Third Vice President Committees - 2008/09Richard Bartholomew, Third Vice President For the year ending 4/30/2009 Bowling (Chairmen - Dom de Pasquale, Linn Grim)RMA bowling is held each Tuesday afternoon at the Rip Van Winkle Bowling Lanes in Norwalk. Attendance has varied over the last year from 6-10 players. The season starts after Labor Day in September and continues until the first week in May. Participants over the past season have included: Jerry Berrafati, Mario Bonaparte, Don Cogliandro, Dom de Pasquale, Linn Grim, Harry Leigh, Dana Low, Bob Oppenheimer and Ralph Viggiano. The highlights of the season are Ralph Viggiano's 622 series with games of 177, 191 and 254 on February 10 and Dom de Pasquale's 212 games on December 12 and April 14. Bridge (Chairmen - David Downs, Kurt Schaffir)The RMA Bridge Club meets in the Y every Wednesday afternoon. To give our members a chance to grab a quick snack, we don�t begin play until about 30 minutes after the close of the regular RMA meeting. The number of tables varies seasonally from two or three in the warmer months to one or, on occasion, two during the colder part of the year when our �Snowbirds� have flown south. We use �Chicago� scoring which is similar to that used in Duplicate. The similarity stops there. Table assignments are drawn by lot. We play 18 hands, switching partners every 6 hands. Some of our older members bid strong 2�s and some of us bid the more modern weak 2�s. Skill levels also vary and our practice of switching partners makes for �interesting� play. Players include Dick Case, Bill Cordner, David Downs, Don Dworken, Al Hartig, Frank Henderson, John Hoffman, Hugo Gruendel, Clyde Moonie, Joe Row, Kurt Schaffir, Gene Schwartz, Marty Wayne and Ralph Viggiano. We welcome new players at all skill levels.Golf (2008 Chairman - Erf Porter; 2009 Chairmen - Bob Phillips, Roger Pierce)RMA Golf in 2008 ran successfully from early April until mid-November. The Golf Host system established in 2006 where one RMA member coordinates the RMA play for a two week period generally worked well and up to 12 foursomes participated on some mid-summer Tuesdays. Weekly awards of a sleeve of three golf balls were made to golfers shooting closest to the pin on the 7th and 15th holes and for the longest drive on the 17th hole.' While play continued well into November the season effectively closed with the Bill O�Brien Memorial Golf Tournament on October 21 followed by the Annual Golf Luncheon. At the luncheon award trophies were presented to the following RMA golfers:
Changes in 2009 will include funding awards and prizes by a $15 fee charged to RMA golfers at the beginning of the season in an attempt to spread costs more evenly over all RMA golfers. Also in 2009 it is intended that weekly prizes be in the form of a $5 credit at the Griff golf shop which can be used individually or accumulated over the season. Such is to avoid any one golfer acquiring more golf balls than he reasonably needs. The Griff administration has agreed to keep credit records accordingly. Guys and Dolls (Chairmen - Frank Flores, Steve Myers)This new committee and event was introduced by Frank Flores and Steve Myers. The format consists of visit to a local museum or gallery followed by a prix fixe luncheon. The Juliet addition means that the event is also open to wives and women friends of our members. The initial event was held on Tuesday, June 24, 2008 with a guided tour of the famous Goudstikker art collection and the science exhibit about weather phenomena at the Bruce Museum. This was followed by a prix fixe luncheon at Jean Louis. Fifty-one people attended this event.Health (Chairman - Dr. Peter Arturi)This committee helps coordinate our participation in the town-wide flu shot weeks in October.The highlight of the year was the presentation of Dr. Arturi at our November 19 meeting. To quote from the CBB for that meeting: "Dr. Peter Arturi gave an informed history of emergency services in the Greenwich area. Peter and five other doctors established the Department of Emergency Services in 1971: 3 nurses, no Physician Assistants, and 10 exam rooms. Today: 13 EM doctors, 4 PA�s, 20 nurses, and 24 exam rooms. The hospital handles 40,000 cases annually, 60% from Fairfield Co. and 40% from Westchester. Peter lauded the new automatic defibrillators, which any lay person can simply 'lay' on the victim�s chest. He noted great differences among the states in the effectiveness of their emergency units, so if you�re scheduling a heart attack, go to Seattle but stay out of Alabama." Historian (Chairman - John Seel)Investment Club (Chairmen - Carl Van Aiken, Jim Santora)During the year two meetings were held at the UBS headquarters in Stamford due to lack of a suitable meeting room at the YMCA, the club�s usual place. The first meeting was held on May 22, 2008 on the state of the global economy with implications for opportunities and risks in the year ahead. The second meeting on March 13 was on managing risk during times of market volatility.Legislative (Chairman - Bob Phillips)This position was apparently established some time ago with the purpose of monitoring legislative activities in the Connecticut State Legislature in Hartford as well as federal legislative developments to the extent either of these they might impact not-for-profit associations such as the RMA. Possible impact would include restrictions on activities, fiscal initiatives, and imposition of administrative requirements among other actions. The monitoring is accomplished mostly by following legislative news in the media. In recent times there has been nothing to report as not-for profit associations in general have not drawn significant attention from legislators and legislative efforts have largely been directed elsewhere.Librarian (Chairman - Doug Francefort)Due to the lack of permanent space at the Y, the library was closed for the year. It is expected to reopen in June 2009 when we move to our permanent meeting room.Raft-Up (Chairmen - Graham Whitehead, John Craine, Steve Myers)The annual raft-up in held in August at Greenwich Cove. This year's raft up was held on August 21 with two stinkers and one sloop. Fourteen men and women participated.ROMEO (Chairmen - Tim Nolan, Norm Collins, Bob Negele)ROMEO (Retired Old Men Eating Out) is held from two to four times a year. We normally eat out on a Wednesday after our meeting at one to the local private clubs. During this past year we eat out at the Stanwich Club on September 24 and at the Field Club on January 21.The second event was held on Thursday, October 30 with a visit to the Greenwich Council for Arts and a prix fixe luncheon at Figaro's restaurant. Tax Counseling (Chairmen - Herb Egli, Dick Case)This program that is sponsored by the AARP and IRS provides tax preparation services for the elderly and low-income taxpayers. More than a dozen RMA members participate in this program that is held from Tuesday to Thursday afternoons at the Greenwich Town Hall during the tax season. During the 2008 tax season held from early February to mid-April 2009 we prepared 439 returns for 476 clients. Over 1,100 hours were volunteered in the effort.Tennis-Indoor (Chairman - Mike Smith)RMA Tennis in 2008/09 began on September 19 and will conclude on May 1, 2009. This year 20 players participated on two courts at the Old Greenwich Tennis Center. The RMA players meet to play from 1:30 to 3:pm every Friday during the season. This year, Paul Levine leads all players with a winning percentage of .660. He leads Bill Howland, Dana Low and Tom Healy for the coveted prize which is a cheesy trophy, but we love it. The players participate in about 18 play periods every year. The sport is lighthearted and fun. We encourage all RMA members to participate. An annual awards luncheon is normally held on a Wednesday in June at the Riverside Yacht Club.Tennis-Summer (Chairman - Martin Grayson)RMA Summer Tennis starts in late April or early May and runs through August. While school is in session we play on two reserved courts on Loughlin Avenue in Cos Cob. The courts are one block south of the Post Road at the light in front of CVS. Play is held be on Tuesday and Thursday from 9 am to 11 am, weather permitting. Players are asked to bring a fresh can of balls periodically. No other costs are involved. After schools close, we move to the shadier courts on Lockwood Avenue, behind Eastern Middle School. |