Men's Club of Grosse Pointe

October President’s Letter

I am honored to serve the membership as the 63rd President of the Men’s Club. Sixty-three years represents a lot of Festivities, Fun, and Fellowship!!! I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to thank our previous president, Henry Fischer for his leadership of the Club and his mentorship of those who follow. Henry will remain on the Board of course, as immediate past president. We will miss the Board members whose terms have ended. Thank you to Ed Benz, Al Spalding and Jerry Teagan. Ed Benz has faithfully led the Special Events Committee for a number of years and has agreed to continue on as its chairman and continue to attend Board meetings. Jerry Teagan will continue serving on the Site Committee, Attendance Committee, and Newsletter Committee. It is my sincere desire that he will agree to be a chairman of a committee and continue attending Board meetings. Dave Morrow decided not to stand for re-election as Assistant Secretary and we thank him for his services. Thanks to Chip Rohde, who elected not to stand for First Vice President but will continue heading the Veterans Initiative. Our Editor of the Newsletter, John Snyder, has not allocated enough space to do these gentlemen justice. Watch for their member profiles and the holdover Board members and officers in a future Newsletter.

We are welcoming four newly elected Board members: Phil Alber, Jim Callahan, John Prost and Ken Mokray to the Board. There will be four past presidents (Henry, Jim, John, and Ken) on the Board with a rich knowledge of history and tradition.

Every coin has its flip side. Although I am privileged to have these past presidents offer their support and advice, it is indicative of an issue that is very much on my mind. I am not aware of a past president needing to join a Board to fill a slate in the past. We need to identify our talent and encourage more members to use their talent in serving on the Board or Committees. Getting involved is a great way to increase your Festivities, Fun, and Fellowship.

I plan to form a strategic committee to look at what we do well and what we do not do well – membership, general meetings, sub-clubs, and how we communicate. I envision that the committee will gather facts and analyses to facilitate making decisions for the future.

The Club is rich with traditions. We will continue to face challenges as opportunities and respect traditions while surviving and flourishing.

Best regards,
Jim Hoekwater

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

General Rolf Mammen spoke to the Club on July 26th

Diamond Jack River Cruise

Sailors may have been fewer this year, but those who made it had a fine lunch at Sinbad’s. Then we were transported to the Diamond Jack dock, courtesy of Sinbad’s van. Danny our able driver dropped us off and picked us up.

The weather was perfect, and narrative informative. Note the smiles in the pictures to see what a good time was had by all.

For more photos click here

President’s Letter August

August is here, and with it, “The Dog Days of Summer.” It was probably in grade school that we learned that the month of August gets its name from Caesar Augustus, son of Julius Caesar. We also learned that Julius Caesar came up with what we now call the Julian Calendar, hence the need for a new monthly name. However, I always thought that the hottest and most unbearable days of the season, the “Dog Days”, were something that came from the Old Farmer’s Almanac.

True, it is a time when old dogs like me, just want to sit in the shade and do nothing, but the term also goes back to Greek and Roman times. As it turns out, the canine connection refers to Sirius (the Dog Star, not the radio station) in the constellation Canis Major (large dog). At that time Sirius (the brightest star in the northern hemisphere) was seen to rise just before or at the same time as the sun. Who knew!

I’m still feeling lazy, even after a delightful cruise. In the July President’s message we outlined the process for electing a new board of directors. Indeed this was accomplished on July 12 th . The Nominating Committee had a great number of talented members to select from and their slate was passed unanimously. The new board will take office on October 1st and the newletter officers and Board Members will be updated.

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 must are not paid by November 1st 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 and directory ads are our only source of income.

The War Memorial will be ready for us to return in November, hopefully, but will we be ready for them? With inflation we don’t know what they will charge. Facility rental and food all comes out of the lunch price.

With best regards for the balance of the summer.