THE SENIOR MEN'S CLUB OF NEW CANAAN
Minutes of the Regular Meeting of October 4, 2002
President Bob Witt opened the regular meeting with 156 members Present. Membership is 500 with 39 on the waiting list.
Announcements: Mr. Witt told us that living in New Canaan is a real bargain when comparing real estate taxes to all our close neighbors. He also told us about a PBS TV program about old age on Wednesday night Oct. 9. Treasurer Joe Elmlinger reminded us that dues are due. Hurry and get those checks in, the Feb. 28 deadline is fast approaching. Dick Depatie announced that Frank Perron and Bill Gillerlain are recovering in Waveny.
Activities: Bridge and tennis continue. Don't forget the annual tennis party on Oct. 9 at the Lapham Center. Bowling had 3 and racquetball 5 today. Golf's next outing is Oct. 16 at the NCCC. Bring $67 in cash or check for the privilege. Trailblazers next jaunt is Oct. 14 at Larkin State Park. 4Fs next luncheon TBA next week.
Couth: Oct. 9 Oklahoma, Nov. 9 West Point, and Dec. 5 Newport are all sold out, but waiting-list members with checks in the till keep your fingers crossed. A few of you might get lucky. The West Point trip departure time will be 9:00 am. Next year's program will be put to bed shortly, but as of the moment it looks like January will be a trip to the N. Y. Philharmonic, February the Connecticut state capitol, and March 12 Mamma Mia and dinner at the Firebird restaurant.
Jester: John Berg told us some comments by famous people about golf, and then told the story of a Texan who tried to stop a suicide attempt until the poor victim showed a lack of local Texas knowledge in reference to the Alamo.
Speaker: Vice President Jack Murray introduced Pierce O'Neil, chief business officer of the United States Lawn Tennis Association. Mr. O'Neil spoke about two things, the USTA, and the U.S. Open which it oversees. The main function of the USTA is to promote and govern the sport of tennis. Its headquarters is in White Plains but is divided into 17 sections geographically with 1,000 offices throughout the country. There are approximately 6,000 members in the organization. Its most important venture and biggest source of support is the U. S. Open. It is one of the largest sports and entertainment events held in the world. Of the 4 major tournaments held in the world each year, it gets the most of the top players. Total prize money is $16 million with the men's and women's champions getting $900,000 each. TV coverage was 140 hours between CBS and USA networks. It was televised in 175 countries and there were 92 million viewers throughout the world. In 2002 the tournament grossed $159 million and generated $420 million for the city of New York. Flushing Meadows is the largest tennis park in the world. Arthur Ashe stadium was completed in 1997, at a cost of $300,000, which came completely from USTA funds. The grounds were completely renovated in 1998. Mr. O'Neil did admit that tennis as a sport has lost ground over the last five years, but thought that the bottom had been reached and that there now has been a resurgence. If the success of the Open is any barometer, his words certainly ring true.
Eric Musa, Secretary