Los Altos Rotary Club Home of the Annual Rotary Fine Art Show May 8th 2008

rev 05/14/08

President JOHN MOSS chimed meeting to order promptly at 12:15 p.m.  Arriving Rotarians had been greeted by STEVE GRUBER, CRES MCFALL and red-badger, GARY MAGGARD. 
 
Club Treasurer, SANDY WHIPPLE led the Pledge of Allegiance and songmeister, JOHN SYLVESTER observed that it was indeed a lovely sunny day, and then led us in “You Are my Sunshine.”  JEANNE MACVICAR gave a few thoughts for the day; the day being upcoming Mother’s Day.  JEANNE quoted Dr. Leo Boscaglia, who, when asked the greatest gift from his mother, said she taught him that he had unlimited potential; a gift that led him in all his accomplishments the rest of his life.  JEANNE also noted Mark Twain’s observation that Humor is Mankind’s greatest gift.
 
SETH MANNING called on visiting Rotarians and guests.  Rotarian, George Gilchrest was visiting us all the way from Anchorage Alaska.  Club members, CRES MCFALL, BRUCE CANN, JOHN McDONNELL all introduced guests.  And in what is now a weekly tradition, CINDY LUEDTKE also introduced a guest.
 

THE FOUR-WAY TEST
This month, clubs are reminding members of the Four-Way Test.  Past President MARGE BRUNO stepped up to advise us that the Four-Way Test was originally devised near the beginning of the 20th Century by Herbert Taylor as a way to  help make decisions in his business.  It was adopted by Rotary as a guide to all decisions. 

MARGE focused on test one: Is it the Truth?  MARGE noted the quandary of the husband whose wife buys a new dress, and when she shows it to him asks, “Does this make me look fat?”  “Or, there is the wife, whose husband asks if his hair is getting thin”.  Marge noted that your interior voice often tells you what is the truth, but even Herbert Taylor, when facing his wife’s query, might still respond, “You look great.”

ANNOUNCEMENTS

President JOHN had several announcements.  First, he reminded us that the ART SHOW is coming up quickly and that we still have plenty of posters on hand.  If any member can think of a place that might need a poster, get in touch with JOHN right away and let’s get them up.
 
As a public service, President JOHN also reminded all members of the new law coming into effect July 1, 2008 that will require anyone using a cell phone while driving a car to use a hands-free system; holding the phone in your hand while driving will be illegal.  In addition, anyone under 18 can not use a cell phone at all while driving.
 
PE SETH MANNING reminded us that NEXT WEDNESDAY,  May 21st is the District Assembly, a great time for red-badgers to meet one of their requirements and become more familiar with many of the operations of Rotary, particularly in the Bay Area.
 
JERRY MOISON, head of the ART SHOW, had a special reminder for everyone; the parking lot at the Chamber of Commerce will be used for handicapped parking only.  Don’t park there unless you have a handicap placard, or if you are temporarily moving items between the Chamber and Art Show locations.
 
Further on the ART SHOW, GARY ROSS and DAVE BERGMAN announced that they had managed to fill all the job slots except 11.  GARY had “the list” of under-working members, and vowed, “there will be blood.”  Actually a few slots were filled even as the announcement was made, BUT we still need some help, particularly on some Sunday evening shuttles and breakdown. 
 
DAN O’DONNELL, new director of ROTACARE drivers, announced that IRENE PRESTON is likely to be leaving us to join the Burlingame Rotary Club.  DAN notes that we have a pretty good sign-up for drivers, with May already full and June and July in pretty good shape.  DAN noted that this is one of the easiest and most rewarding jobs for members, start to finish is usually well under an hour.  DAN drafted a short instruction sheet that’s available for each driver.  A show of hands disclosed that about 80% of the folks in the room had done the ROTACARE driving at one time or another.  Every time you bring the meal into the clinic, you see how many people are being helped by the generous time donations of the medical personnel and the funds of Rotary.  Every member should jump in and do this.
 
After that uplifting thought, KENDRA GJERSETH had to throw cold water on the place.  KENDRA announced in March that she would miss this year’s Relay for Life Event to fight cancer on June 21-22, and needed someone to step up to help.  Things have not gone well.  We still need a replacement, and the sign-ups for our club team are very low.  If we can’t get a big surge in sign-ups, the club may not be able to field a team for this great event.
 
GINNY LEAR briefly announced that a card was being passed around for LEE LYNCH, who is battling lung cancer and beginning chemotherapy.  GINNY also gave away tickets to the Giants games this weekend.  They were snatched up quickly (Yes, next time GINNY will know to auction them for LAREF).
 
DUDE ANGUIS announced a follow-up on our visit from the FACE AIDS that is supported by LAREF and RAP.  Two of the student leaders gave us a presentation last week, and showed the AIDS pins that are made in Africa by AIDS victims and sold by FACE AIDS to raise money for AIDS relief in Africa.  In response that day, our club purchased $552-worth of pins.  One club member was so inspired by the enthusiasm and dedication of these students, that the member made an anonymous $2,000 donations that day to support the group.  The “kids” as DUDE calls them (of course, he calls MEL KAHN, “kid”) are extremely grateful for the support, and it all goes to work in the field. 
 
DUDE also mentioned that 60-Minutes had just done a piece on Dr. Paul Farmer, of Partners in Health, the organization in Africa that does most of the actual field work and aid that is supported by FACE AIDS.  This is a tremendous example of how a few dedicated people can bring light into the lives of thousands.
 

OTHER EXCITING NEWS about RAP and LARC
President Moss has been just recently advised by the AIDS Coalition Silicon Valley, that Los Altos Rotary is the recipient of one of its two annual awards in recognition for our demonstrated commitiment to awareness, prevention and services for HIV/AIDS in our community.   The award will be presented at the AIDS Coalition’s annual fundraising event, called Unmask the Mysteries, which will be held at the Rotary Summit Center in downtown San Jose on Saturday, June 21, beginning at 6:00 PM.   Los Altos Rotarians are encouraged to attend and watch our award being accepted.  Tickets may be purchased on the event website at http://www.unmaskthemysteries.com/   where you will find a link to the AIDS Coalition Silicon Valley.
 
STEVE SHEPHERD announced that the club’s annual golf tournament (plus BBQ and Poker) is set for June 20.  STEVE reminded everyone that the BBQ dinner was open to all, not just golfers, and encouraged lots of folks to join in for what has been one of the great social evenings in the club in recent years.  Steve also announced that the cost of golf was less this year because the site was switched to the new Marine’s Golf Course at Moffett field.  Of course, while the fees are lower, you do have to crawl under machine gun fire to reach the 9th green.  A good time will be had by all, sir!
 
PP DICK HENNING also announces that he is putting together another fabulous salmon fishing expedition to Alaska this summer from July 14 to July 20.  There are ten signups so far, including one woman who would like a roommate.  The group expects to bring home 100 lbs. of salmon, vacuum-packed. (Worth $4,000!)  If interested, call Dick at 949-7723.
 
 

TEN-MINUTE TALK   VICTORIA EMMONS gave the “10-Minute” talk, observing that life was a series of milestones, and she would relate some of hers; VICTORIA was born in the Fall of 1950, while her dad was in the service training over the Pacific.  As a Navy family, she moved around, and just a few years later, they moved to Honolulu where she was blessed with a little sister.  Just 6 years later, her sister would write former President Harry Truman, who invited the family to visit him in Independence MO, where VICTORIA sat on his lap; she still keeps the letter Truman sent her after. 

Next the family was off to the snows of Newfoundland, where her three-year old brother got lost.  The whole base ended up searching for him, but it was the family dog who found him (no the dog was not named Lassie).  Following the trend, her sister got lost at another base, but after the whole base panicked, they discovered her asleep under her bed.  VICTORIA grew up in another Navy town, Jacksonville FL.  She took up acting in the 6th grade, and was editor of the yearbook at Robert E. Lee High School.  The high point, of course, was seeing the Beatles in concert there in 1964.  She went on to attend Florida State, and studied in France for a year. 

She married after graduation, and hoped to be a teacher.  But a series of jobs kept her on the move.  Her husband took a job as an editor of a paper in Sarasota, and that finally led to her first teaching job. They had a daughter, but then divorced. Luckily, VICTORIA quickly met the true love of her life, her current husband, Jack.  They married and moved to California in 1987 and VICTORIA became Director of Community Relations at her first hospital. 

In 1995, she joined LA Rotary, when she was Director of Relations at El Camino Hospital.  First impressions always stick, and many club members still ask her how things are going at El Camino.  However, for many years now, she had been working in community relations for the Regional Medical Center in San Jose (update those address books).
 

WEEKLY PROGRAM:
President JOHN then introduced this week’s speaker, Frederic Luskin, author to “Forgive for Good” and director of the Stanford Forgiveness Project.  Dr. Luskin explained how he came to be a “forgiveness teacher.”  For his doctoral dissertation, he sought to blend science and religion; to try to show that religious virtues were true and that being kinder would lead to a happier life.  He discovered there were no scientific studies on compassion or kindness; that science was overlooking the best in people in favor of devoting all its study to negative parts of life, such as anger, stress, anxiety, etc.  He concluded that the therapy profession was being taught to be the High Priests of Misery; in all his training there was no mention of kindness or compassion. 
 
As he began couple therapy, he had one session in which the husband was yelling viciously at his wife.  The husband had no realization of how out of control he was.  It seemed people were taught that if a spouse mistreated them, they were justified at yelling at their spouse.  Some therapists seemed to say that as long as you were telling how you “feel” then everything was alright.   He had to remind spouses that the vows were for better and WORSE, for richer and POORER, for both health and SICKNESS.
 
He saw the key to his teaching: that the ugliness that comes out of our mouth we can stop.  We may not be able to do anything about ugliness coming from other parts of the world, but we can stop ugliness coming from ourselves.  He teaches people that if they are angry and hurting others, it is a problem that YOU have today.  It is not that your mother was unkind 20 years go, or that your ex-wife hurt you many years ago.  The problem is you; you can control how your feel and act.  You have to realize that you must stop using past wrongs as an excuse to be unkind to others today.  He teaches people to forgive past wrongs to become kinder people today.  He pointed out how past wrongs infect families.  Studies show only 1/3 of siblings report good relationships with their siblings; 1/3 report bad relationships, and 1/3 report none at all. 
 
Dr. Luskin noted that there is great harshness, even hatred directed toward political opponents (Bill Clinton for some, George W. Bush for others).  One place to start is to give up on hating people who just happen to vote differently.  In November 2004 he was teaching at Esalen in (home of love, peace, freedom and happiness unlimited) and after two and a half days of forgiveness training, he asked people some of their thoughts.  One attendee responded, “I can’t believe we just reelected that a-----e.”  Dr. Luskin thought that perhaps his training had not been entirely successful.  But on a bigger point, he pointed out the needless meanness that arises from the “self-righteous hostility” people hold for those who merely have different political views.
 
Dr. Luskin left us with his most important lesson; the only thing we can really control is OUR behavior and OUR words.  We do not need to be agents of unkindness, and we can all increase the amount of kindness in the universe.
 
Since Dr. Luskin had learned to time his presentations precisely, President JOHN did not have to forgive him for running long, and President JOHN chimed the meeting to close at precisely 1:30.

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