“Sometimes people’s spiritual ideas become fixed and they use them against those who don’t share their beliefs – in effect, becoming fundamentalist. It’s very dangerous – the finger of righteous indignation pointing at someone who is identified as bad or wrong.” ― Pema Chodron 

 

“Employ your time in improving yourself by other men’s writings, so that you shall gain easily what others have labored hard for.” ― Socrates 

 

 

ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

Thank you to everyone who attended last week’s C-U Sunrise Rotary Holiday Party.  It was a relaxed morning with family and friends.

 

Do not forget that beginning in January we will meet in the Grand Prairie Room.

 

 

NOTES

 

The CUSR Editorial Team compiled a few notes from last week’s meeting:

 

*Apparently, it is quite common to consume alcohol on Christmas Eve and then assemble Christmas gifts for young children.  Doing so is not advised as the results may be less effective than you think.

 

*Lou Simpson’s holiday sweater continues to be one of the most memorable parts of our annual holiday get-together.  Angie Schoonover, seated at the same table as Lou, promised to up the ante next year by wearing a sweater with actual lit candles attached to it.  You will not want to miss the show!

 

*Bringing a baby to C-U Sunrise is an excellent way to: 1) make people smile as they coo at the baby, and 2) get to eat your food while it is still hot because someone else is holding the baby. Thank you!

 

*Neal Chamberlain explained that he is married to his daughter.  Imagine that?  Fortunately, Neal’s wife, Bernie, was on hand to straighten things out (as she has done for many, many years).

 

*Penn Nelson explained that he has been married twice to the same woman.  Imagine that?  It must be have something to do with his memorization of Hanukkah blessings that impressed her mother many years ago.

 

*The editors conferred over multiple sessions but could not recall the club singing at the last meeting.  Perhaps it simply did not happen? Perhaps it was so bad that the memory has been blocked out? Or perhaps, but highly unlikely, the singing was just good enough that it did not register on the usual scale of poor performance.

 

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  Dec 21st Dec 28th Jan 4th Jan 11th
Introductions Charlie Smith Mary Kay Smith Charlie Smith Mary Kay Smith
Invocation Angie Schoonover Jen Shelby Jeff Van Buren Cary Woolard
Greeters Charlie Smith Mary Kay Smith Charlie Smith Mary Kay Smith
Andrew Kerins Candy Loyd BJ Lytle Ben Mast
Song Leader Rod Roberts Tod Satterthwaite Angie Schoonover Jen Shelby
Notetaker Conforti Perry Penwell Hodson

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UPCOMING SCHEDULE (with program committee member responsible listed in parentheses)

December 21st – Steve Bentz, Virginia Theatre (Mary)

December 28th – Royle Mortenstern, U of I Fire Institute (Rod)

January 4th – Steve Adams, Prairielands Council, Boy Scouts of America (Mary)

January 11th – Micah Kenfield, Sustainability Programs Coordinator, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Phyllis)

January 18th – Club Assembly

January 25th – TBD (Tod)

February 1st – Ed Perry will discuss his efforts in Vieques, Puerto Rico, after Hurricane Maria

February 8th – Captain Anthony Corapi, Commanding Officer of US Navy ROTC at UIUC (Bob)

February 15th – Dr. Kim Kidwell,  Robert A. Easter Chair as well as Dean of the College of ACES, UIUC

February 22nd – Dennis Hesch, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, The Carle Foundation, will discuss  Carle’s expansion/development at the Curtis/I-57 interchange (Phyllis)

March 1st – TBD

March 8th – TBD

March 15th – Kevin Erickson, Associate Professor of Architecture at UIUC (Bob)

March 22nd – TBD

March 29th – TBD

April 5th – TBD