1. July 12, 2011
resident Bill welcomed us to our weekly meeting. We had thirteen CALENDAR
P members present: Dot Bednarski, Joe DeCapio, Anita Diefes, Ed
Diefes, Jerry Ferro, Jim Gascon, Bill Grossman, Kevin Pangman,
Greg Quick, Paulette Quinn, Helen Shaffer, Bob Shields and April
Jul 13th – 7:00 am Board of Directors at
First Cup Coffee Café
Jul 13th – 6:30 pm First Information
Tucker. And we welcomed two guests: Dot Bednarski introduced Dan Meeting of Pilot Club at Krabby
Willis, our speaker, and Jim Gascon introduced Bernie Montgomery, a Kirk’s
prospective member. Jul 19th – Club Picnic at Marcellus Park
Aug 27th – Run for the Woods
ANNOUNCEMENTS Oct 25th – 5:00 pm Serve free Loaves
C Jerry Ferro won the 50/50 again and still missed the queen. Eight and Fishes Dinner at St. John’s.
cards to go and $306 in the pot. We will not have a drawing at the Nov 6th – 12:30 pm Serve lunch at
picnic next week, so see you in two weeks. Samaritan Center
C The first meeting of the Proposed Pilot Club will be held tomorrow
night, July 13th at Krabby Kirk’s in Camillus at 6:30 pm. All are SPEAKERS — Please let Bill Grossman, know
welcome. Buy your food and drink at the bar and come upstairs to who you have coming.
join us. Jul 19 ‐ no breakfast meeting, Club
C If you haven’t made reservations for the Club Picnic or if you have Picnic at Marcellus Park
additional guests, please email Helen Shaffer hvshaffer@yahoo.com Jul 26 ‐ District Governor’s Official
and let her know. Visit, Jim Gascon DG
C Our District Governor, Jim Gascon, will make his official visit on Aug 2 ‐ Phyllis Danks will present Tom
Tuesday, July 26th. Shadle who will speak about
C Dues are due – $333 for dues and meals for the full year and Medicare and Benefits.
$166.50 for ½ year with the remainder due January 1st 2012. Aug 9 ‐ Joe DeCapio
Aug 16 – Anita Diefes
PROGRAM –
Dot Bednarski introduced Dan Willis who spoke on the Erie Canal. WATERING SCHEDULE – Week of...
Dan is a Board Member of the Camillus Erie Canal Society, a volunteer Jul 11 ‐ Kevin Pangman
boat captain, owner of Valley Press in Syracuse, PP of the South Side Jul 18 ‐ Bill Grossman
Business Assn, member of the Valley Men’s Club and a private pilot. Jul 25 ‐ Bob Shields
Dan told us about the development of Clinton’s Ditch – the first of Aug 1 ‐ Bill Grossman
three versions of the Erie Canal. It started the 4th of July 1817 in Rome Aug 8 ‐ April Tucker
and was dug by farmers and immigrants in both directions. There were
no engineers in the country at that point, so the diggers had to make OVERHEARD
everything work. When they encountered a mountain, they built a lock As you leave the used car lot, you
– 80 of them to let the canal rise 564 feet from Albany to Buffalo. When see the owner rush out with a gigantic
they encountered a creek or a river, they built an aqueduct to carry the smile and high‐five the salesman.
canal traffic over the waterway. (In 2008, they rebuilt the aqueduct C You notice that the car phone they
over 9 Mile Creek in Camillus using planks 8 inches, by 18 inches by 72 threw in "for free" has Moe's
Towing Company on speed dial.

2. feet). The original canal was 40 feet wide and 4 feet deep. It ran along C The jumper cables are not in the
Erie Boulevard in Syracuse where the boats were weighed in the t runk but are permanently
Weighlock building. soldered to the battery.
The canal was widened and straightened a few years later to 70 feet C The hood has been equipped with
by 7 feet deep. The original canal was 333 miles and the new on was 15 a push‐button device for quick and
miles shorter because of the straightening. What we have today is the easy opening.
third iteration of the canal – the Erie Barge Canal. The original canal was C The "Purchased From" sticker at
run by manual power – locks were turned by hand and water was filled the bottom of the rear license
and emptied by gravity. Today, the canal has been electrified and is plate has been removed.
susceptible to breakdowns. C You get a "Good Luck" card from
Canal boats were pulled by mules led by 10 year old kids who lived the previous owner.
on the boat and worked 6 hour shifts around the clock. Most boats C As you drive up to a service station
were run by families. When the boats were halted by ice in the winter, for gas, the mechanic opens the
the kids went to school wherever they happened to be. They were 90 big door and waves you in.
± feet long and could only turn around in special areas like the C When you leave for work the next
Widewaters section of DeWitt where the canal was widened to allow morning, you notice a tow truck
for turning. parked about a block from your
The boats ran about 4 miles per hour. Local merchants using driveway. As you go by, it silently
Bumboats would row out to a canal boat, tie on, sell their wares and falls in behind you.
then cast off, hooking on to a boat headed back the other direction. C The little "Service Engine" warning
There were also Church boats with traveling preachers, Circus boats signal in the dashboard comes on
and Brothel boats, etc. In its heyday, the canal carried 300 boats a day and reads "Me Again."
through downtown Syracuse, causing quite a backlog at times. I recently picked a new primary
The canal was capable of carrying large loads very cheaply. Where care doctor. After two visits and
it had taken 8 weeks and $126 to move a load from Albany to Buffalo, exhaustive Lab tests, he said I was
the new canal allowed the trip to be made comfortably in 6 ‐ 8 days at doing ‘fairly well’ for my age. A little
a cost of $6. The canal was killed by trains which could run all winter concerned about that comment, I
and could add or subtract cars based on need. For more information go couldn’t resist asking him, ‘Do you
to www.eriecanalcamillus.com. think I’ll live to be 80?’ He asked, ‘Do
you smoke tobacco, or drink beer or
THE ABCs OF ROTARY wine?’ ‘Oh no,’ I replied.. ‘I’m not
[These short articles about Rotary were first published in the weekly bulletin of the doing drugs, either!’ Then he asked,
Rotary Club of North Stockton, California, U.S.A. That was well before their author,
‘Do you eat rib‐eye steaks and
Cliff Dochterman, became president of Rotary International for the year 1992‐93.]
Rotary Mottoes barbecued ribs? ‘I said, ‘Not much....
The first motto of Rotary International, "He Profits Most Who my former doctor said that all red
Serves Best," was approved at the second Rotary Convention, held in meat is very unhealthy!’ ‘Do you spend
Portland, Oregon, in August 1911. The phrase was first stated by a a lot of time in the sun, like playing
Chicago Rotarian, Art Sheldon, who made a speech in 1910 that golf, sailing, hiking, or bicycling?’ ‘No,
included the remark, "He profits most who serves his fellows best." At I don’t,’ I said. He asked, ‘Do you
about the same time, Ben Collins, president of the Rotary Club of gamble, drive fast cars, or have a lot of
Minneapolis, Minnesota, commented that the proper way to organize sex?’ ‘No,’ I said. He looked at me and
a Rotary club was through the principle his club had adopted ‐ "Service, said,... Then, why do you even care?
[both from Tom Telfer, RC of London West, ONT]
Not Self." These two slogans, slightly modified, were formally approved
to be the official mottoes of Rotary at the 1950 Convention in Detroit CONTACT INFORMATION
‐ "He Profits Most Who Serves Best" and "Service Above Self." The 1989 You can contact Bill Grossman, at
Council on Legislation established "Service Above Self" as the principal bgrossman@marcelluspc.com. The
motto of Rotary, since it best explains the philosophy of unselfish Club address is PO Box 265, Marcellus
volunteer service. NY 13108.