Los Altos Rotary Club Home of the Annual Rotary Fine Art Show July 5 2012

Waving arms like the memorable musical director that he is, our newly-minted President, JOHN SYLVESTER called his first meeting to order at precisely 12:15 pm.  Only problem was, the microphone wasn’t turned on. Was this a prank?  Fellowship Director BEVERLY TUCKER rushed to his aid, and his first meeting was then properly launched. President JOHN also thanked BEVERLY for dreaming up the 45 rpm records decorating lunch tables and the podium. “It’s the closest I’ll ever come to having a gold record,” he teased.

Pres JOHN initiated his maiden voyage down Rotary Lane by thanking his first team of greeters, CRUZIE WILBORN, NORM PROFFITT, and FRANK ELMER.  He also recognized Cashier LARRY CHU, JR, Photographer JOHN HAMMERSCHMIDT, and Sergeants-At-Arms  MIKE ABRAMS, FRANK VERLOT, and FRANK ELMER.

BILL BALSON’s Thought for the Day led us all to consider our daily uncertainties when he quoted Francis Bacon’s 1605 thought: “If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts he shall end in certainties.” With certainty that we all knew the words, RON STEFANI led the song “My Country Tis of Thee”.  RON seeks members’ input on recommended songs and musical talent to help lead singing, though his own beautiful voice certainly does not need help.

JACK KELLY recognized guests for the first time in his role as President-Elect. Visiting guests were introduced by PP SAM HARDING (wife Janet and the owner of Menu restaurant appearing in the video where the Rotary AIDS Project was launched).  PP SAM PESNER introduced guest of the club Gary Brown of Spangler Mortuary.  

PP TRACIE MURRAY introduced her daughter Bethany and her guest Michaela Christofolini, a Rotary Youth Exchange student from Italy where TRACIE’s daughter will travel on the same program.  Michaela and Pres JOHN later exchanged club banners, his first international event at the podium. Next week’s program will be presented by a California Highway Patrol Officer from  Redwood City. See details on www.losaltosrotary.org.

Announcements
The Hook - PP DENNIS YOUNG: The new Rotary Shepherd’s Hook effectively displayed near the podium will ensure that “announcements don’t last as long as mine”.

• Party - PP SAM PESNER: July 20 Rotary Wine and Cheese Social will be 6 – 8 pm at SAM’s house.
• Directory - KAREN OWEN:  Each member should check the accuracy if his/her Directory information and email corrections to her before July 20.  She promises an updated Directory in about a month.
• LARAP meeting - PP MARLENE COWAN corrected the date of the next Los Altos Rotary AIDS Project (LARAP) meeting to July 19 (third Thursdays of the month from now on).
• LAREF matching grants - JEAN NEWTON announced the Los Altos Rotary Endowment Fund (LAREF) meeting tonight at 5 pm to elect new officers.  She also reviewed LAREF’s new Matching Grant policies, displayed request forms on today’s lunch tables, and encouraged LARC members to participate while the LAREF matching funds last.
• Booth volunteers - PP JACK HEIDMILLER needs only 1 more volunteer to man the Chef Chu booth at Los Altos Arts and Wine Festival July 14 and 15  Please click this link to sign up.
• Computer needed - STEVE POMEROY requested the donation of a laptop PC to use for lunch meeting programs.
• Dues bill - Club Treasurer SANDIE WHIPPLE asked members to contact her if their LARC membership dues bill does not arrive shortly by US mail.

Recognition
Pres JOHN prefaced the fun by admitting that, “after having gone to considerable time and expense” to get gifts for those who join the President’s Club, he had left them sitting in his office. However, this didn’t stop the inimitable Hand-in-Your-Pocket PP SAM PESNER from collecting some hefty fines. He first reminded us that each member is strongly encouraged to contribute $100 in annual cumulative recognition fines for Club operating expenses (in addition to membership dues).

• PP MONA was the first volunteer to join JOHN’s President’s Club which she announced with a twinkle in her eye, “I love that I have an IOU for you, JOHN.”
• CLYDE NOEL stepped right up as second volunteer for the President’s Club
• later followed by JOHN SINES (“for showing off” he admitted)
• and GARY WALDECK (“because I’m shy and want to get this over with.”)
• CAROL GARSTON paid $20 to announce Los Altos’ First Friday downtown event on July 6 with free refreshments and musical entertainment. Her Nature Gallery will offer a 10 minute massage to those who purchase $25 during the event.
• JEANNE MACVICAR just returned from Cuba from which it’s still illegal to bring rum and cigars home, though the announcement cost her $15 at LARC.
• For $20 STEVE POMEROY happily announced his 33rd wedding anniversary and his daughter’s MBA graduation, followed by her new apartment and job in Sunnyvale.
• LARRY CHU got caught with a microphone in his hand “just assisting the Sergeants-At-Arms”, but SAM managed to get $10 out of him anyway.
• JOANNE KAVALARIS’ ringing phone was heard during the announcements period, so that cost her $10.
• SAM tried to fine Treasurer SANDIE WHIPPLE for not sending him the list of people who have not yet paid a fine, though she retorted that he must not have checked his email.  In the end, both SAM and SANDIE paid for her to remind folks to ensure their name accompanies their payment into the Duck Bucket.

• PP MARLENE was his first victim. She pled ignorance about the year when a supernova known as the Crab Nebula was first seen by Chinese, Arab and Amerindian observers. (It was in 1054, if you really want to know.)
• Other victims were:
• RON STEFANI who learned that Providence, RI was founded in 1636
• DAVID SMITH (Louisiana Purchase was announced to the American people in 1803)
• Mayor VAL (West Point opened in 1802); PP SAM HARDING (“Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” published in 1865)
• PP TRACIE MURRAY (first broadcast by Radio Free Europe in 1950)
• JEAN MORDO (France offered the Statue of Liberty to America in 1886).

CARL G. ORNE AWARE  President JOHN announced the Carl G. Orne Award which is named for the 1986-87 District Governor and awarded to the individual who makes the greatest personal commitment to world peace and understanding. This is the highest award given by District 5170, a great honor, only given to one Rotarian in our District. The 2011-2012 Carl G. Orne honoree is LARC and LARAP member RICH CASEY.

As today’s speaker program, our new Board of Directors announced their plans for JOHN’s presidential year.

Programs Director President-Elect JACK KELLY recognized PP MONA’s fine work in producing a Programs Committee Handbook last year (with a little help from the Programs Committee of San Jose Rotary). MIKE ABRAMS and BARRY GROVES will assist him to evaluate potential speakers, and JACK invites others to join the committee by signing the clipboard he passed around. His committee meets the first Monday of the month at 11:45 am in First Republic Bank (except for the second Mondays in August and September). Future speakers will include Santa Clara County DA Jack Rosen, the President of San Jose State University, SJSU Poli Sci professor Larry Gerston who analyzes elections on KCBS, and the Director of the Computer History Museum, to name a few.

Community Service Director PAUL SCHUTZ detailed his area’s 14 activities “so far”. His cohorts include

• JULIE ROSE – Chamber of Commerce liaison
• PHIL ROSE – Community Services Agency
• PP DENNIS YOUNG - Festival of Lights
• JANE REED - Los Altos History Museum
• PP JACK HEIDMILLER - Los Altos’ Sister Cities
• NANCY DUNAWAY – Village Association
• DAVID SMITH – Partners for Elder Generations (PEG)
• PP MARLENE COWAN – Print Media
• Club Secretary KENDRA GERSETH and Social Media
• KATHY BERRY – Relay for Life
• DAN O’DONNELL – Rotacare meal delivery
• PP TRACIE MURRAY – A Santé fundraiser

International Director STEVE POMEROY briefly discussed the very active committees among his responsibilities.

• World Community Services (WCS) has been ably led by FRANK VERLOT who is passing the chairmanship to ALAN VARNI to continue working on projects in Nepal, Haiti, Yucatan, African Child AIDS Prevention and elsewhere.
• The Los Altos Rotary AIDS Project will continue to be led by RICH CASEY who is now working towards a third Rotary Foundation grant for Child AIDS Prevention.
• SHIV SHASTRI continues with international scholarships for graduate level study at any educational institution abroad (District grants) or at those institutions identified by RI (Global Grants).
• ROLAND PAYNE leads Future Vision Pilot Program projects, now in its final year as a pilot grants program.

New Generations Director KAREN GREGURAS listed some of Rotary’s many programs to develop character while exposing youth to Rotary.

• Our venues for developing youth leadership are Camp RYLA where we will try to send two additional high school students this year, Interact Clubs, and Boy Scouts
• Academic programs involve scholarships to attend college and Partners for New Generations (PNG)
• Student Talent development is accomplished through our speech contest and Young at Art
• Vocational mentoring activities are mock interviews and career days at local high schools
• Youth protection is accomplished through monthly training, beginning September 15 at the Town Crier office

Membership Director RANDY GARD recognized the LARC members who had brought 15 new members into the club last year:

• PP BOB ADAMS
• PAT FARRELL
• BARRY GROVES
• PP SAM HARDING
• PP DICK HENNING
• PP CYNTHIA LUEDTKE
• MARY MARLEY
• MARLIS MCALLISTER
• JOAN ROSSELLE
• BARBARA SMALL
• GEORGE STAFFORD
• JOHN SYLVESTER
• GARY WALDECK
• and PP DENNIS YOUNG who personally sponsored two members.

Operations Director CLARI NOLET's report will be given at a later date.  She could not be at the meeting today.

Whew, what a momentous first meeting for all! Mindful of PP BOO BUE’s admonition to start and end meetings on time, at 1:29 President JOHN cheerfully rang the bell with a chuckle: “Have a nice day, unless of course, you’ve made other plans!”

THIS THURSDAY'S PROGRAM:

Art Montiel California Highway Patrol, CHP PIO Redwood City will be speaking. His talk will cover the role of the CHP and how it relates to local law enforcement activities. I have asked him to relate items of interest that would be of interest to LA/LAH citizens.He plans to cover this at a high level and leave lots of time for questions.So, for this one, we should be asking our patrons to come prepared to ask their questions (including those that they might choose NOT to ask as they are receiving a citation). He will look forward to answering these for our group.

Art Montiel was born in Mexico City and moved to the USA at the age of 14.  He went to High School in Riverside, CA where he learned to speak English.  He then moved to the Bay area in 1996. He held several jobs prior to joining the CHP including at Roberts Market and Wells Fargo Bank in Woodside.  He applied with the CHP in 2004 and was hired in late 2006.  He attended the CHP Academy in West Sacramento and graduated in December, 2007.  He was assigned to the Redwood City Area office after the academy and have been there since. He has been the Public Information Officer for approximately 2 years.