sponsored by Charles Foster. The third guest was Jim Gallinatti’s wife, Linda. Jim Rooks, presiding, warned Dave about telling any of his usual jokes. Thank you, Linda.

PROGRAM

There was no program since our speaker, the publisher of the Tacoma Weekly News, didn’t show up. Instead, as a fill-in, we had:

WHO IS THAT GUY?

Chuck Hellar, that’s who. Chuck explained that he is a local product, born at Tacoma General and living near Stadium High School. He attended Lowell Elementary and Mason Middle School, playing football when an earthquake occurred. He ran for the school building, but decided that wasn’t a good idea as the bricks began to fall. He also ran for Secretary for some group, but was beat out by our present club treasurer, Rick Carr, whom he’s almost forgiven.

Sent across country to the Lawrenceville Prep School, he was an All State football player, vice president of the acting club, and appeared in a variety show doing the can can. Along the way he attended an event where he met Joe Dimaggio and Kyle Rote.

On to Yale, where he expected to play football. During one game his Freshman year, one of the coaches said, “Stand up, Hellar. Okay, send the bench in,” or some such thing. (This scribe is hard of hearing and sometimes feeble-minded, so please forgive him if the facts aren’t quite right.) At any rate, Chuck decided he’d play rugby the next three years.

After some odd jobs Chuck started working for the Bank of Washington in 1969, having graduated from banking school with honors and his paper accepted into their library. An attempt to unionize the University branch of this inter-state bank was successfully resisted. In 1985 he moved to the Bank of Tacoma. From 1989-1994, he worked at New York Life, a job which, as Chuck put it, “sucked.”

Chuck and his partner, Al Linden, bought out Taylor Office Supply, renaming it Chuckals Office Products, after their first names. They were told it was a bad idea, as they would be competing against the incoming Office Depot. They grew their business by buying up small companies who brought their customers with them, and also by good service. Instead of hounding the receptionist, their salesmen would ask, “What time of the week do you want me to call?” Instead of piling the purchases by the door on on the receptionist’s deck, the delivery men put them where the receptionist said. The business went from $300K a year to $12M.

In 2010 Chuck sold his half of the business to his partner, had both knees replaced, and retired. Since then he takes great pride in giving back to the community. He’s been in Rotary since 1977 and was Rotarian of the Year in 1998. He’s been involved in several projects: Park next to Lobster Shop, started First Harvest, and Tree House housing. Among the boards he’s served on are National Office Products Association, Lakewold Gardens, Goodwill, Multicare Foundation, Chamber of Commerce, and Pt. Defiance Garden Show. He has chaired American Heart Associati Art Auction, Zoobilee, and served on others. A true community asset.

He likes to play golf and travel. He and his wife of 52 years, Suzanne, have a daughter and son and two granddaughters.

COMING PROGRAMS:

October 22: LtGen Volesky, Commander I Corps, previously Commander of 101 Airborne, will give us some insight on the Army and current programs.

October 29: Dick Muri, vice president of our club, will show us how to obtain members by using social media. There must be some trickery to it, but he says it’s easy. We presently have 80 members and have a limit of 100. Of our members, there are 24 who are members of the Cascade Web Site, and everyone should be. Go to www.TacomaCascade.org.

Respectfully submitted by scribe Bill Abbott (Phil is seeing doctors.)

Minutes of Cascade Club Meeting of October 8, 2019

Thank you, Jim, for filling in last week for the legal, but delinquent scribes. Your epistle was clear as a whistle. But come on. Lame jokes, indeed! Our jokes are knee-slappers. Well, okay, Dave may evoke a groan or two from those of us who are not as attuned to sexy jokes, but we haven’t had a death threat for two, three weeks.

Vice President Dick Muri skillfully presided over the meeting, but only 25 Cascadians showed up to hear an excellent presentation on what’s going on around Tacoma, projects-wise, by Marty Stump, Deputy Director for Planning & Development, Metro Parks Tacoma.

A landscape architect, Marty came back to Tacoma from a 15-year hiatus in Austin, Texas, in time for construction to start June 2016 on the Dune Peninsula, a new park by the old ASARCO Smelter. The park opened July 2019, and if you haven’t seen it, you should. It has an amphitheater, great views, benches, and some odd but realistic displays from the Public Art Program.

ASARCO started a lead smelter in 1888 on the site, changing to a copper smelter in 1890. Remember the smokestack that came down in 1993 as part of a Superfund toxic cleanup. At one time it extended to 571 feet to protect the surrounding trees from its smoke and was the largest in the world. ASARCO created the peninsula by dumping its slag or metallic waste product into the Puget Sound. At the time everyone approved of this, so as to create a yacht basin. Unfortunately, the toxic by-products of the smelting, lead and arsenic, polluted the town of Ruston and some of Tacoma, caused a lawsuit, and a major clean-up of topsoil, still going on today.

Can you imagine any other city spending millions of dollars on a pile of slag? They leveled it out, capped it with a geotextile membrane, added several feet of topsoil, created benches, walks, parking lot and some art, and voila, the 11-acre Dune Peninsula Park. The land rose some 12 feet, making a shorter stairway to the Yacht Club. They also added a 605 foot “skywalk,” or pedestrian bridge, called Wilson Way after former Executive Director Jack C. Wilson of Metro Parks, which takes bicycles and walkers from Point Ruston to Point Defiance. There are six slides that will let you descend 60 feet rather quickly to the yacht basin boat area, and stairs to climb back if necessary. The Frank Herbert Trail loops around the peninsula, providing a scenic walk to top it off. He wrote the book “Dune,” and quotations from the book will be imbedded in the trail.

Other projects include: the roundabout into Pt. Defiance Park, connecting some eight streets and eliminating a daredevil, teeth-chattering crossing; the aquarium at the zoo; Swan Creek Park near Salishan; Dickman Mill with its big saw in an artist’s display; conservatory renovation at Wright’s Park; an update of Titlow Park; and continued work on the Waterway Park. At Owens Beach, a children’s play area is being constructed and the parking lot is being pulled back to accommodate an estimated 3 foot water rise by the end of the century.

With all these projects, good contractors are in short supply. In fact, the workers for one contractor arrived one day and found they hadn’t brought any shovels. They called their supervisor to advise them of the problem, and he said, “Don’t worry. We’ll send them out. Just lean on each other until they get there.”

Coming attractions are:

October 15: John Weymer, Publisher of the Tacoma Weekly News, the trade paper for the marijuana side of the business. I’m not sure what’s on the other side; and

October 22: LtGen Volesky, Commander of I-Corp at Fort Lewis.

Respectfully submitted by one of the wayward scribes, Bill Abbott

Minutes of Cascade Club Meeting of October 1, 2019

Well, we had another great meeting to be described below; however, your humble non-scribe must describe why as your drafted VP, now current President  am writing this epistle. So there I was yesterday at 0530 sittin’ in my favorite chair, skinny, dumb, and happy drinking Mrs. Folger’s coffee fixin’ to go out for a run, when suddenly a message appears in my email from our scribe.  The associate scribe nowhere to be found. (They are both lawyers I must point out.)  Here’s that message:   “Jim, I now have a medical appt tomorrow around the noon hour. Please conscript a volunteer to scribe. Thx.”

So, as everyone knows we are “Self above Service” and as a corollary “Never VOLUNTEER for anything.”  Hence I knew the predicament I was now in and the chances of obtaining a volunteer, so here goes.  We had a good turnout and we were treated to an outstanding talk on the Battle of the Bulge, Bastogne,  and the March into Germany by our own Past President Colonel Rich Wall, US Army (Ret.)   Rich’s enthusiasm for the topic was indeed infectious and not one person left before the conclusion!!  Of note Rich is a first rate Military Historian (along with fellow member LCol Tom Morgan, US Army (Ret.)  Rich as one of his assignments in a long Army career was at  the USMA West Point where he was Professor of Military History.  He brought great handouts and gave us information about the chaos at the beginning of the German’s attack.  He related stories of some cowardice, but overwhelming stories of bravery and sacrifice with so many giving the ultimate.  He related stories of great interest of the interactions of our top generals especially Eisenhower, Patton, Bradley, and the British General Montgomery.

One of the many volunteer activities Rich performs is leading tours of the Battle fields of Europe, and he told us the touching story of how two Belgian teenagers he met in the ‘80s found the remains of Lt. L.O. Holloway who was killed in the battle leading the identification of the LT’s remains bringing  closure for his surviving sister. Rich has kept up with these men who went on to find many more remains that were identified.  Those of us who have been in subsequent wars (i.e. Vietnam) and lost comrades know what an immense blessing this is for families. Google Belgian Diggers and check out their website at soldiersangelsgermany.blogspot.com. for further information about these fabulous Belgian friends of America.   Thank you Rich for this very interesting talk.

We had no visitors this week. Chuck Heller will be the “Who are these Guys” speaker.  The program was so interesting there was no time for our usual lame jokes.

COMING EVENTS

Meeting of October 8, 2019:  Marty Stump,  Director of Development for Metro Parks projects on the Design and development of the Dunes park on the site of the Tacoma Smelter.

Meeting of October 15, 2019:  John Weymer, Publisher and Matt Engle, Editor, Tacoma Weekly News:, The newspaper representing  Marijuana Growers and Retail Stores .

Respectfully Submitted, Jim Rooks, M.D. Cascade Club President  and reluctant substitute Scribe

MINUTES OF CASCADE CLUB MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 24,2019

Twenty-nine members and three guests attended the meeting.

PROGRAM

Recent news concerned an individual who tried to get psychiatric help at the new, $45M mental health facility, the Wellfound Behavioral Health Hospital at 3402 S 19th St., Scheduled to open last May. He was turned down due to a 0 bed availability and committed suicide.

Our speaker, Debbie Cockrill, a 25-year TNT reporter, investigating this, informed us the need for psychiatric beds is dire. We should have 50 available beds for every 100,000 people. Washington has 7.6M people, including 63,000 schizophrenics and 127,000 people with a bipolar disorder. It had a total of 1220 beds in 2010, which went down to 729 in 2016. To add to this problem, Western State Hospital lost its accreditation last summer, and St. Joseph’s converted its 23 psychiatric beds to acute care. Of all the states, we rank near the bottom.

To address this problem, two new hospitals are planned:

1. Wellfound, with 120 beds, built but accreditation put on pause until such things as bathroom doors and badge entry system are corrected; and
2. Tacoma Signature Health Care, with 105 beds, with a projected cost of $42.5M, not yet built. It is being held up by zoning approval by City Council and problems of the owner and founder, Soon K. Kim, who has 16 facilities in 6 states. He recently lost a case in California, damages in excess of $13M, for sexual misconduct in one of his facilities.

Accreditation must be obtained from the Joint Commission for Hospitals and other agencies. A big factor is lack of staff and psychiatrists. To remedy this, a $33M behavioral teaching facility is planned for the
UW.

WHO ARE THESE GUYS?

There were no volunteers for this meeting, but we’ll hear from Chuck Heller next week.

COMING PROGRAMS

On October 1, our own Rich Wall will give us his observations from his European tour.

On October 8th, Marty Stump, Director of Development for Metro Parks, will tell us about the Dunes Park, located on the site of the Tacoma smelter.

Don’t forget our Christmas Party on December 10th, when we give our wives the opportunity to also enjoy our fellowship.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

I don’t think I’ll ever be old enough to know better.

Respectfully submitted,
Bill Abbott , Scribe of the Future

MINUTES OF CASCADE CLUB MEETING OF September 17, 2019 

Summer is over and the rains have returned, but a hearty group was not deterred from gathering to hear another compelling talk by Ed Troyer of the Pierce County Sheriff‘s department. Ed knows how to frighten us– last year he warned us of the changing nature of our homeless population and today it was about the increasingly sophisticated scams on the internet designed to rip off senior citizens. You should never accept calls from Robo Callers. You should simply hang up on them. If they are legitimate, they can write to you. Scammers have techniques to capture a recording of your voice in as short a response as answering “yes” to a simple question such as “are you so and so“. Your one–word answer of “yes” can be imposed on a recording to be your acceptance of a phony purchase of a time share condo, etc. Do not try to annoy them by stringing them along as a means of wasting their time. They have ways of retaliating against you. A popular scam is the urgent call to a parent or grandparent of a student vacationing out of the country on spring break saying that today for a violation of law and if cash bail isn‘t posted immediately, the student could be imprisoned for months. Scammers often learn the facts upon which to base the phony scams from postings by the so–called hostage on the internet, such as Facebook, telling the world that a trip to a specific place is about to be taken. Lonely widows and widowers are especially susceptible to offers of romance and companionship. The IRS and Social Security Administration never will telephone or email you to ask for information. Scammers are constantly developing new scams– “they are everywhere there is money“. The website Snopes is a reliable source to authenticate scams and scammers. If you suspect a scam, report it to the Sheriff‘s Department at 253–798–7530 or on its website: www.co.pierce.wa.us or to the Washington Attorney General at www.atg.wa.gov. 

Who are those Guys

Bud Winter was our “Who are those Guys” presenter. Bud was raised in a Navy family and lived in several interesting places before receiving “Greetings” from Uncle Sam which summoned him to Vietnam for two years in 1969–1970. He later settled in this area were he and his wife raised their family. 

COMING EVENTS

Meeting of September 24: Debbie Cockrell Reporter for the News Tribune on the development of Mental Health care facilities in Pierce County. 

Meeting of October 1: Col. Rich Wall (Last year‘s president) Special Forces Historian Extraordinaire on The Battle of the Bulge and the Belgian Diggers. 

December 10– Annual Christmas Party. Details to follow. 

Respectfully submitted,

Phil Sloan, robo–calls weary scribe 

MINUTES OF CASCADE CLUB MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 10, 2019

The first meeting of our Fall 2019 season got off to a running start on a beautiful autumn day with 29 members and 1 guest present and all anxious for another season of stimulating lectures and fun fellowship.

Our speaker was Alan Stay, a recently retired attorney whose entire 49 year career was spent representing various Indian tribes and tribal organizations in Washington. He reviewed the history of how tribes gained the right to open Bingo parlors by litigating against the US Government, starting in a 1987  US Supreme Court case from California and a 1988 case which led to the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act. Today, most tribes in Washington operate casinos. The Muckleshoot Tribe’s casino is second only to Boeing for the number of people it employs in Southeast King County.

The earnings of the casinos fund many projects that provide tribal benefits, including education and infrastructure.

An interesting fact which may prove helpful to our members is that the jurisdiction of many tribal police does not end at the borders of reservations because they are cross deputized with the police of adjacent police and sheriffs’ departments.

Before the meeting, the Board of Directors and Officers met to make plans for this new season. It was agreed that the season under the presidency of Rich Wall was a great success and they will focus on continuing to recruit new members and  presenting great speakers. We will continue the “who are those guys” talks by our own members. Volunteers are needed or Bill Jackson will commandeer speakers.  Our president and vice president for this season are Jim Rooks and Dick Muri.

COMING PROGRAMS

Meeting of September 17:  Ed Troyer of the Pierce County Sheriff’s  Department  returns to speak about Common Scams,  particularly against Seniors. His presentations are always informative and entertaining.

Bud Winter will be our “Who are those guys” speaker.

Meeting of September 24:  Debbie Cockrell, News Tribune Reporter. The mental health care facility development in Pierce County.

SAVE THIS DATE:   DECEMBER 10- OUR ANNUAL CHRISTMAS PARTY. DETAILS WILL FOLLOW.

Respectfully submitted, Phil Sloan (who now has a back- up scribe- Bill Abbott.)