September President’s Letter

Home again!  Home again!

The Senior Men’s Club was one of the first groups to meet at the Grosse Pointe War Memorial and now we’re returning to a new and more beautiful building.   On August 30th   I joined with the Site Committee on a tour of the new, expanded facility of the War Memorial. The new building is the  Fred M. Alger Center for Arts, Culture and Humanities ..

     If you drive by today you may notice that work is still in progress. The construction of the new building is done, but now the workers are putting on the finishing touches. This consists of painting, paneling, finishing the floors, installing shades, putting in the garden and a few other things. All work is scheduled to be complete by the end of September.  

     The building has actually been expanded. To your right, as you enter, there is the Reflection Room. It’s actually more of an open area with a central infinity pool and a skylight. There will be benches on each side so that you can sit and just chill out.  Next, they’ve added a Community Room which is almost the same size as the old ballroom. Finally, there is the new Crystal Ballroom. There is still a beautiful view of the lake and the windows are even larger than before. In addition, they’ve added an outdoor deck along the side of the ballroom that overlooks the grassy area.  The building is filled with sunlight with the glass walls along the promenade and between rooms.  From the Community Room you can look through the ballroom to the windows along the lake. The kitchen area has been redone, so there is efficient access to 

both the Chrystal Ballroom and the Community Room. 

Along with the new facility comes an improved audio/visual system. Presentations will be made to moveable 85-inch TV monitors and new Bose speakers.     

We will be scheduled to meet in the Community Room, although the War Memorial will move us to the ballroom if nothing else is scheduled during our meeting time. I think that on a Tuesday, at midday, we will be in the ballroom. The new facility opens in November. With our meeting on November 8th, the Men’s Club will be one of the first groups to use the facility.   There may be a wedding reception or some other gathering over the preceding weekend, but it’s still something to which we can look forward. 

Finally, despite inflation, the lunch will still be $20 and will continue to be a true buffet. We’ll still be in the Tompkins Center for September and October.  I wish that we could include photos of the new facilities, but you will have to come and see a new reality.

Notice that annual 2023 dues are now being collected.  Our fiscal year runs from October 1 to September 30. The bylaws state that members whose dues are not paid by November 1 will be dropped from membership and the Directory. Like any organization, we need to know the membership numbers so that we can plan our budget. Dues, Directory ads, and the fifty-fifty drawings are our only source of income.  Contributions are always welcome, of course.

— Henry A. Fischer