The Tucson Symphony Orchestra Brass Quintet entertains a wide variety of audiences with its versatile repertoire ranging from the Baroque to Broadway and Dixieland Jazz to traditional classics.  A brass quintet is the most powerful of the chamber ensembles, and can fill up a hall with its grand sound like an organ.  In the hands of these superb musicians, it can also sing soft and sweet, bringing you to the edge of your seat, and get your toes tapping with jazzy tunes to boot. The TSO Brass Quintet has built a loyal fan base with adult and youth audiences across southern Arizona.

 

 

The Tucson Symphony Orchestra has one of the most active Community Engagement programs in the orchestra field. As an integral member of the community, the TSO serves as a music resource for all of southern Arizona. From large partnerships to private events, the TSO is a music partner for southern Arizonans, performing more than one hundred Community Engagement events each season. The TSO has formed strong partnerships with local businesses, visiting corporations and non – profit agencies. Local communities also enjoy active relationships with the TSO, bringing both small and large concerts to their residents. These partnerships take many forms, all tailored to the needs and interests of each organization.

My reflection today is based on my experience this past Sunday at the USS Arizona Mall Memorial Dedication and Pearl Harbor Ceremony. Our Rotary Club luncheon this week is on December 7, a very significant date in our history, a date to be remembered always. 

 

As my husband and I searched the crowd in hopes of finding our grandson who was attending the event in his dress uniform and who will soon be the NROTC Brigade Commander at the UA, we couldn’t help but think that grandson, Parker,  is the same age, 21, or in many cases older than the majority of the 1177 crewmen who died on the ship that morning of December 7, 1941. That date was, in FDR’s declaration of war speech, “A date which will live in infamy.” The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on December 7, 1941, stunned virtually everyone in the United States military and most certainly the young Sailors and Marines on the USS Arizona, waking up that morning and starting their day like any other normal day. This day was not normal. The majority of the crew members were either killed by the explosion and fire or were trapped by the rapid sinking of the ship. During the months and years following WWII, the destruction of the Arizona came to symbolize the reason the United States was fighting.

 

It is so fitting that the USS Arizona Memorial is located on the UA campus mall. The Memorial is a full-scale outline of the deck of the ship that is below the ship’s bell in the Student Union tower.  The Arizona’s deck was 597 feet long and 97 feet wide. Those dimensions fit almost exactly into the Mall in front of the Student Union’s tower, in which hangs the 1800-pound bell from the ship’s foremast.  The medallions to the 1,177 Sailors and Marines killed aboard the Arizona are displayed waist high on the brick walls rather than ground level. The brass medallions are inscribed with name, home state, rank or rating and ship’s duties of those who died.  The small flagpole in the medallion plaza marks the center of the huge foremast that sheltered and helped save the bell on December 7, 1941. The plaza and its two pairs of walls cover almost the same area where before were two raised brick planters and a sidewalk across the Mall.

 

Several fellow Rotarians were in attendance at Sunday’s dedication of the USS Arizona Memorial and we exchanged quiet, yet friendly greetings before the program started. It was a very moving ceremony with Taps played at the closing. When you get the opportunity, I encourage you to visit the USS Arizona Mall Memorial. On the Memorial plaque are the words:  This memorial stands as a testament to the sacrifice made by the USS Arizona crew when Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941. We remember the 1,177 men who lost their lives, their 337 surviving shipmates, and all of their families.

 

Yes, this is a date that will not be forgotten.

Dear Fellow Rotarians,

 

I am pleased to announce that the count was in and we had over 1000 in attendance at the CAID/RCOT Mixer. Over 750 gallons of Chili and Chowder were consumed. (haha)!  Actually we had a total of 100 attending this wonderful event and by choosing their favorite chili or chowder, $215 was raised for the Pima Community College and UofA scholarship funds.  Thanks so much for your generous donations.  

 

What teamwork by everyone involved.  Employees from CAID helped in the setup and the take down, the tours by our own Bill Fetzer and CEO Assenmacher were impossible to describe.  We are all very grateful to Bill Assenmacher for opening his company to our event.

 

Thanks to Dorinna and Kari for a flawless registration process and a special thanks to “my” Social Committee for all your hard work and dedication.  A few of you asked to join the Social Committee and it’s a resounding “YES”…………love to have your help and ideas.  Thanks to our bartenders for your discipline in your measurements. Lisa Fogle, once again you had everyone focused……

 

What I’m really trying to say is “Thanks to everyone”…………………..

 

See you at the Holiday Mixer on Thursday, December 15^th at La Mariposa Resort – 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.  Please go on to Clubrunner (home page under “Upcoming Events”) and get registered this week.

 

Gratefully,

Social Committee Chair

John Lewis and Elves

 

Some pics from the event:

 

Hello everyone,

 

The club is looking for volunteers to form a Newsletter Committee and a Social Media Committee.  If you are interested in joining two really fun committees, please contact President Ellie Patterson.  We really need your help.  Thank you.

Let’s go to  the Tucson Roadrunners Hockey game on December 21st, Wednesday evening, with game time at 7:05 pm! It will be a nice night of fellowship and fun plus a chance to see the Roadrunners beat the Bakersfield Condors. Rio Nuevo’s Fletcher McCusker, in a recent column of the AZ Star, reminded Tucsonans of the improvements that were made to the Tucson Convention Center that helped attract the team to Tucson. Fletcher commented  that the first game brought 6750 fans downtown but there have been plenty of empty seats since. We should fill some of those seats and support downtown, our hockey team, and fellow Rotarian, Mark Irvin, who has worked so hard on the Rio Nuevo Board to make things like this happen that improves our entire community. I’ll reserve a block of tickets. Please contact me if you want to go!  (Fletcher has only missed 1 game)

 

…Watch the Tucson Roadrunners cross hockey sticks with the Bakersfield Condors at TCC Arena in downtown Tucson. Game starts at 7:05 PM on both days (Tues-Wed). The Tucson Roadrunners are the American Hockey League affiliate of the Arizona Coyotes ice hockey team.