A Memorable Rotary Meeting
After over 25 years in three different Rotary Clubs, I’ve come to expect certain things at a Rotary meeting. I expect good fellowship with other Rotarians and guests. I expect a decent meal. I expect a speaker who is interesting and has information that is pertinent to the area or times. As a Sergeant-at-arms, I expect to show up early to help set up the room, put out the flags, banners, newsletters, bell, and name tags. What I didn’t expect is probably the most memorable Rotary meeting of my life.
I was expecting all of those things when I arrived at the Windsor Community Center about 11:30 last Thursday. President Ardin Wright was already there, and helped me get out the club appurtenances. Shortly, several other members arrived and some of us watched as a severe hail storm moved in and the hail stones kept getting bigger and bigger. The power went off, and the emergency lighting took over-not unexpected based on the severity of the storm outside. I had already come to the conclusion that my car in the parking lot was in a lot of trouble. At about ten till noon, one of the staff at the community center came in to tell us that the speaker for the day could not come in. We were not surprised. President Ardin said lets eat, so he grabbed a plate and had just started dishing it up when another member of the staff came in and said “everyone in the basement, NOW!” We had seen a Windsor policeman at the door and he said stay in the basement until he tells us to come out. So, the eight of us who were at the meeting spent the next thirty minutes in the storage room with staff and about five toddlers.
When we finally were released from the dungeon, we invited the staff and kids to join us in eating the great meal that Doug DeMercurio had prepared for us. There were only eight Rotary members there, and I believe the staff enjoyed the invitation. Only then were we brought to understand how severe the storm had been and that the tornado had passed only a few blocks to the east of us.
As I drove home peering around the multitude of starbursts and spider webs in my windshield, I had to wend my way through traffic snarled by no traffic lights, closed streets and emergency vehicles running lights and sirens. I drove around the middle school, north of the fire station, and then started to get the full impact of what the storm had done, The first thing I noticed was a large old spruce tree on the ground and across the street. Fortunately, it had fallen away from the house. As I turned north on 257, there was a motor home parked on the east side of the street that was laying over at a 45 degree angle on top of a pop-up camper that would never pop up again. At Windsor Lake, power poles and lines were down in the street and then on the north side of the lake, several homes and buildings were badly damaged or totally destroyed. Debris was everywhere.
I feel fortunate that the worst thing that happened to me and mine was a car with more dimples than a beautiful baby contest. I feel for the people that suffered much worse, but I am proud of the response that the community gave. It speaks well for the quality of the people who live here.
I doubt that I will have another Rotary meeting as memorable as this one. One of those in a lifetime is enough.
I was expecting all of those things when I arrived at the Windsor Community Center about 11:30 last Thursday. President Ardin Wright was already there, and helped me get out the club appurtenances. Shortly, several other members arrived and some of us watched as a severe hail storm moved in and the hail stones kept getting bigger and bigger. The power went off, and the emergency lighting took over-not unexpected based on the severity of the storm outside. I had already come to the conclusion that my car in the parking lot was in a lot of trouble. At about ten till noon, one of the staff at the community center came in to tell us that the speaker for the day could not come in. We were not surprised. President Ardin said lets eat, so he grabbed a plate and had just started dishing it up when another member of the staff came in and said “everyone in the basement, NOW!” We had seen a Windsor policeman at the door and he said stay in the basement until he tells us to come out. So, the eight of us who were at the meeting spent the next thirty minutes in the storage room with staff and about five toddlers.
When we finally were released from the dungeon, we invited the staff and kids to join us in eating the great meal that Doug DeMercurio had prepared for us. There were only eight Rotary members there, and I believe the staff enjoyed the invitation. Only then were we brought to understand how severe the storm had been and that the tornado had passed only a few blocks to the east of us.
As I drove home peering around the multitude of starbursts and spider webs in my windshield, I had to wend my way through traffic snarled by no traffic lights, closed streets and emergency vehicles running lights and sirens. I drove around the middle school, north of the fire station, and then started to get the full impact of what the storm had done, The first thing I noticed was a large old spruce tree on the ground and across the street. Fortunately, it had fallen away from the house. As I turned north on 257, there was a motor home parked on the east side of the street that was laying over at a 45 degree angle on top of a pop-up camper that would never pop up again. At Windsor Lake, power poles and lines were down in the street and then on the north side of the lake, several homes and buildings were badly damaged or totally destroyed. Debris was everywhere.
I feel fortunate that the worst thing that happened to me and mine was a car with more dimples than a beautiful baby contest. I feel for the people that suffered much worse, but I am proud of the response that the community gave. It speaks well for the quality of the people who live here.
I doubt that I will have another Rotary meeting as memorable as this one. One of those in a lifetime is enough.
posted by Windsor Rotary Club (link to this post)
