.: Board Meetings

Minutes of the O.P.E.N. Monthly Board Meeting

2 June 2010

Meeting called to order at Newton Public Library by President Jan, Jane Ann Cotton. 

Board members present:  David Pitz, Fritz Kramer, Tom Hoover, Rose Trapp, Larry Hesson, Maxine Udelhoven, John McNeer, Tom Mott, Warren Erickson, Marvin Campbell, Joan Tyler, and Grant Worthington. 

Barry Hurto, Vlad Bassis, Paul Bell, Irina Bassis, notified the president they could not attend. 

Special guest from Cherkasy, Ukraine, Lyudmila Melnyk. 

Minutes of the 4 May 2010 monthly meeting approved as distributed electronically. 

Treasurer’s Reports filed for audit, including accounting for special accounts for Open World project, the Sculptor Project, and the Taiwan Student. 

Student Update.  Cotton continues to seek a home for the incoming student Min-Hua Song from Taiwan, having contacts with four families so far.  Min-Hua writes to Cotton about preparations she should pursue on her end.  

O.P.E.N. WW II project reported by Hoover.  Cotton's husband provided his video recording of the ceremony to the Cherkasy TV journalists who visited Newton for the occasion.  They came along with sculptor Vladislav Dymion and translator Lyudmyla Melnyk, and they will incorporate it into the documentary they are producing.   

Ms. Melnyk reported on a project she began, inspired by the link of Red Army and the U.S. Army project in Newton, prompted a complementary collage project in village schools near Cherkasy from the Ukraine point of view.  The collages are on display at the Newton YMCA.   

McNeer reported on the excursion of the Ukraine group to the Black Hills and Mt. Rushmore. 

Sculpture Project.  Campbell reported that Newton artists Nick Klepinger and Rick Stewart materially supported the sculpture project, including Rick's contributing the use of his custom made stone sculptor tools, even to a diamond sharpener for his diamond tipped blades.  The public program will take place at the Newton Sculpture Festival and not at the Jasper County Museum. 

O.P.E.N. Will host a potluck supper on  Monday 14 June 2010 at Congregational UCC for translator Amylase, who will remain in Newton for a while, and for sculptor Vladislav before he returns to Ukraine 16 June, including a stop in Chicago.    

The Cherkasy journalists who arrived in Newton with Vladislav and Lyudmyla have started their series of programs on Cherkasy Regional TV.  McNeer is recording memoirs for Cherkasy guests. 

Unfinished Business 

Open World Reports.  O.P.E.N. Treasurer Trapp reports that the organization treasury benefited by $2408.64 from facilitating Open World Smila educators. 

Culture Class.  Tyler met Cheri Doane and explored several options for a late fall meeting. 

New Business 

Worthington plans to update the O.P.E.N. website over the weekend with photos, minutes, and WW II commemorative events. 

Special thanks were given to the WW II Sculpture Project team for their fine work:  Marvin Campbell, John McNeer, Tom Hoover, Lyudmyla Melnyk, and Vladislav Dymion. 

Next meeting 7 July 2010 at 7:00 a.m. 

Respectfully submitted,

Tom Mott, Secretary