ODC September 2014 Newsletter

[Owatonna Divers Club]

ODC News Letter Owatonna Diving Club PO Box 232, Owatonna MN 55060 September 28, 2014 Upcoming Events October 10th – 12th                      Fall North Shore October 14th                               Monthly Meeting   October 25th, 26th                        Gilbert (Ore-B-Gone) November 5th                             Discover Scuba November 12th                           Open Water First Class Every Thursday, 7:30                 Pump Nights

2014 Owatonna Dive Club Officers President – Troy Matejcek Vice President – Denny Javens (deceased) Secretary – Bob Kierski Treasure – Jim Zabel Board One Year – Jeff Kirchner Two Year – Pete DeGrood Three Year – Delbert Kepka Club Meetings We encourage all members, family and new students to attend the monthly club meetings to share experiences, laughs, and ideas for future dives, as well as the state of the club. We meet at 7:00, (usually) the 2nd Tuesday of almost every month.  Our next meeting will be Tuesday, October 14th.  All are welcome to attend. Email Address If you are getting this Newsletter via email, it is coming to you from the Owatonna Divers email address.  Last August, the Owatonna Divers Club started using a Google Email (gmail.com) account – owatonn...@gmail.com. Up until now, if you sent email to the old Owatonna Divers email address, it was forwarded to our Gmail account.  As of now, if you send email to the old email address, it will bounce with a failure indicating that it is no longer a valid email address.  Please update your email address book so that you use our Gmail address. If you have correspondence with me or one of the other ODC board members that you feel is personal in nature, feel free to use that persons personal email address if you know it.  If the message pertains to ODC business, and specifically, if it has to do with the ODC News Letter, meeting agenda, or meeting minutes, please send the email to our Gmail account.  If you want your message to go to someone specifically, you can add a salutation that indicates who the message should be directed to.  All board members have access to the club's Google account – Gmail and Calendar.   Fall North Shore The dates for the Fall North Shore dive have been set – October 10th – 12th.  The North Shore in the fall is a beautiful place.  The campgrounds in the area are still open.  We're planning at camping at the Two Harbors Campgrounds.  They've been working on expending their facilities.  When we drove by going to Isle Royale, we could see the new sites are being used.  There is a signup sheet at the Club House.   Gilbert (Fall Dive) Lake Ore B'Gone (cousin to Lake Woebegone) is an abandoned Iron Ore Mine in Gilbert Minnesota – part of the Mesabi Iron Range.  As the result, the water is usually very clear and there are interesting rocks to look at.  In addition, the local divers have token a lot of time and care into placing many artificial reefs including 2 helicopters, 3 (or more) planes, boats and cars as well as a variety of mining equipment.  In addition to SCUBA, the area is also home of an extensive ATV park.  ODC is organizing its' annual Gilbert trip for October 25 – 26.  There is a signup sheet at the club house.  Please contact Corey for more information.   Fall Classes Fall classes are right around the corner.  If you know someone who is interested in becoming certified, Please have them check out the Fall SCUBA class, and Discover SCUBA offered by ODC through Owatonna Community Education.  Our fees are at least 50% less than anyone else, and our program is much more complete and personal.   Discover Scuba is Wednesday, November 5th.  We will probably have a big group so we can use all the help we can get.  We can use deck hands as well as people in the pool.  If you can help, please contact Cory.   The first night of Open Water classes is Wednesday, November 12th.       Denny Javens By:  Corey Monahan   Longtime club member Denny Javens passed away August 9, 2014 while diving the Shipwreck Cedarville in the Straits of Mackinac.  Denny was born in 1949 in Marshall, MN to Don and Harriet with brothers Duane and Kenny and sister Darlene.  In 1972 he married Linda and they raised three children, Dean, Dawn, and Kari and today there are seven grandchildren. Denny's passion for diving was preceded by a lifelong love of the outdoors.  Fishing, hunting, camping, canoeing, bicycling, snowmobiling, ATV riding, and sailing (newest passion) were some of his more active pursuits.  More than just being active in the outdoors, Denny always wanted others to come with and enjoy.  It's impossible to count the number of people Denny shared this love of the outdoors with over his lifetime.  Trips to places like the Boundary Waters, Voyageurs, salmon fishing and diving on Lake Michigan, trout fishing on western rivers, turkey hunting, and just sitting next to a camp fire. Besides his love of the outdoors was his love of family and his rural home outside of Mankato.  His almost continuous home projects left those who knew him in awe at not only his skill as a craftsman but the boundless energy which he pursued them.  From decks to an ornate desk for Linda, fences to landscaping, Denny always had another project in mind while he had one in the works. Besides raising a family, in their younger days, Linda and Denny enjoyed Square Dancing, gardening, and family outings.  Later in life they enjoyed dining out with friends and travel.  Denny often commented that Linda was the right woman for him because she understood his love of the outdoors and let him do it.  Linda often joked Denny was right for her because he knew how to put up with her stubborn ways. Denny's passion for diving began on an Isle Royale fishing trip as he stared down upon the submerged decks of the shipwreck America.  As a Master Plumber and Steamfitter, he thought about being able to see the workings of steam powered ships by learning to dive.  After becoming certified Denny was excited to find the Owatonna Diving Club as they dove Great Lakes shipwrecks, especially the America at Isle Royale. Through the Owatonna Dive Club Denny's interest in shipwreck diving grew.  He enjoyed returning to shipwrecks he dove before because there was always something new to see and share with family and friends but his real excitement was for exploring shipwrecks for the first time.  Over the years he explored shipwrecks in Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, and Lake Huron.   More than just an active diver, Denny served as Secretary, Vice President, Board Member, and was the Club's first Webmaster.  Through his dedicated work at the Club he was recognized with the Sea Horse award in 2001 and twice as Diver of the Year in 2003 and 2013.     Building Maintenance There has be quite a lot of progress on the inside maintenance projects.  The wall has been finished.  The ceiling and floor are being put back together.   Thanks to all those who've come down to help.     Lake Kohlmeier Buoys The buoys in the swim area at Lake Kohnlmeier were taken out Saturday August 30th.  We had beautiful weather.  It was sunny and warm.  The visability was poor, but it took less than an hour.  Afterwards we went to Taco Johns and enjoyed some fellowship and food.  Thanks to Tom, Don, Pete, Adam, Troy, Chuck, Marissa and Bob for your help.   Dive Safe, Dive with a Buddy!