Los Altos Rotary Club Home of the Annual Rotary Fine Art Show July 30th 2009

 
“The present is a gift.” (That's why they call it the "present.")
“Things could be worse, at least you are on the right side of the grass.”
DAN O’DONNELL’s optimistic thoughts for the day helped kick-start the last Rotary meeting of July 2009.  What a pleasure to be together.
 
DWIGHT MATTHEWS led the group in the pledge and MICHAEL STADLEN passed out slips with a couple of verses of Paul Anka’s “My Way,” made famous by Frank Sinatra, who may not have appreciated our club’s off-key version.  But we at least had spirit and sang with heart.  We did it our way!
 
Greeters today were JULIE ROSE, NANCY DUNAWAY and PAUL SCHUTZ.  PRESIDENT ELECT DENNIS YOUNG welcomed visiting Rotarians and guests, of whom there many.
 
Rotarians Steve POMEROY, MIKE ABRAMS and FRANK VERLOT were presented with special Sergeant-at-Arms pins by PRESIDENT TRACY MURRAY.  JOHN SYLVESTER received his director’s pin.  John graciously thanked all the little people who made the pin presentation possible.
           
PRESIDENT TRACY announced the passing of past District Governor Dick Lohmiller who died Wednesday.  Dick was a great Rotarian.
 

Announcements  DAN O’DONNELL asked for help with Rotacare dinner distribution.  If you haven’t helped with this project, contact Dan to sign up.  It’s an easy and much needed way to serve the Rotacare Clinic and its volunteers by picking up and delivering meals to them each month.

Dan O'Donnell passed the Rotacare food delivery signup around for September.  Call him if you missed it and want to sign-up.  Great Red Badge opportunity.
 
VAL CARPENTER invited all Rotarians to join the “Shop Los Altos Campaign” that kicks off this month with 26 ads from A to Z about services available right at home.

 Five-Minutes with SCOTT CHASE
 
SCOTT CHASE power-pointed us through a quick tour of his life.  It’s great to get to know our fellow Rotarians and SCOTT’s presentation was a gift of humor.  Born with a twin sister to Maurice and Carolyn Chase in Pennsylvania, the family moved to California in 1974.
 
During college at San Jose State, SCOTT was active in soccer and golf.  His athleticism resulted in a new hip, which has slowed his soccer playing but not from coaching his kids’ soccer and playing golf.   
 
After college, Scott worked in materials management with Logistics, then fingerprint biometrics and finally he became a mortgage broker.  SCOTT focuses on residential real estate loans, and now a private loan fund for difficult to fund projects.  Welcome to Rotary SCOTT!
 

Finemaster STEVE ANDERSON Pocket picker and finemaster

PP STEVE ANDERSON called first on
• SCOTT CHASE for the honor of paying $20 for his talk.  Welcome to Rotary SCOTT!
• Then, EILEEN LOW, who was doing duck-bucket duty was asked to pay for the privilege of flying to Italy on Friday.
• DUDE ANGUIS contributed $100 after advising that he now always calls the CHP to let them know he’s on his way to Rotary before getting in his car.
• GARY MAGGARD is back after three months of exciting travel in China and barbecuing catfish with his brother and attending his bro’s fourth wedding.  Thanks for the $40 Gary.
• MEL KAHN paid $20 for making STEVE ANDERSON look silly and pointing out that he had shaved off his beard.
• KIM COPHER paid $20 for a black eye she earned while surfing in Waikiki.
• JOHN SYLVESTER paid $20 for the gravy on his shirt.  LEN MCBIRNEY paid $10 for sponsoring MEL KAHN.  On his 23rd anniversary RANDY GARD paid $43.
• BRIAN WARD got into serious trouble for this story: While he was as student in London, he grew a beard.  One day, being late for class, he tried to quietly take his seat.  The professor stopped in mid sentence and watched him inch across the row to his seat.  As all eyes were upon him the professor said: “Dr. Ward, I would never cultivate on my face what grows wild under my arms.”  $$$
• LARRY MADSEN paid $20 for more granddaughter success at Cal.
• JEAN NEWTON-FRAGULIA paid $40 for her 40th high school reunion in South Dakota.
• JOAN ROSSELLE paid $20 because she was pleased that Steve had shaved his beard.
• JANE REED paid $20 to promote “The Producers” at Foothill College.  Go see it!
• NANCY DUNAWAY paid for her new granddaughter born in Michigan – in the driveway!
• JEAN HOLLANDS paid $20 because she was pleased that our speaker of the day was renowned breast cancer researcher and it was Doctor Ellie Guardino who treated her daughter.

SPEAKING OF OUR SPEAKER JOAN ROSELLE introduced Dr. Ellie Guardino, the noted Stanford University oncologist and assistant professor whose expertise in breast cancer research is leading the field in trying to find a cure for this cancer.
 
Dr. Guardino said that both breast cancer and prostate cancer have similar mortality rates.  Prostate cancer arises in 192,000 new cases in men each year.  Breast cancer shows up in women in like numbers.  Nearly 26,000 men die each year from prostate cancer while breast cancer kills 40,000 women.
 
Dr. Guardino, a cancer survivor herself, said she is committed to changing these statistics.  In 1977, the five-year survival rate for prostate cancer was about 75 percent, in 1986 that had increased to 79 percent and now stands at 99 percent. 
 
The risk factors for both forms of cancer include age, ethnicity, family history, diet and genetics.  Screening for prostate cancer includes regular PSA testing.  For breast cancer screening includes self examination and mammograms as well as imaging. 
 
Dr. Guardino informed Rotarians about current trends in treatment strategies and showed slides of cancer cells, describing the types of treatments that she applies to different types of cancer cells.  She said that her current work is in the development of vaccine for cancer prevention.
 
Rotarians asked many questions and gave Dr. Guardino a warm thank you for her service to our community.   

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