Time to Ring the Bell – Thanks for a great year!!

Rick ringing the bellAt the stroke of midnight tonight the Rotary District and Club leadership all over the world change over. It’s out with the old and in with the new in grand style. Approximately 534 Rotary Districts will get new District Governors and 34,000+ Rotary Clubs will get new Presidents. We have the ultimate in term limits; 1 year and done.

One year may not seem like a great deal of time but with the several years of training leading up to the actual job and the intensive 1 year at the helm,  it is actually a pretty long haul.

We accomplished a considerable amount during this 2013-14 Rotary Year and I want to offer a big THANK YOU to the scores of people that worked so hard to help make it a tremendous success. I’m especially thankful to my wife, Jennifer Bassett, for being such a dedicated partner and good sport throughout this journey.

I was briefly temped to chronicle the long list of accomplishments for the past year but then thought that it might be easier (on you and me) to simply say that we left the district better than we found it.

As the year wraps up there is just 1 last thing to do……Ring that Bell!!

The best of luck to our incoming and future district leaders Mukund Nori (DG 2014-15), Gerry Tom (DG 2015-16) and Chris Johnson (2016-17) as well as all of the incoming Club Presidents.

Rick Bassett

DG 2013-14

PDG Ernie DiMattia -Sad News

20140627-103032-37832256.jpg

PDG Ernest “Ernie” A. DiMattia, Jr. entered eternal rest on June 26 after a yearlong battle with cancer. He was born in Boston on January 9, 1940, the eldest son of Ernest A. DiMattia, Sr. and Teresa Zerella. He is survived by his loving wife of 48 years, Susan Smith DiMattia. He was the proud father of Brian John (Rebecca Daroff) of Boston, MA, and Amy Lauren of Watertown, MA. He also is survived by two brothers, Dr. Arthur DiMattia (Nike Booras) of Lynnfield, MA, and Robert DiMattia (Thea Quittilier) of Grand Rapids, MI and a niece,two nephews and their families. He served as President of the Ferguson Library in Stamford, CT for almost 38 years. During that time he also served several organizations in Stamford and Connecticut. He was a Past District Governor of Rotary International and a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow. He served on the boards of the Stamford Center for the Arts, the World Affairs Forum, Stamford Symphony, the State Street Debating Society, Salvation Army, Junior Achievement, and the Stamford Police Foundation, among others. He was a member of the First County Bank Corporators and the Connecticut State Library Board. He was a graduate of the Boston Latin School and received his undergraduate degree from Boston College. He held graduate degrees from Simmons College Graduate School of Information and Library Science and the Masters of Business Administration program of the University of Connecticut. Teaching was a significant calling–he served on the adjunct faculties of Simmons College, Pratt Institute, and Rutgers University. He dedicated his time and talents to several elected and appointed positions in the American Library Association, the International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions, and other professional associations. In his spare time, he was an avid solver of puzzles and player of the piano. During his travels, he amassed a collection of eagles in all sizes and formats.

Visiting hours will be held, Sunday, June 29th from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Leo P. Gallagher & Son Funeral Home 2900 Summer Street Stamford.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Monday, June 30th at 11:00 a.m. at the Church of the Holy Spirit, 403 Scofieldtown Road Stamford. Burial will be private.

The family requests, in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to The Ferguson Library, attention Development Office, 1 Public Library Plaza, Stamford, CT 06901.

District 7980 Installs 2014-15 Rotary Leaders

Many Rotarians, friends and family members gathered at Amarante’s Sea Cliff in New Haven from all over district 7980 this past Tuesday night to participate in the annual ‘Changing of the Guard’ where Mukund Nori was inducted as the 2014-15 District Governor and the Assistant Governors and incoming Club Presidents were sworn in for their upcoming year(s) of service.

Also recognized for their significant contributions over the past 3 years were outgoing Assistant Governors: Ann Brignola (Area 5), John Hendrickson (area 2)  and Gerry Tom (Area 12).

The 2014-15 Assistant Governor Team includes:

Role LASTNAME FIRSTNAME Rotary Club
AG Bilus Benjamin New Canaan
AG Dlugos David Beacon Falls
AG Friend Robert Madison
AG Gardner Larry Newtown
AG Coordinator Hendrickson John Westport Sunrise
AG Johnson Christopher Fairfield
AG Marshall-Day Tari Meriden
AG Marvin Gretchen Colchester
AG Morley Laureen Mystic
AG Osach Ronald New Haven
AG Pearson Patricia Orange
AG Riehl Arisleyda Stamford
AG Solomon Jack East Hampton

2014-15 Incoming Rotary Club Presidents includes:

LASTNAME FIRSTNAME Rotary Club
Zinky William Ansonia
Setaro Domemic Beacon Falls
DeMarco Joseph Black Rock
Chew David Branford
Mehta Jatin Bridgeport
Schumacher David Cheshire
McLachlan Ian Chester
Onofrio Richard Clinton
Calvo

Tarlton

Marisa

Ellis

Colchester

Danbury

Richardell Desiree Deep River
Rinaldi Cindy Derby-Shelton
Zwiebel Richard Devon
O’Boyle Kate East Haddam
Hintz Theodore East Hampton
Gravino Stacy East Haven
Ficarra Geraldine Essex
Clancy Deborah Fairfield
Parris Sally Greenwich
Lee Linda Groton
Sengstacken John Guilford
Campo Liborio Hamden
Kass Jeffrey Housatonic Valley-Greater Danbury
Kilpatrick,Jr. Samuel Ledyard
Pellegrino Ed Madison
deAngeli-Fontanez Yvonne Meriden
Witzky-Lambert Trish Middletown
Tashlein Eric Milford
Keene Dan Monroe
Navetta Kimberly Montville
Merkel John Mystic
Mauritz Cathie Naugatuck
Fjeldal Eric New Canaan
Hunter David New Haven
Schmidt C. William New London
Hoeffel Christopher Newtown
Griffiths Linda Niantic
Burns Paul North Branford
D’Ambrosia Nicholas North Haven
Cooke Christopher Norwalk
Nollman Andrew Norwich
Woyasz Jonathan Norwich Sunrise
O’Shaughnessy William Old Saybrook
Pittala Richard Orange
Vazzana Richard Ridgefield
Giustino Ron Ridgefield Sunrise
Spargo Owen Seymour-Oxford
Crawford Henry Stamford
Willner Richard Stoningtons
Gallagher Patricia Stratford
DelVecchio Karen Trumbull
Mezzanotte John Wallingford
Richard Ralph Waterbury
Church Manly Waterford
Wielk Kathleen West Haven
Lewine Steven Westport
Wong Dennis Westport Sunrise
Johnson Carol Wilton
Weintraub Daniel Woodbridge
Monteleone John Woodbury-Southbury-Middlebury

 Congratulations to Mukund, all of the AG’s and the incoming Club Presidents.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tribury Rotary Club to Hold Tenth Annual Art Show

The 10th Annual Art Show, Sale & Silent Auction will be held at the Southbury Public Library at 100 Poverty Road, Southbury, CT beginning on Saturday, June 14, 2014 and ending Saturday, June 28, 2014. All funds raised from the event will be collected by the Not – For – Profit Tribury Rotary Foundation, a 501 (c) 3 corporation and used to support philanthropic efforts including scholarships, literacy, youth leadership and support for the food and fuel banks in the towns of Woodbury, Southbury & Middlebury.

All participating artists, members of the Rotary and the public are invited to attend the Artist’s Reception on Monday, June 16th at the Southbury Public Library from 6pm to 8pm. The reception is free and will provide all attendees an opportunity to see the art, meet the artists and participate in the silent auction.

The Tribury Rotary Club has been active since 1972 and some of the Club’s accomplishments include donating over$130,000 in student scholarships, hosting the Annual Art Show, sale of over 51,000 dozen roses, sponsoring the Interact Club at Pomperaug High School (Region 15) and Cottage 28 at the Southbury Training School, planted 280 Elm Trees in the Tribury Area, and provided funding for the local food and fuel banks as well as hurricane relief.

Rotary International has over 1.2 million members in more than 34,000 clubs worldwide. Members volunteer in communities at home and abroad to support education and job training, provide clean water, combat hunger, improve health and sanitation, and eradicate polio.

The object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster high ethical standards in business and professions as well as the advancement of international understanding, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

The Tribury Rotary Club meets at 12:15 PM Thursday at Juniper’s Restaurant, 1383 Whittemore Road in Middlebury. More information about the club is available online at www.triburyrotary,com or by calling John Monteleone at 203-565-6100.

 

RI Recognizes 10 District 7980 Clubs for their Membership Results

For the very first time Rotary International has identified all of the clubs in our district that have achieved the award thresholds for the Membership Development and Extension Award and the Smaller Club Growth Award. 

This year we have have 10 Clubs which are being honored:

 

Please offer a word of congratulations to your friends in these D7980 Rotary Clubs.