MEETING OF DECEMBER 7, 2000 By Clyde Noel
President GINNY LEAR started Thursday's program with a tribute to BILL REWAK for the fine Rotary Christmas party at the Jesuits Retreat.
JOHN MOSS provided a list of inspirational thoughts for the day and the most reasonable understanding is from NASA, who are working on a new theory that birds take off at sunrise, while at the same moment, on the opposite side of the world, other birds are landing at sunset.
LOWELL FORTE dressed in casual togs gave his 5 minute red badge talk. The former attorney from Iowa came to California and wrote about the deficiencies of lawyers. He moved to Buffalo where the brown ground is never noticed from Thanksgiving until Easter with flurries on July 4th. As a trained attorney and a journalist, he has some acute perceptive thoughts and his conclusion is he likes to belong where people are sincere in their actions. Lowell likes the Los Altos Rotary because he can sit next to that type of person each Thursday.
David Fraser, from the Los Altos Sunset Rotary Club described his visit to Ghana last October with the RI PolioPlus program to administer polio vaccine to 150 children. He was one of 93 people from our District participating.
WES OLSON and LEM SUMMEY joined GINNY's President Club for anniversary and birthday celebrations. BOB RAYL paid $20 for golfing at La Costa with a handicap he revealed as being that one arm is shorter than the other (NOT! Get Bob in your foursome and you're a winner.) JEAN HOLLANDS was ecstatic because the Warriors defeated the Lakers. DAN O'DONNELL, GINNY'S supplier of domestic trivia, is occasionally on a different page and offers GINNY a confusion of important dates. To his benefit, he is never more than 23 days wrong.
The Guest Speaker
JULIE ROSE left The Tech Museum of Innovation in 1996, but she still has memories of the institution and she introduced the speaker for the day: Wesley Wenhardt, vice president of business operations at the IMAX Theater.In a special treat, Wenhardt, spoke about the essence of Silicon Valley in a film called "Spirit of Silicon Valley." He also donated 30 tickets to visit The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose.
Wenhardt said The Tech Museum of Innovation has produced the world's first IMAX movie about Silicon Valley. It's a five minute long film in giant 70mm format underwritten by Agilent Technologies Inc. to use in recruiting and exhibiting the features of Silicon Valley as a place to work.
The IMAX is unlike a normal movie theater. The dome structure allows for a different viewing experience as the picture surrounds the viewer in the excitement of the movie. Everything is louder and bigger as the theater projects 15,000 watts of sound from 44 speakers.
Editor's note: BILLY RUSSELL exhibited a number of documents depicting the surrender of Japanese forces at the end of W.W. II. If you are into nostalgia, check out the Pearl Harbor Photo in the window of Gregory's Rancho Pharmacy. A Japanese Squadron Leader took it at 0800 hours during the first attack on 7 December 1941. The original picture was found 8 November 1945, in the Yokasuka Naval Facilities south of Tokyo, Japan.
President's Message
Thank you all for your generous support of our CSA project these past few weeks. Over this time, we have contributed more than 500 pounds of food, (they weigh it when it's delivered) along with your hundreds of wonderful gifts, chosen by you and your friends for young children who otherwise would have none. Members have given monetary contributions for purchases of food by CSA, and our 100 bike helmets and 100 bike chain/locks have arrived. Our club has truly made a significant impact on this 2000 Holiday Sharing program. A special thanks to Mady and Mel Kahn who shared some final gifts from their pharmacy, as the doors closed forever, and Nancy and Al Traficanti, and their daughter, who created a tremendous supply of gifts and food for this effort through an annual holiday party. You are all very generous.Thank you to the 70+% of club members who have already made their contributions to The Rotary Foundation drive through the end of November. If you are among the 30% who haven't yet done so, we hope you will find that envelope on your desk, and write your check. At our meeting today, we heard about two direct connections to the benefits of Foundation giving.
First were the capsule comments from Dave Fraser about his experience in Ghana with the PolioPlus program, made possible by Rotarians around the world giving to The Rotary Foundation. Then Ed Sox told of the support that Foundation dollars are giving directly to the Bakery project in Lima, Peru. The $5,000, we have allocated to this project, through Art Show fundraising, will become $20,000, thanks to Rotary Foundation matching funds. These funds will buy bakery equipment. Young people will be trained to make the bread that is then sold by other young people. This is a way out of both hunger and poverty. Great projects.
The blood testing for becoming a bone marrow donor will return on January 11. I'll put a reminder in the Rotator the week before that date. Flu shots may be given next week. We'll put out a "yes or no" e-mail by next Wednesday.
A couple of "housekeeping" notes: first, regarding the sale of items at our club meetings. We don't do it. We are a captive audience, and it quickly becomes awkward. I allowed President David Fraser to bring the Los Altos Sunset Club's fundraising "blanket," just once, as a courtesy, because of Dave's personal commitment to Rotary in Ghana. However, each of us belongs to many fine organizations with products to sell, and there would be no end to it. Second: we don't give or sell our directory to anyone who is not a member of our club. That annual book is full of personal information for club members use only. We'll appreciate everyone's cooperation on both of these items.
As the holiday season is in full swing, we must once again thank our Social Committee headed by Steve Shepherd, with Julie Rose, Jane Reed, and Mona Armistead helping to organize the great party at El Retiro. The genuine hospitality and great food, non-stop bar tenders, and John Sylvester on saxophone, made for a wonderful evening. We look forward to seeing you all at Rotary for our two final meetings of 2000. Each will be a very special.
See you Thursday. Ginny
Programs
December
Dec. 14 - Susan Hammer
Dec. 21 - LA Main Street Singers
Dec. 28 - No meetingJanuary
Jan. 4 - Chris Bischoff, Founder of Eastside Prep High School
Jan 11 - Allan Frumkin, Why Rotary?
Jan 18 - Deborah Wilder - Raising the Reader
Jan. 25 - Club AssemblyFebruary
Feb. 1 - Judge Len Edwards, Helping One child At a Time
Feb. 8 - Steve Westly, eBay, Sr. VP
Feb. 15 - Suzanne Kushner - Successful Brand Management - Moving Toward a Customer-Concentric Focus
Feb. 22 - John Giovanola, Hansen Cement Mfg.March
March 1- Suzanne Pari, Author
March 8 - Marlene Cowan, The Donner Party"Information in this newsletter is intended for the exclusive use of the members of the Rotary Club of Los Altos to facilitate the work of the club and to promote club fellowship. It is not to be used for any commercial or outside, unrelated, non-profit purposes. No publication of material in this newsletter should occur without the express permission of the club President or the Editor of the Rotator."
Copyright 2000 The Los Altos Rotary Club
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