This year's Christmas party at the Ajax Cafe proved to be an evening filled with good food, great friends, and the inescapable antics of the members (er, leaders) of the Rotary Club of East Jefferson County.

Equipped with his powerful, but tiny, digital camera, Bud Babcock managed to capture some of the gang in action. (Thanks, Bud, for sharing these photos with us!)

Pulling Santa's tassel is ONLY allowed if you are saving a fair damsel, like Judy Courtwright, from being Santa-napped and sent to the North Pole. (Santa's Workshop reported a shortage of creative elves this year.)

In my never-ending effort to get you all to participate in this newsletter (hint-hint) — and figure out fun ways we can get to know each other better — I asked you last month to send me a list of paying jobs you've had over the years. So far my list is pretty short (hint, hint, again). But I JUST KNOW you all will send me your list within the next week or so, right?? (Pretty please. . .)

Don Young (Dentistry): Paper boy, snow shoveler, postage stamp sorter, K-mart shoe salesman, aquatic facility towel guy and pool maintainer, college math tutor for the VA,
construction worker, house painter, janitor and housekeeping, conference coordinator, pot scrubber, pediatric dental assistant, UW Dental School science tutor, dental lab tech

Frank Trafton (Electrical Contracting): Jerry's Bait herring sorter, Jerry's Bait Jeep driver, fisherman, cafeteria cook, U.S. Army soldier, military policeman, traffic accident investigator, prison guard, stockboy at Sprouse Ritz variety store, military base security guard, Kirby vacuum cleaner salesman, electrician, electrical estimator/designer

Bates Thomas (): landscape maintenance, warehouseman, US Army officer and instructor, retail carpet store owner, IBM computer salesman, systems analyst, operations manager, customer service and distribution manager for carpet manufacturer, consultant

Sandy Hershelman (Writing): McDonald's hamburger flipper, (rat) cardiovascular lab tech, U.S. Naval Reservist, bookkeeper, Kirby vacuum cleaner salesman, banker, dance instructor, journalist, photographer, desktop publisher, Web designer

(Now, how else would I ever have found out that Frank and I both sold Kirby vacuum cleaners?)

Chimacum High School produces some fine young men and women. Each month, the Rotary Club of East Jefferson County honors two of the schools finest. The pair are nominated by their teachers and selected by their principal Rex Whipple. Citizenship, caring, responsibility, respect, honesty, fairness and academics are the characteristics sought.

Recent "Students of the Month" are:
Trevor Bemis, the son of Chimacum’s Loring and Martha Bemis, was nominated by teacher Joanne Schmitt.
"Trevor has been a terrific, quiet role model. In class, he helps to set the tone by being prepared and reminding others to get to work quickly," Schmitt wrote "Students saw him agonize over whether or not to go to CISPUS (for a week, as a counselor for the sixth graders) because of his class load; and then saw him work hard getting caught up. I know of at least one sophomore who commented that watching him make this decision made her think more carefully about weighing the reasons of missing school with the consequences of missing class. It also made her, and probably others, look back on her own CISPUS experience and appreciate the sacrifices the upper classmen took to make her experience 'terrific'."

Dan Knutson is the son of Robert and Diane Knutson, of Chimacum. He was nominated by teacher Mitch Black. "Dan is always considerate and respectful," Black said. "He is aware of political events and always offers insightful view points. He seems to have goals — and he's a really good guy!"

Courtney Bailey, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Stephan Bailey of Port Ludlow, was also nominated by Dodd.
"Courtney is always cheerful. She has a positive outlook and delightful sense of humor," Dodd said of her competent teacher's assistant. "Each day she comes in with a smile and is ready for any task that is at hand. She takes each assigned task seriously and sees it to completion. I appreciate her!"

Tim McEvers, the son of Port Hadlock's John and Colleen McEvers, was nominated by physics teacher Todd Miller.
"Tim is always excited and interested in the subject, but certain parts (especially math) he finds challenging," Miller wrote. Lost, at first, when the class studied vectors, Tim came in after school several times. "Tim was one of a handful of students to get a 100 percent. His perseverance and effort are an example for us all."

Kyle Locke is the son of Chimacum's Marty and Leslie Locke. Teacher Luke Snyder, who's had him as a student for the last three years, nominated him.
"Kyle has shown me he is a quality person, can take on responsibility, solve problems, be self-taught, be respectful, and — over all — work at a level way beyond my expectations," Snyder wrote. "Kyle is one of the finest students I have ever had."

(Interesting tidbits: Librarian Debbie Dustin Dodd and teacher Luke Snyder are both Chimacum grads, as is parent Leslie Seil Locke, who was Miss Chimacum, circa 1980.)

Rotary's first Internet-based club, "Rotary eClub One" (District 5450), has made it a goal to serve all Rotarians. The club has designated the ability for others to make up missed Rotary club meetings as its international service project. And, yes, the Rotary Club of East Jefferson County does honor a make-up through Rotary eClub One.

Chartered in January 2002, Rotary eClub One had had 8,000 make-ups before the printing of a June 2003 article in The Rotarian. The site now says more than 11,000 Rotarians have used its service.

Make-ups are made by reading one of the informational programs on the site and completing the make-up request form. On it, you'll discuss the program you read, including how it might relate to your home club's activities. You'll also be asked to suggest topics for future makeup programs.