February 21, 2018 Member Assignments

Greeters

Please Arrive by 11:50 a.m

2/28 – Christine Cope

3/7 – Patti Augustine & Chris Stephenson

3/14 – Marilyn Pape & Mike Bollas

Mobile Meals

3/2 – Pat miller & Dave Taylor

3/9 – Dan Rowland & Cleo Royster

3/16 – Genevieve Bauman & Joe Morgan

Fellowship 2.0

2/28 – Ken LaPolla

3/7 – Dave Smith

3/14 – Dan Rowland

Invocation

2/28 – Frank Bodor

3/7 – Janet Schweitzer

3/14 – Frank Bodor

Magazine Report

February, 2018 – Venita Collins

March, 2018 – Mike Morales

ROTARY NOTES A publication of the Rotary Club of Warren

Upcoming

Speakers

Feb. 28 Greg

Kovalchick - Geauga-

Trumbull Solid Waste

Management

March 7

Tony Coder – Drug Free

Action Alliance

March 14 Molly Toth –

YWCA of Warren

March 21 To Be

Announced

President and CEO of

Republic Steel Company, Charles

White (AKA Chris Shape), spoke

briefly about the history of his

company at the Rotary Club of

Warren’s February 21, 1955

meeting. Mr. White was born in

1891 and was raised in Oakland,

Maryland. He left school at the

age of 12 and started to work in

his father’s sawmill, leading mule

teams in the lumber camps. He

was determined to return to school

and earned the money needed to

attend Maryland State College, graduating with a degree in Mechanical

Engineering. After graduation, he went to work for American Bridge

Company but continued to take classes in chemistry, engineering, and

metallurgy at the Carnegie Institute of Technology. In 1915, Mr.

White accepted a position with Jones & Laughlin Steel where he

eventually worked his way up to general superintendent. In 1930, he

was named assistant vice-president of operations at Republic Steel.

In 1935, he became vice-president of operations and in 1945 was

elected president, the office he still holds today. Earlier this year,

he was also named CEO.

Republic Steel was founded in 1899 in Youngstown, Ohio as

Republic Iron & Steel Company. For the first three decades of

existence, it prospered, as Ohio was one of the leading industrial

states. In 1912, Trumbull Steel was founded here in Warren. In

1925, Cyrus Eaton purchased Trumbull Steel for $18 million, and in

the next several years, purchased the majority of the stock in

Republic Iron & Steel, as well as other steel mills and manufacturers.

He united these smaller companies under the new name of Republic

Steel Company. His hope was to compete with US Steel, the largest

steel manufacturer in the United States. Under Eaton’s leadership,

Republic Steel expanded its holdings to include plants in Massillon,

Elyria, Canton, Cleveland, and Warren.

In the 1930’s, soon after Mr. White joined the firm, the company

Rotary

Motto

Service Above Self

4-Way

Test

Of the things we think, say

or do:

Is it the truth?

Is it fair to all concerned?

Will it build goodwill and

better friendship?

Will it be

beneficial to all concerned?

Avenues

of Service

Club Service

Vocational Service

Community

Service

International Service

Youth Service

faced tensions with its steel workers, as they sought to unionize.

They Mr. White was charged with protecting the company. However, in

1937, their workers, as well as employees from Youngstown Sheet &

Tube and several other steel companies, went on to strike over low

wages and what they claimed were poor working conditions.

Collectively, these steel companies were known as “Little Steel”, as

opposed to “Big Steel”, US Steel and Bethlehem Steel. The workers

tried tried sit-down strikes and picket lines to attain their formation of

Communist labor unions. The company was victorious in defeating this

strike when Governor Martin Davey eventually sent in troops to break

it up. While they proved successful in the “Little Steel Strike of

1937”, with the outbreak of World War II, they reluctantly permitted

the unions in their mills, so that they could acquire lucrative

government contracts.

Through the 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s, Republic Steel flourished and is

still one of the nation’s top steel producers!

A As many of you know, Christine Cope has been busily taking

pictures of items d picture depicting the history of our Club for our Virtual Museum,

Museum. An e-bo which will be posted to our Club’s website for all to enjoy. In

addition to our history, the goal is to document how instrumental our

Club was in the formation of so many landmarks in Warren, such as

Warren, such the YWCA, the carillon bells in the Courthouse, and the

amphitheater. amphitheater.

During our Centennial Year, our Club is planning a project to

benefit the City of Warren – the restoration of the fountain on

Courthouse Square and/or installation of new carillon bells in the

Courthouse. More information is to be obtained regarding the fountain

B by the end of this week. Andy Bednar touched base with Ray Bland’s

daughter, and she indicated that the family will make a decision about

the project they wish to fund within the next week. The grant that we

Areas of

Focus

Promoting

Peace

Fighting Disease

Providing Clean

Water

Saving Mothers & Children

Supporting Education

Growing Local

Economies

Club Officers President

Andy Bednar

President Elect Venita Collins

Vice-President

Teri Surin

Secretary Judy Masaki

Treasurer

Cheryl Oblinger

Past President Julia Wetstein

Board Members Ginny Bond

Christine Cope Tony Iannucci

Dominic Mararri Ted Stazak

Kim Straniak Nick Verina

obtained for the fountain project has a 12 month expiration date, but

the money can be reassigned to a different project.

WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMENTS

Our Slice of the Valley Pizza Challenge will be held this Sunday,

February 25th @ The Metroplex from 4 to 7 p.m. Tickets are $10

for adults and $5 for children six years of age and under. There will

be 19 pizza vendors, desserts from Mocha House, and local craft beer

breweries. Entertainment will be provided by Bo Wagner, as Frank

Sinatra, with his 13 piece orchestra. A Chinese Auction, 50/50

Raffle, and Celebrity Judges will round out the evening. The auction

will include an autographed bottle of Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini wine!

Tickets will be available at the door or can be obtained on-line. Mark

your calendar, plan to attend, and help out where you can. It

promises to be a great event! Volunteers should report to the

Metroplex at 2:00 p.m.

The Rotary Club of Warren would like to express our deepest

sympathy to the family of Gerald Donohoe. Our dear friend Jerry

passed away last Sunday. Services will be held at 6:00 p.m. on March

1st at St. James Catholic Church on Willard. Calling hours will be held

prior to the service from 5:00 to 6:00 p.m.

The Ohio District Governors-Elect are holding a friendly

competitive service project among districts at All-Ohio PETS this year.

They are collecting new and gently used children’s picture books which

will be shipped to District 3450 – Mongolia. The books will then be

translated from English to Mongolian by high school students. A

portion of the books will also be translated into Braille. Rotarians will

distribute the books to children in rural Mongolia. President-Elect

Venita Collins will be collecting books at our Club meetings over the

next two weeks and taking them to the PETS Conference in March.

The District that collects the most books will win the All-Ohio PETS

Service Above Self Championship Cup. Please give generously and help

Venita win that cup for District 6650!

Mark your calendars and plan to attend the District 6650

Conference at Avalon Inn beginning May 11, 2018. The Rotary Club of

Warren will once again host the Hospitality Suite.

A Thank You Note was received from Cleo Royster’s grandchild for

the dictionaries our Club donated to her Lordstown Elementary School

classroom. These were extra dictionaries left over from our project.

Rotary Club

Foundation

Board

President

Chris Shape

Vice-President Diane Sauer

Secretary

Judy Masaki

Treasurer Cheryl Oblinger

Andy Bednar

Jim Ditch Cindy Matheson

Teri Surin

Contact us at: Rotary Club of

Warren P.O. Box 68 Warren, OH

44482

Our Website: Warrenrotary.org

If you have any

questions or

suggestions

about our

newsletter, or

if you would

like to become

a sponsor,

Please contact:

Judy Masaki

PRESIDENT McKINLEY AS PORTRAYED BY

MIKE WILSON

Mike Wilson is the

Director of SCOPE Senior

Services with seven

Centers serving Portage

and Trumbull Counties.

Mike began portraying

William McKinley 27 years

ago. He has performed

as our nation’s 25th

President at civic, school,

church, and historical

events. He has traveled

as far as Massachusetts

to conduct a program.

Mike was a featured

performer for the

National Travel Writers Association. He was filmed for

C-Span giving a front porch speech as part of their series on

th the Presidents in 1999. He was approved by the Historical

Actors Guild as the official presenter for President William

WillMcKinley. McKinley. Mike is a life-long member of the Friends of the

National National McKinley Birthplace Memorial and Library located in

Nile Niles, Ohio, and he believes in bringing history to life.

During this President’s Day week, Mike began his

performance performance with a re-enactment of President McKinley’s first

\ inaugural address from 1897. The President spoke of our

nation’s $4 million debt, languishing agriculture, and labor

difficulties. He proposed that legislation in support of

producers would be beneficial to all. He asked for the support

of his constituents in setting a tariff on products made outside

our borders in order to protect those within. He proposed

equal equal rights where lynchings and hangings were no longer

tolerated. Finally, he advocated for a temporary halt to

immigration immigration until we have enough money to feed and house

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those already in the United States. He also announced that teachers

would be sent to Ellis Island to teach the English language because

illiteracy needed to be decreased.

This resounding speech, along with other historical facts about

President McKinley, was certainly mesmerizing, especially considering

how the main issues of his campaign seem to be true even today.

However, However, perhaps even more interesting was Mike Wilson’s explanation

of the correlation between McKinley’s election and The Wizard of Oz.

In 1896, with farm foreclosures, unemployment, and discord growing at

an alarming rate, William Jennings Bryan and the Democratic Party

believed believed that silver was the remedy for financial stagnation. In contrast,

McKinley was an advocate of the gold standard. Fast forward to 1964,

when Henry Littlefield, a high school teacher in New York proposed that L.

Frank Baum’s children’s book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, published in

1900, was a political parable of the United States during the Bryan-

McKinley election. Mike reiterated that Littlefield felt that the book’s

characters represented the following groups of people in the late

nineteenth century:

The Munchkins were the little people, oppressed by government but

hopeful about being protected by a new Republican candidate. And

what did they tell Dorothy (representing everyman)? Follow the

Yellow Brick Road (McKinley’s Gold standard)!

Dorothy’s shoes represented the Democratic/Populist’s demand for

silver coinage. (The shoes were originally silver, not Ruby.)

The Wicked Witch of the East represented the Eastern

industrialists and bankers, who dehumanized the laborers.

The Scarecrow was an immigrant farmer.

The Tin Man was a downtrodden factory owner who didn’t have the

“heart” to reinvest money.

William Jennings Bryan = The Cowardly Lion

Willlliam McKinley = The Wizard of Oz, symbolizing the American

criterion for leadership: able to be everything to everybody.

Emerald City was Washington, D.C

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And the Wicked Witch of the West represented drought. How do

you end drought? With water. The melting witch was symbolic of

the ability to grow crops again and flourish.

What an interesting depiction of Populism versus Protectionism!

However, Mike wasn’t done wowing us with interesting facts about

President President McKinley. He reported that in 1901, in another

significant speech during his second term in office, McKinley outlined

policies that paralleled what the world is like 100 years later. He spoke

of transportation and communication becoming immediate, investments

expanding beyo expanding beyond our borders, and an x-ray light machine changing the

future of medicine and one day being needed during a disaster (9-11).

Many thanks to Mike Wilson for a most interesting history lesson on

the evolution in thinking and the changing times of McKinley’s presidency!

Best wishes to the following Rotarians celebrating

birthdays birthdays during the month of February:

Willia William Zamarelli Genevieve Bauman

Janet Schweitzer Mike Bollas

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Andy Bednar is among those being honored by the Tribune Chronicle

and Trumbull 100 for exceptional community volunteer efforts.

Venita Collins is reserving a table for Warren Rotarians at the banquet.

Please let her know if you would like to attend. Ticket money ($20) is

due to her no later than March 7th. Congratulations, Andy!!

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TRIPLE JACKPOT

This week, the Grand Jackpot totaled $1,232.

Congratulations to the Daily & Grand Jackpot winner, Judy Masaki!!

HAPPY BUCKS

*** I, Judy Masaki, was definitely a happy camper for winning the

Grand Jackpot! (Once I figured out that I had actually won!) I was

also happy to participate in YSU Crash Day with my son this past

Monday.

*** Julia Wetstein offered a Happy Buck in honor of her friend, Jim,

who was a member of eight different Rotary Clubs, and was President

eight times.

*** Denise May enjoyed our speaker. She expressed congratulations

to to Damininc Mararri for all he has accomplished in his life. She’s

also also happy to be celebrating her 40th wedding anniversary!

*** Don Powers offered a Happy Buck in memory of Jerry Donohoe,

who who volunteered with Mobile Meals for 40 years.

*** Chris Shape got the plates off of his leg, and on April 3rd,

all of the other hardware comes off. He’s on the road to recovery!

He He also expressed appreciation for our speaker.

*** Kim Straniak thanked Mike Wilson for his wonderful presentation.

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*** Frank Bodor is glad Mike Wilson’s wife insisted that he come to

Warren, Ohio. Mike (President McKinley) thanked Frank for being on

his campaign stop!

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