MEETING OF SEPTEMBER 13, 2001 By Steve Yarbrough
Editor - Dick Blanding
Webmaster - Steve GruberOpening perhaps the saddest meeting of Los Altos Rotary, President Firooz Ghaffari introduced Gary Sargent, president of the Morgan Hill Rotary Club, who beautifully and movingly sang the National Anthem of the United States of America. Rotarian Bill Rewak presented the thought for the day, asking all of us to reflect on how we can function together as a community in the face of the violence that has befallen us this week.
President-elect Mary Prochnow introduced visiting Rotarians and many guests. John Moss introduced three representatives from the Packard Foundation: Sono Iebe, Don Morrow and Tom Vinthomas, who are affiliated with the Foundation's population project and may join forces with the Rotary World Service Committee in a joint effort. Other guests included Jack Huston, Howard Bishoff, Chris Post, Susan Glaze, Bruce Barton, Nancy Glaze, Nan Kaskati, Bruce Bowman and Dr. Sal Lauren,t who is opening a new gallery at 166 Main Street in Los Altos.
New Member:
Los Altos Rotary welcomed new member Larry Chu with a standing ovation. We all look forward to working with Larry, who was sponsored by Alex Ng.
Thoughts and reflections:
Bill Rewak moderated a round of comments on the terrorist attack that occurred on September 11, 2001. The following is a selection of our fellow Rotarians' thoughts on this catastrophe and how we should respond:
Roland Payne: "I served in the Naval Reserve for 25 years, commanded a unit. We are ready and the mind set is to strike out. We are a nation of laws and the country needs to know that there is a large number of people who want retribution in the proper from the proper individuals."
Ginny Lear: "King and I decided what we can do is to meet our neighbors, be engaged, be part of a solution as part of a war effort." King and Ginny have invited their new neighbors over for dinner in a gesture of outreach, tolerance and friendship.
One guest commented: "My father always taught me to ask, ?What would an extraordinary person do right now?' That's how you prepare your response."
Steve Anderson pointed out that his emotions have run a gamut of feelings from anger to sadness. He said, "I'm getting more and more emotional as time goes on."
Dan O'Donnell said, "My understanding is that the mainline Muslim religions do not condone martyrdom as a means of salvation." He cautioned that we should not condemn all Muslims for the conduct of fringe elements.
Wyatt Allen reminded us that Rotary promotes international peace through exchange programs and many other activities. "Let's not lose sight of our objectives in Rotary."
Joan Rosseller said she was very grateful for this Rotary club. "It's a place of comfort."
Clyde Noel, a veteran of World War II, noted that the symbolism of the American flag being raised on the rubble of the fallen tower of the World Trade Center brought to mind the raising of the flag on Iwo Jima.
Mary Prochnow said our Rotary Club is fortunate that Firooz Ghaffari is the president of our club this year and at this time. She pointed out that his theme, "The Year of the Nations" provides us with opportunities to hear from people from other countries and offers us one more chance to make a difference in our world.
Don Hull had spoken with a Persian man at Costco who told him that he had lived in the United States for 25 years but that people here didn't separate him from the terrorists. Don remarked that 70 kids showed up at his religion class that night because they wanted a feeling of normalcy.
Cres McCall emphasized that we must punish the crime and those individuals responsible, but stop the cycle of violence.
Sam Pesner has received the following message from the Sandown Rotary Club in South Africa:
Dear All,
Having been in your country at San Antonio in June, we are truly shocked and horrified at the recent events. The people of America are in our thoughts and prayers during this dreadful time. Please convey our deepest sympathy to your fellow Rotarians from all the Rotarians of Sandown , South Africa.
At our meeting on Tuesday - which is the District Governor's visit, we will have a few minutes silence to remember those who died in this cowardly attack on your country and our civilisation. When we met you in San Antonio, you all expressed your concern for Africa and its AIDS problem, we now express our concern and sympathy for the people of America.
God Bless America
Yours in Rotary
Eric & Maryita Henderson
Rotary Club of Sandown
South AfricaThe following message was received from Jennifer Moss, the daughter of John Moss:
Thank you all for your lovely e-mail, but of course I am quite all right. Being in the city right now is terribly depressing... This is the first day that I have been at work, only about half the people are here, everyone is silent, quiet, sad, some tearful. Walking in the streets is like that too. The subways were packed this morning, but as quiet as if they were empty. No one pushed, shoved, or cursed, everyone was walking about as if in a daze. And the charred smell of smoke lingers about the city, reminding us at every minute that there are thousands of people that are still trapped, and most likely dead, under the remains of the WTC.
It's people's personal stories that are the most heart wrenching. I know people who were in the building but lucky enough to have evacuated in time, people who worked across the way and now have permanent images of looking across the street to see people on fire flinging themselves to their deaths 90 stories below, other people who have loved ones missing, who received last messages or phone calls from others trapped. One man said that he went into a church, after not having been in one for years, and was approached by a woman/stranger who said, "Please please, can you just hold me?" Her fiancé had been calling her all day from beneath the rubble, where he ultimately perished. Though he didn't know her, he held her because she was just overcome with grief...I could go on all day with stories like this, but all you have to do is turn on the news, any channel, and you will see and hear the same things for yourself. The frustrating thing is not knowing how to transfer the energy into positive activities... There are so many people waiting to volunteer and help, and sadly, there are very few survivors. I have gone to the Red Cross twice, only to be turned away because they have quite enough blood. There are so many people who want to help, to give, to soothe, and really it is just going to take time to heal. But I admire the way that the city and the nation have united, so of course I keep my usual optimism close to my heart.
Thank you all once again for showing your concern, your love makes me feel blessed. I will be home in Los Altos October 3rd until the 8th, so please call my mom and dad's house to reach me. I hope to see you all, if not, then please write me or call me to let me know how YOU are doing.
Love always,
JenniferWe have also received the following message from New Zealand:
Greetings,
The events of this last week have left an indelible mark in history. Even though we are half a world away the members of The Rotary Club of Invercargill Sunrise feel the pain of all those families destroyed by this senseless act. On behalf of the members of our club and city I extend to the families in New York, Washington and other areas affected our deepest sympathy. It is our fervent hope the American government finds and punishes the perpetrators, and those hiding them.God bless America.
Willy Couper
President
The Rotary Club of Invercargill Sunrise
Invercargill
New Zealand
Announcements:Contact Roy Lave to participate in the Rotary's Area 10 Sunday Brunch, 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sept. 23, 2001 at Ming's Restaurant. Cost is $25 per person, dress is casual.
Rich Fischer is establishing a Harry Fischer Scholarship Memorial Fund in honor of his father who passed away last month. He has indicated that those Rotarians and friends who would like to participate in this Scholarship Fund should send their contributions to:
Mr. Bill Pierce - Principal
C/O Alta Vista High School
1299 Bryant St.
Mountain View, CA. 94040Ed Sox announced four couples will be visiting Los Altos and Palo Alto from Chennai, India, on September 29th. They will be here for a week. Ed asked for help housing these visiting Rotarians, and asked that anyone interested contact him or Dick Henning. Two or three nights of lodging are needed for each exchange person.
Joanna Medin announced a Rotary Picnic on October 14, at Heritage Oak Park in Los Altos from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. All Rotarians and families are welcome.
Don't forget Persian Night at President Firooz's house this Saturday night! Join everyone for Rotary fellowship.
Program:
Paul Nyberg introduced Dave McKenzie to celebrate the 54th anniversary of the Los Altos Town Crier. Dave is the founding publisher of the newspaper which begin as a hand-drawn 8 by 11 inch piece of paper folded in half and has grown into a valuable community newspaper. Dave brought some much welcome light-heartedness to an otherwise somber day.
Dave and Warren Goodrich, a former Rotarian, started the newspaper as a shopper with initial circulation of about 1,700. It went through a series of publishers until it found the support of local grocery markets including Purity Market, Safeway, White Cliff, Food liner, Midtown and Rancho. Dave remarked about the many promotions required to keep the paper going in rough times, including lucky number drawings, bumper stickers and free bulletin board ads.
The Crier folded after being purchased in 1988 by the Chicago Tribune Company but was revived in 1993 by Rotarian Paul Nyberg who has developed the newspaper into one of the outstanding community newspapers in California.
President's Message September 11-what a terrible day for America and for the whole world! What an emotional meeting our meeting was for all of us, and what a great job Bill Rewak did as the facilitator in our "thought sharing" session! With Gary Sargenti coming from Morgan Hill to honor us with his singing of the National Anthem, the whole experience was quite heart warming. We need each other.
The horrible tragedy tells us how a few criminals, acting out of hate, can commit the most terrible acts of violence against humanity. It also brings to surface the character of the heroes among us--the firefighters, the police and all the volunteers who risked their lives to rescue the victims. Our faith in our civilization is once again reinforced.
In an attempt to do my job as servant to the community, I share with you a recent experience. Last Thursday morning I had breakfast in a coffee shop in downtown Los Altos. As I was paying the cashier, the waitress, walked up and told me what a Middle Eastern customer was confiding in her. The customer said that her kids were being harassed by other kids in the school. This may be an isolated incident. Yet, I find myself asking following question: Is there something we as Rotarians do prevent such incidences from recurring in our community? The Constitution guarantees our freedom. But to truly live a free life, one must live free from hate and fear, and just the same, free from hating.
"Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves, and, under a just God, cannot long retain it."
- Abraham LincolnI feel this horrible tragedy is calling on us to yet become better Rotarians by doing more for world peace and understanding. In every sense of the word, our community is one of the richest in the whole world. We can aim to set high standards for the rest of the nation. When we do achieve, it would be a high honor for all of us. Will you help?
-Firooz
Programs
September
September 20 - County Supervisor Joe Simitian
September 27 - Dr. Richard Spaete - "New Approaches to Contol of Influenza"
October
October 4 - West Bay Opera
October 11 - Dr Malini Alles - "Helping women in developing countries"
October 18 - Candidates Forum
October 25 - Dr. Ruben Granich - AIDS Research
November
November 8 - Red Badge Auction
"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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