Stories

 

 

Bryce Wrigley gave a fantastic presentation today at our meeting about the Alaska Flour Company. The presentation is available for your viewing.

The 22nd Annual BizBee fundraiser was hosted by the Literacy Council of Alaska on February 20, 2014.

  In our 2/10/15 meeting, Pat Pitney spoke about the Olympic Torch Relay in North Pole. 

Our program today, Youth Exchange, was presented by Maria Andersen, College Rotary’s visiting Youth Exchange Student from Denmark, and Andrew Maxwell, College Rotary’s returning Youth Exchange Student who visited Norway.

Our program today was presented by Rotary District 5010 Governor, Sue Foley, who joined Rotary in 1999, and has been very involved in Rotary both locally (Anchorage East Club) and Internationally. 

Our program today, Fairbanks Counseling & Adoption’s Street Outreach & Advocacy Program (SOAP), was presented by SOAP Counselor, Rebecca (Becca) Buckles, and her co-worker Gene. 

Our program today, BLM Alaska Fire Service, was presented by Kent Slaughter, Director of BLM.  Kent shared fire management options for wildfires, and an overview of the 2013 Alaskan wildfire season.

Dr. Nancy Fresco, Coordinator for the Scenarious Network for Alaska & Arctic Planning (SNAP), discussed the impact of climate changes in Alaska and strategies for adapting to these changes.

SEEN AND HEARD AT COLLEGE ROTARY,  AUGUST 19, 2013

By Debbie Gross

   

Our program today, The Aleutian Islands, was presented by our own College Rotarian, Ron Inouye, who shared highlights and wonderful pictures of his June 20 – July 3, 2013, tour of the Aleutian Islands commemorating the 70^th Anniversary or World War II. 

Our program today, Fairbanks Youth for Habitat, was presented by Laurel Devaney, Education Coordinator for the US Fish & Wildlife Fairbanks Field Office. 

Ken Philip is a reknowned expert on the types and behaviors of butterflies.  He came to share his experience and knowledge of butterflies, especially the types that have been found in or just outside of Alaska.

Jim is a long-standing member and leader of our club, and he came to speak with us today about the generational differences in volunteerism.  Members of different generations tend to prefer to do so in different ways, and perhaps for different reasons, but understanding how each other thinks is key in helping them work together.  Also, Alicia Childs presented information about Rotaract, and this fed into the conversation about how the generations relate to each other.

Valerie Belon is the Consul General for the US in the Netherlands Antilles and Aruba.  She was born and raised in Fairbanks, and she spoke to us today about not only her career, but also about the intriguing life that has taken her so far from home.

Dr. Ives has practiced medicine in Fairbanks and Anchorage for many, many years.  He came to speak with us today about varicose veins, including diagnoses and types of treatments.

Along with being a long-time member of our club, Gerry McBeath is a well-knows polictical analyst and university professor.  One of the classes that he teaches is 'Ethics in Politics'.  It is an especially timely issue, and one he knows quite thoroughly.

Cheryl and Patty presented us today with a report on a variety of issues that deal with measuring the quality of life for children in Alaska.  They provided a great deal of information, including a statistical survey that was only recently completed.

Bernice Joseph is UAF's Vice Chancellor for Rural, Community and Native Education.  She came to speak with us today about the programs that she is working on, and how important they are to Fairbanks and the rest of our state. 

This day's presentation consisted of new member inductions for Michelle Taku and Cindy Wentworth, as well as a presentation by our exchange student, Alvaro.  We are proud to welcome Michelle and Cindy into the fold, and are also proud of Alvaro and his presentations on his time here in Alaska.

Joan Adams is an education specialist for Alaska's Alzheimer's Association.  She came today to teach us more about different cognitive issues in Alaska and the forms of assistance that the association provides.

Pat Gamble is the current President of the University of Alaska, having succeeded Mark Hamilton last year.  Retired Air Force General and past President of the Alaska Railroad, President Gamble has a great deal of experience leading very complicated institutions, and all of us wish him luck in his current role.

A presentation by UA President Gamble

A pictorial of the Rotary Club of College sponsored project in Manzanillo, Mexico. 

Our College Rotarian of the Month is recognized for outstanding contributions to our organization.

Our program today, The Blood Bank of Alaska, was presented by the Blood Banks CEO, Bob Scanlon, and his associate Telia Rodriguez.  Bob provided an overview of the Blood Bank of Alaska,

Jinx is a long-time Fairbanks resident, and a formidable expert on artistic quality and valuation.  Jinx came to teach us about the methods and importance of regular appraisals of artistic works.

Cheryl Keepers and Julio Sandoval taught us more about  the Rotary Youth Exchange program, and about Ecuador.

Bill Hedman is an archaeologist with Alaska's Bureau of Land Management.  He provided a multimedia presentation on Mining on the Upper Koyukuk from about 1899 to 1940.

Heidi Haas is the founder of the Autism Society of Alaska.  A few years ago, her daughter was found to be autistic, and so Heidi made it her mission to create support services and activities to boost awareness of autism in Alaska.

Cheryl Keepers introduced two of our Rotary Exchange students: Robin Lockwood and Sydney Chaves.  Both of them showed presentations of their trips and discussed their experiences in the places they visited and studied.

Our presenter was Sean O'Shea, head of a section of the Fairbanks Economic Development Council that promotes local economic growth through "buying locally."

Lemonade Day is a nation-wide program designed to help teach business skills to minors, through education and direct experience.  Tammy Tragis-McCook introduced three UAF students working on popularizing the idea here in Fairbanks. 

Luke Hopkins is the current Mayor of the Fairbanks North Star Borough.  He came to speak with us today about the current status of the Borough, and to answer questions we would like to ask.

Jane is a long-time member of our club, and she came to discuss a charitable project in El Salvador that she and her husband participated in.

It was not so much a presentation today, as it was a celebration.  Creative and fun craft-making is a good way to describe it, and it was a wonderful way to enjoy the holiday season.  It was Vonna Husby's brainchild, and the work that all of us contributed made it a great thing to do during the holidays.

Mark Luiken is the Alaska Commissioner of the Department of Transportation.  He spoke with us today on a variety of subjects that involve Alaska's present, and hopefully future, infrastructure and economy.

Senator Begich is one of Alaska's two United States Senators.  He has joined us today to discuss both local and national issues that he is working on, and to answer questions that our club may have for him.

Alana Bergh, Ron's wife, came here today to talk about the Rotary Foundation, and how we can participate in the good works that it conducts.

Jan Dawe is an adjunct professor at UAF's School of Natural Resources & Agricultural Sciences/Forest Sciences Department.  Her passion is teaching others how to explore nature and create objects of art with them, and she came today to teach about the OneTree projects.

Mike Dunton is a fellow member of our Rotary club, and is a Senior Vice President for Finance at Mt. Mckinley Bank.  He is presenting to us today about what is happening in the world economy, and America's economy in particular.

Karen Lundquist is the Executive Director of the United Way of the Tanana Valley.  The United Way helps to collect and distribute charitable donations to many of our most notable charities locally, and they have a diverse array of local volunteers to help with this work.

Samantha Kirstein is the Executive Director of the Fairbanks Community Food Bank.  She has been there since 1990, and taught us much about the great work that they do there.

Jim Dodson is the CEO of the Fairbanks Economic Development Council (FEDCO).  He came to speak to us about energy costs and options in the interior of Alaska.

Jeff Cook is the director of Flint Hill Resources, and came to speak with us today about the Flint Hills Refinery.

Michele Hebert is the Sustainability Coordinator for the UAF Office of Sustainability. Her role is to facilitate projects in energy efficiency, campus recycling, and alternative energy.

Sally Levengood is a public health nurse for the Fairbanks North Star Borough. For a number of years, she has been involved in making a community a better place to live, especially for children

Pat is a lifetime Fairbanksan, a published author, and head of the Alaska State Federation of Garden Clubs. Her passion is community beautification and appreciation, and learning about the natural environment of our fair city.

Steve Haagenson is the Executive Director of the Alaska Energy Authority, a unique organization in Alaska that was established to deal with issues of energy creation and efficiency here in Alaska.

Today's program was a collection of our own members discussing Valentine's Day. Don Cruz discussed its history, and Patty Meritt introduced us to a hilarious game entitled, "Battle of the Sexes". Additionally, Kerynn taught us about College Rotary's website.

Randall Zarnke is the President of the Fairbanks Hockey Hall of Fame, among other roles in our community. He came to speak with us to teach us about "Hockey Week" and the upcoming events that are part of the celebration.

Jim Hunter came to speak today about Black History Month, and, in particular, how it relates to interior Alaska.

Dr. Tripplehorn is a specialist at Tanana Valley Clinic on sleeping and sleeping disorders. He came to discuss his research, and give us an introduction to common problems and treatments for sleeping problems.

The presentation on January 3 were self-introductions by new College Rotary members Sven Gilkey and Erik Hulbert, and January 10 it was our member, Jeremy Mathis, discussing his work on researching ocean acidification.

Jerri Lomax works with the Literacy Council of Alaska, and leads the Evenstart Program. It is a program that assists families who speak English as a second language, helping them with language and life skills.

Aily Zirkle is not not only the owner and operator of SP Kennels with her husband, Allen, she is a long-time dog-musher and past winner of the Yukon Quest. She embodies the spirit of toughness and independence that leads heartier souls to Alaska.

Both Patty Meritt and John Kelley are teachers who also teach lessons in online classes. They came today to teach the rest of us about what the benefits and challenges are of teaching students over the internet.

Trish Wurtz works for the U.S. Forest Service, and is an expert on the identification and control of invasive species. Invasive species have been found here in Alaska, and Trish is here to talk about what is happening.

Michelle Crismore is the Outdoor Program Director for the Midnight Sun Council, a local Boy Scouts of America organization. As part of that position, she oversees a program that provides opportunities for people of all ages to build connections with each other through inventive mental and physical activities.

Kerynn Fisher introduced today's speaker, Ivy Hallinrake. Ivy is the Nurse Manager at the Cardiac Rehabilitation section of our Fairbanks Heart Center.

Kerynn Fisher introduced today's speaker, Charlie Dexter. Charlie is currently a professor at UAF in Applied Business and Accounting. His past lives include serving as the University's Statewide Personnel Manager, Director of Admissions, and Director of the Small Business Development Center.

Julie Scott introduced Jim Sampson, who was no stranger to most in the room since he was formerly our borough mayor, state commissioner of labor, and statewide AFL-CIO president.

Julie Scott introduced Alicia Childs, who presented a program on Rotaract. Alicia was raised in North Pole, and went to France as a Rotary exchange student a few years ago. Now she and several other rotary "alumni" form the core of a small but active Rotaract club that meets at UAF.

Sathy Naidu endeavored to enrich us tried to make us rich via raffle tickets, John Kelley greeted us, and the reception desk team of Michael Dunton and Carol Callahan checked us in. Karl Schroeder led the invocation and, Vonna Husby led the pledge, and Julie Scott led the group in song, after Larry Baker belted out a brief but stunning Springsteen rendition of "Born in the USA" in honor of the Tanana Valley Fair theme. Joining us were Fairbanks Rotarians Randi Carnahan, Emily Drygas and Mary Rutherford.

Diann Darnall gave an overview of the Alaska International Senior Games for the Jun 28 meeting.

Fairbanks Rescue Mission executive director Rodney Gaskins gave an update on the agency's recycling program for the June 21 meeting.

The visiting Group Study Exchange team from Finland and Estonia presented the May 24 program.

Susan Kessler presented the April 19 program on the Alaska Center for Children and Adults.

The College Rotary plant sale returns May 22 at the University Avenue Splash-n-Dash. We'll have Fairbanks-proven trees and shrubs great at great prices for a good cause -- proceeds will support College Rotary's local and international service projects, including scholarships for UAF students.