Ladies and gentlemen: We have done it! This year's Puttin' on the Ritz was a great success.

According to President Elect John Rodrigues, we netted about $29,000 from our Sept. 14 dinner, auction and dance.

"Even though we had some doubts, with the troubled economy of today, the generosity of the local businesses and attendees made it the most successful Ritz to date," Rodrigues said.

This year, the Ritz was 19 years old. It is indeed the premiere event of its kind in Jefferson County: a gala affair, with fine dining, dancing and lots of opportunity to bid on auction items.

Since 1990, the Ritz has averaged a $21,500 profit. All proceeds from the auction are used to fund local community needs and projects. The East Jefferson club has disbursed more than $344,000 in the past 12 years — most of that directly into the local community.

Through the years, the Club has supported: food banks, Port Hadlock's Teen Resource Center, the Port Townsend Marine Science Center, Future Business Leaders of America, Jefferson County 4-H, Jefferson County Historical Society Museum, many Chimacum School activities, Rotary Youth Leadership awards, Tri-Area Community Center, Boy Scout Troop 480, McCurdy Pavilion, youth baseball and football, the American Red Cross, Literacy Council of Jefferson County, OlyCap's Thanksgiving and Christmas community dinners, Christmas for Tri-Area Children, July 4 fireworks, the guardian ad litem program, as well as many other similar programs. Medic 13's $29,000 Life Pak 12 heart monitoring unit was a gift from Rotary, too.

Sandy's still seeking "Mystery Grads"

Last month's "Mystery Grad" was Glen Huntingford. Sadly, he was the last "Mystery Grad" I had from Chimacum. If you know of any more of them. . .or you're one. . .please send me a photo and a bio from way back when.

At this point, I'm ready to change course. Dig through your albums and send me your graduation photo — no matter where you graduated from. If you don't have a scanner, bring the photo to lunch on any Thursday and I'll return it the following week.

In the meantime, a number of you said you enjoyed the first grade photos I dug up on a few of our members. Those comments were the inspiration for "Once upon a time. . ."

This Rotarian was raised back East and in the Midwest. She often walked to high school with the snow drifting six feet high alongside the Minnesota roads.

A bookworm and "goodie two shoes", she graduated near the top of her 1975 high school graduating class of 684 students.

After leaving the University of Illinois, our Mystery Tot joined the U.S. Naval Reserves.

"What Rotary Means to Me"

"Having been a Rotarian since 1957, my life in Rotary has been filled with so many experiences which meant so much to me that I could write a book--one which would probably be of interest only to me!! Since such reminiscences are so extensive, for now I shall mention three or four--with so many more available when your supply of thoughts from members runs low!!

1. I was raised in Evanston, Illinois, the present home of Rotary International since 1955--moving from Chicago at that time. I was also married in 1955, in Evanston, to a young lady who was secretary to the editor of the Rotarian Magazine at the time. That is probably the biggest thing that Rotary has meant to me--as we head for our 48th anniversary next January.

2. I joined Rotary in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, in 1957. Clubs in that area had huge numbers of visiting Rotarians at every meeting (there were so many visitors that we introduced them by state rather than by name).

While I was serving as president, in 1963, after the state-by-state introductions (I believe there were about 165 visitors that day) one of very senior visitors rose and asked to say a few words: "I would like to invite you all to come visit my new store where you can buy the finest $5 man's dress shirt in the world." He then walked up to the head table and said, "I know I owe a fine for that advertising", handed me a $5 bill, and said, "My name is James Cash Penney." Mr. J. C. Penney himself. He was 85 at the time and leaving that evening for Juneau, Alaska, where he was to be at another store opening the next day. (J. C. Penney was a committed Rotarian until he died in his late 90s.)

3. Again while president of the club there, I remember almost causing a revolt by a few members of the club. Our club, for many years, awarded several college scholarships to the top members of the graduating class at the black high school in Fort Lauderdale. (Yes, in those days, the schools were totally segregated, even in south Florida!) The members felt good about the "nice" thing we were doing. However, the only club members who ever met the winning students were the three committee members who participated in the selection process at the school and then attended the actual graduation ceremonies when the awards were presented by them. The rest of us were invited, but never went.

As president I insisted that, from then on, the student recipients and their parents were to be guests of our club at a regular club meeting. Since the very concept was almost a heresy, several members of the club threatened to resign, or, at the very least, boycott the meeting when these people were there (one of those who threatened was a member of the club board of directors--a native Alabaman). In spite of this, we had the occasion, nobody resigned, nobody boycotted, and the attitudes were forever changed.

4. Although I have gone on too long, one last recollection. In 1988-89, as District Governor in Georgia, I helped awaken awareness of the Matching Grants opportunity offered by the Rotary Foundation. I have always felt great warmth from the successful project our district completed that year in the Philippines. However, I am particularly close to a later district Matching Grant project because I was district chairman for this project: our district provided the funds to acquire a new Toyota van which was purchased in Nigeria. We also purchased or acquired by donation, all of the necessary equipment to set up a mobile eye examining lab.

I learned that almost 50% of adults over 45 in Nigeria are so severely handicapped by glaucoma or trachoma, as to be legally blind under the definitions used in this country. This is due to the combination of the tropical climate and the sanitary conditions there. These eye conditions can be detected very early and easily headed off if such early detection occurs. My counterpart in Nigeria visualized this mobile eye exam lab traveling into the villages all over Nigeria and examining as many as 5,000,000 people--manned by Rotary volunteers and members of Nigerian Rotaract clubs.

Sandy, I have been a member of six different clubs and the stories and experiences in each could fill many pages. The above are only three of the outstanding memories--events which have had such meaning both in my Rotary life and in my very existence."