Los Altos Rotary Club Home of the Annual Rotary Fine Art Show May 6 2010

On a lovely Spring day, President TRACIE MURRAY chimed the overflowing meeting to order at 12:15 p.m. 

But he Rotator writer was rushing late to the meeting, and did not even get to see the greeters, who included JEAN HOLLANDS and JOANA MEDIN.  He also missed the identity of the person who handled the pledge, but was on time to see the return of the Mighty Mighty (scary) Red Badgers leading the club in “We are the Mighty Rotary.”

VP DENNIS YOUNG was “on assignment” elsewhere, so TRACIE handled the introductions for visiting Rotarians and guests.  We had visiting Rotarians from Saratoga and Palo Alto, and one dedicated Rotarian all the way from Libby, Montana doing a makeup.  ANNE ARJANI had a guest, as did SAM HARDING.  DON HULL had six guests, several friends and family of our speaker for the day (more on that later).  

NEW MEMBER
JOHN CARDOZA stepped up to induct our newest member, GARY WALDECK, a retired aerospace engineer from Lockheed Martin.  GARY is now devoted to community affairs, and is proving it by running for City Council in Los Altos Hills.

RED BADGE CONFECTIONS AND GOODY BASKET AUCTION:
Yes, Forrest, life is that way, you never know what you’re going to get.  Nevertheless, Club members enthusiastically bid on special baskets of chocolates and othe goodies prepared by the Red Badgers.  Special winning bids would also entitle the winner to a tour of the Chocolate Factory.  The proceeds are earmarked for fixing up the Garden House for the city.  Winning bidders included MATT CABOT, CINDY LUEDTKE, ABBY AHRENS, BEVERLY TUCKER, JEAN HOLLANDS and RICH CASEY.  

NEWS ABOUT BRUCE CANN
President TRACIE asked for everyone to give special attention to an announcement she had been delaying for a few weeks.  One of our bravest members, BRUCE CANN is succumbing to another bout with multiple myeloma.  We all remember Bruce’s announcement 5 years ago that he had multiple myelomas, and had maybe three years to live.  But Bruce fought that cancer, and undertook a new unproven treatment to beat that death sentence. 

All of us were delighted and proud to join Bruce a few years later when the Quad at Eastside Prep in Palo Alto was named the Bruce Cann Quad, to honor the many years of outstanding support he gave that school.  The principal said it was not an understatement to say that the school could not have survived without the support of Bruce.  Now Bruce and his significant other, Laura, are facing his last struggle. 

He has only a few weeks, and this time, he knows it is the end.  He is in hospice and most times can not have visitors.  President TRACIE circulated two cards, because she knew that all of us had so many things to say to Bruce that one card would not be enough.  President TRACIE could not hold back the tears as she made this announcement, and all of us who have known Bruce, and his humor and generosity, for these many years, felt the same way. 

CLUB ANNOUNCEMENTS:
JOHN SYLVESTER, clearly animated and excited about the success of the last wine and cheese party at COETA CHAMBERS place, announced that we will be having another one on May 21 at DAVID SMITH’s house.

JEAN MORDO reminded us that as part of the Art Show this year, we are having an “auction,” which is French for “raffle.”   Prizes are spectacular, courtesy of All Horizons Travel.  Tickets are available for $5 each or 5 for $20.   We hope to raise an additional $12,000 with this raffle, and the proceeds will be used for a special project in Haiti.
 
JERRY MOISON stepped up (on behalf of STEVE SHEPHERD) to remind us that the Golf Tourney is July 24, or maybe August 10.  Since JERRY clearly could not recall the details, various Club members who had already signed up reminded Jerry that the date is FRIDAY, JUNE 4th, and that there is a Golf Tourney, a great BBQ to which ALL are warmly invited, and a bit of poker to round out the day.  We desperately await STEVE’s return. Here is a pdf explaining everything that Jerry left out:  HERE
 
PP SETH MANNING announced that the Kickout Committee was meeting that afternoon to begin planning the Kickout events.
 
STEVE POMEROY announced that the Art Show work assignments are still not yet complete and there are 23 jobs, mostly on Sunday, that need workers.  Everyone should check the web site to confirm their assignments and try to add one more shift if they can.
 
KATHY BERRY announced that our team in the Relay for Life is the Los Altos Rotary Ramblers, though she did not know why that name was picked (because the Rotary Nashes was taken?).  KENDRA GJERSETH is hosting a wine tasting on June 12th and 13th to raise funds to support the Relay.

District 5170 to Honor Dis. Gov. Loren Harper
Thursday July 8 from 5:30-9:30 p.m. at Saratoga Springs Resort (22801 Big Basin Way in Saratoga) District 5170 will say farewell to District Governor Loren Harper and welcome our new District Governor Roger Hassler.  The cost is $35 and you can email the chair Bob Barbatti at mbarbatti@aol.com or go to the District web site at www.rotary5170.org for additional information.

OUTLINE OF THE JUNE PROPOSITIONS:
Visiting Rotarian Gloria Hom, from Palo Alto, gave us an outline and “objective” description of the Propositions that are coming up on the June Ballot.  Proposition 13 (a new one) is for funds for seismic retrofits of buildings.  There is no written opposition to this one (and JOE LOCONTE enthusiastically supports it). 

Proposition 14 is the revision of the primary system, to have the top two primary winners, regardless of party affiliation, face each other in the main election. 

Proposition 15 is a legislative initiative to raise $6 million to provide public funding of elections instead of private funding.  Proposition 16 is the one we see many ads for; the vote would have to be 2/3 instead of 51% in order to make a change in provider of power to a municipality. 

Proposition 17, put on by Mercury Insurance, seems to suggest that “good driver” discounts from your old company could be carried to the new company, but it mainly repeals some provisions of former Proposition 103 to allow changes in insurance ratings (and resulting in increases for many). 

THE WEEKLY PROGRAM: DALE HULL and QUADRIPLEGIA
DON HULL gave us an introduction and a bit of history about his younger, better looking brother, Dale.  Seems Dale was a very happy and successful ob-gyn doctor, who had a hobby of water skiing and loved trick moves.  One afternoon, practicing some flips on his backyard trampoline, he did a back flip wrong, landed on his head and neck, and suffered a severe injury that caused him to become a quadriplegic.
 
With that background, DON introduced his brother Dale, who shocked the crowd by promptly standing up to give his presentation.  Dale explained that he was a “walking quadriplegic,” who still suffered from most of the effects of paralysis (loss of many body functions), but was able to stand and move.  But every action is a conscious effort; even holding something in his hand takes constant effort and attention.  He pointed out however, that his hands and arms were not “normal,” but instead felt the lack of strength and numbness similar to the feeling we have when our arms recover from being “asleep.”  Yet Dale was ready and willing to manage the slideshow that told the history of his injury and rehabilitation. 
 
Dale showed us the infamous (and now long-gone) trampoline, and explained the instant in the middle of his back flip when he realized he was out of position, and he tried to correct.  As a doctor, he actually had an instant realization that if he landed the way he was going, he would hit just like Christopher Reeve, and suffer a similar injury. And when he hit, he knew he had severed his spinal cord.  Dale showed x-rays and medical texts that explained the critical importance of the spinal cord, and the resulting paralysis that arises when it is severed.  He explained that no two injuries are exactly alike, and no two heal the same way. 
 
Dale recounted the initial dark days of complete paralysis, and the shocking loss of independence: you even need people to brush your teeth.  There is complete loss of all muscle functions, including loss of bladder control and sexual functions.  For him, the nighttime was the hardest.   But he resolved to fight his way back, and he testified to the real force of the collective power of prayer.  He began rehab with small goals; to develop hand control to guide a joystick on a powered wheelchair. 

When he achieved that, it was on to developing arm control to use a regular wheel chair.  Then small goals, like dressing himself.  With great family support, and dedicated therapists, he was recovering some of his ability to move. 

Then in 2001, he set a new higher goal.  He saw that the Winter Olympics were coming to Utah, and he announced that he would carry the torch in the relay.  For seven months, he worked to prepare to carry the 3 pound torch for 2/10 of a mile.  He rigged his son’s baseball bat to mimic the torch, which he had to continually focus on not dropping, even with his weakened hands covered with gloves for the cold weather. 

After seven months of rehab and practice, he was able to carry the torch for the full 2/10 mile, and hand it over to Karl Malone; an amazing achievement for a man who had been completely paralyzed, and confined to a bed with a tube feeding him, just 3 years before.  Dale called it, a true miracle.
 
Not one person in the club cared that the presentation went a bit past 1:30, and at about 1:40, TRACIE chimed a very emotional meeting to an end.