The April 2 meeting was attended by 32 members with no guests in attendance, surprisingly good for the week of Spring Break for the North Shore schools.
President Baker reminded the Club of the joint social gathering with the two Wilmette clubs to be held on April 15th at the Sheridan Shores Yacht Club in Gilson Park from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. There was a sign-up sheet on each table. We have until next Thursday to sign-up for this event. Light appetizers wine, beer and soft drinks will be served. This will be a great time to socialize with fellow Rotarians from our sister clubs.
John Thomas announced that our annual benefit would be held on Friday, May 16th at the Winnetka Community House. There is still a major need for good items for the silent auction. John also talk about the Winnetka Plan Commission’s upcoming meeting on April 8th at the Village Hall where the primary topic is the controversial ‘One Winnetka’ Planned Development project for the former Fell properties will be discussed. He encouraged interested Winnetkans to attend.
The Club celebrated Rich Lalley’s birthday along with our server Fernande Trausch. Today was the last meal that Fernande was serving for Rotary as she is now retiring; President Baker extended the Club’s gratitude for her years of service and warmest wishes for her retirement years. The day’s desert was a large cake in Fernande’s honor.
Happy Buck$ were dispensed with in order to give more time to our speaker.
Marie Kuipers introduced the day’s speaker, her special friend, Dr. Alan Zablocki. Dr. Zablocki was born in Poland and moved to London in 1996 when he was 12 years old. Alan received his M.S. and PhD in astronomy and astrophysics from the University of Chicago. He volunteers at the Adler Planetarium with an evening presentation. His next presentation is on the April 16 (see below for more information on the Adler After Dark program). Alan also works with students from the Chicago Public Schools. Alan’s presentation for our Club was literally and figuratively ‘out of this world.’ He had many slides of the universe that were taken from a telescope in deep space that illustrated the points that were being made. He said there is at least one planet for every star,
and likely far more. There was a period in history when science thought that the Milky Way was the entire universe. Now around 300 million galaxies have been cataloged.
In his ‘stellar’ presentation he explained the there is matter that you cannot see but we know is there because it exerts gravitational pull. Galaxies are constantly moving away from us in all directions, which seems counterintuitive since gravity should be pulling the universe together. It is estimated today that the universe is 13.8 billion years old! The universe is made up of less than 5% ordinary matter while the rest is composed of ‘dark matter’ (26.8%) and dark energy (68.3%).
If you are a junior space cadet (student or trainee) you can learn more about Dr. Alan Zablocki at:
http://astro.uchicago.edu/~zablocki/ or view his entire presentation on your computer at:
http://alanzablocki.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Rotary_Apr2_2015.pdf
Adler After Dark
Exclusively for adults, this 21+ evening offers you open access, unlimited shows, and unique entertainment every third Thursday of the month from 6-10 pm. With themes that change every month, Adler After Dark is never the same event twice. Reinvent your Adler experience every month with friends, family, or that special someone on a date they’ll never forget!
Live music, multiple bars, and the best views of Chicago’s skyline round out the night.
(http://www.adlerplanetarium.org/adler-after-dark/)
