Meeting Minutes
Torch Club of the Fox Valley
08 October 2015
Atlas Coffee Mill & Café
Notes taken by: Mary Flanagan
Attendees: Karen Bachhuber, Jim Baumbach, Mary Flanagan, Paul Freiberg, Walt Hedges, Jean Jepson, Barbara Kelly, William Kelly, Mary Poulson, Richard Schoenbohm, Katie Shaw, Webb Shaw, Marge Swain, Robert Swain, Helen Thiel, Peter Thiel, Scott Valitchka
Guests: Al and Christina Button, Richard (Dick) Fink, Director of Region 6, Torch International
BUSINESS MEETING
Meeting called to order at 6:30 p.m.
- Introduction of guests and former members, Al and Christina Button. Currently living in Virginia, they were able to stop by after attending the Nobel Conference in Minnesota. This year’s conference was on addiction.
- Introduction of Richard (Dick) Fink, Director of Region 6, Torch International. One of his concerns is the little connection between the Torch board and individual clubs. In honor of the Torch Club’s 100th anniversary in 2024, the board has begun a Century Project. The goal is to increase the number of Clubs to 100 and the number of members to 5,000 by 2024.
- Minutes from 9/10/15 meeting were accepted, motioned and approved.
- Treasurer’s report: Balance as of 10/5/15 was $1,824.62. Report was accepted, motioned and approved.
- New business
A. Peter Thiel and Barbara Kelly selected two books to be donated to the Appleton Public Library as a memorial gift from the club for Dwight Easty for a total of $53: Creating a Kaizen Culture: Align the Organization, Achieve Breakthrough Results, and Sustain the Gains - Contributor(s): Miller, Jon (Author), Wroblewski, Mike (Author), Villafuerte, Jaime (Author), Toussaint, John (Foreword by) and The Spirit of Kaizen: Creating Lasting Excellence One Small Step at a Time - Contributor(s): Maurer, Robert (Author)
B. Karen Bachhuber and Jean Hedges were unanimously voted in as new members.
C. A link to preorder dinner at Atlas will be available on the next meeting agenda. The preorder will allow Atlas to offer more choices. Members should continue to RSVP to Jude.
- Announcements
A. Mary Poulson – Thanked the Kellys for hosting the wonderful summer party.
B. Send Mary your name if you want to receive emails on future Noonhour Philosopher’s presentations. Presentations on Wednesdays in October:
- OCT. 14 - PALLIATIVE CARE, Jack Swanson, M.D.
- OCT. 21 - TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY (TBI) AND THE PERSONS WHO ARE HOMELESS, Tom Tatlock, M.D.
- OCT. 28 - A GLOBAL PERSPECTIVE ON DEMENTIA IN THE 21ST CENTURY, Susan McFadden, Consultant, Fox Valley Memory Project, John McFadden, Memory Care Chaplain
C. Fox Cities Crop Hunger Walk on October 11 is an ecumenical effort to fight hunger globally and locally. At least 25% of all donations go to local food panties. Donations may be made with a check made out to CWS/CROP WALK and sent to Mary Poulson, 1525 S. Lehmann Lane, Appleton, WI 54914 or online.
D. Al Button researched his late brother’s trip to Europe on a cattle boat after World War II. The Cattle Boat Project was started by the Church of the Brethren and designed to help European farming get back on its feet. This effort evolved into Heifer International, and its mission has expanded to send animals to provide both food and reliable income to needy communities all over the world.
E. Lino Tagliapietra, an influential Italian glass artist and master glassmaker who is recognized throughout the world for his skill and talent, will be present at Bergstrom-Mahler Museum of Glass October 9-11 to open his exhibition, Transcending Time: a Survey of Works in Glass by Italian Maestro Lino Tagliapietra. The exhibition will be open through February 14, 2016.
F. UW Fox Valley E.A.T.S. (Educational Assistance Through Scholarships) 2015 will be on Saturday, November 7, 2015. 6:00-9:00 p.m. in the Communication Arts Center. Barbara has tickets available for sale at all times.
Business meeting adjourned at 7:10 for dinner.
PRESENTATION
Walt Hedges presented “Time Over Time.”
Time started when the first person became aware of daylight and night. The first clocks were earth based like the sundial. When candles and lights were created the ability to mark time at night was needed. The first mechanical clocks weren’t very accurate. Galileo discovered the pendulum period constancy in 1583, and in 1656 Huygens made the first successful pendulum clock. A minute hand was not added until 1690. The pendulum clocks could be affected by weather and movement. In 1675, Huygens invented the chronometer which was eventually perfected to keep time at sea and measure longitude.
The Shortt-Synchronome free pendulum clock was invented by a railway engineer in 1921 and was the most accurate timekeeping device of its time. The first quartz clock was built at Bell Telephone Laboratories in 1927. Today it is used in most watches, computers, and phones. The first atomic clock was developed in 1948-49 by Lyons.
Trains needed standardized time zones to make accurate schedules. Railroad standard time was adopted in the 1890’s and eventually evolved into our present-day time zones. The telegraph was used to synchronize time.
To synchronize time today every country sends the time from their atomic clock to Paris. The average of all those times is then returned. So we always know what time it was, but not what time it is. The speed of the atomic clock has been following Moore’s Law and doubling every two years. In 2016 NASA will send a mercury ion clock into space and away from earth’s gravity to make timekeeping even more accurate.
Next meeting 11/12/15