Los Altos Rotary Club Home of the Annual Rotary Fine Art Show August 15 2013

TOM POWERS’ Thought for the Day included, he jokingly warned us, the words “Prayer and God”. Because this writer feels it is a valuable guide for both religious and non-church-going persons, it’s printed here in its entirety.
 

We cannot merely pray to God to end war; 
For the world was made in such a way 
That we must find our own path of peace 
Within ourselves and with our neighbor.
  
We cannot merely pray to God to root out prejudice; 
For we already have eyes 
With which to see the good in all people 
If we would only use them rightly.
  
We cannot merely pray to God to end starvation; 
For we already have the resources 
With which to feed the entire world 
If we would only use them wisely.
  
We cannot merely pray to God to end despair; 
For we already have the power
To clear away slums and to give hope 
If we would only use our power justly.
  
We cannot merely pray to God to end disease; 
For we already have great minds 
With which to search out cures and healings 
If we would only use them constructively.
  
Therefore we pray instead 
For strength, determination, and will power, 
To do instead of merely to pray 
To become instead of merely to wish; 
That our world may be safe, 
And that our lives may be blessed.
 
By Rabbi Jack Reimer
 

STEVE POMEROY led the song and soon thereafter fined himself because his technical back-up didn’t work, so he ended up leading “Yankee Doodle”, though in our many pitches it sounded more like wounded elk (no reference to Elks Club, of course). Photos were taken by JOHN HAMMERSCHMIDT, Sergeants-at-Arms were MIKE ABRAMS and STEVE POMEROY, and KAREN OWEN manned the cashier table.

 
Announcements
PP MARLENE COWAN announced the Los Altos Rotary AIDS Project (LARAP) meeting today, the normal meeting every 3rd Thursday at First Republic Bank 1:45 pm. New members are welcome. She asked if anybody knew August and Carol Giannetti, friends of Walter Singer, and in whose honor a generous donation was just made to LARAP for our AIDS work in Nepal.
 
Save the Date Oct. 6: MARLENE also reminded all to attend the Fiesta Afloat, a cruise aboard the Commodore Cruise ship Fumé Blanc sailing on San Francisco Bay Sunday, Oct. 6 from 1 – 4:30 pm. Hearty hors-d’oeuvres, beverages of all sorts including Chilean wine tasting, and live party music by Night Harvest are featured. Plan to buy your $95/person ticket next week from Marlene.  Even better, plan a table of 8 @ $700 for a savings of $60. Why? It’s a “fun” fundraiser for the Burned Children’s Center COANIQUEM by which LARC supports the multiple surgeries and rehabilitation for three children frightfully burned by primitive cooking methods in South America. Come join the fun on SF Bay Oct. 6.
 
GARY WALDECK reminded us that today is(was) the last day for Club Handbook revisions and photos by JERRY TOMANEK.
 
CAROL GARSTEN thanked PE KENDRA for the excellent training on Club Runner and personally offered to answer any questions on getting the app on iPhone.
 
KATHY BERRY announced a Relay For Life fundraiser, Wednesday, Aug. 28 at Maltby’s. Buy a drink to support the Relay and cancer research.
 
FRANK ELMER invited all to his home for a LARC social on Aug. 23 from 6:00 – 8:30 pm. Bring a bottle and an appetizer.
 
PP CYNTHIA LUEDTKE announced that our District 5170 Governor Angie Hassler and her husband Past DG Roger Hassler will visit our club Sept. 19 and honor those who have pledged donations to The Rotary Foundation (TRF). Levels are $200 Double Sustainer, $500 Super Sustainer, and $1000 Paul Harris Society in one Rotary year. Submit your pledges to CYNTHIA.
 
TREASURER SANDIE WHIPPLE reminded all to pay their $305 Club dues. 

Today there was just one visiting Rotarian from Wasco, in the Valley of Roses, recognized by PE KENDRA. Guests included a boy scout accompanied by MIKE ABRAMS, and guests of PAUL GONELLA, JULIE ROSE (Laura Bajuk), PP MONA ARMISTEAD (hubby Bob).
 
Next week’s speaker will be Dr. Raja Guhathakurta, an observational astronomer from Lick Observatory who will enlighten us on “The Cosmos”.
 
President  JACK reminded all to donate “Bloomers for Jack” or dollars before DG Angie Hassler arrives in just one month to collect packages of new underwear for needy folks.
 
More District 5170 news: Avenues of Service is a training opportunity for all club members, especially new ones, on Thursday Oct. 17 at the DoubleTree Hotel, San Jose Gateway. The Club pays your registration and dinner fees. September 7 will be Community Days at the A’s. The wife of Past RI President Cliff Doctorman who spoke at our club’s 60th anniversary, passed last Friday. A memorial service is being developed for September, and details will be announced soon.
 
RON LABETICH displayed a certificate of commendation for the work that he and LARC members have put into supporting the Veterans Resource Center at Foothill College. In it, a brigadier general of the US Army Reserves applauded our support of their goals to improve mentoring and outplacement. This is the result of LARC participation at a Career Exploration Day at Foothill College. Free employment advertisement in the Los Altos Town Crier has now been offered by PAUL NYBERG, and proceeds from the next Cioppino Feed by Dave Luedtke will benefit veterans.

New member DUANNI HURD was inducted into LARC by Membership Director JEAN MORDO.  Her sponsor is PP JOHN SYLVESTER. DUANNI now owns Starlight Caregivers in Palo Alto, following her initial finance education in Beijing, China and a Ph.D. with scholarship from the University of Arizona.

PP MARY PROCHNOW was tapped on the shoulder to give a 10 minute summary of her life, and she reminded us of her theme as 2002-03 LARC President, “Imagine” as John Lennon had imagined a world at peace. She was born in 1946 San Francisco to a father who was a USF basketball star and a mother who was a self-taught computer programmer at Bechtel, later becoming a real estate agent with young Mary tagging along on her visits and learning real estate at a young age. She also learned from her mother “to be magnanimous” for “if you smile the world smiles with you, but if you cry, you cry alone.” In her San Mateo Catholic elementary school she met RICH CASEY and still remembers losing a spelling bee to him.

 After entering the novitiate of the Sisters of Notre Dame, she learned the value of meditation and appreciated the Jesuit priest Teilhard de Chardin. After leading a rather reclusive life at the novitiate, life changed dramatically for her when she left the novitiate and moved to San Francisco during the “flower power” era. In 1962 MARY became a realtor and after managing 22 real estate offices she opened her own real estate office in 1991 in downtown Los Altos. DENNIS YOUNG sponsored her to join LARC in 1982 where she was the second woman to join the club. Marge Gratiot joined at the same time, and they were warmly accepted by “most of” the club members; we all know it was a big step at first to allow women into Rotary.
 
When DUDE ANGIUS became President of LARC back in 1989, he very courageously announced that his son Steve was dying of AIDS, and he asked this club to help him do something about the spread of the disease. MARY and nine other LARC members met for five months until they came up with the idea of making a video about supporting AIDS victims with compassion which later became “The Los Altos Story”. Thanks to a Hollywood filmmaker, Greg Hoblit, who happened to be the son of LARC Rotarian Hal Hoblit and his friend, a professional film producer named Robin Young, “The Los Altos Story” was filmed and went on to win the Peabody Award for broadcast excellence (the first service club to receive this award) as well as many other awards.
 
MARY is interested in geneology and encouraged others to join “23 and Me” to explore their DNA in order to find relatives; she had nearly fallen off her chair when she discovered that she and PP DICK HENNING were distant cousins. She graciously expressed her gratitude to Rotary for the wonderful friendships she has enjoyed, for expansion of her intellect, and for the international understanding encouraged by Rotary, while imagining a world of peace.
 

Finemaster

LONNIE GARY made the most of the short time allotted to him by fining JOHN HAMMERSCHMIDT for a ringing cell phone and several volunteers: STEVE POMEROY who volunteered after his song leading glitch,  MARY PROCHNOW who volunteered to pay after “stealing some of your time”, DENNIS POTTER who returned from a 10K trip to the North Pole and appreciated PP DUDE’s leadership at Los Altos High where his son attends, DENNIS YOUNG who says he felt sorry for LONNIE, and CLYDE NOEL who appreciated LARC member’s note of support during his knee replacement surgery.

Program: The Story of our Apricot Orchards
Robin Chapman, 1968 graduate of Los Altos High School, loves apricots. In fact she researched extensively and wrote a book this year entitled “California Apricots: the Lost Orchards of Silicon Valley”. She now dreams of celebrating “Apricot Days” in her hometown of Los Altos. Chapman revived her childhood memories of growing up surrounded by apricots while her father who worked at NACA/NASA Ames at Moffett Field built their family home himself during weekends in a Los Altos apricot orchard.

The apricot fruit originated in China where its pictograph represents a tree above an open mouth, signifying its delicious flavor. From China it traveled the silk road to Central Asia, then branched off to Syria and gave rise to the expression “like an apricot in Damascus”, meaning “as good as it gets”. Another related expression is “…when the apricots arrive”, meaning “whenever, but don’t hold your breath waiting.” The Spanish word for apricot is “damasco” honoring its development in Damascus. Orchards were also cultivated in Majorca, and seedlings were first brought to California for planting in mission gardens by Father Junipero Serra. California apricot orchards became truly profitable and plentiful when the gold rush and development of the transcontinental railroad enabled fresh and dried fruit to be transported to the east coast. So, in a sense, apricot orchards brought both food and jobs to California.

Chapman estimates there were 200,000 acres of fruit trees in what is now Silicon Valley, making it the largest (lost) orchard in the world. Of these, 7 million apricot trees belonged to David Packard, and his will stipulates that 67 acres be maintained in perpetuity as orchards. In 1901 Gilbert Smith planted an orchard on the property that is now Los Altos City Hall; while bicycling back and forth to his job at Stanford, he pitched a tent there and built his home, now known as the History House. Frank Lloyd Wright was later consulted for siting Los Altos’ City Hall, and he recommended the Smith property which still boasts an active apricot orchard. In 1978 a Heritage Award for Excellence was received for preservation of this heritage orchard. Chapman recognizes the challenge going forward of enlarging City Hall on this site.

“Apricot Days” could be celebrated in Los Altos, suggests Chapman, as a creative effort to combine a fundraiser for the History Museum, a community-building investment, an educational event, green space preservation, and a heritage for future generations.