College Club of Buffalo Monthly Newsletter………………November 2018

The College Club of Buffalo Buffalo, NY 14222

716-885-4404

Mission Statement

The College Club of Buffalo is a community of women

who promote the advancement of education through programming,

scholarship endowment, charitable activities, and social interaction.

From Our President……….

Dear Friends, November is a busy month at the College Club. We start with our annual Membership Tea on November 5th. A week later, our chef, Susan, is going to take us on a trip down memory lane with her presentation of her vintage purse collection. The bridge players will be busy and the scrabble players are sharpening their skills. The Wednesday, Nov 14, evening entertainment will see the return of Michael Ross Nugent. He is the young crooner who entertained us last May. He sings, Sinatra, Bennett, Martin, Buble, etc. Michael was wonderful; please plan on attending. Keep in mind that it is the second Wednesday because of the Thanksgiving holiday. Barbara O’Neill will be our guest speaker on Nov. 26. “Thanksgiving thoughts are the kind of thoughts that we should have all year long. For it is the folks with thankful hearts whose lives are filled with song. We should take time for kindness to those we hold most dear and just extend a helping hand to others through the year. Let's set aside some quiet time and share it with a friend. For friendships brings a special joy and pleasure without end. So may the blessings of this day that I would ask for you, now fill you with Thanksgiving Peace that lasts the whole year through!” Wish I had said these words but I found them on the internet. Don’t know who wrote them, but the spirit of Thanksgiving is captured. Happy Thanksgiving. Betty

Officers and Board

President……………...Betty Kulpa; 1st Vice President……..Beverly Thomas

2nd Vice President...Mary Ellen McGowan; Treasurer…….Lillian Gondree

Assistant Treasurer…Carolann Besch; Corresponding Secretary and Newsletter Editor…….Rosina Alaimo

Recording Secretary………Pat Krims

Directors

Bonnie Botsford; Nancy Davidson; Barbara Kuvshinoff ; Mary Vacanti

Monthly Bridge Activities

Party Bridge November 7th Please sign up for this event with Linda Franchell (949-7742). Since play begins at 11:00 AM, plan to arrive by 10:45 so that you may be seated and ready to play. Bring your smile, your quarter and your lunch. Good-ies will be provided. Mark your calendar; Make a sand-wich; Bring Mike’s bridge lessons, if needed!!!! Please call Linda ASAP if you are not playing! Sign-up sheets are at the Club. October high scores: Nancy Davidson 3040 Judy Danforth 2660 Camille Beecher 2600 Mary Vacanti 2480 Many thanks to Carol Lauber and Cleo Alexander for the delicious cupcakes.

So, let’s shuffle the cards and let’s play!

Duplicate Bridge: November 14th Duplicate Bridge is the 2nd Wednesday of the month at

10:45 AM. Please be on time.

$25.00 is due paid to Nancy Thomas.

Call Bev Thomas if you cannot play. Otherwise you are

expected to be there. Snacks are welcome—but let Bev-

know that you are planning to bring something. New play-

ers are always welcome. If you must cancel the morning

of bridge you will be expected to provide a sub.

All players should be seated and ready to play by 10:45 AM so playing can begin promptly at 11:00 AM. Don’t forget to bring a lunch. Goodies will be provided. Please call Bev Thomas ((716) 885-1723 or (716) 912-8326 ) if you cannot play. Duplicate Scores from October 12 Possible score 56 1st Beverly Thomas and Bonnie Botsford 45 pts 2nd Camille Beecher and Carolann Besch 34 pts Jackie Trace and Hallie Howell 34 pts

Bridge Luncheon: Scrabble Luncheon November 19th 12 noon $20.00 Hostess: Nancy Davidson

A catered lunch is served at 12:00. Sign-up sheet is available at the Club or you can sign up by call-ing Linda Franchell at 949-7742. Please reserve your seat at a table and for lunch by the Friday before the event. If you need to cancel, call Linda Franchell at 949-7742. If you prefer to play scrabble, we welcome you!

Thursday, November 28 Kitchen Bridge Arrival time 10:45am, with play time at 11:00

Please bring a lunch and a quarter …

IF you can NOT play, please call Hallie Howell (716) 885-4190

Cultural, Literary, Educational, and Social Activities

Read Between the Wines: November 1st

The next meeting for Reading between the Wines is Thursday, November 1st at 6:30 PM. We will be discussing I, Claudius by Robert Graves.

This is an engaging novel from the start--humorous, dramatic and skillfully written. Despite the long list of historical characters living out their lives in these pages, the story is easy to follow. From the witty narrator who hides his intelligence behind a stutter, to an assortment of unscrupulous schemers, power-mad emperors and doomed heros--Graves' cast of vibrant characters are certainly memorable. For anyone interested in the period after the fall of the Roman Republic, or just in an engrossing read full of rich and interesting characters, I would highly recommend this book.

Breakfast by the Book Friday, November 9th **new day—2nd Friday morning of each month Our next meeting will be on Friday the 9th of November to discuss the book "How to get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia" by Moshin Hamid. Goodies will be served at 9:30 am and discussion will begin at 10:00. How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia tells the story of an anonymous man’s ourney from impoverished rural boy to tycoon in an unnamed contemporary city in “rising Asia,” and of his pursuit of the nameless “pretty girl” whose path continually crosses but never quite converges with his. Stealing its shape from the self-help books devoured by ambitious youths all over “rising Asia,” the novel is genre-bending and playful but also reflective and profound in its portrayal of the thirst for ambition and love in a time of shattering economic and social upheaval. How to Get Filthy Rich in Rising Asia, Moshin Hamid’s third novel, confirms that this radically inventive storyteller is among the most important of today’s international writers.

Monthly Program Dinner: Wednesday, November 14th

Our monthly program dinners are scheduled for the- 3rd Wednesday of every month. The cost for the dinner is $25.00. Reservations MUST be made by noon on the Monday before the dinner by calling Carolann Besch at 883-4482. AND, if you must cancel, you MUST call Carolann with that information to avoid being charged for your dinner. **Reservations and cancellations must be made with Carolann Besch at 883-4482.

5:15 PM—Wine and Hors d’Oeuvres; 6:00 pm—Dinner; Program following dinner Michael Ross Nugent is a 24 year old crooner from Buffalo, New York. He

fell in love with the Great American Songbook

and the smooth voices of Frank Sinatra, Tony

Bennett, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, and Mi-

chael Bublé as a teenager. He has been gigging

around Western New York and beyond as a

solo act for the past 4 years in which he brings

crowds back to a time when singers were

backed up by swinging big bands! Michael stresses the importance of keep-

ing the standards alive for generations to come! He is an old soul, and not

only sings these timeless songs...but interprets them in way that tells a story.

With over 700 live performances under his belt, Michael has acquired

a knack for entertaining crowds with his genuine, charismatic, and interac-

tive style of performing…putting a high priority on making sure his audienc-

es are relaxed, comfortable, and having fun! He also has been very fortunate

to have earned 1st place in 3 Western New York vocal competitions

by singing songs from the genre he loves most. Whether he is performing at

a retirement community, church, country club, restaurant, festival, wedding,

or even in someone's backyard…he puts his heart and soul into his own in-

terpretation of the most classic songs of all times. Welcome back Michael!

Program Luncheons This month we have two program luncheons planned: Monday, November 12th and Monday, November 26th. We also have our annual Membership Tea planned for Monday, November 5th. Our tasty lunches are catered by our dynamic duo—Jim and Sue Aronica. . Lunch is served at 12:00 PM. The program follows immediately after lunch. Carolann Besch is our very capable luncheon reservation manager. Please sign up with Carolann by phone (883-4482) or at the Club by noon on the Friday immediately before the luncheon so she has an accurate count for the caterer. The cost of the luncheons is $20.00. We encourage you to pay by check.

Monday, November 5th——Annual Membership Tea

Time: 12:00 Noon Cost: $5.00 Please join us today at the Annual Membership Tea. This is a per fect oppor tunity show off our College Club. New members are always welcome and sharing a Club activity with a friend, an acquaintance, or a family member is a great way to promote membership. So, bring a friend or two and enjoy a lovely afternoon tea. So, dressed up in period dress, wear your fancy hat, find your gloves, and help us celebrate our Club. See you at the Membership Tea.

***November 12th (There will be a Board

Meeting at 10:00 AM for all officers and board of directors.) Program: Speaker: Sue Aronica Topic: Vintage Purses Our very own Susan Aronica, sister of James Aronica, and chef extraordinaire will be sharing her passion for vintage purses with us. Usually she is in the kitchen making delicious goodies to satisfy our cravings, but today she is front and center playing to our feminine side. Way to go, Sue!

November 26: 12:00 Program speaker:

Barbara O'Neill Topic: Introduction to Family Court with an em-phasis on the rights of Grandparents Barbara is an attorney and Public relations profes-sional in the Western New York area. She has extensive experience as a practitioner in Family Court dealing with children. Her experience in-cludes being an Associate Counsel to the NYS Commission on Public Integrity, Assistant Counsel and Senior Attorney to the New York State Depart-ment of transportation, Press Officer and Speech Writer for the New York State Office of Attorney General and Press Secretary for the New York State Senate. She is a true Buffalalonian having received her education at Nardin Academy and at the University of Buffalo Law School. We are honored to have Barbara sharing some of her ex-pertise with us today..

Thank you for participating in the “Hamilton” fund raiser! Carolann Besch very

generously donated her two extremely valuable tickets (row 7—orchestra) to raise

funds to defray unplanned house expenses. The winner will be named in the

December newsletter.

Scholarship Fund

The College Club has traditionally partnered with Buffalo State to award a scholarship to a worthy student for 3 years starting with the sophomore year. Mary Ellen McGowan is the Scholarship Committee Chair. Our goal has always been to grow this fund so that we might sponsor 2 students. We are very close to having enough money in the fund to be able to fund two students. Won’t you help in this endeavor? Your contribution is tax deductible. We thank you and the students thank you.

The Best Italian Wedding Soup Ever as served by James and Sue Aronica on Monday, October 15th

Ingredients: 1 small onion grated 1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley 1 large egg 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 slice white bread crusts, trimmed, grated or shredded 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese—optional 8 oz. lean ground beef 8 oz. ground pork 12 cups chicken broth 1 box frozen chopped spinach 6-8 oz of Acina de Pepe or other tiny pasta 2 tbsp. parmesan—optional

Instructions

1. To make the meatballs: Stir the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl to blend.

Then add the cheese, beef, and pork. Shape the meat mixture into tiny meat-

balls, and place on a baking sheet. I prefer the meatballs to be on the smaller

side, but you can make them any size you want.

2. To make the soup: Bring the broth and frozen spinach to a boil in a large pot.

Add the meatballs (uncooked) and simmer for a few minutes, stirring occasion-

ally to make sure they don’t stick. Add the pasta and continue at a low boil until

both the pasta and meatballs are cooked (approximately 20 minutes). Season

with salt and pepper if needed. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese before serving,

if you wish.

3. Serve with fresh Italian bread.

4. Enjoy!

For Your Information:

Member update Joanne Trotter, a long-time member lost her life as a result of Hurricane Florence. Many thanks to all who participated in the “Hamilton” ticket sales. Carolann’s very generous donation of two tickets to this performance is very much appreciated. The winner will enjoy both the musical and the great seats! Thank you Carolann!

Roster Updates:

The Rosters will be distributed at the Member-

ship Tea. Please check your information for

accuracy and let me know by email

(ralaimo@gmail.com) if anything needs to be

changed. Check the monthly newsletter for

updates.

Nancy Davidson is our new

Sunshine Chairperson.

The basket raffle has bee postponed to April! So continue collecting items to create a themed baskets to display. The date will be announced in future newsletters

Historically, our Teas and basket auctions are very

popular. The baskets offered for auction are themed,

beautifully appointed, and contain many varied and

wonderful goodies. To create these wonderful baskets

we need your help. So, look around your house and find

“treasures” that you no longer need and donate them to

the club for inclusion in a basket or two. All donations

gratefully accepted. If you have baskets, bring those in,

too. The more baskets we have on display, the more

choices we have and the more successful the auction will

Do you know that at age 70½, federal law requires you to withdraw a minimum amount from most retire-

ment savings accounts on an annual basis. You must withdraw from each plan type that is subject to

RMDs. There are severe tax penalties for not following RMD rules.

If you have to satisfy an Required Minimum Distribution and you would also like to make a gift to charity, then consider a qualified charitable distribution (QCD). You may be able to kill 2 birds with one stone. You may choose to donate to the College Club or to the Scholarship fund.

Tip: You don't have to wait until year-end to have a charitable planning discussion with your financial ad-visor. Once you reach age 70½, you can do a QCD at any point throughout the year. Remember, your QCD amount will not count as an itemized deduction. The rules are complex, so be sure to consult your tax advisor. Get more information about qualified charitable distributions.

November 2018 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1

6:30 PM

Reading

between the

Wines

2 3

4 5

12:00 Noon

Membership

Tea

6 7

10:45 AM

Party Bridge

8 9

9:30 AM

Breakfast by

the Book

10

11 12

10:00 Board Mtg

12:00 Noon

Program Lunch

13 14

15 16

17

18 19

12:00 noon-

Bridge

Luncheon

Host: N Davidson

20 21

21

22

Thanksgiving

Day

23 24

25 26

12:00 Noon

Program

Lunch

27 28

10:45 AM

Kitchen

Bridge

29

30

Happy Birthday!

Elizabeth Curtis November 6 Beverly Thomas November 16

****This month only——Duplicate Bridge and the November program dinner will both be held on November 14th!*****

10:45

Duplicate

Bridge

5:15 PM Wine

And Hors

d’oeuvres

6 PM—Dinner

and Program