"2004/2005"
ISSUE NO. 23 May 10, 2005 OUR 83rd YEAR
www.RotaryClubofSantaMonica.org
Monsignor Torgerson gave a lovely invocation filling in for me … while I was filling in for June … who was at the District Conference … filling in for me. That’s what friends are for!
David Potter introduced our guests, John Miller lead us in song with Carol Jackson on the piano followed by Tish Tisherman introducing our guest speaker. There were also several announcements: Paul Leoni (our next Prez) requested that we mail back the forms recently mailed asking for committee preferences and $fine$ info. (Wonder who is going to return THAT form). Judy Neveau announced our group photo scheduled next week and introduced Tish as the new chair of the “Relay for Life” committee. Relay for Life is a wonderful weekend where we get to stay up all night and walk/run for as many hours as possible going around and around and around and around Santa Monica College’s track. (Tish will be telling you a lot more about it). Jim Dyer announced the theme for Lionel’s dethroning: The Lionel Express is coming to the end of the line. This “happening” will be held at the Riviera on Friday, June 24th. You will be hearing more about the time and reservations soon. Diane Margolin received hearty applause when Hank thanked her on behalf of the club for the wonderful fashion show she produced for “Secretary’s/Assistant’s Day.” Nat Trives negated the rumor that he is being paid to step down as Chamber President by announcing the installation dinner of Eddie Guerboain on June 2nd. Jim Reidy ever mindful of those of us that are under the weather passed cards of well wishes for Don McDonald and Phil Whiting. We send them all our love and hope to see them soon.
All those enjoying “fun in the sun” at the District Conference this week were fined $100. So …
Lionel Ruhman, Dee Menzies, Hal Quigley, Jon Kemp, Jillian Alexander, David Bohn, Spyros Dellaportas and John McIntire
WE HOPE YOU ENJOYED YOURSELVES!
The announcements were short and sweet giving Hank five minutes to share before the speaker started. Donning a baseball cap he read from one of the two books Lionel had left him. One was “Take It” by Yogi Berra and the other “The Yogi Book” also by Berra.
“No one goes there anymore -- it's too crowded,” he read. “I really didn't say everything I said,” he continued. (We started yawning … but Hank did not get the message.) “Always go to other people's funerals, otherwise they won't come to yours.” The room was getting restless now. “We made too many wrong mistakes,” said Hank over the din. “You couldn't get a conversation started - everybody was talking to each other.” Well, I think that did it.
Suddenly we were stomping our feet and boisterously calling for “speaker, speaker, speaker.” If that wasn’t enough, we serenaded Hank with several rounds of our favorite ballad. You know the one I mean … Home, Home on the Range!
“It's like deja-vu, all over again.” I bet our two visiting Rotarians: Harlan Lewis and Margaret Bloomfield wish Westwood Village, their home club, was more like ours!
Poor Hank … as Yogi would say “If you can’t imitate him, don’t copy him.”
Which brings us to our speaker David Kloser. He and his lovely wife Christine are friends of Tish Tisherman (which is how we got David). David’s other claim to fame is writing "Stepping Up to the Plate" a unique collection of interviews from over 140 of today's top players who share the life-lessons baseball has taught them. Top pros Alex Rodriguez, Curt Shilling, Eric Gagne, Albert Pujols, and others reveal the secrets of their success both on and off the diamond. (David in his baseball days actually pitched to Barry Bonds … and, ya know what, he was able to keep it in the stadium.)
David, the junior varsity baseball coach at Palisades High School, is a man who emphasizes lessons the game teaches and those lessons that can be applied to life off of the baseball diamond.
While David was sharing inspirational stories such as, how to handle hecklers, name-calling and teasing, along with the importance of a winning attitude … my heart was captured by Janet Rose. The 11-week-old daughter of David and Christine is destined to be the first Woman Rotary International President. The question is ... can we wait a few years for her?
Hmmmmmmmm, did you know that Bill Crookston is in China. Who said University professors don’t get paid well?
If you have not read the “Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini yet, what are you waiting for? Our very own librarian, Susan Annett, can get you a copy of this book that is currently designated for the “Citywide Reads Program.” This book will make you wonder who you've wronged and what you can do about it. What makes’ this book so unique is the author’s colorful description of Afghanistan and their peoples customs. It is a story about the relationship between two boys with different social statuses and the complicated relationship between a father and a son. Set in Afghanistan and America, the novel spans three decades with history and real-life political events. The ending brought me to tears ... tears of joy and remorse. Do not miss this book, which is suitable for teens too. On Saturday, the author of Kite Runner will be at the Santa Monica College Gym at 4 p.m. presenting a reading and discussing his critically acclaimed novel, followed by Q&A and a book sale and signing. The seating is on a first-arrival basis so don’t be late. Read the book first and/or at the very least join us Saturday, May 21st at 4:00 p.m. for “Khaled Hosseini in Conversation.”
A big corporation
recently hired several cannibals in the interest of cultural diversity.
"You are all part of our team now," said the HR rep during the welcoming
briefing. "You get all the usual benefits and you can use the cafeteria, but
please don't eat any of the other employees."
The cannibals promised they would not.
Four weeks later, their boss remarked, "You're all working very hard, and I'm
satisfied with you. However, one of our secretaries has disappeared. Do any of
you know what happened to her?"
The cannibals all shook their heads no.
After the boss left, the leader of the cannibals said to the others, "Which one
of you idiots ate the secretary?"
A hand rose hesitantly, to which the leader of the cannibals railed, "You fool
-- for 4 weeks we've been eating Managers and no one noticed anything, but noooooo, you had to go and eat someone who actually does something!"
In the merry, merry month of May -- Birthday wishes come to you
May 1 Susan Hartenbaum May 12 Steve Alexis & Phil Tirone
May 4 Frank Blenkhorn & Jack Gergory May 17 Steve Litvack
May 5 Michael Cates & Bhil Randall May 24 Gene Shank
May 6 Dick Lawrence May 25 Brenda Katz
May 8 Jim Menzies May 26 Shirley Dowling
May 10 Don Dickerson May 28 Nancy Freedman
May 11 Bill Fritzsche
Meet one of our Newer Rotarians (AKA Newbie):
One of my many aspirations is to be is a CFRE: Certified Fund-Raising Executive. The training is arduous and the CFRE is an internationally valued credential that attests to knowledge, skills and achievements as a fundraising professional.
Connie Maguire is vice-president of the Culver City firm Netzel Associates. The firm’s founders, Paul & Diane Netzel, are members of LA 5. Paul is a past District Governor and very involved with Rotary International. Diane recently joined LA 5 too. Their firm is development consultants specializing in Fundraising, Planning and Management. I do not know much about the for-profit world, but we non-profits really need to learn a lot more about these very topics.
Bill Crookston (the one spending a few beautiful days in China) sent me an article that appeared in the Wall Street Journal on April 12th. It was an article entitled “Polio and Rotary.”
“Today marks the 50th anniversary of the Salk polio vaccine. Poliomyelitis, also known as infantile paralysis, used to be one of childhood’s most feared diseases. A few years after Dr. Jonas Salk announced his vaccine on April 12 1956, nearly every child in the U.S. was protected. Today polio has disappeared from the Americas, Europe and the Western Pacific and is nearly gone from the rest of the world.
A too little known part of this feat is the role played by Rotary, the international businessman’s-club, which 20 years ago adopted the goal of wiping out the disease. Rotary understood that medical breakthroughs are worthless unless people aren’t afraid to immunize their children and efficient delivery systems exist to get the vaccine to them. And so it mobilized its members in 30,100 clubs in 165 countries to make it happen.
In 1985, when Rotary launched its eradication program, there were an estimated 350,000 new cases of polio in 125 countries. Last year, 1,263 cases were reported. More than one million Rotary members have volunteered their time or donated money to immunize two billion children in 122 countries. In 1988, Rotary money and its example were the catalyst for a global eradication drive joined by the World Health Organization, Unicef and the U.S. Center for Disease Control. In 2000 Rotary teamed up with the United Nations Foundation to raise $100 million in private money for the program. By the time the world is certified as polio-free -– probably in 2008 – Rotary will have contributed $600 million to its eradication effort.
An economist of our acquaintance calls Rotary’s effort the most successful private health-care initiative ever. A vaccine-company CEO recently volunteered to us that the work of Rotary and the Gates Foundation, both private groups, has been more effective than any government in promoting vaccines to save lives. It’s become fashionable in some quarters to deride civic volunteerism, but Rotary’s unsung polio effort deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.”
Bravo Rotary! This makes us proud. However, we better let the Wall Street journal know … Rotary is much more than a “Businessman’s-Club.” We are a fascinating and diverse group with impressive accomplishments and enormous interests. We are: Jillian Alexander, Kris Andresen, Karen Baker, Pat Bofird, Susan Dawson, Nicole Dickerson, Kathy Dodson (who, in case you did not notice is expecting her first the beginning of June), Shirley Dowling, June Doy, Bettina Duval, Patricia Farris, Carol Follette, Nancy Freedman, Ann Greenspun, Petra Hafter, Susan Hartenbaum, Hiroko Ikeda, Carol Jackson, Iao Katagiri, Brenda Katz, Connie Maguire, Diane Margolin, Mary Mathews, Dee Menzies, Judy Neveau, Sally Pai, Joyce Stoops, Tish Tisherman and Monika White. (I hope I did not forget anyone.)
On Saturday, April 23, Rotary Club of Santa Monica President Lionel Ruhman, Executive Secretary June Doy and Rotarian/outbound D-5280 GSE Team Leader Jillian Alexander joined District representatives and Host Rotarians to greet the inbound GSE Team visiting from District 1940. The D-1940 GSE Team was happy to see us ... after the 14+-hour flight; they enjoyed a two-hour delay at passport control. A word to those expecting visitors from abroad ... make certain your guests have the precise address where they will be staying and are prepared to provide that information when entering the US.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS:
May 6 Rotary Club Group Photo Miss this and you will have to wait another 10 years!
June 10 The Governor’s Reform Agenda Billie Greer
June 24 The End of the Line Dethroning Comes to the Riviera
Respectfully Submitted … RoseMary Regalbuto
Remember, “If you don’t know where you are going, you might wind up somewhere else.”