01/18/02
Sherilee Chapman
Respond to this story
Email this story to a friend
New Page 2
Program
Larry Adams, Manager of the Walla Walla Airport, presented information about the day of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks on the East Coast and how they impacted Walla Walla, and also what's happened since, in areas of security and travel especially. Larry ran through the events of the day on Sept. 11 and how quickly communication came to him about how to handle the security of the airport. They cleared the terminal and short-term parking, and did a sweep of the building and all public areas around the airport. They also did inspection of the perimeter of the building on a routine basis. All license plates of vehicles in the parking lot were reviewed and everyone who had a vehicle in the lot was notified to come and pick it up. Within 24 hours they were all picked up-the benefits of living in a small town! In terms of what will remain restricted, Larry believes that the way screenings are conducted will have changed permanently. He stressed the importance of screenings being done correctly at the very beginning of an individual's trip, since once you've entered a secure area, if you don't leave security at another airport, you can then travel to any other airport in the United States without having to go through another security screening. Larry also talked a bit about the ongoing controversy regarding security screeners, and what qualifications they should have to be in that position. There are also national conversations taking place that may help frequent business flyers have an easier time navigating security measures, and "smart" passports with travelers' information more readily available. All of these things will take time for the nation to sort out and implement; in the meantime, leisure travel is down while business travel has pretty much resumed.
Greeters
Melissa Tetz, Windermere Real Estate, and Sherilee Chapman, Coffey Communications
Pledge
Jim Kuntz, Port of Walla Walla
Invocation
Mike Dandrea, LeMaster and Daniels
Convention Raffle
No winners this week; both Tim Milgaard, dentist, and Jim Johnson, accountant, gave it a shot. Pot goes to $55 next week.
Guests
Patti Rossman hosted her sister Sheri; Mark Wildfang, Howard
Johnson, hosted by James Payne, Fort Walla Walla Museum
Officer of the Quarter
Cliff Carlson, the Collection Bureau, presented the Officer of the Quarter plaque to Ron Gilbreth, a Walla Walla Police Department officer for 15-plus years. Officer Gilbreth has been involved in traffic safety, child seat inspection and education, and has been instrumental in the "Every 15 Minutes" Program, which takes place at local high schools. His wife Connie and daughter Marissa were present to see him get his award. When Officer Gilbreth accepted his award, he elaborated on the "Every 15 Minutes" Program, which is a two-day program to help educate kids about the dangers of driving while intoxicated. The program pays special attention to prominent events in teens' lives like prom nights and graduation nights, when underage drinking is prevalent. Since the inception of the program here in the Valley, there have not been any teen drinking fatalities on either prom night or graduation night.
Announcements
The final disbursement of $2,000 from the 2001 Ducky Derby earnings was given to the Child Abuse Council this past Monday. Richard Pankl accepted the funds on behalf of the Child Abuse Council. Richard and others will talk about recent changes that have taken place at the organization at an Exchange Monday meeting in the future. Stay tuned for details.
Scheduled Greeters
Jan. 14: Karen Adams and Linda Emmerson
Jan. 21: Kay Hicks and Russ Kroum
Quote of the Week
If we cultivate the habit of doing...service deliberately, our desire for service will steadily grow stronger, and will make not only our own happiness, but that of the world at large. -Mahatma Gandhi
