CIGAR BOX BULLETIN

Volume 54, No. 50     April 11, 2007

President SAM MARASSO opened the meeting at 10:00 AM and, following the pledge led by BOB JOHNSON, announced we had the pleasure of inaugurating volume II of our songbook The creation of Peter Ryan and Jim Santora, the new songbook includes some favorites from the old book and new numbers to add exciting variety to our morning warbling. With RYAN at the piano and BOB CHURCH conducting, the membership sang America the Beautiful, which has two verses in the new book, followed by For Me and My Gal and Toot, Toot, Tootsie. Allyson Halm, Greenwich Animal Control Officer, was then introduced to tell us about plans for a new animal control facility to be built at a site next to the North Street elementary school. It will replace the present facility beside the Bruce Museum parking lot. She explained that cinderblock structure, which was built in 1957 and is known as “the dog pound” although it handles animals of all kinds, has for some years not met the minimum standards set by the state for an animal shelter. Ms. Halm urged participation in the drive to raise funds for the new facility, starting with a three-kilometer walk by pet owners and their pets on May 5. When asked why the town did not provide funds for this facility, she explained that town authorities felt other projects had priority and a Bruce Museum committee was formed to build it with private funds. The committee has designated the week of May 5 as Shelter Our Strays (SOS) week. Recording Secretary FRED BROOKS brought us back to regular business with a concise review of last week’s meeting and an explanation of how an error confused the announcement of the April 18 ROMEO Lunch at that meeting. He then told a story of a clever guy who enhanced his business deals by using quarters. Corresponding Secretary Bill Dynan had two exciting postcards from travelers in Duesseldorf, Germany, and Greece.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: NORM COLLINS reminded us that next week’s ROMEO lunch will be held at the Indian Harbor Yacht Club at 12 noon. DICK RADCLIFFE gave a rundown on the program for the Greenwich Symphony concerts scheduled for April 21 and 22. The concerts will feature works by Verdi, Bernstein and Rachmaninoff. RETURNEES welcomed back were: LEON FREEMAN from a tour of the Rhine and Mosel rivers; LARRY SCHMITZ, Sicily; BILL SALTSMAN, from North Carolina and Tennessee; DICK HERMANCE, Las Vegas; ED ANDERSON, from France, Germany and Belgium via the Rhine River; and NICK TOURNILLON from New Orleans.

COMMITTEE REPORTS: VISITING: CHUCK STANDARD reported JERRY ISAACSON and LANDY PRESTO are home from hospital and rehab, but Presto says he is going stir crazy from being housebound. We welcomed back JOHN CALIMAFDE and JOE GUARISCO. PROGRAM: DOM DIMAIO advised that today’s speaker would be Kevin McCarthy, Director of the Perot Library in Old Greenwich. McCarthy was acclaimed two weeks ago for rescuing the excellent videos recorded by RMA veterans and feared lost. He took the original master, made DVDs and sent them to all branches and the Library of Congress. JOHN DE CSEPEL announced that next week’s speaker will be Susan Larkin, Fine Arts Curator. MEMBERSHIP: DOUG TAYLOR reported 137 members in attendance, plus three candidates and one guest. The candidates were Don Sargeant, Martin Waine and George Durney. Jim Daniel was the guest of SAM MARASSO. Doug announced that BILL and MARY O’BRIEN will celebrate their 60th anniversary on April 19. The meeting then sang Happy Birthday to SANDY BUCHSBAUM, 80, BILL VANNEMAN, 98, HARRY LEBIEN, 82, HUGH GARNET, 81, HENRY BAKER, 76, JOE ROE, 76, and LESLIE YOUNG, 87. Many happy returns. VOLUNTEER: FRED VEITH reported for the week ending today 695 hours were given to outside agencies by 69 men and 140 hours to RMA duties by 29 men, SPECIAL EVENTS: TOM HEALY said 8 tickets are still available for Grease at the Broadway Westchester Theater on May 3. The cost is $55 per person for matinee and lunch at 11:30 a.m. This is a u-drive event. More distant events are listed below.

PLAYTIME: BRIDGE: HAP HEYMAN reported that out of six players last week KURT SCHAFFIR had a top score of 1750. MARTIN WAINE was second with 1020 and DICK CASE was third with 660. GOLF: ROGER PIERCE, substituting for ERF PORTER, said three groups played yesterday, using cart paths only and finished in 4 hours and 5 minutes. SAM MARASSO was closest to the pin on 15 and MIKE SMITH on 7. KURT SCHAFFIR had the longest drive on 17. TENNIS: DICK BARTHOLOMEW said the top scorers on the three courts were MIKE SMITH with 13-6, BILL HOWLAND 14-5 and FRANK LEE, 13-6.

TODAY’S PROGRAM: DOM DIMAIO introduced speaker Kevin McCarthy, Director of the Perrot Memorial Library in Old Greenwich since 1998. He explained that Perrot is separate from the Greenwich Library but cooperates closely with it and its Cos Cob and Byram-Shubert branches. He described the libraries as the jewels of Greenwich and said that outside of Boston, the Greenwich system was the busiest library in New England. In answer to questions about service by Perrot, he said the library’s shelf space is limited to 75,000 books, while the Greenwich Library has room for one million books.
The program ended dramatically when a GEMS crew arrived to take care of RAY LEBLANC who had quietly collapsed during the talk He was held up by friends on either side until medical assistance arrived. He was able to walk from the room but said he felt unsteady and was taken to the hospital for a checkup. It was a reassuring demonstration of the emergency care available to us.

Jack Bausman, Editor

SPECIAL EVENTS
Open to all members, their ladies, candidates and guests. Tickets exchanged via Bulletin Board - Coordinator: Tom Healy

May 3 Broadway Westchester Theater, -- GREASE Matinee and Lunch, $ 55, U-drive. Lunch at 11:30 AM. (8 tickets available)

June 7 Belmont Race Track. Club house buffet lunch at noon. Bus leaves St. Catherine’s parking lot at 10:30 AM. First race at 1 P.M. Cost $55 pp. 19 tickets available.

July 22 Tanglewood BSO Concert. All-Beethoven Program at 2:30 PM. Bus leaves St. Catherine’s parking lot at 9:15 AM. Noon lunch at The Apple Tree Inn. Ticket exchange.

Aug. 9 NY Mets vs.Atlanta Braves Baseball Game. Game time is 12:30 PM. Bus leaves St. Catherine’s at 10:15 AM. Cost $65 pp. Food not included. 19 tickets available.

NEXT WEEK

Susan Larkin, Fine Arts Curator