San Marco Family

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Mario San Marco... Newly Inducted Member of the Association of Ohio Commodores.

Congratulations on your induction!!!

Here is some background information about the association from the group's website.

HISTORY...

Founded by Ohio Governor James A. Rhodes in 1966 during a ceremony at the Perry Monument at Put-In Bay, the Association of Ohio Commodores has been in existence for over 38 years. Named for the hero of the Battle of Lake Erie in 1813, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, Governor Rhodes established the Executive Order of the Ohio Commodores (which encompasses membership in the Association) to honor 60 Ohio businessmen who accompanied him on Ohio’s first international trade mission. Since then, over 300 men and women have been appointed to the Executive Order of the Ohio Commodore as recognition of their contributions to economic development in their communities, and to the State of Ohio.

MEMBERSHIP...

Membership in the Executive Order of the Ohio Commodores is only possible through appointment by Ohio’s Governor in recognition for outstanding contributions to the economic development of the State of Ohio. It is considered Ohio’s “most distinguished honor.”
The Association currently boasts a diverse and dedicated membership of over 200 men and women. 18 charter members of the original Commodores still belong to the Association, and many Ohio families have seen multiple generations achieve membership.
Members include government officials such as members of the Governor’s Cabinet; distinguished university professors and administrators; leaders of trade associations and economic development organizations; and senior executives of large, medium and small manufacturers from across Ohio in a wide variety of industries.

Monday, December 17, 2007

Rob Otteson

This is Rob Otteson.

He was one of my students my first year of teaching. He's serving in the United States Army right now and is stationed in Iraq.

Funny thing happened today. I was sitting at my desk and eating my lunch, and the phone rang. I didn't recognize the number, but knew it was long distance. (Based on the area code)

I answered the phone by saying, "Hello?"

The voice responded, "Hey, what's up?"

I said, "Who is this?"

The voice replied, "It's Otteson, Rob Otteson."

I thought to myself, he must be back on leave or something like that. I said to him, "Where are you? You back for a while or what?"

He said, "Baghdad. Baghdad, Iraq." "No way. Seriously? Nuh uh. Really?!"

"Yup," he said.

How cool is that. One of the all time legends from my first year teaching called me from Iraq?!? That's extremely cool, in case you couldn't figure it out.

It sounded like he was doing well, and based on the picture, has been lifting some weights. It was an absolute treat that he would call.

Go, Rob!

And here's a picture of his company.

By the way, he said camel spiders, portayed on the web as overly aggressive, wildly marauding, and excessively sized, were way over-hyped. I asked him to send me one in the mail. He said he wasn't allowed. Oh well.