MEETING OF NOVEMBER 13, 2003
Rotator Writer: Wyatt Allen
Editor: Dick Blanding
BEGINNINGS:Our meeting began with RICH FISCHER leading us in the pledge. SETH MANNING, with a tribute to prior song master SAMMY KAHN, led us in a rendition of “Smile,” and MICHAEL SCHNEIDER provided our thought for the day (and relief that his daughter is married and “off the payroll!”).
President-Elect CINDY LUEDTKE introduced visiting Rotarians and guest that included WALT SCHOLEY and past Los Altos Rotary first lady MADY KAHN.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
President AL TRAFICANTI -
AL announced the passing of CAREL INCERPI, wife of Rotarian RON INCERPI and sister of NANCY TRAFICANTI. RON and CAREL would have celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this coming Christmas Day. Our thoughts and our prayers are with RON, AL, NANCY and their extended families at this time of their great loss.
AL also announced that Rotary District 5170 will be providing leadership development class n Nov. 19th 7-9 p.m. at the Doubletree Hotel in San Jose. There is no fee, but anyone interested should reserve space using the District website.
GINNY LEAR – Food Donations
She reminded us of the food drive for Community Services Agency. If you didn’t bring food this week, please remember next week. GINNY will be out front with the door of her car wide open in anticipation of our generous outpouring.
TRACEY MURRAY – Ring the Bell
It’s time to sign up to ring the bell for the Salvation Army the week of Dec. 8-12. Please take a two hour shift to raise money for a worthy cause and mingle with the citizens of Los Altos on Main Street. She also announced the recent wine tasting event raised approx. $6,500 for our Rotacare Clinic. Thanks to all those Los Altos Rotarians who generously supported the event.
AL LIGTENBERG – Travels to Equator
AL reported on his recent trip to Equator, including visits and presentations to Rotary Clubs there and a visit to a mission that provides shelter, food and education to poor children. He reminded us a mere $150 will support a disadvantaged youth for a year.
ROTARIAN INFORMATION:
JOE LACONTE, fulfilling his 5-minute talk requirement, informed us that he was born in Nevada and raised in the Central Valley of California. He has taken advantage of education opportunities at Cal Poly – San Luis Obispo, Colorado School of Mines and Stanford University gaining undergraduate and graduate degrees in Engineering. During the latter stages of his education, JOE served our Navy as an engineer, including stints in Vietnam. Following military service, JOE and his wife PATRICIA, lived in Australia for seven years where JOE was engaged in building bridges and natural gas pipelines. They returned to the Bay Area, turning down a promising Bechtel offer that would have taken him overseas for another extended period of time. After a decade with other firms, including Williams & Burroughs, JOE and PATRICIA started Olivewood Construction in 1989 and have gained a reputation for quality building and remodeling of homes and commercial structures locally. JOE also proudly announced the addition of a granddaughter in 2003.
BAIDRA MURPHY provided the recognition opportunities for various members to part with some of their money. If you were recognized and forgot to donate food, your fine was automatically increased. A word to the wise to bring food on Thursday! BEN McGANN celebrated his 80th birthday, MARY MARLEY and husband ARLEY completed the New York Marathon. MARY attempted to solicit other women members of our club to join her March to run an all-women’s half or full marathon as a fundraiser. Although many in attendance usually support almost any fundraising effort of our club, the thought of running (or even walking) thirteen or twenty-six miles didn’t spur a noticeable level of enthusiasm upon MARY’S announcement / challenge. Maybe if we think about it a bit longer and ask for some comfortable running shoes from Santa? RICH FISCHER announced that the student he mentored, JOSE, recently landed a reporting job with the Washington Post. For a student who barely knew English ten years ago, that’s quite an achievement! FIROOZ GHAFFARI felt compelled to contribute; JOAN ROSSELLE was elated that Measure “D” passed; PAT FARRELL shared that he evidently attended the same high school as JOE LOCONTE; CINDY DAY joined the president’s club; DICK HASENPFLUG paid the price of visiting relatives: STEVE ANDSERSON realized that winning at cards playing with other Rotarians can only lead to a fine; HELEN PRESTI paid for announcing her oldest child plans to wed; and LEN McBIRNEY confessed to attending an AA meeting when he thought it was a United Way meeting (uh huh!). You can learn the strangest things about our fellow Rotarians simply be attending our meetings and listening to what they have to say.
ROY LAVE introduced JENNIFER KUIPER as our speaker, as well as a daughter of a
local Los Altos family. JENNIFER has begun a career in conflict resolution and has spent time in Europe, Guatemala as well as recently in Palestine. Her slides and talk, entitled Daily Life in the West Bank during the Second Infifada,” illustrated how bleak the existence for everyone involved must be and how relatively hopeless the chances of success for a peaceful co-existence really are.
JENNIFER described frequent fixed and mobile check points where guards exercise various levels of control based upon affiliations and even moods. As she rode along, usually in an ambulance, she innocently represented a third party that made the exchanges and relations between the opposing sides more at ease. Curfews are declared at random, sometimes for days at a time. Bustling street markets exist one day, totally empty streets the next. Many Palestinians suffer from malnutrition due to inefficiencies of distribution due to blocked or destroyed roads and bridges. Now a combination wall and fence is being erected to separate the two factions (I was reminded of the Berlin Wall), further separating the two side from possible peaceful negotiations and settlements. Imagine living almost side by side with people you might consider enemies not knowing if hostilities will break out later that day or night that would endanger everyone you care about!
Refugee camps exist everywhere. People are crammed together in cramped living quarters placed tightly together (to keep tanks and vehicles from penetrating) with little water or sanitation facilities. What few small water tanks are salvaged and placed on roofs are often targets of guards for their amusement and thus destroyed and made useless. Mortar shelling and gunfire are often experienced, so refugees live under threat of violence and death almost every day.
JENNIFER relented that the present Israeli “Land for Peace” plan is not working and that these doesn’t appear to be any plan that could be considered a possible long-term solution. Could two side by side states exist? Peaceably? Something has to be done according to JENNIFER since despair is rampant among most inhabitants. To make matters worse, only the extremists seem to be sticking around and are getting the upper hand in terms of control and influence. This is not a good omen for a potentially peaceful coexistence.
I couldn’t help but wonder what it must have felt like being a young women from the United States immersed in the people of clashing cultures, religious and political beliefs both feeling that the land they were attempting to jointly occupy belonged to one of those peoples. I’m certain I wouldn’t have had the fortitude to venture into that environment, taking pictures and asking questions, as JENNIFER has done. I certainly admire her courage and her dedication to conflict resolution and encouraging peaceful coexistence.
ROTARY FOUNDATION –
The team of VICTORIA EMMONS, ROY JONES and WYATT ALLEN are providing a status report for our annual Rotary Foundation campaign. With Thanksgiving on Nov. 27th, you only have the meeting of Nov. 20th or a quick envelope to Wyatt Allen to get you contributions in and have an opportunity for the District 5170 raffle drawing.
2003 Rotary Foundation Campaign Facts –
<> Our club is almost to 60% of our aggregate campaign dollar goal
<> However, well under 50% of our members have contributed anything to date.
<> If you are unaware of where you stand in terms of progress toward a Paul Harris
Fellow ($1,000 or more contributed over time) or higher levels of recognition (each
$1,000 level above the initial Paul Harris Fellow) ask Wyatt for your RF status.
<> Many members of our club have eligible points that can be transferred to (1) a relative
or (2) another Rotarians or (3) a non-Rotarian that will count to that person’s Paul
Harris Fellow. If you would like to know the amount of eligible points you may have,
contact Wyatt Allen at your earliest convenience (wyatt.allen@bankoflosaltos.com or
(650) 917-5360.
If you are intending to contribute for 2003, we encourage you to get it to WYATT, ROY or VICTORIA as soon as possible.
SOCIAL NOTES: Planning is beginning for the progressive dinner on Jan. 31. Why so soon? Because between now and the end of January, we will not hold three weekly meetings due to holidays. If you would like to host part of the dinner, please contact Shelly Potvin or Steve Gruber.Programs and Events
November
Nov. 20: Christie Keith, the Hesperian Foundation, on Publishing Books for Community and Health Empowerment
Nov. 21: Fellowship Night
Nov. 27: Thanksgiving - no meetingDecember
Dec. 4: San Jose Mayor Ron Gonzales
Dec. 11: Liz Kniss
Dec. 17: Holiday Party, Jesuit Retreat House
Dec. 18: Community School of Music and Arts - Holiday Program
Dec. 25: Christmas - no meeting
JanuaryJan. 1: New Years Day - no meeting
Jan. 8: Club Assembly
Jan. 15: Dr. Robert Siegel - AIDS update
Jan. 16: Fellowship Night
Jan. 22: Joe Simitian
Jan. 29: Maxine Goodman - Palo Alto Philharmonic
Jan. 31: Progressive DinnerFebruary
Feb. 5: World Community Service
Feb. 12: Alliance for Community Care - Workshop on Stigma
Feb. 19: Los Altos Rotary Speech Contest
Feb. 20: Fellowship Night
Feb. 26: To be announced
Feb. 27: Cioppino Feed, Garden House
March
March 4: Trish Bubenik - American Red Cross, Be Prepared for the Unexpected
March 11: Carl Guardino - Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group, Economic Outlook
March 26: Fellowship Night
April
April 7: Celebrate Spring at Chef Chu's
April 8: Mountain View High School Madrigal Singers Spring Program
May
May 7: Golf Tournament
May 21: Fellowship NightJune
June 25: Kickout Dinner
OTHER ROTARY CLUB MEETING PLACES
On-line Meeting: www.rotaryeclubone.org
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.
East Palo Alto Bayshore: Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula, 2031 Pulgas Avenue, East Palo Alto, 12:15 p.m.
FRIDAY
Palo Alto University: Sheraton, El Camino, Palo Alto, 7:30 a.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 2003 The Los Altos Rotary Club