(1-29-24) The Twenty First Century Club met on January 23, 2024 at the Rockford United Methodist Church Café for a regular meeting. President Karla Butler called the meeting to order and welcomed everyone with things that happened on this date in history, a report on birthday customs, and where the custom of a birthday cake and blowing out candles came from (round lunar moon shape and smoky candles to ward off evil spirits). Roll-Call by Secretary Cindy Canary was completed with everyone naming one’s favorite birthday custom. Rolling the birthday child under the bed to represent rebirth, and baking coins in a birthday cake were two of the most interesting old customs. The treasurer’s report was given by Valerie Fritzinger.

Minutes were read and approved. Discussion continued on the upcoming May Birthday Party in Old Business.

Sheila Baltzell-Linn then presented her program on her birth year of 1954. According to the Atomic Energy Commission, the world’s first nuclear disaster happened 10 days after her February birth on March 1, 1954 in the Marshall Islands atoll called Bikini Atoll. It is in the Pacific Islands adjacent to the Philippines. When the nuclear arms race ramped up after the end of World War II, the US began doing further development and testing of hydrogen bombs. The first bomb tested was in New Mexico and was of plutonium. The Castle Bravo test, a dry thermonuclear bomb (first lithium deuteride-fueled), was tested on March 1, 1954, and was a far bigger explosion than scientists expected – 15 megatons. It destroyed nearly all of their recording equipment and ruined the Bikini Atoll with radiation. The natives who evacuated will never be able to return for thousands of years.

Presenter Janie Overley continued her birth year of 1954 by detailing how this bomb test, one of 24 in the Marshallese Islands, still affects us today in 2024 Mercer County. Francis John was one of the first Marshallese natives to take advantage of the US government’s promise to monetarily help the islanders. He was formally educated in the islands. He came to the US in 1993 to a new home, went to college, became a church pastor and started helping his fellow Marshallese settle in Mercer County. Janie interviewed a different Marshallese community member recently and learned that the Marshallese people are a calm and relaxed culture. Families all live together in one home and take care of each other. They revere their elderly. There are 50,000 people in the collection of Islands, the temp is 80 degrees year round, the land is flat, and they travel from island to island by canoe. There are now 2500-3000 Marshallese in Mercer County. They come here on special passports. The first family came in 2001. Today, seven Marshallese-based Christian churches support their spiritual needs. They work in local factories, farms and businesses. Celina Schools have around 200 Marshallese students enrolled, who have to learn to speak English in school when they arrive. They also have to get used to cold winters. There are no Ohio coalitions to help the Marshallese assimilate, like other states do. The Celina Library had a culture club before COVID hit. The community has non-profits including CALL Ministries and Our Home which provide help to the Marshallese. Private donors also provide help. Some Marshallese study to become U.S. citizens. The online program Ohio Newsroom is providing videos on the Marshallese people that anyone can search and watch. Janie provided many more details which were very interesting.

Julia Henkle and Val Fritzinger served apple crisp and ice cream for refreshments.

The next meeting will be on Tuesday, February 27, 2024. Program leaders are Julia Henkle and Toni Fisher (both born in 1963). Sheila Baltzell-Linn and Janie Overley will be hostesses at Rockford Methodist Church. Contact Karla Butler, if you’d like to join us for a meeting (419-203-2489).