Our Speaker: Richard Cook, Author

Program: “Ignored Heroes of  World War II: The Manhattan Project Workers of Oak Ridge, Tennessee”

Richard Cook delivered a fabulous presentaion about the forgotten heroes who helped end WW II by working on the Manhatten Project at the ‘Secret City’ known as Oak Ridge today.

Richard’s books spotlights the details supporting Oak Ridge’s role in winning World War II. His book draws heavily on the hundreds of oral histories that have been placed online, offering a unique perspective.  His presentation included several fascinating slides that put the scale of this project into understandable images such as the K-25 plant pictured next to (and dwarfing) Neyland Stadium.

Attendance: 13 Members; 1 Visitor – Francesca Barbaro

Member Tidbits:

• Dom attended a makeup meeting while in Texas at the Grapevine Rotary Club
• Jo’s grandson Dylan made the UT Chattanooga Mocs basketball team as a walk-on
  

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Harvey’s Useless Word of the Day:  Donnicker – A toilet or cesspool

Rotary and Shelterbox on the Ground in Haiti

Hurricane Matthew tore through the impoverished island country on October 4, leaving hundreds dead and many more homeless.

The Category 4 storm affected an estimated 330,000 people in Haiti, including 6,400 who were moved to temporary shelters.  Extensive damage to main bridges and other transportation networks have left some areas cut off and vulnerable.  Torrential rains have resulted in flooding and landslides. And contaminated water supplies threaten to lead to a surge in cholera cases and other waterborne illnesses.

The contents of a Rotary Shelter Box

A ShelterBox response team of volunteers from Canada, England, New Zealand, and the US traveled to Port-au-Prince last week to assess the damage and decide how best to help people. ShelterBox, an independent charity, is Rotary’s project partner for disaster relief.

Working with Rotary members, government authorities, and other relief agencies, ShelterBox is focusing on the cholera outbreak in the southern region of the island and emergency shelter.  A shipment of ShelterBox supplies arrived in Les Cayes, in the south of Haiti, on Wednesday, which likely will be used to help health professionals screen and treat cholera victims.  With wind speeds reaching 155 miles per hour, Hurricane Matthew is considered the worst storm to make landfall in Haiti in more than 50 years.

“Politics is supposed to be the second-oldest profession. I have come to realize that it bears a very close resemblance to the first.” – Ronald Reagan