ISSUE NO. 25 January 31, 2003 OUR 81st YEAR
www.RotaryClubofSantaMonica.org
Coming Our Way
| Save Friday, February 7, 2003, for another inspirational peek into the minds of our future leaders. Students from the Santa Monica-Malibu School District will speak to us about the Rotary Four-Way Test. John Deasy, Superintendent, will host these young people for their presentations. |
| Friday, February 28th, will be another memorable day, as Rotary International Past President, Richard D. King, will be our featured speaker. It will be the first time this dynamo will address our Rotary Club, and his special interest, the Wheelchair Foundation, will be emphasized to us in a video entitled, “I Want To Live”. Thanks to Dick Rice and Dave Rimer for making this happen. |
For those Rotarians who have not had the pleasure of meeting Mr. King, he currently serves as the Executive Director of the Wheelchair Foundation. He is also the senior law partner of King, King & King, having earned his undergraduate and law degrees from UC Berkeley. In addition to teaching at Brigham Young University, and having a military degree from the University of California, he served as a captain in the US Military Intelligence and received an honorary doctorate in Law in Seoul, Korea. Mr. King has a long and distinguished career in and out of Rotary and is an accomplished international speaker. During his presidency, he led Rotary International to its global membership of 1,243,431 and 1,158 new Rotary Clubs in 2001-2002. In the same year, Rotarians contributed the highest amount of money ever raised for the Annual Fund of the Rotary Foundation. Mark your calendars now.
The A Train
Okay, I’m convinced. Governor Michael Dukakis, Vice Chair of the Amtrak Reform Board, makes a powerful argument to resume rail traffic as a viable means of transportation to make travel more efficient, faster, and cheaper. According to his theory, trains lost the attention of the public as highways and air travel progressed. The cache of rail travel plummeted, but the rails themselves are still there, testament to the potential for revival. Dukakis’ observations that since Japan and Europe have exemplary, high speed and efficient trains, and the northeastern portion of the US has an effective rail system, it begs the question why California can’t similarly connect to the cities within a 350 miles radius of it. Technology and infrastructure exist…it’s the funding and interest that remain elusive. Rotarians were encouraged to contact their elected representatives and demand a new look at this reliable alternative to overburdened highway and air transportation.
Heads Up
Steve Eorio gave a soulful invocation after introductions of new member Greg Holt, John Miller to present Michael Dukakis and Liz Astrin to welcome visiting Rotarians and guests. Horray for Phil Tirone, whose songleading is always a rousing affair.
Of Significance
| February 27th is going to be one of those memorable occasions when one of our very own, beloved President William H. Crookston, Ph.D. (time to strut out all the credentials) will be honored by the NCCJ at its annual dinner. What makes the evening so interesting is that the co-honoree is Kiwanian Jean McNeil Wyner, who matches Bill in community stature if not in hair color. All Rotarians are encouraged to attend and support this organization and its wisdom in selecting these two fine people for recognition. |
| Foodies are encouraged to contact Karim Jaude to help organize the International Food festival slated to take place in April. This coming Friday, at 11:00 AM, Karim will hold a meeting at Riviera Country Club to discuss the details of the event. Be part of the fun. |
| Robert Segal reminded us that HELPGuide.org is a different kind of website. It’s not just for seniors, or if you’re sick. It’s for people who are interested in their own lives and living to the fullest. As stated on the numerous cards printed by Steve Litvack, HELPguide is your gateway to the best non-commercial links for mental health, aging well and elder care. |
| It’s a small world after all. Remember lovely and accomplished Annie Bird, the Ambassadorial Scholar who spoke to us last week? Turns out Linda Tisherman met Annie’s boyfriend quite by accident, as was just as taken with him as she was with Annie. Linda was speaking at a Small Business Division meeting that had the good fortune to be extremely well attended, so much so that some guests were sitting on the floor. A young man named Hector offered his seat to newcomers. Being the only gallant man there prompted Linda to speak to him after the meeting, where she learned he was a student at Santa Monica College, and indeed, the heart interest of young Annie. Seems fitting. |
| A hearty welcome to Susan Dawson, who is home temporarily from Chicago where she is caring for her father. His condition is stable at this time, and she’s thawing out in our warm weather, which makes her return most pleasant. |
The Welcome Mat
Visiting Rotarians from afar were Dr. Rolf Schlenthet from Munich, Germany; Lynn Morris from Allentown, PA; and (closer to home) Bill Michael from Westwood Village. Guests were plentiful to hear Mr. Dukakis: Gilbert Lopez Jr., Martin Wanulis, Cary Mortorff, Holly Gregory, Ruth Solis, Becky Cockrell, Dana Martin, Roy Almeda, Marcia Antopol, Elizabeth Forer, Jan Rice, Stan Morris, Paula Golden, William Thornsen, and Karen Fox.
Fine Time
| Chris Baker has a lot of explaining to do. Here he was, the team captain of the “Wild Shirt Day”, and he didn’t show up to cheer on the troops. Fifteen Rotarians came duly attired, though, which will put Chris back $150. |
| Clyde Smith got hit up for $50 for being fresh…at least, that’s what my dad used to call talking back. |
| And sweet Lionel Ruhman, who didn’t even know his wallet had dropped out of his pocket, had to cough up $200 to retrieve it. Could have been worse, Lionel. The finder could have used Elza’s Platinum card. |
| $150 (dollars, not shekels) is Oded Wolf’s fine for having so much fun in Israel. His antics were highlighted in an e-mail from Tel Aviv that went directly to the President’s Office. |
| New member David Pissara had his photo on the front page of the Santa Monica newspaper, in full four-color glory, which apparently is unusual for new members. $100 bucks for the cheeky high profile. |
On The Agenda
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February 7 John Deasy, Superintendent of SM Schools: “Schools & The 4-Way Test” |
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February 14 George Vasquez: Orchid Expert (display & purchase for Valentine’s Day) |
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February 21 Esther Johnson: Annual Competition Awards. NOTE: Riviera is dark. The program will be held at the Methodist Church. |
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February 28 Richard King, Past President, Rotary International |
Keep in mind that Personal Assistant’s Day will be celebrated on April 25th with a special program. Please begin to think about the number of guests you plan to bring with you.
was going to write something irreverent about the government and our money, but
the tragedy of the space shuttle has tamed my tongue. Suffice it to say, instead
of laughing about ourselves, sometimes I cry.