Tune In and Stay Tuned
When I was growing up, we had a black and white television set that would get four stations in the VHF (Very High Frequency) band. If I’ve lost you already, those were the channels that are lower in number – like 2, 5, 7, and 9. There were some channels in the UHF (Ultra High Frequency) band, but getting those channels to play was a real project.
You would turn the VHF tuning dial to “U” and then grab the finicky UHF knob and turn it to somewhere around the number you wanted – like channel 32. If you were able to land on it, the picture was grainy and it would fade in and out. Long before cable – long before satellite – long before Zoom.
Sometimes I feel like I’m back in the 1960s as we “tune in” to Rotary every Tuesday via Zoom. We see each other on the screen; our individual pictures are small, a little grainy at times (sometimes our entire head is not in the picture!), and the audio connection may be muffled or not in synch with the picture.
But just like our favorite programs from those early days of TV, if you enjoy the show, you’ll tune in and stay tuned. It gives me great joy to see and hear you all “on the Zoom” Tuesdays at noon. Other than face-to-face, this is the next-best option. I wouldn’t miss this chance to be together each week.
At our meetings in August, we learned how classes and school activities would resume in Brookings, we shared stories about famous people we’ve met, and we learned about law enforcement from the South Dakota Secretary of Public Safety. At the August 25th meeting, we celebrated the news from the WHO that the African region was declared wild poliovirus free. We shared our joys with “Scholar Dollars” and we met the recipients of our scholarships to SDSU for this fall semester.
In September, we’ll focus on SDSU, beginning with President Barry Dunn on September 1. Then we’ll hear from athletic coaches – I can’t wait to hear what they’re planning.
These programs really are worth watching – especially if they “star” our Rotary family. Remember, we won’t be meeting like this forever. Look at the camera, keep smiling, and stay tuned – the best is yet to come!