DATELINE: Tuesday, May 6, 2003. President Erika Kirtdoll opened the meeting and gave the invocation and led us in the pledge of allegiance.

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS: Ed Antisdel introduced his guest, Todd Fujawa from FurnitureFind.com. Maurice Nelson introduced his guest Greg Suber from Edward Jones Investments. Past President Tom Majerek introduced his guests Doug Phares and Todd Vanbalin from Leader Publications. We also welcome Elaine and Ray Curtis who are visiting with us again before they leave for Colorado.

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES: Jack Frost celebrated an anniversary on May 5^th and Dave VanStrien will celebrate an anniversary on May 9^th. Happy Anniversary Gentlemen!

BRAGS: Elaine Curtis bragged that they have lived in Niles for 52 years and loved every minute of it but will soon be leaving to be with family in Colorado Springs. She also bragged that she and Ray had been married for 55 years. Elaine also bragged on her husband’s photography skills and passed around some photos for everyone to see. Ray Curtis bragged about his time in the Navy after WWII and how being sent to Chicago for training allowed him to meet his lovely wife Elaine. Lloyd Phillips bragged that he saw his first oriole singing away in his backyard today. He also bragged on his grandson Matt at River Valley High School who picked up nine (9) awards, including the state’s most valuable player, at an awards ceremony recently. Past President Tom Majerek bragged on President Erika Kirtdoll’s appearance this morning on the radio show, "Here’s Gloria". Seems Madam President did an excellent job talking about the Niles Noon Optimists and this weekend’s Optimist Youth Performing Arts Festival. John Willis bragged on the volunteers who came out this past Saturday to help with the Three Rivers race. He also bragged on the volunteers who showed up to help out with this past Sunday’s Optimist Tri-Star Soccer competition. John also bragged on a letter that the Optimists received from the folks at the Battel Center who not only sent us a check for our volunteering efforts to time the River Walk race on March 17^th, but also praised us highly for our work. Sherry Bunch bragged on Jazmine Kyles who received a promotion this past week at work. Great Going Jazmine! President Kirtdoll bragged on Past President Majerek who she said carried the rest of the show on the "Here’s Gloria" radio program. John Armitage told a joke about an Arab man and a Jewish man in Afghanistan. The joke was very funny and you had to be there to get a good laugh.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Past President Tom Majerek announced the need for volunteers at this weekend’s Optimist Youth Performing Arts Festival. Guest Todd Wakeuainan talked about how people in the community are working together to promote activities for the downtown area. He also told us about the need for volunteers at the upcoming "Garage Barrage" sale event to be held in June. President Kirtdoll announced the next Optimist District meeting would be held soon. Members are invited to attend. Dave Morse will conduct the annual Tri-Star Baseball competitions on Saturday May 31^st from 9am to 11am at FOP park We will need many volunteers for this event. Members are asked to bring a stop watch if they have one.

AFTER THE MEETING ANNOUNCEMENTS: President Kirtdoll apologized that she forgot to hold the election for a new President and Secretary/Treasurer for next year. The candidates are Liz Capron for Club President and Erika Kirtdoll for Secretary/Treasurer. Please be prepared to take a vote at the next meeting on Tuesday, May 13^th. Also, the Board of Directors meeting for Monday May 12^th has been rescheduled to Tuesday, May 13^th at 11:30 prior to our regular weekly meeting.

50/50 RAFFLE DRAWING: Dana Trowbridge conducted the 50/50 raffle. Our guest Captain Merriman of the Niles Police Department was the lucky winner of the $14 pot. Congratulations Captain Merriman!

GUEST SPEAKER: Robert Todd introduced today’s guest speaker as Captain James Merriman of the Niles City Police Department. Captain Merriman told us a little about himself. He said he had been on the Niles Police force for more than 24 years and has seen all of the officers he started with retire. He said in the old days policeman from different law enforcement units were forced to coordinate their jobs and combine their knowledge at the donut shop. They took a really bad ribbing for that. Now we will have a new combined justice center that will make it easier for law enforcement personnel to communicate on what’s happening in the community. The new combined police facility will house the Niles City Police, the Niles Township Police, and the Michigan State Police and possibly still the Berrien County Sheriffs. Having all these units of law enforcement under one building will allow them to more easily exchange information, combine costly equipment and allow them to get a better perspective on what’s going on in the entire Niles area. The combined police complex is under construction now and is being built with a $6 million dollar allotment from the State of Michigan. This will serve as a pilot program for other police facilities in the state. This will make it easier to make large or expensive equipment purchases that all police can use. There should be very little down time for equipment, personnel or software. There will be a central dispatch center. These dispatchers will route calls to the appropriate law enforcement units as well as dispatch all units to crime scenes, accidents, etc. There will be combined evidence tag rooms, report writing rooms, etc. All of the commanders or chief of police will be in similar locations throughout each wing of the building. The cost to each entity to maintain the building is based upon a percentage of the square footage that they all use. They will be able to better pool their resources and combine their knowledge to do an even more effective job for the community with this new system. Captain Merriman also told us that law enforcement units in Niles all act as emergency backup for the entire county. If there is a major catastrophe in upper Berrien County, they will be dispatched to other cities and locations to respond to emergencies. The City of Niles is the biggest and fastest growing city in Berrien County and the new combined law enforcement facility will be able to handle the needs of our area.

CLOSING CREED: President Kirtdoll led the group in reciting the Closing Creed at the end of the meeting.

"Friendship is the only cement that will hold the world together." Woodrow Wilson (1856 – 1924), 28^th U.S. President

"It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important." Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859 – 1930), Writer

TODAY IN HISTORY: May 6

1937: The German dirigible Hindenburg, the largest airship ever built, bursts into flames upon landing in New Jersey; 36 passengers and crew are killed.

1915: In New York City, a left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox named Babe Ruth hits his first home run in major league baseball; he later becomes an outfielder.

1954: British athlete Roger Bannister is the first person to run a mile in under four minutes.

1626: Dutch settler Peter Minuit allegedly purchases what is now New York's Manhattan Island from Native Americans for goods worth $24.

1994: The Channel Tunnel linking England to France officially opens; it is hailed as one of the century's greatest feats of civil engineering.

Willie Mays, baseball player (1931)

Roberspiere, lawyer and political leader (1758)

Sigmund Freud, physician and neurologist (1856)

Orson Welles, film actor, producer, director, and writer (1915)

Robert Peary, explorer (1856)

One Friday morning two trains speed along the same track through an empty railway station. One is heading north, the other south. Neither train brakes, nor diverts to another track, yet they avoid a collision. How?

I was born on this day in 1895. Onscreen I am known as the world's greatest lover.

One went through at 8 am the other at 9 am

Italian actor Rudoph Valentino became a romantic film idol after his performance in The Sheik in 1921.