Rotator eNewsletter

Los Altos Rotary Club

Home of the Annual Rotary Fine Art Show

March 19 2009

Writer: Jack Kelly - Photographer: Jerry Tomanek - Editor: Cindy Luedtke

This Thursday's Program: Mar 26 2009
Tom Campbell California Economics

Our winter garb and blowing umbrellas were nowhere to be seen on this beautiful Spring (almost) day. Bill Palmer and Stuart Bowen did a great job warming us up for the day’s events. President SETH chimed us to order at the stroke of 12:15:13 and JERRY TOMANEK led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Appropriate for the week of St. Patrick’s Day, BUD OLIVER gave a quote from that famous Irish playwright, George Bernard Shaw, as his Thought for the Day: “I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and for as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can. I want to be thoroughly used up when I die, for the harder I work, the more I live.”

Songmeister, JOHN SYLVESTER led a rousing rendition of “You Are My Sunshine.”

President-Elect TRACIE MURRAY, rather enthusiastically, took the microphone and called upon visiting Rotarians to stand and make themselves known to the assembled masses. There were two of them; one from East Palo Alto and one from Sunnyvale. Our members then introduced their respective guests: SAM HARDING introduced his two and JERRY MOISON introduced his.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Visiting Rotarian, Bob Denebeim from East Palo Alto Rotary Club is the Inbound Coordinator for Rotary Foundation’s “Group Study Exchange” for this year. This Exchange involves business and professional people (not students) and Bob needs home hosts for four nights this year. The nights are April 4, 5, 6 and 7, 2009. If you have any interest in helping fill this need or want any further information, contact Bob at bden1@comcast.net or on his cell 650-861-2226.

STEVE SHEPHERD, still denying he uses his TARP funds to pay for lunch, invites us all to attend the 6th Annual John W. Gardner Community Building Awards Dinner on Wednesday, March 25th at the Crowne Plaza Hotel on El Camino Real in Palo Alto. Two of our very own Los Altos Rotarians will be honored at this event. JACK HEIDMILLER is the recipient of the Sister Cities Award and DICK HENNING will receive the Community Service Award. This promises to be a great evening honoring two well deserving Rotarians and outstanding citizens. Call STEVE for tickets now, after all, the event is next week.

Board Member DAVID SMITH is rounding up volunteers for “Rotarians-at-Work Day” on April 25th. Please don’t let the name of the day keep you from stepping up; DAVE’s actually looking for folks to sit at a table and hand out information. OK, there may be a little more to it than that, but nothing you can’t handle. See DAVE and plan on spending a nice Saturday with old friends and making new ones.

Famous tennis hustler, ROLAND PAYNE, is looking for “new blood” (his words) to participate in the District 5170 Tennis Tournament on April 15th. This is in conjunction with the District Celebration coming next month. ROLAND knows how to entice Los Altos Rotarians; he said there would be plenty of beer. See him to sign up.

Sergeant-at-Arms STEVE POMEROY has inherited the chairmanship of Sponsorship for the Los Altos Art Show from JERRY MOISON. Here’s the chance for local businesses to get extra recognition in the Art Show promo material. There were a number of Platinum Level volunteers already from the audience. Sign up now for the best spots!

Past-Pres MARY PROCHNOW gave a short history of the Community Service Award that DICK HENNING will receive on the 25th. This award was established in 1964 by the Los Altos Board of Realtors and was Los Altos / Los Altos Hills’ first community service award.

MARY’s real purpose at the mic was to encourage all of us to participate in this year’s District Celebration coming up in April on the 17th, 18th and 19th.

If nothing else, we are especially encouraged to attend the luncheon on the 18th. Other events include a golf tournament and tennis tournament. Stay tuned, more information will be flooding your way. Do plan on attending.

And via email from JEAN MORDO, he reminds us about the "French Fair" which has Partners for New Generations (PNG) as one of its beneficiary charities: The 3rd Edition of the Peninsula French Fair "A Day in France" will take place Saturday, April 25th at the Joan Pisani Community Center in Saratoga. More information next week.

MEMBERSHIP


Steve Katz, Allen Varni and Sam Harding	John Cardoza and Lou Frazer	Val Carpenter and David Casas	Tim Byrd and PP Sam Harding

Membership Chair JOHN CARDOZA introduced four new Red Badgers: LEW FRASER, sponsored by PHIL ROSE; DAVID CASAS, sponsored by VAL CARPENTER; STEVE KATZ and ALLAN VARNI, sponsored by SAM HARDING. JOHN gave a brief background on each of them, outlined the expectations of them as new Rotarians and then presented them with their Red Badges, History of Los Altos Rotary, current handbook and a copy of The Los Altos Story. The new Red Badgers were then greeted with our traditional standing ovation.

JOHN then called up STEVE POMEROY with his sponsor STEVE ANDERSON and TIM BYRD with his sponsor SAM HARDING to present them with their Blue Badges. JOHN summarized what it took for them to receive their Blue Badges and they were then greeted with our traditional seated ovation.

RECOGNITION

PE TRACIE MURRAY, in her second appearance at the microphone, assumed the mantle of finemaster/deal maker. After recruiting SANDY BOZICH to run the duck bucket, TRACIE first called upon all those with birthdays and anniversaries in the fine month of March to stand and deliver, which, of course, we did. Then it was “Let’s Make a Deal” time. In her own inimitable little way, she managed to extract many bucks out of the likes of CINDY DAY, GEORGE ESTILL, BARRY GROVES, DICK DUHRING, JEAN HOLLANDS, KATHY BERRY and LARRY CHU.


George Estell	Barry Groves	Jean Hollands	Kathryn Berry

THE PROGRAM
PE TRACIE MURRAY, in her third appearance at the microphone, proceeded to introduce the day’s program. Dr. Douglas Lewis is the founder of Peninsula Vascular Center in Atherton. He spoke about varicose veins, spider veins, venous disease and the treatment of such.

Rather than even attempting to summarize Dr. Lewis’s presentation, which was highly informative, and judging by the questions, certainly a topic of interest, I refer you to his website: www.peninsulavascular.com for all the information you could possibly want.

Your humble scribe did learn that a congenital vascular abnormality is a birthmark and that crossing your legs does not lead to varicose veins, information which I will certainly use in upcoming conversations.

Until next week!

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