It’s that time of year – BACK TO SCHOOL – welcoming a few thousand additional young adults to Duluth’s population. It was more than appropriate that today’s gathering of Club 25 Rotarians was much like a classroom with lessons in history, civics, sales, fellowship and fun! President Steve Yorde called the meeting to order and requested we join Past President John Baumgarten in singing America the Beautiful. Jeff Iisakka then shared a “This Day in History” as our Invocation. We learned that September 6 was a remarkable date for many of history’s significant events: 1620 – the Mayflower departs from Plymouth, England, for the new world carrying 102 Pilgrims and 30 crew (Note: Rotarian Tom Wheeler is a direct descendant of Mayflower Pilgrim the Rev William Brewster – see the remarkable resemblance?

1866 – Frederick Douglass nominated as the first United States black delegate to a national convention; 1901 – President William McKinley is shot by Leon Czolosz, an anarchist, while visiting the Pan-American Expo in New York; 1975 – Czech tennis star Martina Navratilova asks for political asylum in New York City during the US Open; 1997 – Funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales held at Westminster Abbey, London; 2018 – Katherine Monge speaks at Rotary Club 25 in Duluth, Minnesota, wowing the crowd with her insight and knowledge of the workings of the US Congress.

The Fellowship Report was provided by Bob Bennett. We enjoyed the company of many visiting Rotarians and guests: Jim Gruba from Harbortown; Ingo Werk, a past District Governor visiting from Los Angeles, CA; and former member Dick Whitney from Murdock, FL. Visitors included: James Aird and Bret Malvick, guests of Edie Michalski; Chris Anderson, guest of father Bruce Anderson; Adele Yorde and Theresa Grosser guest of President Steve; and Dr. Dennis Soukup and Jim Cherveny, guests of Dr. Jim Monge, who also brought our speaker to today’s program.

Jeff Iisakka retired after 42 years in the building construction industry with 29 years with Kraus-Anderson Construction Company. An article in the Duluth News Tribune about the selling and refurbishing of the Norway Hall on Lake Ave drew a modest table fine of $1 to anyone with at least a bit of Norwegian in them. Rotarian and resident Astrophysics Professor Marc Seigar was commended in The Wave newsletter by a former student, now a Ph.D., who credited him as her inspiration for discovering a new galaxy. Former Club 25 Rotarian Bob Rhode passed away August 27. His visitation on September 17 will be followed by an 11:00 a.m. funeral held at Pilgrim Congregational Church and burial in Park Hill Cemetery. Past President Phil Strom introduced us to three young adult members and their counselors from the Woodland Hills community who will be joining us for the rest of the month. Welcome!

33^rd Rotary Rose Sale Kickoff! Someone named The Rose Man (who looked very much like Rotarian Scott Frankovich) joined us to announce that today marks the beginning of Club 25’s most important fundraising program – the 33^rd Rotary Rose Sale! Each year members raise significant funds selling dozens of roses, as well as coupons for the Rose Sale Coupon Book, which in turn provides funding for tens of thousands of grants for our community. This year each Rotarian received a packet containing 60 dozen tickets and information for everything you need to help reach our goal. Once again Rotarians were asked to sign up to help with distribution of roses at several retail locations in October. A signup board will be available at each meeting.

Today’s program was much like a college lesson in Civics – all the better as it was introduced by Chair of the Day Dr. Jim Mongé who brought his daughter, Katherine Monge, a Senior Policy Advisor serving in the office of House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi in Washington, DC. Ms. Mongé has extensive experience in tax, trade, social security and pension policy – helping to turn great ideas into the law of the land. Her impressive resume demonstrates work with the likes of former Secretary of State Madeline Albright; former US Senator (now Governor) Mark Dayton, and the late US Representative James Oberstar. Ms. Mongé is a graduate of East High School and a “lifelong Greyhound.” Ms. Mongé shared that 6.4 million letters were sent to the US Senate last year, and in one office more than 33,000 letters arrived in a single three-week period. Emails, Facebook and other forms of communications fill inboxes; however, Ms. Mongé said it was important to know that all correspondence is read – and phone calls are recorded for response. These constituent communications remain an important part of our US Government and affect how laws are made or changed. Passion for a cause, an idea, or to right a wrong is the indispensable component to making anything happen in Congress. Passion may come from a constituent who sees an injustice in their community that only a Federal law can make right. Passion may come from a member of Congress who has an idea that will move the country further toward prosperity and freedom. Whatever policy that is subject to legislation, our two-party system requires cooperation and compromise to enable it to move forward. Ms. Mongé affirmed the observations made by Rotarians in the audience that party politics are currently making life on the Hill more divisive, but there is still bipartisanship that occurs. An example illustrating this point was described when members of Congress, with cooperative assistance and hard work behind the scenes among bipartisan policy advisers like Ms. Mongé, were able to come together to sort out an unforeseen problem with the recent passing of the Tax Act. When drafting legislation for new laws, Ms. Mongé looks for co-signers from each party, with preference from party leaders, and that she relies on the trust developed over the years among her fellow policy advisors.

 

 

 

Katherine and Dr. Jim Monge