"2004/2005"
ISSUE NO. 19 March 18, 2005 OUR 83rd YEAR
www.RotaryClubofSantaMonica.org
March 18, 2005
Please remember that we are DARK this Friday. Those that do drive over to the Riviera will not receive a make-up; will not enjoy the gracious company of their fellow Rotarians and chow down to their weekly feast.
It is Good Friday, Purim and Easter; but do not get out of the habit … we will be back. See you on April Fools Day!
I was sitting next to June when her cell phone rang. It was Jim Dyer calling from New York wondering if that counted as a make-up. Good try Jim. A minute later her cell rang again. It was John Miller who was running late and needed someone to do the guest introductions. In walked John Pacheco and the next thing he knew he was at the head table doing the intros. Sitting there also was Brian West the invocator, Gerry Smallwood, Monte Herring, Melissa Poulson (the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar representing District 5280) and our dear Prez Lionel. We had several announcements: Tesh (or is it Tish) encouraged us all to join the fun on Sunday, April 17th at the Annual International Food Festival. John McIntire thanked all the Rotarians that participated in our recent literacy week program reading to K – 3rd graders, Bill Hunt urged us to go to the Arboretum with him (see below) and Marv Levin said “come on, give us some” in talking about matching funds and Paul Harris Fellows. Paul Leoni announced his first (tho unofficial) Board meeting at Rand this Wednesday at 5:00 p.m. This brought us to the fine(st) part of our meeting. Lionel got Patricia Farris but insisted that he, Paul and Kris would pay her $100 fine. Jack Gregory was next for his recent Tanzania safari. The luxury of his tent cost him another $100 in fines. Jim Dyer was fined $50 in absentia for his grandson, Emmett Riley Dyer.
Oded Wolf shared pictures of his son: Alexander Elliot Wolf. Alex was born on January 13th. Oded and his wife, Ruth, just adopted Alex and in a month and a half will go through the final hearing that makes it all official. Congratulations Oded and Ruth you have a really beautiful son.
Monte Herring introduced our Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar. He talked of the selection process as extensive but the scholarship of $25,000 allows the applicant to attend school for a year in the country of the scholar’s choice. Monte would welcome more committee members if anyone has an interest.
Melissa Poulson talked of her experiences in New Zealand while there as Rotary’s Ambassadorial Scholar. She described a country of extremes. Beautiful meadows set against epic backdrops of alpine mountains, cliff and sandy beach coastlines, and lakes with rolling hills. The country of 4 million people and 60 million sheep changed her life. Melissa decided to go to school in New Zealand after meeting youth exchange students at her host club in Westchester. The warmth of the people and the beauty or the country seems to have won her over and now that she received her Masters from Victoria University in Wellington she plans to return to Auckland where she has several job offers waiting.
Don’t be Fool-ish: Join us on Friday, April 1 — Public Servant’s Recognition Day – With the help of Chair, Judy Neveau we will be honoring a special person from the Fire Department, Police Department, School District and the Big Blue Bus. We are so fortunate to have such fine people serving the community that we live, work and play in. Please join us for this special day.
Do Ya Gotta Go – We think so:
Saturday, April 9th The Los Angeles County Arboretum: See where Johnny Weissmuller swam in LASCA Lagoon/Baldwin Lake for three decades as Tarzan and later Jungle Jim. A local news story reported that he, in fact, set an unrecorded Olympic swim record when a cage of crocodiles was accidentally opened during filming (Weissmuller beat the crocs to the lake shore). Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour took up a month-long watery Baldwin Lake residence in homes on stilts for the filming of Road to Singapore in 1939, the same year the Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Madeleine Carroll film Safari managed to sink a paddlewheel boat in the same lake. Undaunted, television’s original “Fantasy Island” lowered a pontoon plane by helicopter onto Baldwin Lake and propelled it across the water to disembark visitors to Mr. Roark’s island paradise. For Alex Haley’s “Roots II”, Baldwin Lake became Kunta Kinte’s river home in Africa. This and 127 acres of tropical forests rose gardens and a private tram tour. This is an adventure you do not want to miss. You leave at 9:30 a.m. and return by 3:00 p.m. For all that awaits you in between call Bill Hunt at 310.823.4033. Bring your spouse, children, nieces, nephews and friends, anyone who will enjoy a day of fun, unparalleled beauty, comradeship, and adventure. What do they say … be there or be square.
Order A Century of Service: The Story of Rotary International now to receive a free CD-ROM version of the book and a Rotary Centennial luggage tag. This special offer has been extended until the 2005 RI Convention in June.
Full of facts, figures, and colorful characters, the 350-page centennial book also features never-before-published photographs illustrating Rotary’s fascinating history. The leather-bound edition ($100) is signed by the author, David C. Forward of the Rotary Club of Marlton, New Jersey, USA, and is sure to be a treasured resource for club libraries and Rotarians’ personal libraries.
The standard version ($25) makes an ideal gift for speakers and community organizations. Both versions are available in English, French, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, and Spanish. Order the book online now or contact RI Publications Order Services (phone: 847-866-4600; fax: 847-866-3276). Only prepaid orders will receive the bonus items.
Rotary Primer III: The Responsibilities of Being a Sponsor – Submitted by Dr. Dick Rice
Please consider the following steps and responsibilities when you plan to sponsor an individual for club membership:
If a club member already holds your prospective member’s likely classification or one similar to it, it is club policy that you discuss the proposal with that member before pursuing the proposal.
Invite your prospective member to a lunch meeting to see the club in action and to be introduced to the members, including the president, if possible.
Fellow club members should not be asked to co-sponsor your prospective member unless they know him/her well. Multiple sponsors will not affect the likelihood of being selected for membership.
Please keep this proposal confidential from the nominee until the election process has been completed.
You (the original proposer) will be considered the main sponsor for the purposes of the following responsibilities:
Following successful completion of the seven-day notice, plan to meet with your prospective member along with the club president and a member of the Rotary Information Committee to invite your nominee to become a member and to explain the responsibilities of membership your nominee will be expected to accept.
Plan to sit with your new member at meetings, when possible, during the first 2-3 months of membership. Please sit at different tables in the room with your new member during this period.
Confirm that your new member gets actively involved with an active committee in addition to the Fellowship Committee in the first few months of membership.
If your new member’s attendance lags in the first six months of membership, call and discuss the situation with him/her.
“Nice, how we never get dizzy from doing good turns.” – George Bengis
Be sure to sign up for the Secretary-Administrative Assistants Day program on April 22. It is going to be a memorable event with our manly-man models strutting their stuff on the runway. Entertainment and fun favors (if you let us know who you’re bringing) are planned. RSVP to Diane Margolin at 310.393.2707 or June at rotaryclubofsantamonica@verizon.net.
Calendar of Events:
DARK – Easter Holiday March 25
CPR Training (call Red Cross for info) 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 Governor’s Reform Agenda for 2005 - Billie Greer June 10
Deadline for matching funds for Paul Harris Fellows June 30
April l, 1993 Westdeutsche Rundfunk, a German radio station, announced that officials in Cologne had just passed an unusual new city regulation. Joggers going through the park would be required to pace themselves to go no faster than six mph. Any faster, it was felt, would unnecessarily disturb the squirrels who were in the middle of their mating season.
Lionel closed the meeting with this thought: It is not how many breaths you take but how many times your breath is taken away.
Years ago in Scotland, the Clark family had a dream. Clark and his wife worked and saved, making plans for their nine children and themselves to travel to the United States. It had taken years, but they had finally saved enough money and had gotten passports and reservations for the whole family on a new liner to the United States.
The entire family was filled with anticipation and excitement about their new life. However, seven days before their departure, a dog bit the youngest son. The doctor sewed up the boy but hung a yellow sheet on the Clarks’ front door. Because of the possibility of rabies, they were being quarantined for fourteen days.
The family’s dreams were dashed. They would not be able to make the trip to America as they had planned. The father, filled with disappointment and anger, stomped to the dock to watch the ship leave - without the Clark family. The father shed tears of disappointment and cursed both his son and God for their misfortune.
Five days later, the tragic news spread throughout Scotland - the mighty Titanic had sunk. The unsinkable ship had sunk, taking hundreds of lives with it. The Clark family was to have been on that ship, but because a dog had bitten the son, they were left behind in Scotland.
When Mr. Clark heard the news, he hugged his son and thanked him for saving the family. He thanked God for saving their lives and turning what he had felt was a tragedy into a blessing.
Although we may not always understand, all things happen for a reason.
Respectfully Submitted,
RoseMary Regalbuto