Los Altos Rotary Club Home of the Annual Rotary Fine Art Show May 22nd, 2008

A gracious group of greeters gathered to make our shelter from the wind all the more pleasant.  MIKE ABRAMS, JOANNA MEDIN and PAT FARRELL   shook our hands as we blew into the meeting hall.  We could tell right away that something was different; the crowd was much larger than usual, the energy level was up a notch or two and there was no food line.  Ah, yes, the PNG people were all over the place; indeed, the meeting is something special.
 
President JOHN rang the group to order, PNG President MONA ARMISTEAD, herself, led the pledge and Songmeister JOHN SYLVESTER led most of the choir in a rousing rendition of “I’m Looking Over a Four-leaf Clover.”  One more rehearsal might have helped with the chorus with this group. 
 
LARRY MADSEN shared a quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson on what it means to succeed.  To laugh often and much, to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children, to earn the appreciation of honest critics, to appreciate beauty, to find the best in others, to leave the world a bit better, to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded.
 
Pres-Elect SETH introduced visiting Rotarians Arley Marley from Sunnyvale, Judy Hanneman from Mountain View, Chuck Osborn from Mountain View and Jim Caldwell from Livermore.  Our own Rotarians JEAN MORDO, ALLART LIGTENBERG, VICTORIA EMMONS, KAREN FOX, DAVE SNOW and SAM PESNER introduced their respective guests.
 
Past-Pres. DICK DUHRING took his turn giving insight into the Rotary 4-Way Test.  As a side note, a Rotator Writer never knows what to expect when DICK steps to the microphone; this time was no different.  DICK started by invoking the name of BILL BOWEN from the “old days” in our club.  He suggested that Rotary became a “religion” for some members and they would even partake in the pleasure of some “holy water” upon occasion.  DICK concluded by suggesting the 4-Way Test is our Sermon on the Mount.  Good show, DICK.
 

As is his presidential prerogative, President JOHN reversed the order of the meeting and began today’s program by introducing PNG (That stands for Partners for New Generations) Grand Poobah MONA ARMISTEAD.  MONA gave us a partial list of accomplishments by PNG and some of the “back-office” work including developing the strategic plan, tutor training, recruiting volunteers and fund raising.  And that’s just a little bit of what this group does.  In this past year alone, PNG tutors haves spent more than one-thousand hours with their students. 
 
Rotarian JOHN SYLVESTER told the story of how he was successfully recruited by Nancy Traficanti to be a tutor for a student at Covington Elementary School.  JOHN used his music as a vehicle to work with his student and is committed enough to do it again next year.

Rotarian and School Superintendent BARRY GROVES gave a brief acknowledgement to the importance of the work being done by PNG and its tutors and mentors.
 
Mentor Claire Donohoe shared her experience as a tutor and Mountain View High School.
 

Principal David Pribyl introduced  Annette Boyenga and Rotarian JACK KELLY as the public speaking tutors at Graham Middle School.  JACK introduced the four students and, for the first times in their young lives, they each took a moment with the microphone. 

More in a moment on what it means to your humble scribe to be able to work with students doing something they want to do and being able to help them develop the skills to do it.  Stand by.
 
Rotarians, JEANNE MACVICAR and BOO BUE presented an award to Alta Vista High School graduate, Jaimie Antonio.
 
Rotarian and PNG Founder BOB ADAMS offered his thanks to all those involved in any way with PNG.  He gave us a little of the history of the funding and a story of the early days on founding PNG.  Now, as BOB says, we are sustainable!
 
BOB made it a point to mention a couple of times that he was NOT hitting on us for money.  He didn’t hit on you, so I will.  Speaking for all the tutors who sign those big one-year contracts, they are now up for renewal and we all are expecting huge re-signing bonuses.  And you do know how demanding these new recruits can be with their signing bonuses and fat salaries.  So how about it: maybe a buck or two for PNG???  It’ll go a long way toward defraying that huge bonus I’m expecting.
 
BOB then handed the microphone to his wife, aggressive recruiter, Honorary Rotarian, and PNG Founder, LOIS ADAMS.  LOIS presided over the very moving ceremony for passing the gavel from out-going PNG PRESIDENT MONA ARMISTEAD to in-coming PRESIDENT JUDY HANNEMAN.  In this ceremony, MONA got the posies and JUDY got the gavel.  Congratulations, JUDY, and MONA, thank you so much for all you’ve done for PNG.
 
Please take a moment and visit the PNG website: www.partnersfornewgenerations.org.

ANNOUNCEMENTS - KENDRA GJERSTH is aggressively recruiting participants for the Los Altos Rotary Relay-for-Life Team.  See her, sign up, walk fast (or slow), enjoy the fellowship and high energy, all for a very worthwhile cause.
 
Good Samaritan LARRY CHU delivered lunch to LEE LYNCH and reports that she is in good spirits and misses you all.  WYATT ALLEN and the cast of replacements are doing yeomen work at the front desk, but LEE, we miss you and really want you back!
 
RICK GLAZE says the annual LAREF meeting is scheduled for June 19th, so get your tickets now, seating will surely be limited.  There is one open seat on the LAREF board and JEAN MORDO has been nominated for it.  If there are other nominees, please let RICK or anyone else on the board know (after you’ve talked to your nominee).  DENNIS YOUNG has been appointed to fill the remaining year of TRACIE MURRAY’s presidency of the LAREF Board since she has agreed to a higher calling.  Thank you, DENNIS.
 
Art Show Grand Poobah JERRY MOISON (who should have received a standing ovation but didn’t) stepped forward in his finest blinking head gear.  The numbers aren’t all in yet but it’s fairly certain we didn’t make the goal of $92,000.  Maybe it was the economy, maybe it was the weather, maybe it was – oh, never mind.  The good news is, that Past Grand Poobah SAM PESNER is the new Grand Poobah of next year's art show.  Thanks, SAM.
 
World traveler and Rotary flag collector, ALLART LIGTENBERG, was at it again.  He got back from another trip to the 7,419 Rotary Clubs in Nepal just in time to manage the solar cooking display for all 48 hours at the Art Show.  Today he gave us a report, complete with more pictures than we had time to see, from the Peace & Development Conference in Nepal.  ALLART’s presentation showed what international volunteers can do to help handicapped individuals lead more productive lives.
 
Last, but certainly not least, there was no fining/recognition again this week.  When time ran out, you could just see the disappointment register on Past President CINDY LUEDTKE’s face.  Wait ‘til next week, CINDY.
 
President JOHN closed the meeting by thanking ALLART for all his humanitarian work and saying that his efforts make us all look good.  Thanks, ALLART.
 
Until we meet again.

{Copyright � 2008 Los Altos Rotary Club. All rights reserved}

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