Next Meeting - June 7 - LINDA BERGREN is the Program Host, and she will present a speaker whom she has heard deliver a worthwhile message. The speaker is from Slavefree Madison, a community group that promotes awareness about modern-day slavery. We think her name is Joanne, but we will find out. If the weather is anything like today, though, it's summer in Madison, and that alone is reason enough to come out. See you at the Edgewater. (Or EdgeH2O, as their limo license plate says.)

Last time, Pres. JIM opened the meeting, led the song in a baritone range, and then led the Pledge. He did let DALE MUELLER give the invocation. DALE also introduced our only guest, his wife Gwen, who was celebrating her trombone birthday that day.

Birthdays having been mentioned, CRAIG BUTLER led the celebration of Lion Service Birthdays for 7 Lions, all of whom were present for once. TOM STEVENS 8 YEARS, SPARKY WATTS 16, PHIL STOWITTS 24, STEVE BRIGGS 30, JERRY MILLER 31, DAN STOUDT 49 and TERRY SCHAR 52, were the featured Lions, and they drew the names of gift winners, PHIL STOWITTS, DAN STOUDT, JOHN JENSON, PHIL INGWELL, SPARKY WATTS, STEVE BRIGGS, and, appropriately, Gwen Mueller. Craig then successfully started off the assembly on “Happy Birthday.” The pitch and melody were good, but we did it on our own - CRAIG does not claim to be Fred Waring.

In last week's Tale we noted that in addition to the top sellers, there were 17 other Lions who sold flowers or made donations to our Flower Sale : LINDA BERGREN, JIM BRADLEY, JODI BURMESTER, MARSHALL FLAX, SCOTT GROVER, JACK HEIM, JERRY HODDINOTT, JOHN JENSON, JIM KEMMETER, CHARLIE LIBERTY, WALT PRIDHAM, WARREN RANDY, DALE ST. JOHN, TERRY SCHAR, ART TAGGART, MICHELLE VETTERKIND and JOYCE FOX of the Madison East Lions. MELISSA NOVINSKI'S detailed report shows that almost all of our active membership, plus some not so active, plus at least two alumni, participated in this vitally important project. We made about $5500. ROSS ROYSTER made deliveries from Waunakee to Stoughton, TOM STEVENS covered a lot of the UW, and JOHN JENSON and CHARLIE LIBERTY also covered a lot of ground. As they say on Public Television, “Thank You!”

We got a “Thank You” from the Community Action Coalition for our help with their food drive. They raised about$2,000 and received about 6000 pounds of donated food.

The New District Governor's Golf Outing will be at the Coachman's in Stoughton on Tues. Aug. 9. Golf, cart and dinner is $80, dinner only is $25. Choice of sirloin steak, beef kabobs or chicken. Reserve with Julie Nygaard, 1284 Racetrack Rd., Stoughton 53589, or nygaardjulie@yahoo.com. Lots of prizes, raffle, etc. Sign up by 8/1. They could use hole sponsors and prize donations.

STEVE BRIGGS introduced the speaker, Justin Doherty of the UW Athletic Dept., who told us a lot about the big business that is UW Athletics. He noted the successful seasons of the Football, Men's Basketball, swimming, track and softball teams. There are new coaches in place for Women's Basketball, Men's Golf, and we sort of traded coaches with U of AZ in swimming. A new hockey facility (LaBahn Arena) for practice and women's games is going up next to the Kohl Center, and a complete renovation for the McClain Center sports medicine and training facility. Wisconsin has an elite athletic program, and at that level there is continual competition, not only on the fields and courts but in facilities as well. Good facilities attract good athletes, who provide competition on the national stage, and the University and the city benefit from the successes. Badger fans are known everywhere for the support they give their teams. The number of different sports and teams provide opportunities for hundreds of student athletes to compete and grow. The driving criterion is “what's best for the kids” - if it was just a business there'd only be two or maybe three teams. And your editor got his question answered - the football and basketball teams travel mostly by chartered plane, except to Northwestern and Iowa, where buses are actually quicker.