Highlights - November 2 Meeting

President, Allan Cady opened the meeting with Chris Krueger offering the invocation and Penny May leading the Pledge of Allegiance.  Christy Citterman introduced her guest, Bret Atkinson.  Wendell Jones introduced his guest, his better 90%, Carolyn.  Penny May welcomed Lolita Wiesner, from Red Deer, Canada, back as an additional (to herself) seasonal visitor and friend. 

 

Chuck Flint officiated over the weekly drawing, which was won by Christy Citterman.  Christy had her guest, Bret attempt to draw the ace of clubs.  He came close, drawing the ace of hearts, but the $547 sum in the accumulating pot will continue to grow.

 

Chuck Flint explained the Buck Board for the benefit of our guests, When he arrived at the meeting, there were only 17 squares left and he sold them all.  Because of a very full agenda, the drawing for the winner of the $1,000 donation in their name to The Rotary Foundation will be held at a later date - after Thanksgiving.

 

Greg Okonowski served as Sgt at Arms and collected happy bucks.  Dan Coons paid to thank Chuck Flint for a very successful Havasu Falls Trip for the inbound Youth Exchange Students in the District.  Polly Cady paid for the delightful home-hosting experience she and Allan enjoyed.  Donna Goetzenberger had an enjoyable Rotary weekend enjoying activities with the Cady's guests, and the United Sound book assembly project.  She also announced that their daughter, Emilee, who is a youth exchange student in Belgium, was enjoying a trip to Berlin, Germany.

 

Donna Goetzenberger had some auction items - two table favors from the USA/Mexico Friendship Conference.  Chris Krueger bid $35 for one of them and Allan Cady bid $35 for the second.  Jack Rosenberg had a bag of gifts from Quebec to be auctioned.  Donna Goetzenberger was the winning bidder and received a variety of items, including chocolate shaped like a musical note.

 

Announcements:

 

Polly Schumacher was proud to introduce Win Holden, Publisher of Arizona Highways to present the program.  She said he has dedicated his life to community service.  CLICK HERE to download a copy of his very impressive introduction.

 

Rather than use a prepared, electronic presentation, Mr. Holden said he would actually prefer to have his presentation be more conversational so those in attendance could get their questions asked and answered informally throughout the program.  Arizona Highways is second only to National Geographic  in its reputation in the world as a magazine regularly producing high quality photographic and narrative stories.  The first issue was April, 1925.  It was originally an engineering journal.  In about 1937, Raymond Carlson influenced a shift to cover the natural beauty of our state and the publication shifted to a tourism orientation.  Carlson worked with the magazine for over forty years.  Joe Stacy followed Carlson.  The most significant mark he made was his decision to publish the Turquoise issue.  They sold over 1,000,000 single copies of that issue.  Arizona Highways can boast the first full-color issue in the United States.  Humor was more prevalent in the early years than today.

 

The legacy of the early life of the magazine as an engineering publication is retained with the magazine owned by the state and run by Arizona Department of Transportation, but receives no operating funds from the state budget.  It is an "enterprise zone," which means the magazine has to pay for itself.  There are only two pages of ads.  The primary source of income is subscriptions, products sold through the web and their store and licensing of the name to operators in order to get a percent of their sales.  That portion of  income amounts to over $75,000 per year.  The also sell a license to produce the TV show bearing the magazine's name.

 

It is a challenge to keep the legislature from balances held in the enterprise account, and it is necessary for Mr. Holden, as publisher to constantly work with individual legislators to educate them about the nature of the funds held in the enterprise, the majority of which is prepaid for subscriptions, licenses, etc.

 

They have had two waves of research on the impact of the magazine.  A primary purpose is to get tourists to and through the State of Arizona. It is estimated there is a $68,000,000 economic impact to private businesses resulting from the influence of Arizona Highways.

 

A member suggested that every waiting room in the state should have one or more issues readily available. 

 

Costco calendar sales result in approximately $400,000 annual income from their thirteen Arizona stores.  They plan the magazine months in advance.  Stories are currently planned through 2018, and the February, 2018 issue is "complete."

 

Some contributors count on the magazine protecting the integrity of the more fragile ruins that are featured by intentionally omitting and carefully guarding information that would make them easily located.   

 

This year front covers have featured artistic renderings of locations featured in the same issue photographically.