Rotary Welcomes Distinguished Cambridge Rotarian of over 50 Years Ben Wright, 95 Years Young!
The "2th" (pronounced tooth) of October (as my grandmother used to call her birth date) was a spectacular fall day. There was radiant sunlight emanating from a pale blue sky dotted with wispy cirrus clouds. Thirteen Rotarians and 1 visiting Rotarian gathered at Brookhaven for a delicious luncheon of salad, sandwiches, chicken, and a panoply of desserts, all generously donated by PP Jim F and Brookhaven. Our distinguished guest was Ben Wright of the Cambridge Rotary club.
Following a moment of silence for the victims of the senseless shooting in Las Vegas, the pledge of allegiance was led by President Elect Michelle G, one verse of America by Charlie V and the very moving Invocation by PP Don S. The welcome song was also lead by Charlie V.
PP Spencer B fined himself for missing the Senior BBQs, but at the same time was happy to have been in Portugal soaking up some fine wine. PP Jim Shaw was very happy that the Senior BBQs went off without a hitch and were well attended by seniors and Rotarians alike. Thanks to all the Rotarians who participated and especially those who worked more than one night and to PP Jim F and Brookhaven for donating the food. PP Jim S also saw PP Dave S at a Red Sox game last week and collected happy dollars from Dave to bring to the meeting. I had happy dollars for the privilege of introducing Ben Wright, who was a fellow Cambridge Rotarian and close personal friend of my father.
The board voted to donate $500 dollars to the Susan G Koman fund for cancer research and patient care. President Lori walked 6 miles last weekend and is planning on walking 50 miles in the near future to raise money for this worthy cause. The board also voted to pay for veteran’s breakfasts, up to $750, at the upcoming Veteran’s Day event.
President Elect Michelle G still has cash raffle tickets. If you haven’t picked up s tickets to sell, please contact her. We also need raffle items for the event. Please let her know if you have something to donate.
On a sad note, a former member of this club, Jim Nagle, passed away. Visiting hours are Tuesday from 4 pm to 7 pm at the Douglass Funeral Home. Funeral at Douglass Funeral Home Wednesday, October 4 at 9 am followed by a Mass of Christian burial at St. Brigid Church, Lexington at 10 am. Flowers have been sent from the club.
We have a very busy calendar for October and November. Updates are as follows and also available on the Rotary app and website.
- October 15th: Rise against hunger pack out with the Concord Rotary Club to be held at Minuteman High School from 1-3 PM.
- October 16th: No meeting. Everyone is expected to be at the packout the day before in lieu of a meeting
- October 23rd: Regular meeting at Minuteman High School
- October 26th: Meeting with the Concord Club and both District Governors to be held at the Concord Inn
- October 30th: No meeting
- November 3rd: Cash Raffle at the Lexington Golf Club from 6:30 to 10:30. Invite all your ticket buyers to join us in fellowship and to bid on auction items.
- November 4th: Veteran Breakfast at St Bridget’s church. 8 to 11:30
- November 6th: No meeting
- December 2nd & 3rd: Distribution of buckets of salt for the Sand for Seniors project.
Raffle donations were made by:
- Arlex Oil Corp.
- Peoples United Bank
- Patriot Community Bank
- Wagon Wheel Nursery and Farm Stand
- The Rotary Club of Lexington
Our visiting Rotarian and guest today was Ben Wright. Ben, a spry and distinguished 95-year-old gentleman who lived most of his life in Cambridge. He moved to Brookhaven in 2004 after the passing of his wife. Ben, a history major with familial ties to a Lexington Minuteman, went to law school and then started work for the Badger Corporation. He served as their General Counsel, working out of One Broadway Street in Cambridge. Badger was later bought by Raytheon. Ben was an avid skater from a very early age and his wife skated competitively on the national and international level. They both went on to become skating judges and in that capacity attended many winter Olympic games. It was only this year that Ben retired from judging due to the rigors of travel. Ben has been an active member of the Rotary Club of Cambridge for close to 50 years and still makes his way into Cambridge every Thursday for meetings.
The 50:50 raffle was for $35 and was won by PP Susan C
Respectfully
PP Frank S