Club Meeting on 10/14/2009

  
 
Robert called the meeting to order with 10 members present and 2 guests.  Joe Melham from the Memorial Spring Branch Rotary Club and Sarosh Mannekshaw from the West Houston Rotary Club visited with us.  Welcome.

 Joe Melham 101409
Joe Melham

Sarosh Mannekshaw 101409
Sarosh Mannekshaw


ROTARY MOMENT:
 
George apprised us of the history of the Rotary International Headquarters which was first in Chicago and has been  in Evanston, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago since 1977.  With 400,000 square feet and 500 employees Rotary International is well housed and adequately manned to carry on the world wide reach of  Rotary.  Thanks George.
 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:
 
  • Our Wings Over Houston parking project is ever closer.  We will need 40 volunteers daily on October 31, and November 1.  Please e-mail Robert the names and telephone #’s of your volunteers by next Wednesday.
  • On  November 7  the Veteran’s Day Luncheon will be held at the Omni Hotel at I-10 and Hi way 6.  We have room for 2-3 veterans.  Please call Craig for reservations.  State Senator Dan Patrick, and Col. Brian Birdwell will be featured speakers. 
  • Next week will be a club assembly to discuss our Wings Over Houston parking fundraiser.  Please be present. 
  • Thursday, December 17 will be Wonderland in Westchase.  Craig announced that we have been given the opportunity to use our cooking skills as a fundraiser.  Great idea.
 

PROGRAM:
 
Barbara Alexander at podium 101409
Margaret introduced Barbara Alexander.  Barbara is an attorney, has worked as a commercial litigation  attorney with Holms & Green.  She presently  works for U of H and spoke to us unofficially of the importance to the city of Houston and the state of Texas in the passage of  proposition  four in the November 3rd election. 

Proposition 4 makes existing funds available as a pathway for serve state schools to become Tier One research universities. The ballot language calls for establishing: the national research university fund to enable emerging research universities in this state to achieve national prominence as major research universities and transferring the balance of the higher education fund to the national research university fund.

Barbara Alexander 101409
The seven schools that will be affected by this proposition are University of Houston, Texas Tech University, UT-Arlington, UT-Dallas, UT-San Antonio, UT-El Paso and the University of North Texas.  The economic benefit to the cities where these universities are located and to the State of Texas as a whole is enormous; upwards of  $3.7 billion annually.

Great program Margaret.  Thanks and thanks to Barbara for her presentation.
 


MEMBERS ABSENT:
 
Susie, Travis, Gene, and Stephen.  We missed you.
 

WISDOM:
 
  • The purest treasure mortal times afford is spotless reputation.  William Shakespeare, playwright
  • Everything you reprove in another, you must carefully avoid in yourself.  Marcus Tullius Cicero, statesman