Feb.    3 - Jean Hollands, "Friendship, Approachability, and Receiving Constructive Feed-back"
 

OTHER IMPORTANT DATES:

Feb.  23 - Centennial anniversary of the founding of Rotary

Another was Mark Gordon.  Back in ‘75, DAN DUTTON was President.  There are only 16 current members who were members back in 1975 including eleven of our current Past Presidents!  But if you remember the tradition in general, of giving Egan scholars and student leaders a dictionary, and wondered what ever happened to either the person or the book, Mark Gordon was here today not only to highlight his journey for the past 30 years, but he even brought the dictionary (well worn I might add) back too.

Today, Mark is an independent film maker.  He made a film called Her Majesty. He wrote the screen play, co-produced and directed it as well.  Today, he played the trailer, and it looked very interesting.  So interesting in fact that President Cindy suggested that we have a NIGHT AT THE MOVIES when it opens “in selected theatres around the country.”  It just so happens that it will play at the Century 16 at Shoreline on February 18^th, a Friday night.  I think it might be one of the great films (of which there weren't a lot in 2004) of 2005.  So far it has won 3 New Zealand film awards, won the Crystal Heart Award of the Heartland Film Festival, won the Audience Awards, New Port Beach Florida, the Stony Bank World Cinema Naples Film Festival, Best Live Action Feature Chicago Family Film Festival and the Best Feature Westchester Film Festival.  It is PG rated.  Go to www.HerMajestyTheMovie.com for more information, and to preview the trailer and other things about this film. There's one more good reason to make our weekly meetings, if you can. 

BRENDA NIEDERT FORSTALL announced some good news and some bad news.  The good news was that her husband, Rick, got the ‘job of a lifetime.’  The bad news it was in Granite Bay, and that she would be eventually leaving the club. 

She also mentioned that our club has formed a special task force headed by John Moss to look at the Garden House at Shoup Park as a potential community project.  Contact John Moss if you want to participate in this discussion.

 IN THE SWIM My reminiscence earlier this week about commuting to and working In Mountain View caught the attention of Foothill College’s DICK HENNING [my caps, his bold] who makes a slightly different commute in that area.  “I live on the border, but my address is Mountain View,” he emails.  “The shallow end of our swimming pool is in Mountain View, and the deep end in Los Altos, so I swim – just once a day – from Mountain View to Los Altos.”  And all the way back.

SCHEDULE:   There were several important dates brought to our attention:  NOTE: THERE WILL NOT BE A MEETING ON THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24^TH.  Instead there will be a Centennial Reception at Ricky’s Hyatt House at 6:00 PM on the day before, WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 23^RD.  There will be a signup sheet next week. 

Also, next week President Cindy will be in training.  She did not mention if it was for her new job or Rotary, but in any case, Past President DICK HENNING was tapped for the duties.  He promised not to wear his spandex. 

MEG SOLARA, in her own quiet way, brought to our attention that the Girl Scout Cookies program has added donated purchases to the Military Troops through the Local Red Cross and the Second harvest Food Bank of San Jose. On the table was a form.  Thirty-two Rotarians took advantage of the offer, and donated 127 boxes ($444.50 if you are counting).  One hundred fifteen are going to the troops overseas, and 12 will go to the Second Harvest.  IF YOU WANT TO PARTICIPATE, Meg will be collecting again next week, SO COME PREPARED. $3.50 per box.  Maybe the finemaster can give an option.  Who said the microphone doesn’t work?

PAT FARRELL mentioned the Los Altos Sister Cities annual celebration at, where else, but the Garden House (know where that is?).  Dinner catered by who else, but Chef Chu.  There was a program on your table, but here are a few points:

Date:  ah, never mind.  It was last night. 

ON DECK CIRCLE:   Last week President Cindy announced the nominated slate of candidates for the Board of Directors.  I was requested to have a picture of each candidate and put it in the Rotator.  I am in the process of getting all of the pictures used for our Handbook, but do not have it for this issue of the Rotator.  Maybe next week. 

Fair warning, I am going to include more pictures of members in the Rotator, and on the Website in the future.  So if you have a 1982 picture, be warned that it will be used until you update it.  See MICHAEL HARRIGAN if you want to update your picture.  PLEASE.

Anyway, here are the candidates.  For now, use your handbook to read the bio, and see his or her picture (in alphabetic order):

Matt Cabot

David Dye

John Moss

Karen Owen

Roland Payne

Irene Preston

Lucy Rasmussen

Joan Rosselle

Four will be elected, 3 for two years, and 1 for 1 year.  Election will take place on February 10^th. 

MAIN EVENT:  (oops, wrong metaphor).  Past President, BOB ADAMS introduced Peter Magowan, President and General Manager of the San Francisco Giants.  Bob had a page full of 8 point font about Mr. Magowan.  But suffice it to say that this owner and Managing General Partner of the Giants is Mr. Baseball.  He is civic-minded, enthusiastic, and a lifelong baseball fan.  After 4 previously failed attempts, Mr. Magowan succeeded in building a new 41,000 (thousand, Bob) seat ballpark in China Basin.   He is known as the man who brought single-season home run king Barry Bonds to the Giants in 1992.  He and his team was the first professional sports team to stage a benefit game for AIDS.  In 1999 Harvard Business School named him Bay Area Business Leader for 1999. 

He is also a 1964 graduate of Stanford University, with a masters degree in politics, philosophy and economics (generally mutually exclusive areas of study) from Oxford University. 

Peter is particularly proud of the fact that the stadium was completed without any tax dollars.  Take a look at the Giants website.  He threw around a lot of names, most of which this soccer fan, not a baseball fan, missed. 

He also said that the goal was to get into the playoffs.  Anything could happen.  Look at who won the World’s Series. 

Mr. Magowan pointed out the changes in baseball since he bought the Giants.  He wasn’t necessarily responsible for all of these, just that they changed the face of baseball

As a non baseball fan, this surprised me:  Did you know that more than 50% of the 40 member team is made up of pitchers?  In fact the Giant’s website is chocked full of great information.  Take a look at:  http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/index.jsp?c_id=sf   Also you can get tickets there as well.  If this is too much, just Google San Francisco Giants, and you will eventually get there.

He also spoke about the giving back to the community through their several kids programs.  He made the point that there is probably no other game that enjoys kids enjoying the game as much as baseball.  He spoke of their program to build a new baseball field every year for the youth of the Bay Area.