Minutes of the
President Lloyd called the
meeting to order at
Members present: Jack Bolen,
Cy Gamber Marty Miller, Allen,
Welcome guests:
Wives:
June Bolen, Judy Copeland
Other
guests: Charles Klug, a prospective member; Captain
Tracy MacDonald, his wife Jennifer and daughter Vickie.
The President introduced the
guests.
The minutes of the February
meeting were approved.
The secretary took a moment
to review next month’s JROTC luncheon including the seating arrangements and
paying for the cadets lunches.
Chuck Copeland, our
treasurer, reported net income for the month of $154.33 and a balance of
$2,975.89.
Registrar Alan Bell
reported, as Color Guard Commander, the group’s participation in the 29th
Annual Massing of the Colors, on Sunday, March 7th. President Lloyd
complimented the group on their participation and encouraged more of these
activities.
President Lloyd returned to
the issue of awards for members and asked for a volunteer to do the necessary
research.
A member suggested to Luke
that we might purchase additional flags from other eras in our history. In the
discussion that followed a member observed that smaller flags that could be
displayed on the head table might be easier from a logistical standpoint. John
Skillman will visit Heads Flag and see what is available.
Jack Bolen shared a bit of
his background and personal story as part of an effort each meeting to get to
better know our fellow members. Other members willing to share at future
meetings are asked to speak to the President.
The President reported that
neither of the schools we had contacted decided to participate in the
Elementary School Poster contest. We’ll need to consider expanding our reach to
other schools next year.
Vice President Yarnell gave
a brief report on a state law currently under consideration in the legislature.
The bill would require a civics course in the middle school curriculum and
students would be required to pass the course in order to matriculate into high
school. The House has passed the measure and will be taken up by the Senate in
the coming weeks.
The meeting recessed for
lunch.
Luke introduced the Vice
President who introduced our speaker and honoree, Tracy MacDonald. Captain MacDonald
is a 23 year veteran of the Hillsborough County Fire Department. He was
educated locally having graduated from Hillsborough Community College Fire
School. The Captain has spent 15 years on the search and rescue team special
operations and took part in the aftermath of both Charlie and Katrina. He is
stationed off
Captain MacDonald took the
floor and related the story of a rescue he performed regarding an elderly lady
who drove her car into a pond. The captain observed that this was a case of
being in the right place at the right time. After returning from a call Captain
MacDonald went to retrieve an item from his car and from that vantage point
observed a car drive into the pond. After alerting his team he ran to the car
and found a woman who seemed physically alright but was clearly panicked. He
was unable to open the door at first but was able to break the glass after
receiving a tool from his team that had reached the scene. As the water
continued to rise the Captain, still unable to open the door, opted to try to
pull the woman through the window. Just as he was about to try this, the door
opened and he was able to remove the woman just minutes before the car
submerged.
As it turned out the woman
was the mother in law of one of the firemen working at the Falkenburg
station. The Captain found out later that she had a great fear of water which
explained her hysteria. He also pointed out how many things worked out to allow
for the successful rescue. First the course taken by the car from the road to
the pond was impeded by several trees, a fire hydrant and light poles. The
chances of the car not hitting one of these obstacles was small. Second, the
significant amount of training by the crew played a key role. While not
specifically trained in water rescue, the crew was able to respond with the
correct assistance in a timely manner.
Questions followed by the
membership allowing the Captain to explain some of the current issues and
procedures in effect in
President Lloyd presented
the Captain with the SAR Heroism award.
Bob won the 50/50. The
treasury was enriched by $7.00.
The President led the
recessional, Jack Bolen gave the benediction, and the meeting adjourned at
Respectfully submitted,
Kevin Yarnell
Chapter Secretary