Topic: "GENERAL IN COMMAND: The Life of Major General John B. Anderson " by author Michael M. Van Ness
"Prime Minister Winston Churchill crossed the Rhine River on March 25th, 1945. His presence was calculated to emphasize the British role in the defeat of the Germans and to divert attention away from Patton and the Americans who had crossed the Rhine at Remagen two weeks earlier.
Supreme Allied Commander Dwight Eisenhower had warned his commanders that Churchill would seek to steal the limelight. Eisenhower ordered his commanders to refuse any requests to cross the Rhine; "The answer must be NO!" But when Eisenhower and Bradley left, the Prime Minister seized his chance. The resulting photograph caught the moment and was printed on the front page of newspapers around the world.
Once again, the wily Prime Minister had captured the world's attention at the expense of the Americans. The joint American, Canadian, and British operation appeared to be primarily a triumph of British arms. Eisenhower, Bradley, and Patton were furious. Eisenhower could do nothing about the Prime Minister, but he never forgave the American generals involved. And General Eisenhower had other things on his mind.
It took ten years and an act of Congress for General William Simpson to receive the fourth star due him as Commanding General of the US Ninth Army. Major General John B. Anderson still awaits his third star as Commanding General US XVI Corps.
In the meantime, General in Command: The Life of Major General John B. Anderson is his triumphant story from the Iowa cornfields to commander of the largest combat corps in Europe in the Second World War."
Michael M. Van Ness was born into a military family. Raised in Washington DC and educated at the Landon School for Boys, Yale College, and the University of Virginia School of Medicine, he joined the Navy, served aboard USS Sylvania out of Norfolk, and was on staff at Bethesda Naval Hospital for eight years before founding a successful gastroenterology practice in Canton, Ohio. He has co-authored two medical texts and many medical articles.
He always knew his grandfather's story but never its true importance. Interviews with his grandfather's hometown newspaper, the Parkersburg Iowa Eclipse News-Review, and his own Canton Repository helped clarify its significance.
Major General Anderson is honored periodically during ceremonies by the people of Roermond, Netherlands, a city liberated by his troops on March 1st, 1945. His uniforms are currently on display in the Ohio Military museum at the Military Aviation Museum in Green, Ohio.
His book is now available on Amazon in Kindle, soft and hard cover editions.
Follow the author Michael M. Van Ness on Facebook.
Attention all Military Veterans...at the November 8th meeting, we would like to recognize all of our Canton Rotarians who are military veterans.
Please contact the Rotary office at (330) 452-2882 or info@cantonrotary.org and submit to Lauri or Barb your branch of service, as well as the number of years you served.
This information must be received in the office NO LATER than November 7, 2019.
On Saturday, November 2, 2019, the Massillon Tigers once again won the "turf battle" of the ancient football rivalry between the Bulldogs and Tigers with a score of 24-14. President Mark Rojek will be making a trip to Massillon to present Massillon Rotary with a $500 check, which was once again the annual "wager" on the game between himself and the Massillon Rotary President Keith Nutter during Friday's joint rally meeting. As a side note, the "wager" winnings are donated from the losing team's Rotary Club to the winning team's Rotary Club's charitable/scholarship fund. Our last three Canton Rotary Presidents have had to make the same visit to Massillon that President Mark will make in the next few weeks.
If you were unable to attend Friday's meeting, you missed a stellar performance from the McKinley High School Marching Band! They performed their fight song, McKinley's alma mater and the National Anthem. In all, we had approximately 265 people, including the band members, at the Krassas Event Center to cheer on the teams led by Head Coaches Marcus Wattley (McKinley) and Nate Moore (Massillon).
Todd Porter, from the Canton Repository, was moderator for the meeting. Todd welcomed the many dignitaries from the Cities of Canton and Massillon. Canton Mayor Tom Bernabei caught a "Tiger by the tail" on his way into the meeting. Massillon Mayor Kathy Catazaro-Perry brought along the trophy, which she said would be returning to Massillon after the game. She also had the customary Massillon football jersey for Canton Mayor Bernabei to wear in his office again after Massillon beat McKinley.
Todd then took to the stage to do an interview with guest speakers Kenny Peterson (McKinley alumnus), Andy Alleman (Massillon alumnus) and Shawn Crable (Massillon alumnus). They spoke on what the McKinley/Massillon game meant to them as they grew from high school, college, as NFL players, and beyond.
Thank you to the many volunteers from the Krassas Event Center for the stellar service they provided to our Rotarians and guests! A special thank you goes out to caterer, Ron Darrah, for the amazing meal he prepared. We received numerous compliments on the food and the venue from Massillon Rotarians and other guests!!
President Mark concluded the meeting by asking everyone, "Are you ready for some football?!"
Congratulations to Massillon Football Head coach Nate Moore and his team on their win on Saturday. Also, congratulations to our guest from Massillon Rotary, Linda Litman, who had the winning 50/50 ticket worth $129.00.
Visit cantonrotary.org to view the entire photo album taken by PP Paul White.
NEWS FLASH: President Elect Drew Pelger has announced that if (WHEN?) he reaches his Charitable Fund Drive monetary goal, he will participate in one of the local "POLAR BEAR PLUNGES"...brrrrr.
If you're not familiar with a "Polar Bear Plunge", it is when otherwise sane people decide to jump into a freezing cold body of water in the middle of winter! YIKES!
The President Elect plays a very important role in the Club as he leads the annual Charitable Fund Drive to raise money to fund our myriad community service projects. Throughout each Rotary year, we provide important funding for projects such as Rotary Scouts, Junior Achievement, Student Scholarships, and the Philomatheon Society, to name just a few.
Please feel free to contact the Rotary office to make a contribution to this important Charitable Fund drive on your credit card. You can also mail a check payable to the Canton Rotary Charitable Fund to 116 Cleveland Ave. N.W., Suite 307, Canton, OH 44702.
The Rotary Club of Canton will once again join the bell-ringing efforts of the Salvation Army during its annual Holiday Red Kettle fundraising . Rotarian James Boggs will be chairing this event and will have sign-up sheets available during Friday meetings for those members who choose to volunteer.
We will be manning the kettles on Saturday, December 7, 2019 at the Giant Eagle on the Strip, 6493 Strip Ave NW, North Canton, OH 44720 between the hours of 10:00 am - 7:00 pm. Each time slot will consist of TWO Rotarians manning the kettle for a ONE HOUR shift.
The following shifts still need TWO volunteers:
4pm-5pm
5pm-6pm
6pm-7pm
Please contact Rotarian James Boggs at (412) 558-6671 if you would like to volunteer. As a reminder, we will have the volunteer sign-up sheet available beginning this Friday during the meeting.
Posted by District Governor Dan Morgan on Nov 04, 2019
As every Rotarian knows, November is Foundation month. The November theme is designed to remind us of the importance of Rotarians' support of our Foundation. Worldwide Rotarian contributions go to the Foundation's Annual Programs Fund, which provides grants and awards through Foundation programs. It also funds the Permanent Fund, an endowment from which only the earnings are spent in support of Foundation programs, ensuring the long-term viability of the Foundation. Every dollar contributed by Rotarians helps fund humanitarian and educational programs and program operations. Clubs and districts apply for and receive Foundation grants to carry out worthy projects worldwide. Your generosity supports our focus in 6 areas:
Disease and its prevention
Education and Literacy
Growing local economies
Mothers and Children
Peace and world Conflict
Water and Sanitation
Thank you for your amazing support of our common desire to help make our world a safer, happier and wealthier place to live.
Have fun with the wine Auction. Please remember to fill out the donation form and return it with your check to Lauri Coy at the Canton Office. We will proofread, tally and then process to the foundation.
This is a very special month for a second reason. Thanksgiving will fall on November 28th. What a special holiday. This occasion causes us to pause and think about how blessed we are. When we join Rotary, we join a very powerful Family. Our Rotary Family accepts all of us for who we are. They will cheer you on in the good times and support you through the bad times. Our Rotary Family, working in unison, does change the world. I am so grateful for each and everyone of you. Every club is so special and impactful in the world, in their communities and to each other. Remember, to the world you are one person, but to one person you may be the world.
Rotary Day at the United Nations, which we celebrate each November, is an important reminder of the historic relationship between our organizations. But this year’s event is even more important than usual, because we are building up to the 75th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter in June 2020.
You might ask, why celebrate this anniversary? For Rotary, it is entirely appropriate, because we played such a critical leadership role in the San Francisco Conference that formed the United Nations in 1945. Throughout World War II, Rotary published materials about the importance of forming such an organization to preserve world peace.
Not only did Rotary help influence the formation of the UN, but this magazine also played a leading part in communicating its ideals. Rotary educated members about plans to create the UN through numerous articles in The Rotarian and through a booklet titled From Here On! When the time came to write the UN charter, Rotary was one of 42 organizations the United States invited to serve as consultants to its delegation at the San Francisco Conference.
Each organization had seats for three representatives, so Rotary International’s 11 representatives served in rotation. The people officially representing Rotary included the general secretary, the current and several past presidents, and the editor of The Rotarian. In addition, Rotarians from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America served as members of or consultants to their own nations’ delegations.
We have a deep and lasting relationship with the UN that deserves to be celebrated and appreciated. To recognize this relationship, Rotary will host five special events between now and June: Rotary Day at the UN in New York on the 9th of this month; three presidential conferences next year in Santiago, Chile, in Paris, and in Rome; and a final celebration just before the Rotary International Convention in Honolulu.
The focus on the UN in the year ahead is not only about the past; it also lights a path to our future. There are so many parallels between the work we do through our areas of focus and the work of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. While those goals are indeed incredibly ambitious, they provide inspiration and direction — and are similar to many Rotary goals, which have proven to create lasting, positive change in our world. The goals can be achieved, but only if undertaken with the same long-term commitment and tenacity that Rotary understands so well. Alone, we cannot provide clean water for all, we cannot eliminate hunger, we cannot eradicate polio. But together with partners like the United Nations, of course we can.
Please consider attending one of our five UN celebrations. I look forward to sharing news of these special events with you throughout the year.
November 8, 2019
"Prime Minister Winston Churchill crossed the Rhine River on March 25th, 1945. His presence was calculated to emphasize the British role in the defeat of the Germans and to divert attention away from Patton and the Americans who had crossed the Rhine at Remagen two weeks earlier.
Michael M. Van Ness was born into a military family. Raised in Washington DC and educated at the Landon School for Boys, Yale College, and the University of Virginia School of Medicine, he joined the Navy, served aboard USS Sylvania out of Norfolk, and was on staff at Bethesda Naval Hospital for eight years before founding a successful gastroenterology practice in Canton, Ohio. He has co-authored two medical texts and many medical articles.
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Attention all Military Veterans...at the November 8th meeting, we would like to recognize all of our Canton Rotarians who are military veterans.
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The Rotary Club of Canton will once again join the bell-ringing efforts of the Salvation Army during its annual Holiday Red Kettle fundraising . Rotarian James Boggs will be chairing this event and will have sign-up sheets available during Friday meetings for those members who choose to volunteer.
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Mark Daniel Maloney
