Member Stories

 

The destroyer USS Lowry was home to one of our members, Paul Phillips, who served aboard as a junior officer for four years in the mid-1960s. The ship was built in World War II, and served in the Pacific Theater and later in the Korean War. His service was peaceful, although the ship was later sent to Vietnam. It was named after Commodore Reigart Bolivar Lowry, whose US Navy record included service in the Civil War.

Paul married his wife Jean, a nurse, during this period. At sea, he didn't see his daughter Laura until she was two months old. But Laura attended our meeting on Thursday along with her English daughter Sara and son-in-law Daniel Fettel, and their young daughter -- Paul's great-granddaughter -- Isabella.

A newer member of our club is Nancy DeLeonardis Fodera, who is running unopposed this year for receiver of taxes. Her many years of community service include being a school board member, town employee and day care operator.

LifeWorks

 

Our speaker on Thursday was Charlie Lucia, an Air Force retiree who is a board member and volunteer for Saratoga County LifeWorks Community Action, which is headquartered in Ballston Spa.

LifeWorks accepts donations and is concerned about potential federal cuts to its Head Start program. It is also reliant on volunteers, for example at its food pantry and "mobile units" that deliver food to the homebound.

"Thank you for listening to me," Lucia said. "Thank you for all you do." 

Report from the ICU

 

Reagan Delaney, a nurse on the intensive care unit at Schenectady's Ellis Hospital, was our speaker on Thursday. (Her mother, Melanie, and grandmother, Donna Gizzi, are members of our Rotary club.)

"It's very rewarding," she said, especially when you think someone "may not survive your shift, and they end up getting better."

While a lot of the work involves machines and technology, you also "get to know patients really well."

Things can get hectic, and breaks are not always possible. "It's a big team effort all the time. ... I love my job."

Reagan suggested potential patients designate a health care proxy, and consider filling in a state Health Department form called medical orders for life-sustaining treatment (MOLST).