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1 September -  BRIAN WARD, MD - Ageing and  the Threat of Blindness

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President Marlene chimed the meeting to order a bit early at 12:10.  Dwight Matthews led the Pledge of Allegiance.  Harkening back to childhood, Song Meister JEANNE MACVICAR, led the club in a “Puff puff, Toot-toot” song (“down by the station, early in the morning).

TRACIE MURRAY was called to give the thought for the day, BUT first she gave an announcement about     the upcoming ASANTE wine and cuisine Benefit for RotaCare (it’s coming on November 3; save the date, more announcements to follow).  Getting back to the good thoughts, TRACIE told the story of the King who put an obstacle in the road, and then looked to see who would move it.  Many complained, but none of them moved it.  Finally a poor peasant moved it, and found a large bag of money underneath as his reward from the king.  The moral:  Every obstacle in our path is an opportunity for improving our position.

President-Elect SAM PESNER took the mike to introduce visiting Rotarians, but couldn’t find any. Then he realized BRENDA NIEDERT is no longer a member of our club, having moved to Granite Bay, so he had a visiting Rotarian to introduce after all.  BRENDA tells us that she just joined the newly formed South Placer Club up in the Granite Bay area: the club just had it’s inaugural meeting the night before.  Good luck to BRENDA and her new Rotary club.  MEG SOLARA and JEAN HOLLANDS introduced their guests (their spouses) and DICK DUHRING introduced his guest, former member Joe O’Toole accompanied by his son.

JEAN  HOLLANDS gave us a short     talk on the importance and the meaning of the Four-Way Test.  It so happened that while she was speaking, circulating around, was an old newsletter with pictures of her and today’s guest speaker, Ed Zschau, from 1984.  This did not quite pass the four-way test.   It may have been the truth, but it was not really beneficial to all concerned.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:  An Announcement about announcements.

PRESIDENT MARLENE instructed everyone that has an announcement for the meeting to go in the Rotator, please send it to both to her and Editor, Cindy Luedtke by e-mail by noon on the Wednesday before the meeting.  See announcements as submitted to the editor in their entirety at the end of this newsletter; 

MARGE BRUNO announced that there is a Leadership Class (strongly endorsed by Los Altos Hills community leader JEAN MORDO), that is starting September 26.  Contact MARGE for more information, and you must sign up by September 1. 

JEAN MORDO then announced that the Bus Barn Players are celebrating their 10th Anniversary and will have a special Rotary Night on Thursday September 29.  Special discount tickets for all Rotarians.  The performance will be AIDA by Elton John (hah, you thought some guy named Verdi wrote it didn’t you?). Contact JEAN for further information.

KATIE NUTTER reminded us that the special progressive dinner will be taking place on Saturday September 24.  The initial sign-up sheet was going around, so there is still space if you want to contact KATIE: note she is still looking for a couple of people willing to host a portion of the dinner.

JOHN MOSS reminded us that the Los Altos Community Picnic is coming up this Sunday August 28 from 11 am to 3 pm.  There will be fun for the whole family.  Also, John could use more help manning the Rotary Booth that will be at the picnic.

PRESIDENT MARLENE relayed an announcement from DUDE ANGIUS that his hip replacement surgery went well and he is now up and about and causing trouble for his wife, Barbara, who is trying to get him to take it easy. 

MARLENE also announced that the club is having a Donner Party Getaway Saturday, Oct. 8 near Donner Lake State Park and museum.     Plan on a delicious meal on Saturday night (in a restaurant!) after your Donner Party hike (guided hikes offered from very easy to very strenuous levels).  (You should come even if you didn’t have fun at the last Donner Party; we are assured this one will be much more fun and have better food).  Discounted lodgings ($59/room) available at The Inn at Truckee for LARC members, thanks to Rick Glaze. Good fellowship promised! Get away to the Tahoe area while the weather is perfect. Sign up sheet next week at LARC.

The best announcement of the day actually came in “recognition” (covered below).  As you know BRUCE CANN has been accepted into a trial at the Mayo Clinic for an experimental cancer treatment.  BRUCE announced he’d join the President’s Club since the clinic had notified him that his cancer was showing remission due to the treatment.  Great news!

"RECOGNITION”

RICK GLAZE then assumed the podium   as official Fine Master.  First, CHUCK LINDAUER offered to pay a fine for the privilege of announcing that a new astronomy course for interested adults is starting up at Foothill College.  DENNIS YOUNG also accepted a fine to announce that as of October 1 his firm was merging into a larger CPA firm, RSM McGladrey, Inc. and would be part of the fifth largest CPA firm in the country.  Same folks.  Same address.  And, as Dennis put it, making the same mistakes, just a new name.

RICK was obligated to fine STEVE ANDERSON for being the handsomest man in the club; (this issue had come up earlier as an example of the 4-way test; is it the truth?).  RICK then started a wine quiz game, and SAM HARDING got fined for the right answer (Fine Master Union rules; your name is called, you pay a fine).  BILL MOISEN was fined $25 for a wrong answer (should it have been more?).  Poor DAN O’DONNELL got fined just because he had a nosebleed.  GERRY TOMANEK paid a fine to announce that his son finished school and has garnered full-time employment.  WILL CORKERN paid a fine to announce that he was deliriously happy to have his first grandchild.

THE WEEKLY PROGRAM

JOHN HAMBLIN took the mike     to give a short introduction of his father-in-law, former Congressman Ed Zschau,    a Professor at Princeton University.  Prof. Zschau made it immediately clear that he doesn’t think much about the past, because he’s so committed to working with young college students to help build a better future.  As part of his classes, he challenges students to come up with ideas for new technologies, and he then supports the students in their own startup companies.  He had a few examples for the club.

First was NANO OPTO, which has developed new microscopic technology for improving lenses, and making them much, much smaller.  This is currently being used for improved cell phone cameras, but will also be used to further miniaturize the opting lenses in CD and DVD players and displays, and should eventually lead to optical integrated circuits.

The next example was Princeton Power Systems, which is being run by four of his former students in his High Technology Entrepreneurship class.  The technology in this case came from the father of one of the students.  It controls and changes speeds of electric motors to improve efficiency and conserve energy.  Electric motors, particularly those in industry, use a huge portion of the electric bill, and much of this is due to their speed.  This technology will improve their efficiency.  It is also being used to improve wind turbines and connect them to the power grid.

The final example was perhaps most interesting.  Prof. Zschau challenged one of his classes to go out and search other development universities to find a new technology that could be made profitable on an investment of no more than $1 million (party money for most Venture Capitalists).  They located and chose a project at Northwestern that seeks to make “organic” semiconductors (out of polymers, instead of silicon).  The goal is to make this into an “ink” so that they can manufacture semiconductors just by printing them using an ordinary printing press.  A perfect example of breakthrough technology on the cheap.

Prof. Zschau closed by stressing that he viewed his role as “planting seeds.”  If we want new technologies to make a better world in the future, we need to inspire and support the young students of today.

President MARLENE thanked out guest for a wonderfully informative presentation, and adjourned the meeting at 1:31.

ANNOUNCEMENTS IN THEIR ENTIRETY:

FROM MARGE BRUNO-LEAD We are accepting applications for the 2005-2006 class

Open to Los Altos-Los Altos Hills area residents

Eight sessions - the last Monday of each month beginning September 26th through May

No meeting in December

Subjects presented include local govt., education, business, the library, history museum, social services and health, recreation, youth activities, the arts and community service organizations.

Volunteer opportunities are highlighted

One time fee of $75

Class limited to 25 students.  Require a minimum of 20 students.

FROM JEAN MORDO- BUSBARN  Bus Barn Stage Company is celebrating its 10^th season this year! The first show is a wonderful musical, AIDA, by Elton John.  To help celebrate the theater’s milestone anniversary, we are organizing a “Rotary Night” on Thursday, September 29. We have a special price of $25, and 40 seats are reserved for Rotary, on a first come first served basis.

Subscribers can switch to that night at no cost. A Clipboard will circulate at the LARC meetings, starting on August 24. Please sign up and put your ticket(s) price in the envelope, or indicate on the sheet that you are a subscriber, and which night you are switching from. Contacts: Jean Mordo or Joan Rosselle

FROM KATIE NUTTER- PROGRESSIVE DINNER Today we're starting sign ups for our September 24 progressive dinner.  We're keeping the price the same as last year -- $35 for a multi-course meal, with wine, where you'll be at three different homes during the evening.  While we already have sites for hors d'oeuvres (Steve Anderson, Dick Blanding) and dessert (Mel Kahn), we are looking for people to host 8 people for dinner. 

Dinner will be prepared and delivered to host homes in advance.  There are two ways to sign up to attend the dinner and/or host a group for dinner:  1) the sign-up sheet that's circulating during the luncheon meetings the next three weeks or 2) if you can't make it to a meeting, e-mail to katienutter@yahoo.com or call her at 650-948-3747.

FROM SANDIE WHIPPLE- PNG MENTOR TRAINING  Sandie announcing that the first training session for new mentors is taking place 9/14 at the MVLA District board room, 1299 Bryant MV,  from 12-1:30.  Lunch included.