Sargent-at-Arms Jon Kelly led recitations of the pledge of allegiance and the four-way test.
Is it the TRUTH?
Is it FAIR to all concerned?
Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
Jon also shared a quotation from Cornell West and Robert P. George, paraphrased as follows: The pursuit of knowledge requires humility and a willingness to listen attentively to those with whom one disagrees.
Speaker:Pamela Paresky
We are grateful for a very interesting presentation by Pamela Paresky. Pamela is Chief Research Officer to the President and CEO of the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE). She writes a blog for Psychology Today titled "Happiness and the Pursuit of Leadership," and is the author of A Year of Kindness, a research-based guided journal that encourages people to record their daily acts of kindness and thoughts of gratitude. A featured speaker at the National Character and Leadership Symposium, Pamela is a former Adjunct/Research Professor at the United States Air Force Academy where she co-taught a leadership course, and provided a civilian perspective for the Director of the Academy’s Center for Character and Leadership Development. Pamela is the Director of the Aspen Center for Human Development, a nonresidential center for advanced study that facilitates collaboration between a faculty of scholars in diverse fields, and in her spare time, she delivers workshops and keynotes on leadership, happiness, and living a meaningful life.
Pamela discussed the scourge of intolerance for unpopular opinions on college campuses and the growing frequency of violent outbursts in protest against such opinions, some involving physical injury and property destruction. She further explored some of the causes for this trend and possible counter-measures.
Pamela did not recommend forcing children to watch continuous Lawrence Welk reruns to desensitize them to unpleasant sensory experiences and thus prepare them for triggers and micro-aggressions when entering college. Instead, she recommended such treatment be administered directly to disruptive college students.
Guests: No Guests Today
Scott Russell cited some World Cup facts, preceded by the non prequitur that this somehow would make Rotary Great Again.
Scott further announced that at the last board meeting it was agreed, as an experiment intended to increase the financial results of Ducky Derby, to include the Snowmass Village and Carbondale Rotary Clubs in selling duck adoptions and working the festival. Thanks to John Engels for this creative idea. Scott (again?) asked that all Rotarians who wish to use autopay for dues please fill out the auto payment forms. Lori Small announced the program Health and Human Potential will be held at The Limelight, 6 PM tonight (there's still time to get over there)
March 23, David Houggy, Aspen Science Center
March 30, Rabbi Mendel Mintz, Aspen Chabad Jewish Community Center (the one on Main Street)
April 6, Aspen Rotary Presidents Panel
April 1, Special Presentation by Rachel Madow, discussing two pages from the tax returns of each of Paul Reubens, Stuart Smalley and Bob Keeshan (Google them). Time and location TBD
Happy Bucks (benefitting the Independence Pass Foundation)
Norm Bacheldor was happy to visit his grandson and other (incidental) family in Colorado Springs Steve Seyffert was happy for World Cup Heidi Hoffman was happy to be wearing her lucky ski hat from the 70s Keith Elder was happy to be a member of the club (see embarrassingly flattering bio below) Maurice Emmer was happy that Liberator Medical had resupplied him with catheters (Google it; Fox News would go out of business without their commercials). He added that he has enjoyed editing some recent club newsletters and that no one should interpret upcoming newsletters' being edited by others as regret for having Maurice serve as editor, or as censorship of his obnoxious and extraneous "fake news" or anything.
See item above about recent board decision to expand Ducky Derby
Maurice Emmer announced that Mike Hoffman will be the club's youth exchange officer as soon as he completes his online training (not intended as a disincentive to complete the training). Mike would like all those interested in participating in the Rotary Youth Exchange Program to contact him (emhaspen@gmail.com). An organizational meeting will be held in the next two weeks.
Heidi Hoffman announced a World Community Service meeting after next week's meeting Steve Seyffert, having won the raffle but not the big prize, acted out by announcing a scholarship committee meeting following today's meeting
Keith Elder is the newest member of the Rotary Club of Aspen. A former president of the Plymouth, MA Rotary Club, Keith was most recently a member of the Rochester, NY Rotary Club.
He joined the Aspen Music Festival and School in January 2017 as the General Manager/Vice President. Prior to that he was the Director of Concert at the Eastman School of Music where he oversaw more than 700 public events a year. He has over 25 years of experience in arts administration and has worked for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Boston Pops, Detroit Symphony, and directed the Tanglewood Jazz Festival.
Keith produced music for the pre-game ceremony of the XXXVI Super Bowl as well as the opening and closing exercises of the 1999 Ryder Cup, and the World Series ring ceremony with the Boston Red Sox. As a musician Keith, has performed as a tubist for many of the world’s premier conductors and was the tubist for the Wynton Marsalis “Marsalis on Music” DVD and CD. He is also a lawyer and member of the United States Supreme Court, Massachusetts and New York State bar. From 2009-2016 he owned and managed of a law practice in Massachusetts that focused on civil and domestic litigation, and entertainment law.
The Weekly Newsletter of the Rotary Club of Aspen.
