Next meeting - March 1, 2005 - at the good ol' Edgewater - will be the kickoff for our Rose Day sale for this year. DAN STOUDT is Chairman of the Committee, and he and the committee members will outline this year's prices and procedures. As usual, Neil from Felly's will be present with samples and any background information that will help. We have a good product to sell, and this is still our major fund raiser, so get out your sale lists from prior years and get ready to contact your customers. We will also need help with delivery on Rose Day - if you can spend even an hour or two on the road it will be a big help.

At our last meeting, we set some sort of record. No President, no Vice President, no song leader, no invocator. But our veteran members are equal to any challenge. DICK POMO came out of retirement to chair the meeting, and he still had his touch. Loudest bell we've heard in some time. He solved the song problem by simply starting out, and the rest of us fell in behind. The pitch averaged out after a few bars, acceptably. "Bishop BOB" was present, altho the assigned invocator was not, and as usual improvised an appropriate invocation. The Pledge of Allegiance was handled with practiced ease and not too many commas.

In line with the veteran theme, ROSS ROYSTER stood forth as TailTwister, and once again took the easy route of charging for plate rental. (The old scams still work!) He did offer a rebate for "plates licked clean" but although the lunch was once again a good one (choice of roast beef or chicken Parmesan) so far as we know no one collected. He would have found a way to squirm out of it anyway - that's why he's such a good TailTwister.

We had a Lion guest - STAFFORD LANG, from Fairfax, VA. He's visiting Madison for a couple weeks, and we may see him again.

New member CHRIS L. WILZ was inducted into membership by Past President ROSS ROYSTER, who effortlessly shifted gears into the formal part of the meeting. CHRIS is sponsored by DON NEVIASER, who showed up in an outlandish robe and headdress, with paddle, to fulfill that role. Recollecting barely in time that some of this was possibly inappropriate, DON presented CHRIS with his Lion pin. CHRIS is a Business Banker for M&I Bank, 4711 Monona Drive, Madison, WI 53716. Home phone 444-3267; work phone 221-7972, fax 221-7979. As noted by ROSS in his induction ceremony, CHRIS has already begun his participation in some of our most active committees. He was born in Stevens Point, and is a UW-Madison graduate. Welcome, CHRIS!

JOHN JENSON issued a last reminder for the District Convention at the Marriott in Middleton March 11 and 12. If you call him in the next day or two, you can still go as a Club representative. A good chance to learn more about Lionism in action.

PID PHIL INGWELL introduced the speaker, PID PETE CERNIGLIA, well known to most of us. PETE told us about the new Wisconsin Lion project to help with the funding of a new Lions Pediatric Eye Clinic at UW Hospitals. The present facility has been overcrowded and there are long waits for appointments, but space recently became available to enlarge and greatly improve it. Wisconsin Lions are out to raise at least $200,000 to fund the Clinic, and if we do it among other things "Lions" will be part of the name. The hope is to not only raise the $200,000 to build and equip the Clinic, but an additional $300,000 for a Patient Care Fund, which will cover the cost for care of children whose families cannot afford it. The total project cost is estimated at $1.3 million. If ever there was a project for Lions, this has to be it! The Clinic will treat some of the serious eye conditions in children, such as cataract, premature retinopathy and strabismus, and will also conduct research aiming for improved treatment and prevention. There will be a teaching component as well, to train more medical practitioners in the newest and best eye care procedures. Helen Keller challenged us in 1928 to be her "Knights For The Blind" and this is today's version of that challenge. Most of the current Clinic patients come from Wisconsin, but some are from other parts of the US and all over the world. Similarly, some of the postgraduate fellows who study here will take their knowledge back home to areas worldwide.

Our Club will participate, and individual gifts are needed and welcomed as well. A couple of our members have stepped forward already - please consider this important work in your charitable giving. We have brochures with Contribution Cards included - see PHIL INGWELL. Any amount will help, but special recognition begins at the $100 level.