President Alberto Duarte presided again over today's meeting at the Hilton. Hershel Bingham gave the invocation and again led us in the pledge. Will announced Duane Plank is at home getting stronger everyday. Will is also the feature speaker next week for the South Huntsville Optimist Club on February 15th. Good luck Will! We hope to see you back with us soon Duane! Ed Clark passed out forms for each of us to fill out for prospective members. Get these back in by next Thursday. Our attendance chairman, Will Dawes, thought if we could get 2 guests each we could have a nice NOW Banquet. The NOW Banquet is now set for March 10th. Let's all try to be enthusiastic about getting new members. Joe Sloan and Hershel were going to see former member Barney Gamble after the meeting. They recommended each of us send him a card. His address is 8020 Benaroya Lane SW, Huntsville, AL 35802.
Today's moment in history included the birthdays of swimmer Mark Spitz and actor Jimmy Durante. We also learned what a highway post office was. Not many of us knew. Thanks for the info Alberto.
The Board met Tuesday at First Commercial and will give us an update at the business meeting next week at the Optimist Center. Everyone please attend the business meeting on February 17th. The oratorical contest was last Saturday. Special thanks to Al Castelli for the use of the Elks Lodge and to Karen Peterlin and Clyde Nevins for setting up the program.
Alberto introduced our interesting speaker: Mike Rudolphi, Space Shuttle Program Manager at Marshall Space Flight Center. He gave an overview of the shuttle program from the timeline of when we lost Columbia until now. We learned that the space shuttle has the only reusable fly again rocket engine in the world. The external tank is the biggest gas tank in the world. And the solid rocket boosters have the largest parachute attached to it in the world. NASA's ultimate goal the past two years has been to find the problem, fix the problem and fly the shuttle. Tentative launch date is May-June 2005. At the conclusion of the program, Mike and his NASA team had a video of an actual launch. If the real thing is any better than what we saw, I want to see it. Mike then closed with a question and answer session. Thank you Mike for the presentation and update!
Our speaker was asked to draw a name for the attendance prize and it was Alberto. I'm beginning to wonder if my name is in the box at all. We closed with the creed and were adjourned.