"2004/2005"
ISSUE NO. 18 February 25, 2005 OUR 83rd YEAR
www.RotaryClubofSantaMonica.org
March 11, 2005
Shimmering green St Patrick’s Day centerpieces brightened the tables for our March 11th meeting (No corned beef and cabbage though) – The head table had more than one woman: Diane Margolin, Susan Annett and Kris Andresen. (That’s two points for us ladies!)
Diane Margolin was invocator and gave thanks for the blessing of the ability to read and for being able to spread the joy of reading. John Miller led us in song and pledge. Lionel introduced the head table without too many gaffes, except that he moved Susan Annett into Santa Monica - when she just bought a house in LA. There they were in their entire splendor:
Diane Margolin - Susan Annett - Hissonor himself, Lionel - Kris Andresen - Past district governor John Colville and the Chair of the Literacy Committee, John McIntire.
John introduced visiting Rotarians, including Hiroko’s sister, who was visiting from Japan and brought us a banner. She was the first woman in all of Japan to become a Rotarian (The Japanese Esther Johnson!!) He also gave special recognition to Jeannie Wells, the assistant to superintendent of SMMUSD John Deasy, whom he readily acknowledged as the true “heart” of our club’s “Rotary Reads to Kids” efforts.
Henry Fonda, Henry Ford, Patrick Henry, Henry III, Henry James, and Henry Waxman they would never do as Hank’s. And neither will our fellow club member, Henry Alcantar. He, like all the other Henry’s, prefers to be called Henry. We apologize Henry, for being lazy and slipping up.
Steve Alexis announced the soon upcoming International Food Festival on April 17th and encourage Every Rotarian to bring guests, family and to cook up a dish from his or her own heritage. For those who positively cannot or will not cook, the suggestion was made that they bring drinks typical or native to their country of origin - Now THAT could get interesting!! He also reminded everyone that the Friday prior to the Food Festival our club is DARK!! That would be April 15th, which seems eminently fitting!!
Mary Mathews gave a heads-up about Administrative Assistants’ Day on April 22nd, which will be a Man’s fashions show – no girly-men, just rugged Rotarians will be featured.
Experience tells you what to do: confidence allows you to do it.
Congratulations are in order … and in one case a fine. Dr. Bill Buxton for the birth of his third son. Shortly after Rotary on Friday, March 4th, his wife Verna, called from the obstetrician’s office saying it’s time. Baby and Verna are doing well, Andrew George Buxton weighed in at 7 pounds, 3 ounces; and was 19 inches long when he arrived on Saturday morning March 5th. Not to be one to be left out, our President Elect was somehow responsible for Emmett Riley Dyer 7 pounds, 8 ounces, 21 inches and born on Wednesday, March 9TH I know Lionel fined Bill an exorbitant amount but Lionel needs to take Dee’s math class: Since the baby was 19” long, Lionel multiplied that by 3 and got a rough average of $100 … hmmmmmm.
Barry Bouley made a pitch for the silent auction at the Food festival – they need more donations to auction off… see Oded or Barry if you have offerings.
Furthermore, according to our Prez, Phil Whiting still has perfect attendance; being in the hospital is an excused absence. But if he stays out too long we will all need to chip in a make-up for him so he can maintain his amazing perfect attendance record.
Lionel also managed to confuse Petra Haffter enough so she forgot her new husband’s name and then he fined her for it - $100. Doesn’t seem quite fair – but you know our Lionel.
Recognizing Mike Nichols for just standing still in one place instead of dizzyingly spinning in a washer on television, Lionel fined him $100.
Brenda Katz was fined for having been on MTV, presenting the merits of owning a Mercedes-Benz to a spoiled young lady who was trying to decide what car to get for her 16th birthday (The girl went with a Range Rover instead at the end.) Hey, Brenda I’ll take your Mercedes!
Finally Lionel thanked Jon Kemp, June Doy and Steve Litvack for preparing our awards booklet well ahead of time. It is due to District next week and due to countless hours of work will be ready with time to spare. Having been involved with the process before I know how much work that was. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!
Kris A introduced the speaker, known to us all for his true commitment to Rotary. Highlights: Paramount is John’s Rotary home since 1980; He was “Business Man of the Year” in his community as well as “Rotarian of the Year” in 1995 for the District. He has attended a very impressive number of Rotary assemblies and international conferences.
Much closer to home and hearts and to today’s program: Former DG John generously gave the reading program $5,000 from the Governor’s Designated Fund, and got it a match of $5,000 from the Jack Smith Memorial Fund.
John Colville spoke of his first 17 ”formative years”, with no reading in the home, and no books, no encouragement. But as he tells it, he was pretty good at math and earned money after school keeping track of baseball statistics for the local team. As a consequence he didn’t study much either, and he never learned how to write longhand and to this day he prints whenever he writes – he says the computer saves him, including the “spell check” and “grammar check” features!
He talked passionately about the need to educate girls: because for every educational rung up the ladder there that a young girl attains there are tangible and critical benefits: promiscuity goes down, hygiene levels rise, children are better spaced, and when these better educated girls become mothers and adults, they will in turn raise the level of literacy for their children. (I loved this part of his talk, and he was very emphatic!)
He closed by saying that we need to spend our education dollars on YOUNG CHILDREN, in those formative years, and not wait. “Zero in on what’s important.” He quoted: “I am only one but I AM one; I cannot do everything, but I can do something.”
And his closing thought: If you are a teacher, and people ask you what you make, always say “I MAKE A DIFFERENCE.” He was most gracious and had excellent delivery … he may have made this speech before, but it was good to hear it nonetheless.
This is our crunch time to collect all the RYLA applications. The deadline without late charge of $35 per application is fastly approaching.... MARCH 15! Since only 3 clubs have turned them is so far this is a wonderful opportunity to have your child involved. Applications are available online at www.rotary5280la.org, click on Youth Activities, then click on RYLA for the application. Six days remaining to get all the RYLA applications. If you decide after the 15th, you pay a late charge … not a big thing for the experience of a lifetime for your child. Think about it!
Please note that the Secretary/Administrative Assistant’s fabulous fashion show has been rescheduled to April 22, instead of April 29.
Information will be distributed this month so you can sign up to attend this memorable event with your Secretary or Administrative Assistant. You won’t want to miss this program! For more information, call Diane at 310.393.2707.
Calendar of Events:
Rotary Reads to Kids March 14 - 18
Melissa Poulson - Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar March 18
reporting on her experiences in New
Zealand representing District 5280
DARK – Easter Holiday March 25
CPR Training March 26
Public Servants Recognition Day April 1
Japan Youth Exchange Application due April 1
The Arboretum Adventure April 9
DARK - Rubber Eraser Day & Income Tax Day April 15
International Food Festival and Auction April 17
Fun Fashion Show April 22
District Conference in Palm Springs April 28 – May 1, 2005
The Mouse Trap
A mouse looked through a crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife opening a package; what food might it contain?
He was aghast to discover that it was a mousetrap!
Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning, “There is a mouse trap in the house, there is a mouse trap in the house.”
The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, “Mr. Mouse, I can tell you this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me; I cannot be bothered by it.”
The mouse turned to the pig and told him, “There is a mouse trap in the house.”
“I am so very sorry Mr. Mouse,” sympathized the pig, “but there is nothing I can do about it but pray; be assured that you are in my prayers.”
The mouse turned to the cow, who replied, “Like wow, Mr. Mouse, a mouse trap; am I in grave danger, Duh?”
So the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected to face the farmer’s mousetrap alone. That very night a sound was heard throughout the house, like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer’s wife rushed to see what was caught.
In the darkness, she did not see that it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer’s wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital.
She returned home with a fever. Now everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup’s main ingredient.
His wife’s sickness continued so that friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig.
The farmer’s wife did not get well, in fact, she died, and so many people came for her funeral the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide meat for all of them to eat.
So the next time you hear that someone is facing a problem and think that it does not concern you, remember that when the least of us is threatened, we are all at risk.
Thank you so much, Judy Neveau for filling in while I ways whiling the time away in Las Vegas … you did a great job. I hope I can call on you again.
Respectfully Submitted, Judy Neveau & RoseMary Regalbuto