Greeters MARGE SENTOUS, MARV PATTERSON and GARY ROSS

People do remarkable things
Today Los Altos Rotarians met David and Haydi Sowerwine – two bright people who had ideas about how to help people in Nepal who need to cross swollen rivers and who live without electrical power. 
 
Our peripatetic Rotarian ALLART LIGTENBERG met David and Haydi during one of his many solar cooking adventure trips to Nepal.  David, a member of the Mid-Town Rotary Club of Kathmandu, was interested in ecological low-cost technology solutions to the twin problems of crossing Nepal’s treacherous rivers and streams and providing electrical power to the 14 million Nepalese living without electricity.
 
They came up with two ideas – 1) bring bright young engineers to solve the technical problems and 2)  create a local Nepalese business to bring the solutions to the people.  EcoSystems Energy and Transport was started by this adventurous former Bay Area couple to accomplish these goals.
After 14 years of effort, they have built 32 wire bridges in Nepal and developed a double tripod pedal generation system to provide power and light where no one had been able to accomplish that feat before.
 
The bridges provide a safe alternative to the hand-pull wire crossings of the past.  The old bridges caused many lost fingers and even drownings from children falling off the structures while trying to get to and from school.  Constructed of strong wires and pulleys from which are suspended toe-to-toe basket chairs, the wire bridges have made more than 3 million crossings without an accident!
 
The unique generating systems provide power by bicycle pedal which charges a deep cycle 12 volt battery box.  This in turn is used to charge long-life 6-volt batteries which run LED lamps for reading and illumination of work areas in remote homes across Nepal.  David and Haydi are proud that their system can provide schools in Nepal with audio/visual educational programs in areas where this was never possible before.  A single diode light can operate for 300 hours with their system.
 
Their project has qualified for a World Bank grant for deployment in 15 villages.   Now, they have learned that their project is a finalist in the World Bank competition for lighting Africa – “Holy Watts.”  Of course, they are open to being partners with interested Rotarians.  Tickle your fancy?
 

Opening the Session
President JOHN MOSS opened the meeting by asking president select-select TRACIE MURRAY to lead us in the pledge.  After singing America led by Mayor, VAL CARPENTER, TRACIE presented the thought for the day, summarized as “when you rock together, you really rock!”
 
Visiting Rotarians
We were pleased to host visiting Rotarians Arley Marley of Sunnyvale, Jaya Vasu of Los Gatos, Mark Schmidt of Villa Park, and many special guests.
 
Announcements
President JOHN announced there will be no more Rotary Handbooks.  It has been supplanted by the new Clubrunner website.  Long live the handbook!
 
SAM PESNER’S finger puppets tolled the death of the laptop a couple of weeks ago.  If anyone out in the wide world has a replacement, please advise soon!  Like, free, would be nice.  The club needs a donation.
 
MARY MARLEY encouraged all Rotarians to support the Crab Feed and Auction sponsored by the Sunnyvale Rotary Club, a fundraiser for their club’s foundation.  It will be held Saturday, March 1, 2008 from 5-8 pm at St. Cyprian Church, 1133 West Washington Ave., Sunnyvale.  Cost is $40 per ticket.
 
COETA CHAMBERS and KATIE NUTTER reminded all to join them for a Kick-off Party for the Annual LARC Art Show at Coeta’s house Friday at 5:30-9 p.m. 608 Palm Ave., Los Altos.
 
Mayor VAL advised that the city is asking for volunteers for a number of Los Altos city commissions, including planning, sculpture, and traffic.    She also said that voters can drop their mail-in ballots in a bin at City Hall and save 58-cents postage.
 
PAT FARRELL announced the annual Sister Cities event will be held at our meeting place next Thursday evening, January 31.
 
TOM LISTON invited gamblers to join him for a poker night on February 29.
 

Red Badger’s Detailed 10-Minute Talk- Louis Wellmeier
Taking a page from the DICK HENNING notebook, red-badger LOUIS (Lou) WELLMEIER presented a ten-minute talk about his life.  However, his talk ended abruptly about midway through Lou’s life story when President John pointed out the end was near (the talk, not his life).
 
Turns out Lou had a very strong, determined and willful mother.  She became a lawyer and turned to law school to support herself and Lou after Louis’ father left  them at the age of three.   Growing up in a household with a large close-knit Irish Catholic extended family in Palm Beach, Florida, and later in a renewed second family in Dayton, Ohio, gave Lou the impetus to join the Navy to become a pilot.  While he served in the Navy, he soon discovered that the recruiters may not have disclosed all the facts when he signed on the dotted line and he ended up in the fleet and not in the air.   
 
After the Navy, Lou attended Seattle University Law School.  Shortly after graduating, he met his wife, Kelly.  Thereafter,  he joined a software company and then established his own consulting firm.   But, like DICK HENNING, we will have to wait to hear the rest of the story in part two.  Next time, Lou!

Fine Webmaster Matt Cabot
Webmaster cum-finemaster MATHEW A. CABOT, JR., spelled correctly, dipped into the pockets of several Rotarians including KENDRA GJERSETH, BONNIE BURDETT, LEN MCBIRNEY, MIKE SPENCE, DENNIS YOUNG, LARRY MADSEN, CINDY LUEDTKE, REZA KHAMNEIPUR, and LOU WELLMEIER.
 
We all learned that we need to log on to clubrunner.ca/losaltos to see what our former handbook looks like.  So take a look.  There may be a quiz next week.
 
Cheers! – Steve Yarbrough