Ira proudly named some illustrious Suffern Rotary members, Bill Miele and Tom France, from the past who went on to become District Governors as well as our present member Larry Palant who will be DG this July.  Ira displayed his wild red socks in honor of Tom France  who started the "Crazy Socks" tradition with Suffern Rotarians.  Another Suffern Rotarian of notoriety Ira mentioned was "Les" Rounds, a past Superintendent of Ramapo Central School District who founded RCC.   "Rockland Community College was founded on a dream. Lester Rounds, a local school superintendent, proposed the idea for an affordable, grassroots, two-year college in his doctoral dissertation for Columbia University. Amid stirring of Rockland County’s conversion from sleepy hinterland to bustling suburbia along with a burgeoning school-age population, spiraling college costs, and growing need for advanced skills, Rounds and other forward-thinkers spent five years bringing the dream to fruition. In the fall of 1959, Rockland Community College opened its doors to 139 students: 87 men and 52 women, 119 full-time and 20 part-time. They were high school graduates eager to capitalize on an affordable, two-year alternative at their doorstep. They were homemakers with children to care for. They were veterans thankful for a second chance. (“Rockland Community College: The Early Years,” by Jamie Kempton, Donning Company Press, 2000.)"  

     Our "Happy Bucks" tradition actually came from the Spring Valley Rotary Club and we adopted it as our own.  Ira shared some of the numerous past restaurants the club meetings were held at in Suffern such as Geppetto's, Motel On The Mountain, Carmichael's, Outback, etc.  As Ira was reminiscing with humor, other long-standing members were chiming in comments to add to Ira's speech.  Both old and new members enjoyed walking down Memory Lane with Ira today.  We look forward to more walks down Suffern Rotary's Memory Lane.