DEC 17, 2013 ROTARY IN REVIEW:
Tom Barnes - Flag on the Play

President Jim Kosmo opened the meeting with the disappointing news that Chuck Field would not be available to lead us in a patriotic song.  We are still investigating the rumor that Chuck is touring as a backup singer for Lady GaGa (back row, second from right?).

Seriously, President Jim invited Chuck to channel his inner Mormon Tabernacle Choir and belt out America the Beautiful.  Bob Jones took the piano, tickling the ivories in a way that would make Jumbo proud. 

Jean Vukas Robers delivered the invocation.  Your scribe was praying the light would change at Sheppard Road and Eagle Street at the time.

Jim thanked Doug Bruce and Chuck Roach for their service as door greeters.  President Jim also correctly identified your scribe (Joe Beckman) with his law firm, closing out 2013 in a good regard on that score.  Carrying on the theme, President Jim noted that today is the last meeting for the year. 

Perhaps feeling nostalgic, or perhaps looking forward to his New Year’s Eve costume, Jim looked back over the year.  Reflecting on feedback from some members, he said in 2014 he will attempt to “tighten up” the meetings a bit.  This will hopefully reduce portal-to-portal time commitment.  Beginning with the first January meeting, therefore, the Club will experiment with a 12:15 start time. 

He then introduced the Club members turning a year older this month, who were promptly serenaded with a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday.  Your scribe sang along in a manner that would put the Three Tenors to shame, but nobody appeared to notice.  Next time he vows to sign out loud instead of in his head.

Jerry Meigs then introduced Club 10’s second member of the Arch Klumph Society, Carole Kralicek.  There are only three Society members in the entire District.  Carole is a “Level 2” member of the $ociety, which means over the years, she has contributed in exce$$ of $500,000 to Rotary Foundation.  (Jerry is one of the other two, which Carole mentioned in her remarks after Jerry’s introduction.)

Shelly Rucks acted as moderator for the Red Striper Graduation.  Shelly noted that the Club recently changed its policy regarding Red Stripers, concluding that the “checklist approach” to removing the red stripe may have been a good idea in theory but perhaps was not operating as well in practice.  Henceforth, the Club will begin graduating new members after six months. 

Kathleen Riley handled “Happy Dollars.”  Donations included a first grandchild ($20!), an exchange a Rotary exchange student from Columbia declaring today’s forecast of 32 degrees a “heat wave,” a sizeable donation for each day a member spent in 85 degree weather in Sanibel, FL, and a member heading to Nevada for his first Christmas with his grandsons.  President Jim then liberally spent the funds entrusted to him by (in absentia) Doug Hartford, donating 5 times the amount he intended ($1) in honor of Concordia College’s ninth straight volleyball national championship! 

Nobody came back to your Scribe, who gratuitously notes his eldest will have completed all his Eagle Scout requirements, including Scoutmaster conference by the time this hits the press.  He just saved a dollar, but is anybody reading this deep into the review?  (Wait, did your Scribe just hear a tree fall in a deserted forest?)

John Brodrick introduced our speaker, Tom Barnes.  Tom is a retired NFL referee and crack kick returner for Central High School’s 1961 Varsity Football squad.   A lifelong resident of Saint Paul, Tom worked in excess of 500 professional football games over his 26 year career.  During that time he spent over that time 3.5 years of his life in hotel rooms!

Tom noted that the road to an NFL official is a long one.  Once you have been a referee at the college level for 10 years, a referee can be considered.  Approximately 100 apply each year, and the NFL sends scouts to each game for those who merit consideration.  From that group perhaps a few, or one (and sometimes none) might be invited to join a crew each year.

Currently, every official is graded each week on every play by one of 8 supervisors (who are retired officials).  You can lose points for an incorrect call, as well as for a no call.  Each position has to score at a certain percentage (a line judge at over 95%!), or miss being selected to work the playoffs. 

Now, officials have league issued computers and are encouraged to review recent games of the teams whose games you will referee each week.  There is also a Saturday meeting at which the referees review 60 plays from the prior week, as well as all booth replay calls and take a 50 question written test. 

Tom noted that there are a few female referees making it to the “short list,” so we should keep our eyes peeled.  He then took several questions from the audience and stayed after for additional one on one discussion. 

President Jim thanked Mr. Barnes, made a donation in his name to the Read with Me program of the Saint Paul Public Library, and bestowed on Tom a coin on which the Four Way Test is minted.  We expect he will keep the same handy should he be called upon for an impromptu toss to decide who receives the kick, and who defers!

See you next year.

Joe Beckman, Scribe