Phather Phil’s Prayer
[In Loving Memory of our Dear Friend and 41-Year Centerville Noon Optimist Club Member – Chuck Dickerson]
I’ve read this poem many times and found some solace to my distress when I lost a friend…
If Death my friend and me divide. Thou dost not, Lord, my sorry chide or frown my tears to see; Restrained from passionate excess Thou bidest me to morn in calm distress For them that rest in thee. I feel a strong immortal hope which bears my mournful spirit up
Beneath it’s mountain load. Redeemed from death and grief and pain, I soon shall find my friend again
within the arms of God. Pass a few fleeting moments more and death
Today’s Guests
| Guest | Guest Of |
| Andy Dickerson | Donna Huss |
| Erin Dickerson | Donna Huss |
| Dr. Brian Esselstein | Debe Dockins |
| Lisa Esselstein | Debe Dockins |
| Lt. Rebecca Esselstein | Speaker |
| Barb Groene | Debe Dockins |
| Becky Keegan | Carolyn Taylor |
All Photos from the Meeting are Here
Celebrating the life of Chuck Dickerson
David Ladd came to the podium before our meeting. We had a moment of silence to celebrate Chuck’s life, a large portion of which he dedicated to our club. Then he told a few stories about Chuck that made us both happy and sad.
Announcements
Today is the first meeting Donna Huss has presided as President for 2018-2019 of the Centerville Noon Optimist club. We are lucky to have her and she did a great job. We look forward to a great year under her direction.
John Kalaman thanked CNO for being a $250 hole sponsor for the recent 21st Annual John P. Kalaman Memorial Golf Tournament and Pig Roast.
The Haunted Trail at Forest Field Park will be held on October 16, 2018 and October 17, 2018. It is about a 1-mile walk and we need more volunteers for trail guides.
Roland Rapp has been chosen as the new treasurer for the year beginning October, 2019. Thank you to all that applied, it was not an easy decision.
Today’s Speaker
Debe Dockins introduced 1st Lt. Rebecca Esselstein. Debe’s introduction follows:
1st Lt. Rebecca Esselstein, U.S.A.F. is a graduate of Alter High School (Class of 2011 Valedictorian) and the U.S. Air Force Academy (Top Academic Graduate and Top Overall Graduate – 2015) where she studied Astronautical Engineering. She is a native of Washington Township and most recently completed her Ph.D. in Astrophysics at the University of Oxford in England as a Rhodes Scholar. In her spare time, Lt. Esselstein rowed for the Blue Boat at Oxford against Cambridge (2017) She was CoSIDA Women’s Division I Track & Field Academic All-American of the Year in 2015. Her dream is to become an astronaut. Lt. Esselstein’s next assignment is flight school in Texas.
Esselstein told us stories that led her to the Air Force and what motivates her. Her stories were interesting, informative and funny!
Through second grade she wanted to be a paleontologist. In the third grade she had a unit on space and she was hooked. Since then and to this day, she wants to be an astronaut. She told this to a neighbor and they suggested she consider the Air Force as way to achieve her goal. For several years the Air Force did not interest her, however, by the time she reached Alter High School, she knew she wanted to go to the Air Force Military Academy after High School.
Esselstein really appreciated her experience at Alter H.S. She brought with her as a guest today her former Chemistry teacher Barbara Groene who is now Dean of Students at Alter High School. Groene had a big influence on Esslestein. Also able to attend as Esselstein’s guests were her parents, Dr Brian and Lisa Esselstein.
At Alter she ran cross country and they won first or second in state each year and they broke records. Being part of the 4×8 track team taught her a lot about team work and she loved the camaraderie of the team.
When Esselstein attended the Air Force Academy, the new cadets were about 80% male and 20% female. She described Basic Cadet Training as a process where they break everyone down regardless of gender to their core, then they start the process of building you back up, with the discipline you need to make the military work.
Esselstein has always been a perfectionist when it comes to school work. The Academy has a very intense schedule. Your day is pretty full starting with mandatory breakfast. Her only real issue with the discipline of the Academy was the rule for getting 8 hours of sleep. To keep straight A’s she needed extra time to study. Her leader was frustrated with Esselstein’s not getting 8 hours of sleep. They went back and forth many times on her length of sleep. Esselstein was told can you please accept getting some B’s in class and then get 8 hours of sleep? Esselstein was not able comply with this since receiving A’s was very important to her!
Esselstein learned how to parachute. They do not do tandem jumps even for beginners. There is intense training and your 1st jump is solo. For her 2nd jump she had to use the backup parachute. Part of her training before this parachuting had taught her to think under pressure, so the backup parachute incident was not a problem.
After graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy as an Astronautical Engineer, she wanted to earn a masters degree. She obtained a scholarship to study abroad at the University of Oxford in the UK. She obtained a Rhodes scholarship. She got her masters in 2 years, but she wanted her PhD which she found out she could get in just one more year. The military originally only allowed her 2 years for getting her graduate degree, but she was able to convince them to let her stay the extra year.
Esselstein struggled with Oxford not being totally structured like the Academy. She needed some kind of additional physical goal. She found rowing and became addicted. At Oxford there is a strong and long-lasting tradition for the 39 colleges there to compete in rowing against each other. There was intense competition to make the Blue Boat on the Oxford rowing team. There were only 16 spots in 2 boats available. This was a seven-month process. They were all competing with and working with others at the same time. She did get one of the 16 spots. At the start of the first competition race, she lost control of her oar. The entire team had to stop so she could retrieve and reset her oar. They were still able to finish and not be eliminated that round.
For the last year at Oxford in order to have enough time to get her PhD, Rebecca reluctantly had to leave the team. For her PhD she studied how fast stars spin.
Soon  Esselstein begins flight training in Texas and she plans to become a test pilot. She plans for this to lead to becoming an Astronaut. Her end goal is to the moon and back. She will consider a trip to Mars as long as it is a round trip.
Birthdays
| Member | Birthday |
| Ben Barlow | October 05 |
| Rachel Selby | October 07 |
| Christy Gariety | October 09 |
| Laurie Westheimer | October 9 |
Membership Anniversaries
| Member | Month | Day | Joined | # Years |
| Ken Irwin | October | 2 | 10/2/2012 | 6 |
| Larry Larrimer | October | 2 | 10/2/2012 | 6 |
| Rick Kempfer | October | 2 | 10/2/2012 | 6 |
| Bryan Link | October | 3 | 10/3/2017 | 1 |
| Christy Gariety | October | 3 | 10/3/2011 | 7 |
| Stephanie Catanzaro | October | 3 | 10/3/2017 | 1 |
| Cristlyn Johnston | October | 4 | 10/4/2010 | 8 |
| Valorie Huff | October | 7 | 10/7/2004 | 14 |
| Deb Saunders | October | 8 | 10/8/2016 | 2 |
| James Mogan | October | 8 | 10/8/2016 | 2 |
| Jesse Gaither | October | 8 | 10/8/2016 | 2 |
| Mandy Ransdell | October | 8 | 10/8/2016 | 2 |
| Rachel Selby | October | 8 | 10/8/2016 | 2 |
New Member Readings and Inductions
| Name | Sponsor | 1st 2nd 3rd Reading or Induction |
| Becky Keegan | Carolyn Taylor | 2nd Reading |
Sergeants at Arms
| Member | Infraction |
| Stan Franzaglia | Said the word “fine” to a sergeant when asked how he was today. |
| Chris McAlpine | Fined $6 since that maximum amount of fines he paid in a day when he president. |
| Donna Huss | For being president |
| Cherie Gentry | Buying 50/50 ticket with a silver dollar. |
| Gary Smiga | Being a treasurer elsewhere |
| Scott Langer | Being late |
Happy Bucks!
| Member | Reason |
| Bob Burkman | Grandson Spencer promoted to Corporal USMC |
| Bob Burkman | Granddaughter Brianna hired by Premier Health as an Athletic Trainer |
| Liz Fultz | Gave $5 becaue she survived the Woodbourne grand reopening |
| Larry Lynde | Thanks to Don Kelley for leading long range planning for the large 50th anniversary donation requests for the park playground and the library outdoor kids area. |
| Cherie Gentry | She and Myron were at the Bearcat optimist club that was just chartered |
| Greg Wasmund | Brother Todd promoted to brigadier general |
| Vida McDowell | Tennis Team will be going to nationals in Orlando |
| Chris McAlpine | Happy to just be an audience member at today’s meeting. |
| Jay McAlpine | Just returned from the trip of a lifetime to South Africa |
| Jay McAlpine | Very proud of son Chris for being president of CNO for the past year |
| Nancy Lehren | Niece, Angelina, is competing in the Fall 2018 Season of Survivor on the Goliath tribe |
| Pat Behn | Along with Myron she charted a new club with 27 members called Greenmount Voices for people with disabilities |
| Sue Brubaker | She and Mike got back from Vegas and did not lose money – they broke even |