MEETING OF JUNE 21, 2001 By Wyatt Allen
MEMBER NEWS (The good news and the bad news)
Good news - We wish STEVE ANDERSON continued rapid recovery from two hip surgeries that were performed about a week apart. We all look forward to seeing STEVE back at Rotary very soon! Bad news - We learned through BOB CATHCART that BEN OSBORNE has been diagnosed with a return of cancer and is seriously ill. Our hopes and prayers go out to BEN and his family as he battles to regain his health.RECOGNITION
Pres. GINNY announced an official end to fining for the year (none too soon!) since we had already reached our goal (GINNY has been busy!). Despite the moratorium, MARY PROCHNOW offered to join the president's club. Also, LEN MCBIRNEY confessed to not being appropriately fined for his 50th wedding anniversary five years ago! What caused LEN to bare his soul now and not one, two three or four years ago?Some twenty years ago, a tradition was initiated to present what is called the Guy Shoup clock to the person who made outstanding contributions to our Rotary club. This year, Pres. GINNY awarded the clock to this year's Rotarian of the Year JEAN NEWTON. Congratulations to JEAN for all that she has done for Rotary over the years!
Well-earned recognition also went to BILL REWAK who was presented a Paul Harris Fellow by the club. We were reminded that BILL and the Jesuit Retreat House hosted our holiday party gratis so our club was able to donate some $4,000 to the Community Services Agency. BILL also shares very valuable words of wisdom often with all of us when providing us with the thought for the day at club meetings. Congratulations, BILL!
Pres. GINNY was in the recognition mode today. For their forward thinking leadership and untiring efforts, BOB GRIMM and MARIE BACKS were also awarded Paul Harris Fellows. BOB and MARIE led the successful efforts to build our new History House Museum that recently opened to the public. It is with great pride that we honored BOB and MARIE for just one of many major contributions they have made to our community. Congratulations to BOB GRIMM and MARIE BACKS!
SAM PESNER introduced BOB HOFFMAN who spoke on his efforts to clean up Mt. Everest. Climbers since the early 1950's have discarded everything from oxygen tanks, climbing and mountaineering gear, garbage, clothing and other items to lighten their load while ascending or descending the tallest mountain in the world. High altitude climbing is extremely dangerous and strenuous, so any weight reduction is welcome. In the early 1990's, after climbing every other significant mountain in the world (including the arctic and Antarctica) BOB approached the Nepal government with a plan to begin cleaning up Mr. Everest. This becomes even more impressive when we learned BOB didn't start mountain climbing until his mid 40's.
With words and slides, BOB not only provided some phenomenal views of Everest and the ascent, but provided a great deal of history of the region and insight as to how difficult the task of removing gear and garbage actually was. Ascending Mr. Everest is a grueling two-month trek at high altitude where your body is forever cold and barely able to cope with rarified air, constantly moving ice fields, difficulty drinking and eating enough to survive, and ferocious ever-changing weather conditions. Climbing only a few thousand feet in elevation can take 12-18 hours of unbelievably strenuous effort even in good weather. When conditions worsen, which they can in unbelievable suddenness, it sometimes takes every ounce of strength and stamina to avoid slipping or falling thousands of feet to your death.
It is also very costly (about $25,000 per person) and much time is spent attempting to gain corporate sponsorships and private donations. Sherpas and helicopters were only part of the tremendous effort to bring 632 oxygen bottles weighing 10-15 pounds apiece plus an almost endless amount of other gear, garbage and debris off the mountain. He plans to return next year to retrieve the remaining 200 oxygen bottles still left behind from his most recent efforts despite suffering serious frostbite and almost losing a number of his fingers. After hearing Bob's presentation, it is no small wonder that life insurance companies refuse to insure mountaineers.Now onto the two-part kick-out planned for GINNY next week. Part one will be Thursday at lunch and part two will be Friday evening at Fremont Hills. Let's plan to party hard since there will be no meeting July 5th, allowing plenty of time to recover before FIROOZ begins his "watch" on July 12th.
President's MessageSeldom have I done anything as clever as today, presenting Jean Newton with the Guy Shoup clock, just hours before she released the new and incredible RAP website, which you may view at http://www.rotaryaidsproject.org
Congratulations to Jean on a timely and phenomenal effort, prepared for use at the Los Altos RAP booth at the Rotary International Convention in San Antonio, Texas, this Sunday through Wednesday.
Those representing Los Altos Rotary in San Antonio are President elect Firooz and Giti Ghaffari, President elect elect Mary Prochnow, RAP Chair Dude and Barbara Angius, and RAP Committee members Marlene Cowan, Dick and Paulette Henning, Dick Hasenpflug, and Jack Higgins. We wish them a safe and successful trip, and look forward to seeing them next Thursday, back in Los Altos.
Thank you for the special opportunity given me to lead the Los Altos Rotary Club this year. There is no view like the one from the podium to appreciate all that each of you does to make this club the dynamic force it has become. I am now privileged to join the 17% of our membership who are active past club presidents. My very best wishes to Firooz for an excellent year to come.
See you Thursday,
Ginny
Programs
June
June 28 – Ginny's Kick-out, part 1
June 29 - LARC Kick-out, Dinner/Dance, Fremont Hills Country ClubJuly
July 5 - No meeting
"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 2001 The Los Altos Rotary Club
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