The Rotary Club of Kirkland held a meeting on February 14, 2022 at the Courtyard by Marriott hotel.
President Dave DeBois rang the bell at 6:27 p.m., calling the club meeting to order.
Joanne Primavera led the membership in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Attending were George Anderson, David Aubry, Gary Cohn*, David DeBois, Monica Fratita*, Shellie Gehring*, Margie Glenn*, Michael Hunter, Isabelle Kalisa, Jim Meniketti, Rick Ostrander, Joanne Primavera, John Pruitt, Steve Shinstrom, Patti Smith, and John Storbeck. *Attended the meeting online.
Guests:
Guest attending the meeting included our speakers, Kent Sullivan and Matt McCauley, Cassi Bull, our Rotary Student of the Month from Lake Washington High School, Bill Bull and Kim Bull, parents of the student of the month, Anna Aubry, Peggy Ostrander, Heidi Hiatt*, and Russ Segner*. *Attended the meeting online.
Greeter:
Our greeter this evening was Jim Meniketti, who manned the front desk.
Announcements & Club Business:
President Dave reminded us that Bunco will be April 9 at the Shinstrom’s – good, mindless fun that is perfect for times like this.
Our April 18 meeting will be Zoom only, as we will be joining District 5030 for a program on sex trafficking and efforts to combat it.
There will be no meeting February 21 – Presidents’ Day.
The Club Board meeting will be on Zoom February 17.
President Dave will be sharing the results of the Club survey, along with additional comments from members. Email President Dave with any questions or comments.
President Dave noted that we usually have a Valentine’s Day program, so he shared some comments and quotations on love and Valentine’s Day.
It was decided that going forward, meetings will be begin at 6:15 p.m.
Happy Bucks:
Rick Ostrander led a session of Happy Dollars from happy Rotarians. There were several happy Rotarians this evening: Rick Ostrander, Dave Aubry, Mike Hunter, Steve Shinstrom, and Dave DeBois all contributed to the good of the cause.
Student of the Month:
Cassandra (Cassi) Bull, our Rotary Student of the Month from Lake Washington High School, a senior, told us about herself and shared some of her future educational plans. She was raised in an environment where being different was normal. Her older sister had some congenital heart problems – Cassie then acted as the older sister.
Cassie has spent much time in community service with people who have developmental problems. She developed and implemented a project for kids with cognitive issues, resulting in material for a research paper.
She is the senior class’s vice president, and has held many other responsible and productive roles at school. She has applied to several colleges and universities, mostly in California.
Program:
President Dave introduced our speakers for the evening. Matt McCauley and Kent Sullivan are back for an update on the railroad and Kirkland history. Their presentation a few years ago is credited with inspiring the history portion of the Club’s Legacy Project on the Cross Kirkland Corridor. They gave us a quick review of Kirkland’s beginning as a steel town founded by Peter Kirk. Kirk attempted to establish a steel mill that was served by the town’s original rail line that ran along Slater St./Ave. This rail line was used to serve the construction of the mill and would have served to supply the mill with raw materials for steel-making and to haul away finished products.
Their recent research has centered on efforts to precisely locate the site and to determine the design of the original train station. They also were looking at exactly how the rail line approached the mill site.
By using old photos, maps, documents, and surveys, they have been able to solve most of these mysteries. They demonstrated this by showing how they would superimpose old maps onto old survey documents and aerial photos. They acquired most of their material by visiting the archives of King County and the old Northern Pacific Railway. They also managed to acquire some old glass-plate negatives offered for sale on eBay.
Some of their discoveries resulted in chance conversations with archive staffers who suggested other resources and lines of inquiry. A perfect example of serendipity resulting from diligent research.
There were a few questions and comments from enthralled Rotarians.
Joker Pool:
There was not a Joker Pool this evening.
Adjournment:
President Dave rang the bell at 7:45 p.m. to adjourn the meeting.
Respectfully Submitted
Dave Aubry – Acting Scribe