Immediate Past President John Ratnavale opened our meeting with the Pledge, and My Country 'Tis of Thee and Rev. John Walker gave the prayer. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Attendees were urged to participate in Reading at the Y on Friday, May 16 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. and to work at the K Family Clean Up Day at Camp Friendship on Saturday, May 17. Other activities are listed on the calendar.  We will also be participating in the Memorial Day Ceremony at the Veteran's Memorial Park  at Woodmont Triangle on Monday, May 26 at 10:30 p.m.  Dick Ruprecht announced that the Walter Johnson Key Club made $260 for their car wash fundraiser last Saturday.  They will use this money to send the clothing they've collected to Ghana.

HAPPY DOLLARS:

Pat Tiede HD for Chris Van De Moortel and his family Nicole and daughter Emma.  Nice to see him back with us.  Bob Gradle HD for the work that Dick Ruprecht does with the young people.  Ben Schlesinger HD for our great historian speaker, William Offutt.  Jeanne Smith HD was for Stephanie McCabe's son-in-law who is back from Afghanistan.  Parker Dorman HD for speaker Offutt.  Dick Ruprecht HD for a brief history of Iron Man comic books (he had three samples enclosed in plastic) and it was very apropos as the movie released last weekend was a blockbuster!!  John Ratnavale HD for purchasing a new home on 4 acres in Potomac.  He will be closing and moving the end of June.

SPEAKER:

No  introduction was needed for our speaker William Offutt who returned a second week to continue with his very colorful history of Bethesda by showing slides of the area.  Some high points: Did you know there use to be an amusement park with roller coaster and numerous rides located in the area of Old Georgetown Road and Greentree? No evidence of it now, it got wiped out in a hurricane around 1896.  Did you know that Bethesda did not have the name until 1915?  When the second post office was built, it then became Bethesda.  The whole area was basically farm land.  The area that is known as Woodmont Triangle was the first area to become urbanized. Eastham's service station originated in the early 30's.   Street cars were the main means of transportation debuting in the late 30's.  That changed the character of Bethesda from a blue collar area with trailer parks to one of homes and shops.  Offutt showed us pictures of Bank of Bethesda, service stations, garages, orphanages, a convent that later turned into the Community Store. The first traffic light appeared in 1939.  There were two theaters and a duckpin alley in the basement of one of them.   The "Sanitary" stores later became Safeway.  The Women's Market was founded in 1932 and is still standing.  Did you know that at one time there were 12 car dealers in Bethesda?  Did you know there were two fire departments -- one paid and one volunteer and they were rivals!  NIH became the biggest employer, and the Navy Hospital appeared in 1942.  The streetcar ran until 1960 and then the Metro appeared and totally changed the character of Bethesda.  Such an interesting talk by a real historian.

Ben Schlesinger won the 50/50.