February 5, 2025 Breakfast Meeting Notes 

 

Tony started the morning with his famous NH Trivia, Respected and Loved Area Residents edition.

 

The 50/50 was won by Denise.

 

The card game chance was won by Beth but she had already left. Tony drew for her but did not select the ace.

 

Greg reminded us that medical services across the country are getting overloaded. Please try to avoid getting hurt, (direct quote: “Don’t do anything stupid”), wear your face masks, and get vaccinated. Flu, COVID, and RSV are off the charts in NH right now.

 

Tony haas rewritten the procedure for nominating Citizen of the Year. It is now shorter and simpler. 

 

Beth noted that we may or may not have a speech contest this year.The first round is scheduled for next week. We have one girl signed up, but she does not want to be the only participant Beth is trying to get more contestants. The students feel that the theme is not very relatable to them. This year’s theme is “how does Rotary engender respect between students” and they feel that this implies that students don’t already have respect for one another. Greg felt that the focus of Interact should be on local organizations and projects. In addition, the numerous early morning meetings are difficult for busy students. It would also help to start in the middle school rather than waiting until high school.

 

Lora mentioned the Girl Scout’s Gift of Caring cookie drive.This program allows donors to buy cookies which are then donated to service personnel, first responders, homeless shelters and other places that we might want to recognize.They hope that we will be able to participate, either individually or as a club (if the latter, we can request where donated cookies are delivered). We will bring up the possibility of a club donation at our next board meeting.

 

Gerry Boyle speaks to the club

 

Tony introduced our speaker, the honorable Gerry Boyle, the 2020 Rotary Citizen of the Year. He spoke about “the night that rocked Plymouth.”

 

November 28, 1989, was a bitter cold day. It had snowed and the snow was crunching underfoot. At 11:30 that night the phone rang at his house. This was not unusual, as he was a criminal defense lawyer. This time it was to inform him of an accident; state trooper Parker and the prisoner he was transporting were dead and the other trooper Joe Gerdy was on his way to Speare. Gerry was asked to go pick up the Gerry’s  5 month old child while the wife went to the hospital. Joe later died at Concord Hospital.

 

Apparently a tractor trailer from Canada carrying lumber missed a curve in Warren and the load of lumber dropped on the police car. The driver of the car, Parker, was decapitated and Joe and the prisoner in back seat were crushed. 

 

A large number of ordinary citizens turned out for the funeral. Gerry gave the eulogy for his friend and neighbor Joe, sharing memories and humorous anecdotes. He repeated several of these tales to us. This incident was 35 years ago and Plymouth still remembers; an honorary Mass was held here just last year. 

 

Kelly Drew has asked for photos of our club for the district newsletter. If anyone  pictures from the Penny Sale or the Styrofoam project, send them to Denise.

 

Super Bowl squares board has been filled. Alicia brought numbers today and Alicia held a drawing to put them into the board. 

 

Denise noted that Keep the Heat On is 20 years old this year.

 

Happy dollars were shared by Denise, Erica, Tony, Mike, and Steve. 

 

Respectfully submitted, 

 

Lora Miller, secretary