Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Future Dates   

11/8 Fri. CASA Holiday Festival

11/13 Wed. Eisenhower Robotics Club

11/15 & 15 Fri. & Sat. Hoops for Hope

11/18 Mon. Board Meeting

11/20 Wed. Warsaw Community Schools Symphony / Blue Apron dessert

11/22 Fri. Grace College Community Wind Ensemble

11/27 Wed. Boy Scout Bake Sale

12/4 Wed. Brad Hagg / Warsaw Community High School CTO

12/4 Wed. Warsaw High School Gymnastics / Andi Calhoun

12/11 Wed. Lakeland Youth Chorale

12/11 Wed. Girls Basketball / Michelle Harter

12/18 Wed. Optimist Singers Christmas Carols / White Elephant Auction

12/25 Wed. No Meeting

1/1 Wed. No Meeting

1/8 Wed. 100 Years of Winona Lake / Terry White

1/8 Wed. Warsaw Community High School Wrestling / Justin Smith

1/15/14 Wed. Walk-n-Wonder Warsaw / Michelle Bormet & Darla

1/15/14 Wed. Warsaw Community High School Girls Swim & Dive / Nate Long

1/22/14 Wed. Warsaw Community Schools Symphony

1/29/14 Wed. Warsaw Community High School Boys Swim & Dive / Nate Long

2/5/14 Wed. Warsaw Community High School Boys Basketball / Doug Ogle

2/12 Wed. KCH / Affordable Care Act

2/12 Wed. Student of the Week

2/19 Wed. Kosciusko County Cancer Care Fund / Sandy Green

2/19/14 Wed. Student of the Week

2/26 Wed. Warsaw Police Chief Scott Whitaker

2/26/14 Wed. Student of the Week

3/5/14 Wed. WCHS Poetry Contest Winners

3/5/14 Wed. Student of the Week

3/12/14 Wed. Warsaw Schools Band

3/12/14 Wed. Student of the Week

3/19/14 Wed. Oratorical Contest Winners

3/26/14 Wed. Warsaw Community Schools Chief Academic Officer David Hoffert

4/16 Wed. DARE / Lt Joel Beam

4/30 Wed. Josh Wildman CEO of Wildman Business Group

5/7 Wed. Splash Pad / Erin Porter

5/14 Wed. Sheriff Rocky Goshert

 

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

President Everett Nifong led our meeting.

>>>>OPENING

85 Optimists & 16 guests attended our meeting.  Clelda Benning was the guest of David Benning; Amanda & Daniel Rudisel were the guests of Mary Ann Gradeless; Judy Becker & Daniel King were the guests of Martin Becker; Donata Grimm, Mandy Bailey, & Jeanie McCormack were the guests of Doug Ogle; Wayne Spratt was the guest of Bruce Hansen; JROTC members: Bailey Whitford, Gabriella Beard, Beth Morgan, Brandon Johnson, Gary Spratt, Sergeant Major Mark Whitford, & Major Fred Josellis were the guests of Martin Becker.  

Door Greeters: Marv Miller and Rich Haddad.Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Prayer:  Luke Becknell led us in prayer.

Presentation of the Colors:  Warsaw High School JROTC accompanied by Martin Becker on the trumpet.

Pledge was given to the American flag. 

Our Optimist Singers sang the Star Spangled Banner.

Promise yourself was said in unison. 

Birthday Honorees:  Mary Ann Gradeless & Troy Akers.  Martin Becker led us in the birthday song with great results.

 

            >>>> INFORMATION

 

Prayer Requests:

Jim Nesbitt’s recovery.

Greg Binkerd’s family at the passing of his father.

 

President Everett Nifong reported the following Board action: 

No meeting December 25 nor January 1.

The Valentine’s Banquet has been cancelled.  Attendance has dwindled.

The next board meeting is Monday, November 18th at 6 p.m.

 

Our new directory is due out soon.  If your birthday is not in our existing directory, please submit your month and day of birth to Everett or Jim Hayes.

 

Canned Food Chairman Luke Becknell announced we will bring canned food or preferably money to our meetings from next week until Thanksgiving. 

 

Salvation Army Bell Ringing Chairman Merl Heckaman reported the drawing for bell ringing Saturdays is tomorrow.

 

Art Gakstatter reported tons of kids came to our Spooktakular.  He thanked everyone who helped.  Art thanked the sponsors:  Miller’s Merry Manor, WCDC, Downtown Merchants, Bowen Center, Warsaw Breakfast Optimist & others.   

 

Past President Bob Jackson and Coach Jim Kessler invited us to the Terry Polston Hoops for Hope tournament at the Manahan Orthopaedic Capital CenterFriday, November 15 starting at 2 p.m. and Saturday, November 16 starting at 10 a.m.  Tickets are $5.  Proceeds go to our Kosciusko County Cancer Care Fundthat helps families who are fighting cancer to cover some of their incidental expenses.  Sponsorships are available at the Gold $500, Pink $250, and Orange $100 level.  

 

Past Lt. Gov. Dr. David Haines provided our first post to our Year in Review series.  It is featured on the front page of our website.  Here is a direct linkhttps://warsawoptimist.org/1975-1976-year-in-review/ .

 

Remember to bring some money to our November 27 Cub Scout Bake Auction.

 

Coach Doug Ogle commended Jeanie McCormack and her Step One fellow teachers Donata Grimm and Mandy Bailey.  They work with at risk kids.  This year every freshman in their program passed every class they took.  Jeanie credited the Warsaw teachers throughout the school who do whatever it takes to make their students successful.  

 

Martin Becker invited us to Grace College Community Wind Ensemble’s Flashback 1963 concert, Friday, November 22 at 7:30 p.m. at Rodeheaver.  Selections will remind us of JFK and the Beatles.

 

 

Sergeants-at-Arms:  Trace HansenLuke Becknell,& Lyle Enyeart entertained us.  Video Editor Jim Hayes introduced us to a new graphic and sound of our Sergeants as “The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly.”

 

Dr. K.T. Kishan M.D. retired after 28 years of working on us.  Comparing notes we caught on that he would schedule our procedures for Wednesday mornings after our meetings.  He would come into the operating room telling us and the nurses about the great speaker and breakfast.  This was not popular with us after we had to skip the meeting to get prepped and we had nothing to eat since Monday.  Seriously KT, we will miss your carving skills.  Just make sure you come to our meetings, you still need to laugh now and then. 

 

Julianne Runnells and our Optimist Singers were recognized for the fundraiser they did for the Women’s Auxiliary to help with shipping costs to our overseas service people.

 

Laurie Schotz invited us to see The Beat Club, a Beatles tribute band at the Performing Arts Center (PAC) at Warsaw High School at 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 17.  Tickets are $25 and student tickets are $15.  Mention the poster to get the 2nd adult ticket for free.

 

It was noted that people are continuing to sit at different tables.  However our ladies’ table is at the exact same table.  They just picked it up and carried it 2 rows over.

 

Triathlon Parking Chairman Martin Becker was recognized for traffic control day.

 

John Teevan was recognized for authors’ day.

 

Rich Haddad & John Teevan missed last week’s meeting, since they were at Tower Bank’s Economic Forum at Noa Noa.

 

Rob Edling was noted for having his move in both the Times-Union and The Paper.  Rob’s Carpet Care – Cleaning and Restoration is now at 818 E Winona Ave, Warsaw.

 

It was noted the table of the “blue shirts” was talking through the meeting.

 

Dr. Charles Hollar paid for Dr. Steve Hollar.  The neighborhood kids noted that they only got 1 piece of Halloween candy at every house until they came to Rade’s. There they got a good amount.  In his defense he also gave away toothbrushes.

Marv Miller is proud of his son, Evan Miller, for being WCHS’s MVP of Tennis.

Sergeant Luke Becknell did one of his history lessons.  He asked about the Marine’s Hymn.  The Halls of Montezuma refers to the Battle of Chapultepec in September of 1847 during the Mexican-American War.  The Shores of Tripoli refers to the Battle of Derne in 1805 in the First Barbary War.  Thomas Jefferson was our President in 1805.  James Polk was President in 1847.  

 

President Everett Nifong has been at Lake City Bank for 10 years.

 

 

Legendary Storyteller Fred Nieter finished his story he started October 23.  As you will remember when the microphone was wrestled from Fredon the 23rd, the 10th soldier came running up to the Captain out of breath.  He said he went to the movies and the movie was long.  After the movie, he got a bus, but then the bus got a flat tire.  He then got a cab.  At this point the Captain said he already knew the rest of the story that the cab broke down & he then found a farmer and bought a horse from him.  About a mile later the horse died.  He then ran the last 10 miles to get back to camp.  The soldier said no.  Actually the cab did not break down, but the cab had to go out through the next county to get him back, because all the roads were clogged with dead horses.  It was worth the wait to hear the end of one of Fred’s stories.

 

 

Program:  

Our Optimist Singers led by Martin Becker, accompanied by Millie Andrews on the keyboard and Judy Becker on the flute entertained us as they reminded us of our debt to our service people.

They sang the following:

This Land is Your Land

Tell My Father from the movie Civil War

Danny Boy

Ain’t Judg’n No Man

Joshua’s Battle

The Armed Services Salute including:  U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Navy, & U.S. Air Force.