The Bulletin -- December 16, 2009 (#1021)

THE ROCKWELL KENT COLLECTION AT THE PLATTSBURGH STATE ART MUSEUM IS THE LARGEST IN THE WORLD. SHOWN HERE ARE TWO OF HIS PANELS THAT PROMOTED THE ALBANY EXHIBIT.

Program: Keith Tyo; Rockwell Kent Recent Exhibit

Ceil Esposito is the executive director of the Art Museum at Plattsburgh State. She was unable to attend the meeting, and Keith Tyo presented the program on her behalf.

When Keith approached Ceil Esposito about doing a program for the club, he asked for a presentation on the Rockwell Kent exhibit that was in Albany at the New York State Museum from last November through July 2009. The exhibit was on loan from the growing Rockwell Kent collection of the Plattsburgh State Art Museum, the largest Kent collection in the world.

Rockwell Kent’s affiliation to Plattsburgh State was through George Angell, a former SUNY Plattsburgh president from the 1950s. Kent ran a dairy farm in Ausable Forks and was a personal friend of Marty Mannix’s father. Mannix shared some personal insights. “Rockwell Kent is a tremendous historical resource to our area,” said Mannix. “Aside from his artistic talent, he also was a personification of a political time in this country.”

Kent’s bend toward Communism caused considerable trouble for him in terms of getting exhibits and selling his work in the United States. To this day Russia maintains many of Kent’s works. They provided him with opportunities less afforded by those with opposing political views in the US.

Mannix has many memories of Rockwell Kent. He remembered his family providing Kent with protection during the county fair in 1947 when he squabbled with WWII veterans. Despite his controversial political beliefs, Kent was well accepted and safe here in the North Country.

The exhibit in Albany drew over 63,300 people. This successful showing of Kent’s work drew further interest by the Brandywine River Museum. They borrowed 64 works from Plattsburgh State and held an exhibit from September through November 2009. Such endeavors generate substantial revenue for the college. In 2008, the museum made $20,000 in loan fees alone.

For anyone who has not had the opportunity to see the Rockwell Kent exhibit, Keith suggested you pay a visit to the Plattsburgh State Art Museum. It has many different galleries, each with wonderfully rich exhibits. They are open between noon and 4pm M-F and varied hours on weekends.

Auction Items: Keith auctioned some Rockwell Kent cards valued at $10 each. They sold for $10. He auctioned a shirt for $15.

This Week:

• Ellie Murray and Jay Kerley are collecting donations for local nursing homes. Please bring donations to next week’s meeting at Lake Forest.
• Jack Prim reminded members to check the club committee list. Please let Jack know if you would like to participate on a specific committee.
• Sara Rowden reported on Bike Day. About six people participated, and Sara polled the group for interest in having another Bike Day in the spring. There is talk of expanding Bike Day into “Rotary Play Day” by adding other events such as biking and walking.
• The next Board Meeting will be held at CCC Dining Hall (PARC) on Monday, Dec. 21.
• The next New Member Orientation at West Bay Financial will be held on Friday, Jan. 29, 2010 at 8 a.m. Remember to visit another club to get that Blue Badge!

Guests: David Kimmel (Ellen Bouchard/Jack Prim); Peter Grosskopf (John Seiden).

Foundation Moment (Sonia Long/Steve Frederick): Steve asked that club members add the Rotary Foundation to the list of charities and non-profits they support each year. Sonia suggested making a check payable to the club or adding the foundation to your will.

Membership Committee (Bonnie Black): The committee reported 75.06% attendance which is a great improvement. Good work and remember to do your make-ups.

Service Committee(Colin Read): Colin would like members who belong to any service committee to please meet with him at next Wednesday’s meeting at 11:30 a.m. at Lake Forest.

New Member Talk: Terrianne Pavone was born and raised in the area (Peru) and attended Clinton Community College. Upon graduation she decided to spice up her life and hopped a bus to California where she traveled for a few years. She retuned home and met her husband, Glenn. Terrianne and Glenn have been together for 32 years (married for 25) and have two children. Glenn is co-owner of Arnie’s Restaurant and in her early career days, Terrianne worked in sales and customer service. She became a very successful saleswoman for a company out of Denver and was one of nation’s top sellers of their products for 10 years. She and Glenn decided it was time for a change and they moved to Charlottesville, Virginia. There, Terrianne worked at Glowing Hearth until she and Glenn were called back to Arnie’s by Glenn’s dad. She worked several temporary jobs over the years, all of which she loved. She found herself working for Pine Harbor and when the position opened up for Community Relations Director she jumped on it. She’s been there for several years now and loves her work every day. She’s pleased to be a Rotarian and looks forward to working hard for the club and community.

Bonnie’s Bucks:

• This week is the last week the club is taking collections for nursing homes and the Christmas Bureau. Please give donations to Cathy Forget. On Wednesdays (12/16 and 12/23) collections will be taken for the Elk’s servers.
• Peter Cadieux is selling the Santa Night CDs for $12.
• Stan Ransom asked for volunteers for the Rotary Chorus to meetin with him after today’s meeting.
• Rod Giltz congratulated John Bernardi for making the meeting despite the snow.
  

50/50: We’re going for the Ace of Spades, and the pot is worth $500. Stan Ransom drew the Ace of Clubs.

STEVE FREDERICK, VICKI MARKING, AMANDA PALMER AND JACK PRIM LOAD TOYS DONATED BY FELLOW ROTARIANS. THE TOYS ARE HEADED FOR THE CHRISTMAS BUREAU.

PRESIDENT BONNIE PRESENTS EWA JANKOWSKA WITH A $1,153 CHECK FOR WINNING THE CLUB’S 50/50 DRAWING ON NOVEMBER 25, 2009.