Rotary Club of Santa Monica

"2002/2003"

Rota-Monica

www.RotaryClubofSantaMonica.org

And The Winner IS…

The winner is, for the second consecutive year, Rotary Club of Santa Monica!!  The astute folks who voted our Club the Best Overall sure knew what they were doing.  Let’s hear a resounding Hip Hip Hurray!!

In addition to that distinction, our Club also garnered First Place in Club Service, Image, District Participation, Membership Development, the Literacy Drive, and Programs. Merit Awards were given to our Club for the Best Single Program, Community Service, Organ Donation, Community Development, Special Projects, International Service, Youth Service, and the Polio Special Project. The Governor’s Award of Excellence was also included in our list of tributes, and a Red Quill Award was earned for the Rota Monica.

Kudos to Blair Green for selling 10,000 tickets for $1 each that will allow Rotaracters to go to Brisbane, Australia. How fitting that he won the trip to Hawaii for his good works!  And Larry Maher and Jack Siegal are to be thanked for the marvelous display at the event.

Roses were given in memory of our deceased Rotarians during the Celebration of Life: Judd Hummer for his 59 years of service, Bruce Blickensderfer for 50 years, Al Quinn for 33 years, and Ron Williams, our newest member, who had only two months of service with our Club.

Those who made the drive in the rain are thanked for their support: Bill & Kathy Crookston, Jack Siegal, Susan Dawson, Shirley & Bill Dowling, Jon & Gina Kemp, Dee & Jim Menzies with Jamie, Lionel & Elza Ruhman, Bill Fritzsche, Dick & Char Lawrence, Bill Randall, John McIntire & Guest, Carol & Jerry Jackson, John & Kay Lehne, Hal & Kai-Li Quigley (Hal will be the next Assistant District Governor) David Bohn and the Rotaracters from Santa Monica College.

Wow!  What a way to spend a weekend.  Exhale and exalt, then gear up to keep our reputation for Service Above Self in its well-deserved place, first place, that is.

Coming Our Way

Jerrold Green, Ph.D., RAND Senior Political Scientist, will speak to us on May 9^th. He’ll address how the war in Iraq impacts other parts of the Middle East and South Asia, and on US diplomatic relations around the world. His comments will also focus on our security concerns and international economic relations. Dr. Green uses Arabic, French, Hebrew and Persian in his research, and he has support for his research worldwide. His many designations include Specialist Reserve Police Officer, where he advises the Anti Terrorism Division of the LAPD on Middle East issues.  Join us on May 9^th for a well-educated tour of the Middle East.

It’s All Happenin’ At The Zoo

To hear Cynthia Stringfield, DVM, tell it, the zoo is a microcosm of the world. Our feathered, furry and wet friends flourish when their environment, health and social needs are met…no easy task considering the vast array of species and unique habitat considerations involved. As Chief Veterinarian at the Los Angeles Zoo, Dr. Stringfield is directly involved in the dearly-needed new construction project. New exhibits will house orangutans, gorillas and chimpanzees; elephants; feature a children’s petting zoo; and an underwater sea land (with hippo viewing, no less!)  A South American rain forest will be created for the reptiles, to boot. Dr. Stringfield also educated us about the dangers of hunters using lead ammunition. It causes lead poisoning, which, in addition to poachers, is a serious and preventable cause of species depletion. It’s reassuring and gratifying to know that our precious animal world is in Dr. Stringfield’s capable hands.

Heads Up

Dave Rimer stood in admirably for Bill Crookston, who was very busy collecting our awards. The thoughtful invocation was given by Joe Metoyer.  Susan Annette was introduced as a new member, and Frank Lavac, DVM, introduced our speaker.  Clyde Smith was the songmaster, much to his credit, because without our pianist and a willful (or unwillful, as the case may be) sound system, we needed all the help we could get.

Of Significance

v     The Rotary clubs in California did not get the required 7500 Rotary License Plate applications turned in by December 31, 2002. The 2,633 applications that were submitted brought in $221,925, which was sufficient for RI District Elect, Ron Beaubien, to decide that the project should not be abandoned. A new task force has determined that the drive should continue until the required 7500 applications are submitted. If you have already given your credit card to purchase a license plate, the charge was not processed. Checks, however, were deposited to prevent them from becoming state-dated. If you elect to wait for the successful conclusion of this effort, you need do nothing. If you elect to withdraw your application and get a refund of your check, contact Maggie Wilhelm at Rlicenseplates@aol.com.

v     Don’t let a typo prevent you from contacting the Wheelchair Foundation. The area code that was listed in the last edition was incorrect.  Please contact Dr. Jon Grant at (650) 574-0520.  This is important, because our Club purchased a whopping 151 wheelchairs with instructions to have them given throughout 90 countries. Members were encouraged to donate $75 (the remaining $75 is matched by the Wheelchair Foundation) to help with this important cause.

v     Mazatlan, our Sister City, will be the site of wheelchair distribution…560 of them…in June. It’s the chance of a lifetime for our Rotarians to go there and be part of the giving process. Members were asked to contact Dick Rice for more information.

v     Some Past Presidents were given special recognition because wheelchairs were donated in their names.  The Club was proud to honor Phil Whiting and Greg Holt (in memory of his father, Nick Holt) by presenting them with plaques.

v     Mmm Mmm Good. The International Food Festival held last week at the sumptuous home of Tom Loo was sumptuous, indeed. The event not only brought about good food and good tidings, but a remarkable $8,000 as well! Start planning your menus, folks, I think we have an annual event in the making. Congratulations to all who made it happen.

v     And speaking of things to ingest, please sign up for the June 8^th wine tasting and tour at the Rosenthal Malibu Estate. The usual $25 fee has been discounted to $15, but there are a limited number of people who can attend.  If interest exceeds capacity, another tasting will be scheduled.

The Welcome Mat

There were no visiting Rotarians, but guests for the day were: Ray Khanna, MD, Dave Pierce, Julia Seiff, Jim Hake, and Mike Russell.  Rotaractors were Lynette Shishido, Maria Richardson, Alma Martinez, Kathy Benjamin, Monica Gomez, and Margaret Talaya.

On The Agenda

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