DATELINE: Tuesday, October 28, 2003. President Liz Capron opened the meeting and Lloyd Phillips gave the invocation and led us in the pledge of allegiance.

INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS: Jazmine Kyles introduced her guest Becky Bookout from Chemical Shoreline Bank. Becky has been volunteering at the Niles Haunted House this season. You are always welcomed, Becky!

BIRTHDAYS/ANNIVERSARIES: Rick Schpok and Diane Bass are both celebrating birthdays this week. The bad news is that neither one of them will be 18 again. The good news is that both are still young at heart.

BRAGS: Mike Listenberger bragged that he ran into the best lookin' baby in town, Little Nicky McKean. He was accompanied by his mother, Amy McKean. President Liz Capron bragged that she has completed the first two weeks of her presidency without a lot of stress or being overworked yet. She also bragged that a story in the Berrien County Record on the Cystic Fibrosis Fun Run carried a front page picture of the Optimist Timing Crew. We Looked Good!

PRESENTATIONS: Past President Erika Kirtdoll presented a Chairman’s Award to Amy McKean for her work on the Basketball Tri-Star program during the previous fiscal year. President Liz Capron presented Craig Krassow with a Board of Directors Pin for the previous fiscal year. Congratulations Amy and Craig!

DUE INCREASE: President Capron reminded the group of the upcoming change in the bylaws concerning a dues increase and that it would not affect the cost of LifeTime memberships.

ANNOUNCEMENTS: Robert Todd announced that he needed guest programs for November 4^th and all of December. Mike Listenberger announced that the JOOI Club has a food box set up for donations to the Feed a Family Program. Optimists, please don’t forget to bring in your food donations each Tuesday! John Willis announced that the next race will be the Jingle Bell Run at Battel Center in Mishawaka on Sunday, November 16^th at 1 pm. See you there. President Capron announced that we need a chairman for both the Essay and Oratorical contests. The Essay contest information is due by February 18^th, so it is one of the most important events that must be handled soon. She said that it may be that Mark Whittaker has an interest in chairing the Essay Contest. Students will work over the Christmas Holiday on their essays. The Oratorical Contest actually takes place in April. The president also announced that we need a chairman for the Tri-Star Basketball program, which is set to start in December. It’s possible that new Optimist member Michael Robinson will chair this committee. District Governor Tom Majerek is attending the Optimist meeting of the new Three Oaks Club today. He sends his regards.

50/50 RAFFLE DRAWING: Past President Erika Kirtdoll conducted the 50/50 raffle. Jazmine Kyles took home the $17 pot! Congratulations Jazmine!

GUEST SPEAKERS: Jazmine Kyles introduced the three Students of the Month from Brandywine High School. They were: Adam Ringler, Melissa Buzzard and Jeff Peterson.

Adam Ringler is 18 years old and a senior at Brandywine. He is the youngest of a family of our and his parents are Jim and Jane Ringler. All four children have played Optimist Soccer and all four have been Optimist Students of the Month. His father is the Niles Township treasurer and his mother teaches fifth grade at Three Oaks Elementary. His older brother Ryan is a senior at the University of Michigan. Adam has served on the Student Senate as treasurer for four years now and is a member of the National Honor Society and third year captain of the varsity wrestling team. Outside of school he competes in freestyle and Greco-Roman wrestling and is involved with coaching a youth wrestling team. He loves exercising and outdoor activities. He loves his school and enjoys socializing, float building, homecoming and the other events. Adam says he’s not sure what university he wants to attend yet (probably Central Michigan), but that he will be majoring in pre-law and is actively seeking scholarships for collegiate wrestling. He said the person who has made the biggest impact on his life is his brother Ryan who has always believed in him and has inspired him to pursue his dreams.

Melissa Buzzard is also an 18 year old senior at Brandywine. Her mother is Deborah Buzzard and her father is Todd Buzzard. Her mother is a librarian at the Niles District Library and her father works at Scott Brass, Inc. in Mishawaka. She has an older brother Pat at Western Michigan University and a younger brother Tom in the 8^th grade. For the past four years at school she has run Cross Country and picked up tennis this past fall. Her team made it to the State Finals this year. She plays the clarinet in band and has been the drum major for the last two marching seasons. Melissa is a member of the Academic Challenge Team and the National Honor Society. She has played Optimist soccer for years. Melissa will attend Southwestern Michigan University for a year of general studies before entering Michigan State University to major in Wildlife Biology. She enjoys gardening, hunting and fishing. She says her grandmother has made the biggest impression on her life and she tries to model her life after her grandmother.

Jeff Peterson is a 17 year old senior and the son of Gayle and Mary Lou Peterson. He plans to attend Michigan State University and major in animal science. He wants to work with his dad on their farm. He is also a member of the National Honor Society and the Brandywine Bobcat Football Team. He is also involved with 4-H and FFA. He likes football because of the hard work and dedication that is needed to succeed. He has two brothers and a sister. Jeff is the youngest.

CLOSING CREED: Jazmine Kyles led the group in reciting the Closing Creed at the end of the meeting.

"Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action." - Benjamin Disraeli

"The great end of life is not knowledge, but action." - Thomas Huxley

"A man who has to be convinced to act before he acts is not a man of action. You must act as you breathe." - Georges Clemenceau

TODAY IN HISTORY: October 28th

1636: The college that would later be known as Harvard University is founded by an act of the General Court of Massachusetts Bay Colony.
1886: The Statue of Liberty is formally dedicated by American president Grover Cleveland.
1919: Congress passes the Volstead Act, or National Prohibition Act, over President Woodrow Wilson's veto of the previous day.

1949: Helen Eugenie Moore Anderson is sworn in as the U.S. ambassador to Denmark, becoming the first woman to serve as an American ambassador.
1962: The Cuban missile crisis ends as Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev announces his government's intent to dismantle and remove all offensive Soviet weapons from Cuba.

Bill Gates, American business executive (1955)
Howard Hanson, American composer (1896)
Jonas Salk, American physician and epidemiologist (1914)
Bruce Jenner, American track-and-field athlete

On a plumber's truck: "We repair what your husband fixed."

On the trucks of a local plumbing company in NE Pennsylvania: "Don't sleep with a drip. Call your plumber."

Pizza shop slogan: "7 days without pizza makes one weak."

Outside a muffler shop: "No appointment necessary. We hear you coming."

In a veterinarian's waiting room: "Be back in 5 minutes. Sit! Stay!"

Door of a plastic surgeon's office: "We can help you pick your nose!"

On an electrician's truck: "Let us remove your shorts."

In a non-smoking area: "If we see smoke, we will assume you are on fire and take appropriate action."

On a maternity room door: "Push. Push. Push."

At an optometrist's office: "If you don't see what you're looking for, you've come to the right place."

In the front yard of a funeral home: "Drive carefully. We'll wait."

I was born on this day in 1846. I am credited with creating more than 10,000 recipes.

French chef Auguste Escoffier perfected the haute cuisine style of cooking during the late 19th century and the early 20th century. He created some 10,000 recipes.