MEETING OF DECEMBER 12, 2002
By Wyatt Allen
Editor: Dick Blanding
Webmaster: Steve GruberPRELUDE –
Once again, we were serenaded by the melodic sounds of Bruce Cann at the piano, playing many seasonal favorites as we gathered for one of our pre-holiday meetings.
BEGINNINGS –
CINDY LUEDTKE started things off by leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance (we were
to learn later in the meeting that there was more significance to this than first realized).
SETH MANNING led us in a round of “Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer” with a featured solo portion by songster JOHN SYLVESTER.
JOANNE BYRNE offered the thought (actually thoughts) of the day. She shared thoughts such as “every day can’t be a good day, but try not having one at all.” Also, the difference between a pessimist and an optimist on a journey is that the pessimist might be right but the optimist had a better time on the trip. She also shared how “one” of something can make such a difference (such as one tree can be the start of a forest, one sunbeam light an entire room and one touch can tell someone how much you care). Most of all one life can make a difference and that life is you. Excellent thoughts for all Rotarians to keep in mind, don’t you think?
Pres.-Elect AL TRAFICANTI led the introductions of visiting Rotarians and guests.
ANNOUNCEMENTS –
► Pres. MARY PROCHNOW informed anyone who might have forgotten to bring a gift for a 5-6 year old for the Alta Vista gift day for underprivileged children that it’s not too late. Please get gifts to BOB ADAMS or drop them by Mary’s office by Tuesday morning (Dec. 17th) to be in time for the event.
► Tracie Murray reminded everyone of the Holiday Party at the Jesuit Retreat House Dec. 18th. Also, if you are willing to help with bartending, please contact Tracie.
► MARY announced the date of the Cioppino Feed to be March 7, 2002. Mark your calendars for a delicious feast.
► MEG SOLARA announced that the Los Altos Interact Club will be providing gift wrapping services at the Community Plaza on Dec. 14-15 and 21-22 from 10:00-4:00. Please support our Interact Club by bringing your gifts to be wrapped.
► Evidently, those using AOL may not be receiving your Rotator (so you won’t learn of this announcement, either) due to the systems screening software. Imagine, our renowned Rotator being considered “spam!” If you have any potential solutions, please let our webmaster STEVE GRUBER know your thoughts.
PEOPLE BUSINESS –
► CHUCK LINDAUER was awarded his blue badge by his sponsor SAM PESNER and received a standing applause for his completed efforts. CHUCK is Dean of Computer Science at Foothill College and we welcome him as a full-fledged “blue-badger.”
► Congratulations to RICHARD HASENPFLUG and CLYDE NOEL for being awarded the Los Altos – Los Altos Hills Volunteer award. I can’t think of any two people who are more deserving of this award for their respective many years of dedicated service to our community. Thanks, Dick and Clyde, for everything you do for benefit of our local communities (and Rotary, too!).
► As MARY said, it’s great to have BILLY RUSSELL with us at our meeting. Did you notice how dapper he looked at the Los Altos 59th Anniversary Party?
► Not only did BAIDRA PROCHNOW and JEAN NEWTON each get married last month, so did KURT HUEG. Congratulations to all!
► SETH MANNING had the floor to provide recognition using a “group” format after first making certain MARY was a member of her own “President’s Club.” All past presidents who were not in that select category were asked to make strides toward that goal. FIROOZ GHAFFARI and DICK BLANDING went all the way to the limit, the rest of us not wanting to peak too early in Mary’s year as president. Then everyone who was fortunate or unfortunate enough to have one’s photo in a recent newspaper was asked to provide similar support for their recognition. I think HERB MARSHALL will be more careful whose home he drives by while on a cell phone, don’t you JOHN SINES?
► Each year, the past presidents of our club gather together in December to choose the person to be our president beginning a year and one-half later, in this case July 2004 through June 2005. We learned the significance of CINDY LUEDTKE leading off our meeting by leading the pledge when immediate Past President FIROOZ GHAFFARI announced the unanimous choice. Congratulations, CINDY, and thank you for accepting our future leadership role!
► BEHNAM “BEN” SIAVOSHY gave his five-minute talk despite a dysfunctional microphone. Born in Iran in 1959 to a large family with an investment banker father and homemaker mother, BEN was schooled in England and the United States. After graduating from San Jose State, he began his career in the printing business. In 1996, he started his own printing company and in 2002, purchased Print Innovations from past president FIROOZ. In 2000 he met and married his wife Maryam and they have a one-year-old daughter, Nava, both of whom have changed his life tremendously for the better. Welcome to Los Altos Rotary, BEN!
FUNNY BUSINESS –
AL TRAFICANTI introduced our speaker, JOHN ELMAN, who spoke on the role of
humor and laughter in people lives. JOHN is the only non-scholastic member of the International Society of Humor Studies. Having survived a career in insurance, JOHN took up an interest in humor and laughter that has become his passion in retirement.
He informed us that humor is healthy for us in that we have to think to make it effective. The three theories of effective humor are superiority (we can make fun of someone of higher authority without confronting them), release/relief (manner to relieve stress or tensions) and incongruity.
Jokes need to be relatively simple and have a surprise at the end such as an exaggeration, comparison or reversal of the line of thought it starts with. He used a number of topics to create humor we all enjoyed starring the CPA’s, bankers and lawyers, city council, pet phrases and sayings, road rage, newspapers, police reports, and much more.
Telling jokes is really an art. He advised us to keep them simple, avoid offending anyone, and have them based upon common ground, experience or understanding. Cross-cultural humor often fails for lack of understanding between giver and receiver.
Humor is healthy for you. It stimulates the mind (cognitive thinking), is an aid physically (release of stress or tension) and is emotionally beneficial (helps one cope in a non-threatening manner).
For this time of year, I liked his advice to make New Year’s resolutions you are more able to keep, for example: I will try to misplace my keys more often or eat more fatty foods or exercise even less than last year. Mr. ELMAN was an enjoyable speaker who, if he didn’t keep you laughing, you probably at least had a smile on your face and forgot some of the things that were on your mind before our meeting started. Sure felt like humor was healthful to me after listening to JOHN.
Hope to see you and yours at our Rotary holiday party on Dec. 18th.
Thanks to the following Rotarians who helped with the Salvation Army bell ringing this year: Jack Heidmiller, Dick Blanding, Julie Rose, Mel Kahn, Lee Lynch, Mike Menke, Pat Farrell, Roy Jones, Ginny Lear, Marge Bruno, Dan Dutton, Dick Duhring, Tracie Murray, Mary Marley, Dick Fouquet, Paul Nyberg, John Moss, Dick Henning, Dan O'Donnell, Charles Alpers, Alan Lambert, January Reed, Cindy Luedtke, Boo Bue, Sam Pesner, Larry Madsen, Steve Anderson, and Bob Adams.
Programs and Events
December
December 18: Holiday Party
December 19: Main Street Singers, Los Altos High School, “Holiday Music” Choral Music: Mark Shaull Director
December: 26: No Meeting, Happy Holidays
January
January 2: No meeting
January 9: "Barge Cruising in the French Canals"; Diana and Kellogg Fleming
January 16: "The State of the Economy"; Economist Jeanette Garretty, Ph.D
January 23: California State Assembly Member Joe Simitian
January 25: Progressive Dinner
January 30: "Information Security: Electronic Commerce and Security Breaches"; Harvard Law School Graduate Stephen WuOTHER ROTARY CLUB MEETING PLACES
MONDAY
Palo Alto: Rickey's Hyatt House, 12:15 p.m.
TUESDAY
Los Altos Sunset: The Echo Restaurant, Los Altos, 7:15 p.m.
Sunnyvale: Ramada Inn, 12:15 p.m.
Mountain View: Adobe House, Moffett & Central, Mountain View, 12:15 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
Menlo Park: Menlo Park Recreation Center, Menlo Park, noon.
Woodside/Portola: Woodside Village Church, Woodside, 7:30 a.m.
Sunnyvale Sunrise: Wild Woodys Grill, Sunken Gardens Golf Course, 7 a.m.
Cupertino: Quinlan Community Center, 12:15 p.m.
THURSDAY
Palo Alto Sunrise: Scott's, Town & Country, Palo Alto, 7:15 a.m.
Yosemite: The Ahwahnee Hotel, Noon
FRIDAY
Palo Alto University: Sheraton, El Camino, Palo Alto, 7:30 a.m.
Lake Tahoe: Harvey's Hotel, 12:15 p.m.
"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 2002 The Los Altos Rotary Club
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