Frank lead us in the Pledge, and Charlie lead the Reflection
Frank won the 50/50, but no Joker
Our visitors were Sabrina from the Fitchburg Club, and Latsbe, who is considering membership. Our guest speaker was Pat LaPointe from the Leominster DPW.
NOTE: our meeting on 3/2 will be held offsite at the Office of Emergency Management at 37 Carter St. We'll be served a light lunch and get a tour of the building.
Membership Update
Frank has PDFs of all officer and training manuals, and is happy to send them out electronically as needed.
General Topics
Ruby has started training with Mary, to take over as Treasurer.
Calendar drawings will begin on March 9th.
Rotary International and Toastmasters (public speaker training organization) are looking to set up an exchange meeting relationship, and possibly co-mingle membership. We may consider inviting local Toastmaster members to a special Rotary Club meeting.
John Tata gave a District Conference update. He visited the Salem location and mentioned that the Hawthorne House is a wonderful place for the conference. The Kentucky Derby party sounds amazing!
Charlie will print out the Flower Box sponsor letters this week to kick off that project.
Christine will send our check to RYLA today.
Johnny distributed a list of items needed for the Guatemala Project. Donations are due by March 9th. Personal hygiene items are still needed - soaps, deodorants, etc
The next Board Meeting is 3/9.
Vocational Awards dinner is 4/15. Sponsors are still needed!
Guest Speaker
Pat LaPointe, Leominster DPW,
Doyle Field Foundation
Pat LaPointe of the Leominster DPW is the Doyle Field Coordinator and Rental Manager. He has been involved with the Doyle Field Foundation since 1990.
Doyle Field was constructed in 1931, as a place for high school teams to play sports. The highway department worked with the Forestry/Parks Department to turn a 37-acre plot of land into the beginning of what Doyle Field is today.
Pat showed us several historical photos of the evolution of the park. There have been countless improvements over the years, including the tennis courts in 1950, which were later replaced and updated in 2008, the Imagination Station in 1990, and new sidewalks and fencing. Miss Doyle herself donated $150K for the fencing, which did more to improve the aesthetics of the park that any other improvement project.
Doyle Field is a beautiful park that we are fortunate to have in our community.
Hawthorne Hotel Fun Facts
The Hawthorne Hotel at 18 Washington Square West opened for business with a three day celebration starting on July 21, 1925. Named for Salem's famous author Nathaniel Hawthorne, the hotel was funded by a joint venture between Salem Chamber of Commerce and the Salem Rotary Club. Volunteers in the business community were trained by the Hockenbury System of Harrisburg, Penn., a group that enabled 123 communities nationwide to build and finance their own hotels. In one week, 16 teams of men, divided into four teams, competed for highest sales honors and sold more than half a million dollars in stock to local residents for a proposed "modern hotel for Salem." More than a thousand residents and businessmen invested in the proposed hotel, financing its construction. After World War II, a group of local businessmen bought many of the stock-holding residents out and acquired controlling interest.
The site chosen for the hotel was originally owned by the Salem Marine Society. They sold the land with a stipulation that the group maintain a presence at the hotel. To this day, an exact replica of a cabin from the Taria Topan, an East India trade vessel, stands on the rooftop of the Hawthorne where the Salem Marine Society still meets.
To further highlight the hotel, a drive to raise money to buy Bela Prat Lyon's statue of Nathaniel Hawthorne to create a Hawthorne Monument was undertaken. The Hawthorne's stock salesmen agreed to help raise money to help the Hawthorne Memorial Association in their endeavor. The statue was moved from Boston to a location just a few yards from the hotel.
The Hotel has attracted some famous guests over the years. In 1970, the cast of the TV show "Bewitched" stayed at the hotel while filming two episodes in Salem. The Hotel was also featured in the shows. World leaders who visit Salem to speak at the annual Salem State College series stay there. Former president George Bush and Gen. Colin Powell and Shimon Perez were some of these. Actors Alan Alda, Bette Davis and Liza Minelli have all stayed there as well as Johnny Cash.
After extensive renovations in 1986, the Hotel was added to the list of Historic Hotels of America by the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
Interestingly, the height of the ballroom ceiling is 18' 10".
