March 22 2024African Education ProgramElaine Chagnon and Bishop Markus Dogo
The meeting will be held both in person and via Zoom.
Watch for an email from the Club for Zoom access and
please note we use a recurring ID for your convenience.
Sergeant-at-Arms Report
Rotarians Present: 28 (1 by Zoom)
Guests: Steve Kemper (Speaker).
Visiting Rotarians: Tom Wood(WH Club and Prospective Member), Ellen Rau (WH Club)
Happy Dollars: $15
Raffle Winner: Brian O'Donnell, $20
Birthdays
Ike Eickenhorst 3/15 - Not Present
Happy Dollars
Gary Miller went skiing yesterday. Ski Sundown is still open through next week. They still have a lot of snow on the mountain. Sunday he is off to Naples FL., for a Dartmouth class reunion. brought a makeup slip from a Rotary club in Vermont – both a sunrise club and a lunchclub. He thought the morning club was 10x livelier than we are; 95% participation in club projects. There are 20-30 members in the morning, and the lunch club is larger.
Yvonne Gardner noted that FOCUS hosted the Avon/Canton Chamber After Hours get together which was a great success. Catered by J. Timothy's.
Lauren Gardner is going to AZ for a wedding tomorrow.
Bill Barnes is inviting everyone to attend the Farmington Valley Symphonies concert next Saturday 3 PM to be held at St. John's Episcopal Church in West Hartford.
Brian O'Donnell announced that the Afgan Interpreter's family of 6 will be arriving soon to live in W. Hartford
Deb Stanwood had a great time last week at PETS.
Peter Vignati was happy that he was out playing golf, while Gary was skiing. He also wanted to thank Gary and Lauren Miller for their work on creating posters for our upcoming recruitment event.
Awards
None.
Announcements
Calendar
March 20 - 10AM-1PM - Loaves & Fishes contact Bob Cave if you can help
March 23 - 9-Noon - Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Bloomfield
April 4 - 6-8PM - Membership recruitment event at Golf Lounge 18 (rescheduled from Mar 21)
April 20 - Tastes of the Valley at Farmington Gardens. Colleen Grasso has details and will need help. We are still looking for sponsors, gifts for the auction, and bottles for the ring toss.
July 27 - Rotary Night at the Yard Goats - More information Soon
Induction of New Members
None this week.
Awards
None this week.
Community and International Service Grants
None this week.
The Ambassador Who Tried to Prevent Pearl HarborSteve Kemper
Steve Kemper -our speaker today is an author and freelance journalist. He will speak about his latest book, Our Man in Tokyo: An American Ambassador and the Countdown to Pearl Harbor. The book is a behind-the-scenes narrative and focuses on the volatile lead-up to the war with Japan. The story is told from the perspective of Joseph C. Grew, the U. S. ambassador from 1932 to 1942. Steve has a bachelor's degree from the University of Detroit and a PhD from the University of Connecticut. He has taught writing and journalism as an adjunct professor at CUNY Graduate School of Journalism and at Fairfield University.
Ambassador Joseph Grew
Grew was appointed ambassador to Japan in 1932 as tensions rose over Japan's military aggression in Manchuria. Japan underwent rapid modernization, but nationalist groups conducted assassinations as extremism spread.
Japan invaded China in 1937, committing horrific war crimes like the Nanjing Massacre. Grew protested countless attacks on Americans as Japan broke agreements.
Japan joined Germany in 1940 hoping to seize Western colonies. The US embargoed oil in 1941, crippling Japan which faced paranoia and repression under totalitarian rule.
Japan planned a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor as negotiations with the US stalled. On December 7th, 1941, Japan bombed Pearl Harbor, plunging the US into World War 2 without warning Grew.
Grew spent months interned before writing a report on why war happened that was destroyed. Historical analysis shows Japan's aggression despite Grew's decade-long efforts for peace.
Parallels were drawn between wartime propaganda then and now. Totalitarian regimes throughout history have scapegoated others to justify aggression, spreading misinformation to control the narrative.
Special Announcements
None this week
Mail Bag
None this week.
Photo Credits
Photos by editor
Technology Credits
Zoom platform management expertise by Mike Mezheritskiy.
Editor's Notes
Submission Deadline: Members are kindly encouraged to submit all materials for each week's Early Riser as early as possible. Please note that some editions may be published and distributed as early as the Saturday following our meetings, and during those weeks further contributions to the Early Riser will be included in the subsequent week's edition.
“The FOUR-WAY TEST of the things we think, say or do”:
1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all Concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
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