Next Week's Program: 
Angela McConnell, from the Community School of Music.
 

Upcoming Events:
Los Altos Chamber Business After Hours mixer  Wednesday, January 18, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Rambus Corp. offices at 4400 El Camino Real, Los Altos.
 

See our Calendar for all of the important dates.

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To District 5170

          Starting promptly at 12:15 p.m.  President MARLENE COWAN called the Rotary Club of Los Altos meeting to order with Wyatt Allen directing us to salute the United States Flag followed by ALLEN LAMBERT’S  astute direction to sing the old World War favorite “Yankee Doodle Dandy.” Marlene also thanked KAREN OWEN, AMELIA HO and JOHN MOSS for being greeters in the lobby.

 BUD OLIVER  provided the thought for the day with “Living Angels” by Piney Jordan. The thought behind the poem concerns incredibly gifted people who are known as volunteers.  Living angels practice what they believe. They know it’s always better to give than to receive.

            After announcing visiting Rotarians and Rotarians with guests, each table settled back for the 10-minute socializing period.  Sitting at table 9 the discussion concerned New Year’s activities and what they did during the holidays. Sitting next to RHONDA WENTZEL we heard about rebuilding her home, STEVE Yarbrough’s skiing trip and BILLY RUSSELL’S holiday experiences.

            The noise during this period of socialization is hard to curtail so Marlene asked members to raise their hand and close their mouth. It works after a short lapse in concentration. 

Announcements:

            PAT FARRELL, encouraged members to attend the Los Altos Sister Cities annual celebration January 19, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Garden House. Entertainment will be by the Bus Barn Follies.

            The Los Altos Chamber Business After Hours mixer will be hosted by the Los Altos Rotary Club, Wednesday, January 18, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Location is Rambus Corp. offices at 4400 El Camino Real, Los Altos.  

            The real estate industry was well represented when LARRY CHU Jr. introduced two new Los Altos Rotary Club members.

            CINDY WEMYSS sponsored NANCY SIMON,   a mortgage broker. Nancy is looking forward to her new Rotary fellowship.  

            CINDY LUEDTKE sponsored DAN HOLDEN,  reverse mortgage specialist, but Cindy had a hard time removing the red sticker from Dan’s Rotary badge.  Please welcome him into the Blue Badge bunch anyway.

            President MARLENE COWAN presented small tokens of appreciation to recent members for joining the Explorer’s Club.

            Other member’s names were announced but those present to accept their gift were: MIKE CABOT, GEORGE ESTILL, ELLEN FLANAGAN, MIKE HARRIGAN, PAT MILLAR, IRENE PRESTON, JIM REYNOLDS, and PAUL SHUTZ.

            CINDY WEMYSS   was fine master for the day and extruded a couple of bucks from the members.

            Cindy fined MARY MARLEY $50 for passing her real estate brokers exam on the first try. LARRY CHU Jr. was fined $35 for his birthday and 4^th wedding anniversary after paying $20 for the achievements of University of Texas at the Rose Bowl.

            CHUCK LINDAUER was pleased to announce the computer science class enrollment at Foothill College is up for the first time in five years. That cost him a couple of bucks.

            NANCY SIMON paid $18 for her 18^th wedding anniversary on Jan 9.

            Then, reverting to her Kentucky interests, Cindy provided a couple of down home trivia questions about the state and gave away the answers to a question for JACK KELLY, but he still paid his $25.

            Next week’s speaker will be Angela McConnell, from the Community School of Music.

            Kay Payne,  a docent for the fine arts museums of San Francisco, provided information on rebuilding the new De Young museum after the earthquake October 17, 1989.

De Young Docent Kay Payne’s speech to the Rotary Jan 12, 2006

            It isn’t often members of the Los Altos Rotary Club orally applaud their speaker at their weekly meetings, but they did for Kay Payne, a docent at the De Young museum in Golden Gate Park. Her presentation covered the new museum built after the 1989 earthquake and opened last October.

            “When I entered the new museum for the first time, I experienced wonder and awe,” Payne said. “It’s a portrait of America that describes our culture and history through American art with the artist’s history.” 

              Kay Payne has been with the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco since 1981, and is active as a docent, a lecturer and a teacher for the docent classes. Her lecture which the Rotarians enjoyed immensely was entitled “After the Ruins—San Francisco’s Earthquake Remembered.” It was the 15 seconds that changed San Francisco and the city’s cultural foundations.

            The new De Young Museum opened October 15, 2005, with a state-of-the-art new facility that integrates art, architecture and the natural landscape in one multi-faceted destination that inspires audiences from around the world.

            Payne said the new De Young was designed by the renowned Swiss architect firm, Herzog & de Meuron, and Fong & Chan Architects in San Francisco. The new De Young provides San Francisco with a landmark art museum to showcase the museum’s priceless collections of American art from the 17th through the 20th centuries, with art of the native Americas, Africa, and the Pacific.

            Describing the De Young Museum through a colorful slide show, Payne showed pictures of a construction of warm, natural materials including copper, stone, wood and glass. The new De Young blends with and complements its natural surroundings. The new museum is about 25 percent bigger than the old one. The building size is 293,000 square feet with permanent collection galleries around 73,200 square feet.

            Payne spoke of memories of the of the traditional art saying, "We all need reminders of the potential of what we have available at De Young, It’s good art in communication that speaks to the soul and uplifts the spirit." The realization that there is no wrong or right way of looking and seeing art should be a release to those who want to learn more.”

            The new museum, whose sleek mass and dimpled copper skin have drawn mixed reviews from architecturally conservative San Franciscans, is being paid for with private money. A fund-raising campaign has raised $178 million -$13 million above its goal.

            The De Young Museum was started in 1893, a year of financial depression in San Francisco.  M. H. de Young, publisher of the San Francisco Chronicle, decided the West was in need of its own world's fair. As National Commissioner at large, attending the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, de Young began to rally public enthusiasm at home. Upon his return he lobbied until the Golden Gate Park Commission granted Concert Valley for the exposition, under the condition that the area is returned to the city in such a state those permanent improvements could be carried out on the land. Only five months after the ground breaking the California Midwinter International Exposition opened on 2 January 1894 in Golden Gate Park in San Francisco and turned into a hodge podge of added rooms.

            "After the building was torn down and reconstructed, everywhere you look there's natural light in the new De Young which is controlled to protect the art.” Payne said. “The copper skin and the rich stone and wood finishes have been installed in most of the light-filled interior spaces. Ferns and eucalyptus now grow in the open-air gardens that slice deep into the building and bring the surrounding park into the heart of the new museum.”

            Everyone, young and old, rich and poor, should utilize the De Young Museum once again. It is a wonderful environment to be in with family, friends, or by oneself. And it is still free for all viewers on the first Tuesday of every month.

            “I would love to have the Rotary Club organize a field trip to visit the museum,” Payne said.  “Docents conduct free tours from 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. I work four days a week and I would like to see you there to conduct your tour.”