THE SENIOR MEN'S CLUB OF NEW CANAAN
Regular meeting of March 23, 2001
MINUTES
President Don Hunziker opened the business meeting at 9:58, on a bright and blustery day,
with 140 members present. Membership is 499 with 1 invitee and 28 on the growing waiting list.
People: Don Freud announced that Ed Codel remains at Waveny, semi-permanently. Walt Hoffman
brought poignant news of Walt Martin and from Tom Brennan, who are no longer able to attend
our meetings.
Activities: Bowling chairman George Delage has 50 free games to give away. Bridge continues,
rain or shine, after each regular meeting. Paddle prospers Mon., Tues. Thurs. Phil Toll is
leading 14 or more 4F's to Long Ridge Tavern today. Racquetball is again invisible.
Trailblazers will hike the Mianus Gorge for five moderate miles on April l8th.
Couth: Bert Liebelt reported waiting lists for the U.N. in April and N. Y. Botanical garden
in May. The U.N. trip will now include two morning lectures from the Chinese delegation. As
a result, trip departure has been rescheduled to 8:00 from St. Mark's. Note that jackets and
ties are de rigeur for men. There are also openings for Goodspeed in June. The proposed
Washington trip now has 44 signed up as interested. Itinerary and price will be available
in a few weeks, with tentative departure October 23rd, returning the 25th.
Other News: Dan Ward alerted us to a NC Library questionnaire to arrive at 3,000 households
in April. Sven EngIund reports receipt of 1,100 answers to an open space questionnaire,
but says that wider response would be helpful. Charlie Morris has openings for the annual
luncheon, for members only, on April 27th. If you want to come, send money. The SMC Board
will meet on April 16th at 8:30. And finally, Jim Wilson was nominated by acclamation to be
the SMC communications consultant to the architect's planning the new SMC meeting room at
the YMCA.
Jester: Steve Wise described by illustration the different methods used by our Korean allies
and their American liaison to count attacking Chinese. He then presented an allegory with deep
ethnic, religious, gender and political overtones.
Speaker: VP Bob Witt introduced Mickey Sherman, whom the Advertiser calls a "high profile
defense attorney". Our speaker showed this to be an understatement. Mickey grew up in what he
described as lower middle class Greenwich, graduated from UConn and UConn Law School, and entered
private practice after stints as a public defender and a prosecutor. His talk centered on the
Skakel case, now approaching trial and dealing with a murder a quarter of a century ago. He is
defending Mr .Skakel. Mickey showed numerous video and print clips from a variety of big-time
sources, among them: CBS's 48 Hours, A&E, CNN, NBC, CNBC, MSNBC, Talk magazine, and Newsday.
These featured Mr. Sherman along with other noted celebrities such as Gerald Posner, Mark Furman,
F. Lee Bailey, and Geraldo. The purpose of this collage was to show the pervasive and intoxicating
nature of media coverage, as well as its tendency to pre~convict.
In response to subsequent questions, Mickey said he neither had nor sought a "dream"
defense team.
He further opined that most public defenders did a fine job under terrible burdens; that crucial
to the 0.J. trial were perjured detectives and a prosecution which snatched defeat from the jaws of
victory; that the Alex Kelley situation was and is complex; and that Michael Skakel is a really
nice guy.
Peter Schurman - Assistant Secretary