2015 March 5775
INSIDE This Issue
2015 Student Financial Aid Update by Steven Waldman, Chairman, Student Financial Aid Committee
T
Burt Fischman Awarded page 3
he Touro Board of Directors has budgeted $45,000 for the Student Financial Aid Committee for the 2015 fiscal year. Three grants of three thousand dollars each are eligible to be awarded. The remaining $36,000 will be dispersed in the form of interest-free loans of up to $3,000 each. Regular Touro members, their spouses and children, and children of deceased regular Touro members may apply for grants. Previous grant winners are not eligible for additional grants. Regular Touro members, their spouses and children, and children of deceased regular Touro members are eligible for interest-free loans. Each Touro member may receive up to $12,000 in interestfree loans over their academic career. Applications are available now by written request (snail mail or email to info@tourofraternal.org). Please make sure to fill out all applications accurately and completely.
Judge Licht Warms Up a Cold Evening Meatloaf and Trivia page 4
Shannon Hegy page 4
Hanukkah Contest page 5
Community Involvement page 6
by Lester Nathan
O
ur winter lodge meeting, hosted by Harmony Lodge and held on February 25, moved to a new venue – the Lemongrass Restaurant in Warwick. 72 Touro brothers came out on a chilly evening for a round (or two) through the Chinese buffet line. The evening’s guest speaker was the Honorable Richard Licht, a justice on RI’s Superior Court since 2014. A member of one of RI’s more recognizable political families, he had previously served as director of the Department of Administration in the Chafee administration. He enjoyed that position, he said, because it gave him the opportunity to improve people’s lives. Justice Licht’s career path has been similar to his late uncle’s, Gov. Frank Licht; he started as a lawyer, was elected a state senator, then elected lieutenant governor and eventually was appointed to the Superior Court. He has also served as chair of the Board of Governors for Higher Education. It’s no surprise that Uncle Frank served as his mentor and passed along several important lessons, which Judge Licht shared with us: • Don’t make it personal. Yesterday’s political enemy may one day become your friend. • If they don’t respect you, don’t come back. • Some issues don’t go away. They return later on. • Public service is a noble profession. The rewards can’t always be measured and they mean more. During the Q & A, a wide-ranging number of topics were covered, including former Governor Chaffee’s relationship to the public, the proposed new ballpark for the PawSox, whether judges should be appointed or elected, legalization of marijuana and taxation of pensions and Social Security. The most illuminating question revolved around RI’s future economic growth. The judge said the number one issue is the educational system’s failure to supply enough qualified workers for local employers. While the government can’t be “all things to all people,” this is one area which requires more resources and attention and will take some time. ~1~