Jenny Andrews & Bob Crosby
On this day of remembrance of September 11th, 2001, Bob Crosby offered reverent and respectful comments for all of us to think about. Together, we offered The Lord’s Prayer and then pledged our allegiance to the flag that reminds us of those lost on that day.
The introduction of guests and visiting Rotarians was done by Jenny Andrews.
Lynne Gauthier
Madeline Gauthier reminded us of the upcoming Adoption Party for foster children. All the children who attended the event last year have been adopted, which says a lot about the Rotary involvement, as well as the workers from the county. Madeline asked for more volunteers for the event coming up on October 3rd. We need volunteers to deliver and pick up signs, organize coloring tools and games, and to go get food and set up. Also, drivers are needed to bring children to the event. If you are interested in driving, you must have a background check. Please contact Chuck Kimbrough or Madeline Gauthier as soon as possible.
Jon Quinlivan
Our 2010 Exchange Student, Jon Quinlivan, was introduced by Mike Ralph. Jon just arrived on Sunday, September 6th, after many hours of travel. He is from Spain and has been enrolled in Bellevue High School. Since Jon spoke mostly in Spanish, there were several Rotarians who translated for him. The members got to see that there may be many in the group who speak Spanish fluently. Mike Ralph then gave us a quiz about Spain to see how much we knew. The two questions were: What is the national sport of Spain? And, what are the five countries bordering Spain. We look forward to having Jon visit several families during his stay here.
Please remember to include Jon in activies with your families during the year. Jon's email address is j64q93@yahoo.es (note the .es domain, not .com), and he can also be reached at (425) 646-9100.
Tim Leahy
Tim Leahy gave an update on students who attended Washington Business Week this past summer. High school students spend an entire week at Western Washington University, learning about various facets of business. Our donations have allowed several students to participate who may otherwise have been unable to attend.
Jim Owens reported that the Committee is soliciting nominees for our grants this year. The committee wants to hear from all of you about any non-profits that would be interested in having additional funds this year. Please get in touch with Jim as soon as possible with those special groups that you support, so each one of them can be considered for funding. This should be a high priority item for every member, as we support our community.
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John Martinka reminded everyone to come to the Oktoberfest on September 26th at the “infamous” flower shop, beginning at 5:30 pm. Lawrence the Florist |
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District 5030 Recruiting GSE Team Leader and Members for a 4‑week 2010 Exchange with Bolivia, South America
Rotary District: 4690
Dates: April 11 — May 8, 2010
Cities include: La Paz, Cochabamba, Sucre, Potosí, Tarija, and Santa Cruz
The District 5030 outbound GSE Team and its Rotarian Leader will have a very valuable life and career enhancing educational and cultural experience. Our Bolivian Rotary hosts are known for opening their hearts and homes to visiting GSE Teams sharing professional and cultral similarities and enjoying our differences — and learning from each other.
Applications are now being received for a Team Leader who is an experienced Rotarian; preferably a Rotary Academy graduate or a club leader proficient in the Spanish language of host district. Team Leader Applications are being accepted now with interviews on September 22nd.
The four (4) team members must work or live in District 5030; they are non-Rotarians (25-40 yrs). They must be employed in their profession more than 2 years, have their employer's consent for a 4-week leave, be proficient in speaking Spanish, be able to participate in all preparations for the GSE Exchange, and understand that there is no spouse or partner accompaniment on the trip. Team member applications are being accepted now through October 4th. Interviews will be held the week of October 20th.
If you are interested and would like more information, contact Bob Kaercher, GSE Committee Chair, or BBRC Member John Armenia, Rotary District 5030 Eastside GSE Coordinator.
"Diving for Treasure, "Barry R. Dunford, PADI NW Regional Manager
Barry Dunford
In Chris Monger’s introduction, we learned that Barry Dunford is an accomplished diver who spent six years as a professional treasure hunter in the Caribbean and Bahamas. He also dives in Canada and Alaska. Dunford continues his diving for fun and adventure throughout the world and is still looking for the elusive glimmer of gold and silver. He and his wife have 6 children and 17 grandchildren.
Dunford shared his fascinating and often funny stories about the adventures and treasures that he found. Dunford explained that although he was born in the desert, his lifelong dream was to dive. His kindergarten drawings were about treasure chests, and he loved to look through the National Geographic to find stories and pictures of Jacques Cousteau’s travels. It was something he wanted to do some day. He was born to be a treasure hunter.
There was no equipment in those days, so, at age 13, he and his buddies built a regulator and a facsimile of a wetsuit. It was primitive, to say the least, but it was a beginning.
When he graduated from High School, Barry and his friends drove to Tijuana, Mexico, but were disappointed with diving there and moved on to the Yucatan Peninsula. They couldn’t see anything because the water there was white and creamy. They thought they would find gold and silver, but to no avail. They did, however, discover why the water was creamy and white. It was caused from birds pooping in the water! He also found a small object that he almost threw back in the water, but decided to keep it. It was a small flute from the 1500s, which he later found had great value. “Then,” as he said, “we were arrested and thrown in jail because we had found many artifacts. We stayed in the Consulate for 48 hours. We didn’t know they were real treasures.”
After moving to Seattle, he was a part of a crew in the Atlantic Ocean that worked the waters around Panama and a fleet from the Orient who searched for coral. It took six months to a year to move the coral, but underneath was a canon. Along with the canon were nails, fittings and pipes made of iron and 38% gold. One of the artifacts he found was a small ivory vase from the 1100s from a Spanish galleon. Dunford said that many ships had hit the same reefs, and exploration of the treasure was rewarding.
Dunford’s crew often looked for big objects like cannon balls. There were many sizes of cannon balls used for various types of armament. They were used to communicate from ship to ship and could be made from various media like granite, pottery, iron, or clay. Some, he said, even had poison in them.
Captains of these lost ships kept incredible records in their log books. Finding the log books were of great value to the research of the artifacts. They recorded every single item and in great detail, even items they were smuggling, like pieces of eight and quart jars of emeralds. They also found casks of mercury which was used in refining gold and silver.
When exploring as cold-water divers in Alaskan waters, they found sunken steamships from the 1700s to 1800s. In those they found beautiful bottles, some with letters in them, with hand-drawn labels, medicine bottles, and even beer bottles. The waters there were unlike the creamy murky waters of the Atlantic. “In the Alaskan waters you can see the bright pinks, reds and blues of the clear ocean,” Dunford explained. “It was beautiful.”
President Margie Burnett thanks Barry Dunford for his presentation.
Dunford shared his experience of exploring the treasure from the ship SS Central America that sank on about September 11th, 1857, during a hurricane off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, drowning 426 passengers and crewmen. The ship was carrying 3 tons of gold from the Gold Rush newly minted coins, a virtual fortune in gold. The wreck was deep at 6,000 feet. Besides the gold recovery, Dunford talked about two steamer trunks they found from a newly married couple. In one trunk was her wedding dress and wedding gifts; in the other was her husband’s diary, and dueling guns.
Jane Kuechle, Wendi Fischer & Bob Crosby look over the treasure on display.
Dunford’s ship was the first out with salvage operations on the Atocha, which was the famous find of Mel Fischer in the 1960s. The ship sank in the 1600s during a hurricane and carried with it 82 infantrymen, along with many wealthy passengers. Five people were rescued, so the story gets even more real. In the bottom they found solid silver bars, and it is known as the greatest treasure find in the world. Besides the silver, among many other treasures were seven different kinds of pottery, along with a Captain’s dish valued at $300 to $400. Dunford explained that “every item had its own story, and all items were described in the log books, so we know the dating of the articles.” Dunford filled a table with artifacts and treasures that we could examine.
Thank you, Barry Dunford, for taking us on a fascinating journey of adventure and treasures.
How Old Is Grandpa?
Courtesy of Bob Vallat
One evening a grandson was talking to his grandfather about current events.
The grandson asked his grandfather what he thought about the shootings at schools, the computer age, and just things in general.
The grandfather replied, "Well, let me think a minute, I was born before television, penicillin, polio shots, frozen foods, Xerox, contact lenses, Frisbees and, the pill.
There were no credit cards, laser beams or ball-point pens.
Man had not invented pantyhose, air conditioners, dishwashers, or clothes dryers. The clothes were hung out to dry in the fresh air and man hadn't yet walked on the moon.
Your grandmother and I got married first and then lived together. Every family had a father and a mother.
Until I was 25, I called every man older than me "Sir." And after I turned 25, I still called policemen and every man with a title "Sir."
We were before gay rights, computer dating, dual careers, daycare centers, and group therapy. Our lives were governed by the Ten Commandments, good judgment, and common sense. We were taught to know the difference between right and wrong and to stand up and take responsibility for our actions.
Serving your country was a privilege; living in this country was a bigger privilege. Draft dodgers were those who closed front doors as the evening breeze started.
We thought fast food was what people ate during Lent. Having a meaningful relationship meant getting along with your cousins.
Time-sharing meant time the family spent together in the evenings and weekends, not purchasing condominiums.
We never heard of FM radios, tape decks, CDs, electric typewriters, yogurt, or guys wearing earrings. We listened to Big Bands, Jack Benny, and the President's speeches on our radios. And I don't ever remember any kid blowing his brains out listening to Tommy Dorsey.
The term "making out" referred to how you did on your school exam..
Pizza Hut, McDonald's, and instant coffee were unheard of.
We had 5- and 10-cent stores where you could actually buy things for 5 and 10 cents.
Ice cream cones, phone calls, rides on a streetcar, and a Pepsi were all a nickel.
And if you didn't want to splurge, you could spend your nickel on enough stamps to mail 1 letter and 2 postcards.
You could buy a new Chevy Coupe for $600 ... but who could afford one? Too bad, because gas was 11 cents a gallon.
In my day "grass" was mowed, "coke" was a cold drink, "pot" was something your mother cooked in and "rock music" was your grandmother's lullaby. "Aids" were helpers in the Principal's office, "chip" meant a piece of wood, "hardware" was found in a hardware store, and "software" wasn't even a word.
No wonder people call us "old and confused." They say there is a generation gap. How old do you think I am?
This man would be only 59 years old.
