Kee-Notes

Weekly Newsletter of the Kiwanis Club of Bethesda, Maryland

Serving the Community Since 1945

Meeting Date: January 29, 2009 ________________________________________________________________________________

President Jeanne Smith led us in the pledge and God Bless America and Bill Hague gave the prayer.  We had 12 Kiwanians plus guest speaker Bernie Siler.

Announcements:

Jim Leder should be getting out of the hospital soon. He would love to hear from you. Chuck Carlsen is battling the “Big C.”   We all send our prayers and best wishes for their well being.  We welcome back Robbie Brewer who was in Colorado skiing.  The planned inter-club for the Kiwanis Club of Potomac was cancelled due to snow.  It has been rescheduled for Tuesday, February 10.  Check the calendar for further details.  Be sure to put Friday, February 27 on your calendar for our 64th Charter Night which will have a baseball theme.  Reservations are needed by February 24, please contact club secretary Pat Tiede.  Bring a prospective member, your significant other, a neighbor, or friend.  We hope other clubs will also join us.

Happy Dollars:

Bernadeen Zivkovic  HD for no snow today for our luncheon. Pat Tiede HD for our newest member Ken King and for our speaker Bernie Siler.  President Jeanne Smith remarked that Bernadeen is no longer our newest member. Wouldn’t it be nice to have a new member each week!!!!  Jim Aylor  HD for our speaker and for a speedy recovery for Jim Leder.  John Walker had a HD for falling twice today on the ice and not breaking any bones.  Ken King HD for our speaker today.  Ken was a history major and is looking forward to Siler's presentation.

Speaker:

President Jeanne Smith introduced Bernie Siler a prosecutor for the District of Columbia, and a Civil War historian. He is originally from Washington, D.C. He teaches on the Takoma Park/Silver Spring Campus of Montgomery College, in the areas of Real Property Law and Civil Litigation, and Wills and Estates.  He is in the Army Reserve (JAG corps) and he had some interesting slants on the Lincoln assassination. John Wilkes Booth was from a prominent family in Baltimore yet he became a sympathizer of the Confederacy. Booth made a good income in those days ($20,000 a year) and he financed the plot out of his own money. His original idea was to kidnap Lincoln and then bring him to Richmond and hold him for ransom.  Lincoln would often travel from the White House north to the soldiers home to get away and the plotters tried to get him on one of his trips but failed. The ransom would be for the North to release all Confederate prisoners. When Lee surrendered at Appomattox Booth then decided  to kill Lincoln and other cabinet officers.  After the assassination Booth was surprised that even Confederate sympathizers were not happy that he killed Lincoln.  A great talk.

            Snow Policy:  For your information when Montgomery

         County Schools are closed our functions are cancelled.

         We don't want any dented fenders or broken bones!

Jim Aylor won the 50/50.

George Patterson, editor.

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                                             Editor - GEORGE PATTERSON (301-652-7061, geopatersn@)aol.com)
                                                 Website Editors - BEN SCHLESINGER (301-951-7266, bschles@bsaenergy.com),                                                             PAT TIEDE (301-493-6937), patriciatiede@comcast.net