Rocket Man

 

This image is from a Jan. 7, 2021 article in Saratoga Today by Paul Perreault, who was our speaker on Thursday. Paul, the recently retired Malta town historian, talked about the Malta Test Station, founded in 1945 by the US Army and General Electric Co. on land leased from the Luther family. The site, still standing with many empty buildings and other structures in the Luther Forest Technology Campus, is now located next to the GlobalFoundries computer chip plant, and across Rocket Way from town-owned sports recreation fields.

Rocket engines were tested in Malta, developing technology derived from the V2 missile used by the Germans near the end of World War II. Many German scientists who worked on the V2 project, including Wernher von Braun, were brought to the United States to help develop ballistic missiles and, later, rockets used for space exploration.

Home and Away

 

Brian Farrell, contractor (518-795-7784) and musician, and one of our newer members, spoke to us last Thursday about his recent trip home to Dublin. Like many Irish families, his has members scattered over the world. Like many reunions, his was bittersweet, with a sister battling cancer and friends still caught up in the "Irish stereotype" of alcohol abuse. He returned with enhanced appreciation of the strengths and support of family love.

In other business, President Dwight Havens presented Bob Bonney with his two-sapphire Paul Harris Fellowship pin.

Supervisor's Report

 

While Cynthia Young was our speaker on Thursday, this photo is from the next day, Feb. 16, when she was sealing a purchase of development rights deal with Malta Avenue Extension resident Miles Cornthwaite. The deal was negotiated under Cynthia's predecessor as town supervisor, Mark Hammond. Cynthia and Miles (former chairman of the town Planning Board) are both longtime members of the Malta Sunrise Rotary Club, which she continues to serve as treasurer.

Cynthia talked about that and other issues coming up in her first several weeks as supervisor, including the forthcoming passive park on the former Mangino's property on Saratoga Lake (also a Hammond project), and new water districts. She said the town has applied for a grant to build a sidewalk on Route 9 in front of Malta Gardens, and that NYSERDA is trying to sell property it owns near GlobalFoundries for clean light industrial use. She also said Saratoga County is considering using the former State Farm property in Malta south of Route 67 and west of Northway Exit 12.

South African Perspective

 

The Rev. Andries Coetzee, interim pastor of the Presbyterian-United Church of Christ in Saratoga Springs, was our speaker on Thursday. 

He described living in South Africa as Nelson Mandela was freed from prison and the apartheid system of racial discrimination came to an end. He said it was a system of "white supremacy" and described himself as "a recovering racist," comparing the condition to that of an alcoholic in recovery.

In other business, the club voted to purchase two $100 bricks at the veterans monument near Town Hall to memorialize deceased members Al Schmidt and Earl Greenleaf, and to benefit the Malta Veterans Appreciation Program.

We voted last week to donate $100 to the Ballston Spa School District after-prom party.

New District

 

Jim Frey, assistant governor of our Rotary District 7190, explained forthcoming changes as our speaker on Thursday. We are merging with two other districts to form a new Rotary district across upstate to be called Central New York. (The number is not yet decided.) This will take effect at the beginning of July, the start of the Rotary year. Jim is a member of Saratoga Springs Rotary, and expects it and our Malta club to be part of Area 4 in the new district, and he will serve as Area 4 representative.

Last week's speaker was Miles Cornthwaite talking about the town's purchase of development rights on the Malta Avenue Extension property behind his mid-19th-century farm house. It is in the Saratoga Lake watershed.

The Eitzmann File

 

Our newest member, Murray Eitzmann, told us a little about himself at Thursday's meeting. He and his wife of 48 years Kathy (president of Malta Seniors) met and married in their home state of Nebraska. They have two children and four grandchildren. 

Murray worked as a power systems engineer in Nebraska. His career then took the family to Sweden and Wisconsin, before he got a job with General Electric Co. in Schenectady and they moved to Malta in 1989. Now retired from GE, he works part-time for Jedson Engineering and serves on the Malta Zoning Board.

 In other business, President Dwight Havens presented Barbara Conner with the Paul Harris Fellow award from Rotary International.

Business

 At last month's business meeting, we donated $500 (in addition to another $500 not long before) to local efforts coordinated by our member Paul Phillips to help AOET Uganda.

At yesterday's business meeting for January 2024, we voted to give $500 to Gift of Life International. (Individual members may donate to increase this total amount.) We also discussed a potential "wonderbooks" project for the Round Lake-Malta libraries.