Woodstick 2007
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About Us
We have a very nice selection of concerned people in our organization working as committee members to bring about a very successful Woodstick. These people are leaders in their communities as well as their professions. They are making the world a better place to hear.
Chris Kimball
Chris Kimball says "I started drumming at age 4 on a drum made by my dad from Folger's coffee cans." He played in concert and jazz bands in jr. high, high school, college and at the University of Washington. During the 8th grade he formed his first Rock and Roll band, Emanon ("no name" spelled backward) and from there progressed to other bands including Thrust, The Patsy McRae Show (out of Atlantic City), Bridge (out of Nashville) and other assorted bands playing other assorted styles. Chris has played with the Tacoma Symphony and even accompanied Doc Severinsen at a couple of jazz festivals. For many years he taught private drum lessons and has presented drum clinics at schools throughout the Northwest. Chris says, "I've always loved music with an emphasis on drums, and Woodstick has been one of the highlights of my musical career." Chris is a member of the Rotary Club of Tacoma #8 and the founder of Woodstick.
Donn Bennett
Donn is a NW native that started playing the drums at age 12. He’s played in numerous local groups and currently plays regularly with his band “Free Rain”. Donn discovered a passion for teaching the drums shortly after taking his first drum lesson.
He has been teaching in the area for over 30 years, and has been buying and selling drums for over 20. Donn found he had a knack for finding rare and unusual drums and his collection became so large he opened up a shop where he could give drum lessons and sell drums. He developed his passion for drums into Donn Bennett Drum Studios in Bellevue, Washington, one of the most well respected drum schools and drum stores in the country. His studio serves over 250 students every week and supplies drums to drummers around the world that include some of the greatest drummers of all time. Donn has been involved with Woodstick from its inception. “What I love the most about Woodstick is that it gives us the opportunity to share the thrill of drumming with so many people all at the same time”.
Gene Pankey
Gene is a retired auto dealer (Gene Pankey Motors) and has experienced hearing loss all of his life. His problems have finally progressed to severe hearing loss as an adult. He will soon be in his 25th year as a Rotarian and is a past president of the Clover Park Rotary Club, which is the sponsoring club for our Rotarian Action Group: Rotarians for Hearing Regeneration. Gene is in his fourth year as Chairman of the RfHR. He has seen the organization grow from a small handful of members in his local club to Rotarians world-wide. He is a driving force in Rotary, in the drive for hearing regeneration, and his community. He is currently a director of the Northwest Commercial Bank in Lakewood and a Trustee of the Tacoma Rescue Mission.
Dave Sclair
Dave has been involved in newspapers for more than 50 years as a reporter, photographer, editor and publisher. Since 1970 he has been involved with publishing a national newspaper for general aviation pilots General Aviation News. He is a proponent of Living With Your Plane, which provides individuals who are living on an airpark, want to live on one or are interested in developing or expanding an airpark with important and helpful information. He has been an active member of Rotary since 1976, having served as a club president of Clover Park Rotary and as district governor for Rotary District 5020, which is one of the few international Rotary Districts in the world encompassing parts of Washington State as well as the entire Vancouver Island in British Columbia.
David Cotant, DDS
David is an Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon in Lakewood, WA. He is actively involved with Clover Park Rotary Club. He is a Past President of the club, and currently Sergeant at Arms and operates the club's Rotary Store. The club's effort with the Hearing Regeneration program at Virginia Merrill Bloedell Hearing Research Center at the University of Washington began while he was President Elect. During David's year as president, the Fellowship was approved by Rotary International. His leadership resulted in funding and production of our video Hope for Hearing Loss, which has been used in presentation around the world. He has served as the Secretary-Treasurer of the fellowship / Action Group since it's inception.
Don Doman
Don has long been involved in major project to help the community. He was co-founder of Christmas House of Pierce County, which provided warm clothes and gifts for children at Christmas time. Don was also co-founder of The Bacon Bowl, which features football teams of police officers and fire fighters from Seattle and Tacoma playing on the gridiron to raise money for Mary Bridge Children's Hospital. He is a published author of books for small business. Don is the founder of the Hard of Hearing Hall of Fame and he and his wife Peggy own Ideas and Training, PNW Video Productions, and a part of Brainware.TV. Don has served as president of the Rotary Club of Tacoma #8 and is a board member of TACID (Tacoma Area Coalition of Individuals with Disabilities).
The Scientific Reasons Behind Woodstick
Dr. George A. Gates
Dr. George A. Gates, Emeritus Director of the Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Center, is professor of otolaryngology-head and neck surgery, epidemiology and speech and hearing sciences at the University of Washington and chief of otology/neurotology at University of Washington Medical Center in Seattle.
Dr. Gates also gives generously of his time and energy to the Deafness Research Foundation as scientific/ medical director and a member of the executive committee. He is a tireless worker and fundraiser for hearing loss research.
Dr. Edwin W. Rubel
Dr. Rubel is co-discoverer that birds can regenerate their inner haircells and thereby restore their hearing. He asks the simple question, "If birds can do it, why can't we?" Indeed.
Dr. Rubel says "Our research uses a wide variety of methods and numerous preparations to better understand development, plasticity, pathology and potential repair of the inner ear and auditory pathways of the brain. We investigate both the fundamental neurobiology of hearing and translational opportunities of the present and future that are directed toward preventing and curing hearing loss and balance disorders."
Dr. Rubel continues his research and his communications with other scientists around the world in his effort to make hearing regeneration a reality. He is the Director of Research at the Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Center.
Dr. Jay T. Rubinstein
Dr. Rubinstein is the Center Director of the Virginia Merrill Bloedel Hearing Research Center at the University of Washington. Dr. Rubinstein has his Ph.D. (bioengineering) from the University of Washington, 1988 and his M.D. from the University of Washington, 1987. His research interests are computational biophysics, clinical and basic electrophysiology, human psychophysics, and clinical trials of new cochlear implant technology.
"The UW Medical Center is one of 20 sites in the United States and Europe involved in a clinical trial performing a total of 100 surgeries. So far 90 people have undergone the surgery worldwide." Dr. Rubenstein performed three of those in January of 2007. "The surgery's success could open doors for other potential surgical remedies for inner ear problems such as balance difficulties or ringing in the ear, he said."
The two quotations are from Cherie Black's article Experimental surgery at UW offers a new remedy for hearing loss from the Seattle Post-Intelligencer - January 29, 2007
Woodstick 2007
P.O. Box 881037
Steilacoom, WA 98388
(253) 759-6639
info@woodstick2007.com
