Travis Early Act bell gets refurbished

 

The Travis Elementary Early Act  Rotary bell was broken. David Rodriguez fixed it. Ben Duncan cleaned up 14 years of tarnish from the bell.  Here is the finished product before its return to Travis.

 

In 1922, U.S. Rotarians organized an attendance contest. The challenge was that the losing clubs would join in giving the winning club a prize. The Rotary Club of New York City was declared the winner and to them was awarded as a prize a bell from a popular patrol boat, which was placed on wood that came from HMS Victory, Admiral Nelson's vessel at the battle of Trafalgar. 

 

Since then, the bell used in Rotary meetings has come to represent, as on ships, order, discipline, and the time to guide us through the weekly meetings. The bell informs us of the beginning and ending of meetings, and other highlights.. The gavel symbolizes the authority invested in the president of a club. When presidents transmit their positions to their successors at the end of their year, they give the bell their last hit turning the gavel over to their successor, symbolizing the transfer of authority.