Los Altos Rotary Club Home of the Annual Rotary Fine Art Show February 19 2009

 
It’s always enjoyable to enter the Garden House on Thursdays for the Rotary meeting and be welcomed by three smiling Rotarians. Today, TATYANA KANZAVELI, CHUCK LINDAUER and KATHY BERRY greeted Rotarians coming in the door.
 
Once Pres. SETH MANNING started the meeting, STEVE POMEROY offered the pledge, PAT FARRELL provided the thought for the day by “living your dream every day,” and JOHN McDONNELL gave us a ring tone for “You Are My Sunshine” and with dubious weekend weather coming up, the song ends with “Please Don’t Take My Sunshine Away.” 

 
President elect TRACIE MURRAY asked for visiting Rotarians and only one (Fire escape supply classification) visitor, but Rotarians with guests included SAM HARDING, DICK HENNING, BAIDRA MURPHY, VAL CARPENTER, BOB ADAMS and CINDY WEMYSS.

 
DICK HENNING introduced Dr. Maurice Ghysels, Superintendent of Whisman School District in Mountain View with an update on reality in the school system. For demographics, Ghysels said 46 percent of the school district is Latino, 33/1/3 percent white and a smattering of Asian, Black, Indian and Pacific Islander. 
 
The Whisman School district has been growing with increased poverty and lunch programs.  In the past five years the programs have gone from one-third to one-half of the students in poverty and that is typical of children in California. California K-12 public schools enrollments have increased from 4 million to 6.2 million in the system and 3.3 million are from households of poverty.
 
Ghysels discussed the California budget problem with an upcoming deficit for the school system. Parcel taxes fill up some of the budget, but that is decreasing and the state has to cover the deficit and this creates a strain on the school budgets because the state finances are diminishing.
 
“We have to address a $3 million deficit for the district, but we have a great attitude,” Ghysels said. “Test scores are rising and we are doing great. The kids today have better attitudes and take school more seriously.  Attendance today is 98 percent.”
 

KENDRA GJERSETH, the fellowship director, reminded Rotarians about the March 5 lunch at the Los Altos Golf and Country Club for the 60th anniversary. Get the money in now for $35.00 per person.
 
KENDRA also announced a Bocce Ball outing in Los Gatos for $25 and an upcoming progressive dinner that LARRY MADSEN is working on. 
STEVE SHEPHERD reminded us the Annual Rotary Golf will be held June 5th at the Shoreline links.
 

Fine master for the day was BAIDRA MURPHY, and referring to the Four Way Test, she said it was proper for people at tables also to supply answers. Since it was President’s Week, her questions referred to previous presidents of United States.
 
Rotarians volunteering to make BAIDRA’S quest easier were JOAN KAVALARIS joining the President’s Club; MARLENE COWAN, $20; MARLIS McALLISTER, $25; BUD OILIVER, $50; JACK KELLY, $25; PAT HYLAND, $20 and SETH MANNING, $50.
 

MARLENE COWAN	MARLIS McALLISTER	BUD OILIVER	JACK KELLY	PAT HYLAND

In one of the longest fine periods (24 minutes), BAIDRA demanded the fine meet the correct answer to questions on Presidents. Get it right $20. Get it wrong $30.  Here are most of the people who got fined, either $20 or $30.

 

BEVERLY TUCKER	STEVE FICK	JOHN BOGART	SAM HARDING	RANDY GARD
DAN HOLDEN	DAVE SNOW	LOUIS BOREL	MEL KAHN	CAREW McFALL

TODAY’S GUEST SPEAKERS
Looking for a substitute speaker for the second portion of the Rotary meeting, BOB ADAMS, wearing a Stanford red shirt, came to the rescue with two representatives from the Stanford Athletic Program.
 
Ron Lynn, the Stanford Assistant Head Football Coach and defensive coordinator, with 38 years of experience in football coaching, provided information on the program and methods of recruitment.
 
Bo McNally, senior Stanford football player provided his feeling about the football program and the future. Looking like a legitimate football player he remarked how the program has turned around and we should all get season tickets in 2009.  “I enjoyed the Stanford program because it was an intellectual challenge for me.” he said.  Along with his studies, Bo wound up with honorable mention as a Pac Ten Football selection.
 
Stanford University’s football program has been selected as one of the top football recruiting classes for 2009 incoming freshmen in Division One. Ron Lynn had a lot to do with recruiting those players.
“The old process was visiting your old high school and talk to the players, but it has changed considerably,” said Lynn. “Today there is a lot of travel involved. With the Internet involved, everybody knows about the young football stars in high school.”
 
Last year Stanford had 24,600 students applying for admission and this year they have 31,000 and Stanford will only admit less than 3,000 students and Stanford Football Players must meet the same qualifications as the other admissions.
 
Lynn mentioned they have 150 players in a pool and the first thing to get is the transcript. The coaches keep busy and on National Letter day they meet at 3 a.m. to follow their recruits.
“Everybody in the BCS (Division One) has 85 scholarships over a five year period and you have to go through the search for quality,” Lynn said. “We have a graduation rate in the high 90 percent because athletes attend the Athletic Academic Student Center and keep in involved in their studies.”
 
Lynn said he has a passion for coaching and a passion for teaching and teaching is the inspiration to learn.
 
 
 

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