Writer: Steve Yarbrough
Editor:  Dick Blanding

Next Week's Rotator Writer:
Matt Cabot

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Mar. 18 - Friday Night Fellowship Dick and Linda Blanding's Estate

Next Week's Program: 
Mar. 24 - Nan Geschke, "Wallace Stegner: Throwing a Long Shadow"

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This is Steve Yarbrough reporting from County Wexford, Ireland, on St. Patrick’s Day, for Los Altos Rotary. 

At our Wexford table we discovered a couple of Irish women: BAIDRA MURPHY and Past President MARY PROCHNOW.  Mary said her grandfather came from the old sod to Ellis Island, N.Y., in 1906 – she’s a true Irish lass, she is.  As well her daughter, the red-flamed Ms. Murphy, who served as fine-mistress to pick a little green from fellow Rotarians.

Then we had our French Irishman LOUIS BOREL, SHELLY O’POTVIN, STEVE MCSHEPHERD AND SAM MCHARDING. 

Visiting from Holland was Johan Van Der Schee.

A visiting Rotarian from the San Jose Club, Amelia Ho, rounded out our fine kettle o’ fish.

Lassy Prochnow led us all in a fit rendition of the pledge.  Followed by some version of Irish Killarney by CRES MCFALL. 

Then we were all nodding “Yes” to the Gaelic verse of our Aussie Irishman BRUCE CANN: “May the road rise to meet you and the wind always be at your back. . . .”

President Elect MARLENE COWAN introduced visiting Rotarians, including our new friend Joseph Elesie from Ethiopia who is working to establish an orphanage for the many children who need help there.

President “Cheesehead” CINDY LUEDTKE was decked out in a whistling cap for the St. Paddy’s Day festivities.  All the tables were appropriately bedecked in green.  She thanked the crew of the cioppino feed, especially Past President JOE RENATTI and the kitchen crew.  LEE LYNCH served wine for all.  Cindy named so many helpers, I couldn’t write all the names fast enough!  I know the night was a fun event and the food was the best ever.  [Webmaster’s note:  check the website at here for some pictures of the wonderful event.  Remember, if you will take them, I will publish them.]

A giant wandering leprechaun, JACK KELLY, started wandering from county table to table selecting people to tell a little blarney.  Blarney, Jack said, is the art of speaking eloquently.  So some folks did.

First it was that fine Irish CPA DENNIS O’YOUNG who told us a bit o’ verse from Elizabeth Barrett Browning.  Then the MCFALL brothers sang a cosy duet and the old fine song Maggie.  They got a real applause!  Mixing business with pleasure, President Cindy fetched SAM O’PESNER to the podium to peddle the district conference’s golf, tennis, surfing and sand event from May 14 through May 22.  Better mark your calendars.

TOM LISTON, whose family was confined to the Irish Isles for near 900 years before making their way to the promised land, told his tale of ancestry.  Reaching back to 1174 when the first Liston was sent by King Henry II to Ireland to do something or other and landed in Limerick 'til 1653.  Then, of course, his relative was hung.  In 1870, grandfather Liston fled to elsewhere, and Tom’s father came to America as a teenager to make his misfortune and did.

MIKE HARRIGAN said his most embarrassing Irish moment was when his mother sent his to dance class clad in her plaid skirt in lieu of a kilt.  The poor boy!  He toasted and roasted the Rotarians with classical Irish verse.

BAIDRA MS. MURPHY, as I already said, went shopping for green amongst the Rotarians.  She visited Irish trivia on SHELLY O’POTVIN, HEINZ, MCBLENNEMANN, JOANNE O’BYRNE, JOE O’CORRAL, DAVEY MCDEMATEIS, PAT O’GRAY, JEAN MCHOLLAND, PAUL MCNYBERG, HERB MCMARSHALL, JANE MCREED, MOM MARY, BRIAN MCWARD AND TOM MCLISTON.

President Cindy honored those who arrived in costume for the day and fined those who didn’t. 

PAT O’GRAY told the true tale of Granddaddy Thomas Haggerty who rose from the coal mines as a boy to found the United Mine Workers of America, then fell from grace when he bought a mine for himself.

Dan the real O’DONNELL lit us all a fire by the peet bog in an Irish tavern.

Check out the pictures here. 

KENDRA GJERSETH presented her five minute talk.  We learned that she is mostly Irish and from Wisconsin. She can drink a few brewskies, bowl a few games and loves the Green Bay Packers.  Kendra attended Beloit College in Wisconsin and graduated with honors from Loyola University in Chicago.  Her dad was a pipeline worker and her mom a banker.  She has a sister, Laurel, who at 4'7" makes up for her diminutive size with her strong voice.  Kendra maintains her friends – her best friend from age 8 on, lives in Milwaukee and the two still are close.  After a career in radio, television and film, including a stint with WGN TV, the Jenny Jones Show, and other adventures, Kendra landed in Los Altos where she owns and operates “Birch” on Main Street – a stationery and graphic arts business.  Welcome Kendra!

Announcements:

• Watch Rotary International President Rick King on Comcast re Rotary Centennial March 20 at 7:24 p.m. or March 26 at 1:24 p.m.
• Don’t miss the Friday night social 3/23, 5:30 P.M., at Dick and Linda Blanding's!
• BARB DUNCAN was honored with the TWIN award for women in industry!  Congratulations Barb!
• Community School of Music and Arts presents ROLAND PAYNE’s wife Kay Payne March 18th.
• Alta Vista Soccer needs more coaches; talk to HERB MARSHALL.
• Celebrate Spring with CHEF CHU April 13 6:30, $35/per person.
• The roving leprechaun caught DICK O’HENNING and coerced him into telling a tale which probably can’t be believed.  Dick tried to research the Irish Hennings, but was told Henning is not an Irish name.  He discovered then in South Africa, though.  He said, “These two Irishmen were leaving a bar . . . well it could happen.”
• BRIAN O’WARD claimed to be half Irish and half English.  When asked to say something nice about the Irish, his English half said “that won’t take long.”
• Ms. Murphy, the busy lass, serves as Youth and Vocational Director on the LARC board of directors.  President Cindy called upon her to update the club on her committees which included the following:
• Interact – our club sponsors Los Altos, Mountain View and Alta Vista high school clubs. MEG SOLERA, CINDY WYMES and MIKE CABOT are leaders.
• Club Liaison to our Boy Scout Troop 37, DICK BLANDING
• Partners for New Generations – mentoring, tutoring and literacy, co-chairs SANDY WHIPPLE and HINDA WEBBER.
• Alta Vista Soccer Program – HERB MARSHALL
• Camp RYLA – Rotary Youth Leadership Awards-MARGE GRATIOT
• Scholarship Committee chaired by SHIV SHASTRI
• Speech contest, JACK KELLY
• Vocational committee with DAVID DYE.

 She’s a busy committee chair, Ms. Murphy!

President Cindy send us on our way with her usual ‘toodle-oo.