1. 2009-2010 District No. 7910
ROTARY CLUB OF NEWTON Club No. 6580
719 WASHINGTON STREET BOX MS295
NEWTONVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS 02460
MEETS TUESDAYS; 12:15 P.M. BRAE BURN COUNTRY CLUB, 326 FULLER STREET, NEWTON, MA
President Vice President Treasurer Sergeant-at-Arms Director Director
Marie Presti Laurisa Neuwirth Peter Mahler Bill Garr Dick Bowen Justin Sallaway
617-620-6948 617-291-0572 617-630-5289 617-969-5906 x116 617-969-9134 617-244-0065
President-Elect Past President Recording Secretary Newsletter Editor Director Director
Jeff Tucker Marc Epstein John Hurney Scott Lewis Jeff Chin Tony Bibbo
617-340-1263 617-244-1212 617-332-7412 617-293-6371 617-965-1988 781-237-1144
THE SERVICE GEAR
Volume LXXXVI No. 31 February 24, 2010
D ue to ongoing renovations, President Marie
Presti convened the Newton Rotary Club for the
MEETING GREETERS NEXT MEETING:
March 3rd: Scott Lewis & Bert Martinson
first time ever in Brae Burn Country Club’s
ground-level Grille Room, normally reserved for
golf club members only.
Marie asked NNHS Principal Jennifer
Price to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance, then
offered an invocation, grateful for the “good
works of Rotarians throughout the world.” We
then sang a chorus of God Bless America.
Marie asked if anyone knew the speaker
who once said, “We, as Rotarians, should com-
mit ourselves to encourage the most vulnerable
populations not only to dream of a better life, but
to dedicate ourselves to helping them achieve
their sought-after goal.”
The speaker, she explained, was not Paul
Harris, but our own Tony Bibbo, addressing the
Club in 1977. Tony suggested that those words President Marie presents a Rotary coin to Paula Kirrane,
were most fitting, today especially, since Bill commemorating her honor as February’s Rotarian of the
Month.
Garr, whose service lives up to the sentiment
expressed, would be honored at the Newton
Community Service Center as he steps down as
CONTENTS Page
its Executive Director later this week.
MEETING NOTES 1
Marie thanked Greeters Dick Bowen and
SERGEANT-at-ARMS 2
Ed Casavant. She also called upon Paula
ANNOUNCEMENTS 4
Kirrane to stand and be recognized as our
THIS WEEK’S HUMOR 2
February Rotarian of the Month. Paula has
STUDENT of the MONTH 5
been a guiding light and lead volunteer for nine
HAPPY DOLLARS 6
years of successful Death by Chocolate events.
RAFFLE 7
c 2010 Rotary Club of Newton Page 1

2. SERGEANT AT ARMS
Bill Garr reported that 21 Rotarians were
Ah, the Memories! present today, then introduced four guests:
Every 10 years a group of 40-year-old NNHS Principal Jennifer Price, Housemaster
buddies gets together and discusses where Michelle Stauss, Student-of-the-Month
they should go for dinner. This time it is Jacqueline “Jackie” Tirado, and Jacqueline’s
agreed that they should meet at the Gausthof mother, Elizabeth Mercado.
zum Lowen restaurant because the waitresses Recalling our Dictionaries for Third Grad-
there have low cut blouses and nice figures. ers Project, Bill took the opportunity to read a
10 years later, at 50 years of age, the letter of thanks received from Sharon DeCarlo,
group meets again and once again they Executive Director of Instructional Programs for
discuss where they should go for dinner. Newton Public Schools (see page 3).
Finally it is agreed that they should meet at Bill concluded with a wonderful anecdote
the Gausthof zum Lowen because the food about memorable dinners at the Gusthof zum
there is very good and the wine selection is Lowen.
excellent.
10 years later, now at 60 years of age,
the group meets again, and once again they
discuss where they should dine. It is agreed
that they should meet at the Gausthof zum
Lowen because they can eat there in peace
and quiet, and the restaurant is smoke free.
10 years later, at 70 years of age, the
group meets again and once again they
discuss where to go. Finally it is agreed that
they should meet at the Gausthof zum Lowen
because the restaurant is wheelchair acces-
sible, and they even have an elevator.
10 years later, at 80 years of age, the
group meets again and once again they
discuss where they should meet. Finally it is
agreed that they should meet at the Gausthof
zum Lowen because they had never been
there before!
Sergeant at Arms Bill Garr shares news, humor and Club
business at the podium on “Bill Garr Day.”
c 2010 Rotary Club of Newton Page 2

3. c 2010 Rotary Club of Newton Page 3

4. ANNOUNCED FROM THE PODIUM Jeff Tucker will speak briefly at the event
about our participation in the Relay for Life
Italian Night is a “GO!” Set for the event. Scott Lewis will discuss our 2008 Home
evening of Tuesday, March 9th (in lieu of that Show fund-raiser.
week’s regular meeting) at the Vecchia Roma Ceremonies will include a parade of small
Restaurante, 398 Watertown Street, starting at plaster frogs given to each club by DG Carol
6:00 PM. Toomey for appropriate decoration. Our entry is
We’ll enjoy Newton’s finest Italian cuisine. in the hands of Scott Lewis and Paula Kirrane, to
Members attend for free; significant others and be unveiled on Friday.
guests are encouraged at $10/person, RSVP
required ASAP (email to Scott Lewis). More Senior Safety Program: Bill Garr invited
details still being worked by Paul Kerrissey and all those interested in helping to plan a Senior
Justin Sallaway, cochairs for the event. Thus far, Safety Day to attend a meeting at NCSC with
we expect about 20 members and guests to Newton Police and Fire officials. Meeting will
attend. start at 8:00 AM Friday at NCSC on Waltham
Street.
District 7910 PR Dinner and Exhibit:
Several members will be driving out to Dictionaries: President Marie read a Thank
Boxborough Friday night to participate in the You note from Zervas School teacher Tracy
annual District Public Relations Awards Dinner Affonso: “Thank you so much for your recent
and Exhibit. Peter Mahler has created two photo generous donation of dictionaries to the third
collage posters highlighting the Death by Choco- grade students at Zervas School. My students
late and Dictionaries for Third Graders projects. live them. Thanks again!” The note came with
many other thank you notes from students.
Your ad could be here! PAULA KIRRANE
Business card size ads cost only $100/year for Rotary Uniquely Designed Cakes
members, $125 for non-members. The distribution list 230 Adams Street
of people who see our club news grows every week. Newton, MA 02458
Tel.: (617) 969-1830
Shouldn’t they see you, and your support of our club’s fax: (617) 969-5852
good works?
www.theicingonthecake.com
c 2010 Rotary Club of Newton Page 4

5. Student of the Month: Jacqueline Tirado, Newton North HS
Student-of-the-Month
Jackie Tirado is
flasnked by President
Marie Presti and Jeff
Tucker, who presented
her with a Village
Bank savings account.
Newton North High School Principal
Jennifer Price showed more emotion than
usual as she introduced our Student of the
Month, Jacqueline Tirado.
Without including a long list of extracur-
ricular activities and volunteer efforts, Ms.
Price explained how, in Jackie’s case, showing
up at all was an accomplishment. Becoming a
dependable, all-A’s student was to take her
achievement to an extraordinary level. Jackie,
a Dorchester resident, is a MetCo Program
student “who was a runaway child a year ago.”
Taking the podium herself, Jackie L to R: Elizabeth Mercado, Jackie Tirado, and Newton
thanked the Club for the honor, and most of all North HS Housemaster Michelle Stauss
thanked her mother, Elizabeth Mercado, for
her crucial and unwavering support.
c 2010 Rotary Club of Newton Page 5

6. HAPPY DOLLARS
Jeff Tucker was kind enough to collect Dick Bowen was happy for our SOM, for
Happy Dollars, starting with his own congratu- Peter Mahler’s beautifully prepared posters,
lations to Bill Garr, who will be honored at Tony Bibbo’s PR efforts, Paul Kerrissey’s
NCSC. Peter Mahler was happy to know fellowship activities, and Bill Garr’s remark-
Student-of-the-Month (“SOM”) Jackie Tirado. able service.
Susanne McInerny was happy for our Dick Hardaway was happy to recall
SOM, and for Bill Garr. Bert Martinson attending his son’s hockey practice some years
offered a “Ditto, me too” for our student. ago. He remembered that the next team to take
Bill Garr was happy to say thanks for all the ice was coached by Paula Kirrane’s dad.
of the good wishes, and for our SOM. He was “We’d never seen such aggressive play by a
deeply saddened, however, to say that his sister hockey team at practice!”
passed away last week. Tom Keery was happy despite his failure
Paula Kirrane was happy for SOM to win the raffle, even after syndicating with
Jackie and Jackie’s mother. She was also others at his table to share many tickets. Ed
delighted to see the Boston Globe article Casavant was happy for our SOM. Paul
recalling her uncle, Jack Kirrane, who Kerrissey was happy and proud for the success
captained the gold medal winning 1960 Ameri- of the MetCo Program.
can hockey team. Student of the Month Jackie Tirado was
Peggy Lepore was happy for our SOM, happy to thank the Club. Marie Presti was
and for Newton North, but sad to say good-bye happy for Jackie and her Mom. She was also
for several weeks, and to be missing Italian happy to take son Brendon to Disneyland while
Night and St. Patrick’s Day with the Club. in California last week, with the help of au-
pere Catalina.
SCOTT LEWIS HOME DESIGN
ADDITIONS
RENOVATIONS
NEW HOMES
HISTORIC RESTORATION
12 Bencliffe Circle
Auburndale, MA 02466
(617) 293-6371
c 2010 Rotary Club of Newton Page 6

7. UPCOMING...
RAFFLE
March 3: Brae Burn CC. Wednesday
meetings continue. Speaker TBA
March 9: 6:00 PM Tuesday Night “Italian
Night” Celebration at Vecchia Roma
Restaurante (RSVP required), in lieu of
regular meeting.
March 17: St. Patrick’s Day Luncheon at
Lasell Village - NO MEETING AT
BRAE BURN. Lasell President Michael
Alexander scheduled to speak. Corned
beef and cabbage is on the menu.
With $680 sitting in the jackpot and only 26
cards left in the diminishing deck, Treasurer
Peter Mahler took matters into his own hands.
His ticket #698 was pulled by Jackie Tirado. But,
alas, Peter found only the meagre Two of Hearts.
Mo’ money next week, and only 25 cards!
PAUL M. KERRISSEY
Attorney at Law
277 Auburn Street
Suite B
Auburndale, MA 02466
Office: (617) 964-5800
Fax: (617) 969-9850
c 2010 Rotary Club of Newton Page 7