24 members attended today’s meeting. Guests were our speaker, Kraig Moreland and Tish Rudnicki of the North Shore Senior Center.
Our birthday this week was Louise Holland.
There were no Anniversaries.
We welcomed back Fred Schwimmer and Tony Kambich from their sojourns in the red states.
Announcements: Rich Lalley told us the Ecuador project small plot demonstration farm has raised $148,000 of the needed $156,000. Rich urged us to finish it off and join Ned and himself on a trip to Ecuador---Air Fare is only $450.
Our June 1 annual get-together and fund raiser is only 6 weeks away. Please sign up as early as possible.
May 3-4 is the District Conference. Come to all or part of it.
Fred Schwimmer was recognized for his seventh (7th) Paul Harris award. Fred gave thanks that he has the ability to help and then he recognized the Rotary Foundation as being crucial to making a better world.
Happy Bucks: Wes Baumann wanted to thank Fred for his achievement.
Dig and Grin: Robert Mardirossian entertained us an amusing slice of life personal story.
Our speaker: Kraig Moreland talked about his book, Furnace Girl, a piece of Lake Bluff history: On October 29,1928, in Lake Bluff, 30-year-old Elfrieda Knaak was found naked, with burns over more than half of her body, and propped up next to a furnace in the basement of the Village Hall. Ninety years later, the questions are still unanswered-- How did she get there? By what means was she so badly burned? Who could have perpetrated such a heinous crime? Kraig gave us many questions, but not too many answers other than to say the solution to the mystery involves the Lake Bluff Orphanage and their scrapbooks (1894-1969), Crabtree Farm (just north of the Village) and the history of the times. Kraig’s book out sold all other books at the Lake Forest Book store in 2018 and is currently the featured book for 20 book clubs in the area. Kraig’s book postulates a solution, but you will have to buy the book to hear the end of the story. I bought one and put it on my summer reading list.