Los Altos Rotary Club Home of the Annual Rotary Fine Art Show Spetember 26 2013

You never know when a simple self-made phrase will take on a life of its own.  Every President tries to come up with a starting or ending phrase that becomes his or her moniker.

Here are a few.  Can you name the author?

• “Have a good day, unless you have other plans.”
• How about:  “Goooodddd Afternoooonnnnnnn  Los Altos Rotary!”
• The Grand Poobah
• The Big Cheese, etc.
• “Serve with Love, WORK for Peace.”
• Remember the jokester?  A married couple was in a terrible accident where the man's face was severely burned. The doctor told the husband that they couldn't graft any skin from his body because he was too skinny. So the wife offered to donate some of her own skin. However, the only skin on her body that the doctor felt was suitable would have to come from her buttocks. The husband and wife agreed that they would tell no one about where the skin came from, and they requested that the doctor also honor their secret. After all, this was a very delicate matter. After the surgery was completed, everyone was astounded at the man's new face. He looked more handsome than he ever had before! All his friends and relatives just went on and on about his youthful beauty. One day he was alone with his wife, and he was overcome with emotion at her sacrifice.  He said, "Dear, I just want to thank you for everything you did for me. How can I possibly repay you?" "My darling," she replied, "I get all the thanks I need every time I see your mother kiss you on my cheek."
• Finely, “Welcome to the greatest Rotary Club in the World.”

Well, we are at it again.  Just to show you how great, we had 19 visitors.  Nineteen… for goodness sakes.  That is more than many clubs around the world have as members!  If you were an outsider, that is, someone as a guest at one of our meetings, someone not familiar with our clubs activities and read that we had 19 guests, a logical question would be “Why?”   But we know, don’t we.  Just look around. 

Last week, District Governor Angie Hassler began enumerating some of OUR club’s accomplishments, interests and activities.  It read like a World Wide multimillion dollar charity:

• AIDS awareness.  PP DUDE ANGIUS
• Prevention of AIDS in children, RICH CASEY
• Polio Plus
• Clean Water
• Haiti Disaster Relief
• Child Literacy
• PNG Mentoring and Tutoring – DAVE SNOW
• Partners for Elder Generations
• Community Service Administration (CSA) – PHIL ROSE
• Veterans Support – RON LABETICH
• RotaCare – GARY WALDECK
• WCS – ALLAN VARNI
• The Rotary Foundation – CYNTHIA LUEDTKE

A November 6, 1971, cartoon in The New Yorker by Whitney Darrow, Jr. shows a cleaning lady on her hands and knees scrubbing an office floor while saying to another one: "I'd like to see George Plimpton do this sometime."

In another cartoon in The New Yorker, a patient looks up at the masked surgeon about to operate on him and asks, "Wait a minute! How do I know you're not George Plimpton?"

A feature in Mad Magazine titled "Some Really Dangerous Jobs for George Plimpton" spotlighted him trying to swim across Lake Erie, strolling through New York's Times Square in the middle of the night, and spending a day with Jerry Lewis.

There were three official greeters, plus two extras.  Royce Cablayan, Kim Copher, Shelly Potvin, Roland Payne, and John Nicholson.

Our thoughtful Thought was given by PATRICIA (Tiger) ROHR from Plato: "Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything”

SEVERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS
PP MARLENE COWAN thanked the club for their generous support for the Burn Unit at Coaniquem in Chili.  Their goal was to sponsor 3 burn victims, all young children.  But per the theme of this newsletter, The Best Rotary Club in the World nearly doubled it to 5 children.  Below are their names.  We have sent our money.  Now keep them in your hearts and prayers as they continue their healing process:

• PAOLA  Age 12
• ELISET Age 8
• FABIAN  Age 7
• VICTOR Age 3
• CAMILO Age 10

PP ROY LAVE reminded everyone about the satellite meeting at the Jesuit Retreat House this Tuesday.  8 am.  Please sign up on our website HERE.  There is also additional information about the meeting at that link.  ROY also mentioned that his wife’s operation was successful and that she is now cancer free, which is fantastic news. 

GARY WALDECK sent around the sign-up sheet for Rotacare Food Delivery.  As you know, our club is responsible for delivering the dinner on Mondays and Wednesdays, that has been donated by local restaurants in the area.

JOE EYRE asked again for donations to the Red Badge Auction that will be held on 10/10.  The doors will be open early so members can peruse the silent auction pieces.  In addition, Joe will distribute an Auction Handbook next Thursday detailing the auction items.  This will probably be done as an email PDF to members.

President JACK KELLY stepped in and reminded everyone about the Avenues of Service on October 17.  Check out the District 5170 website for more information here.  Not that Jack is cheap, but he did remind people that the club will pay for dinner on that night if that is a consideration.

Not always thinking of soybeans, alfalfa and aphids, Gentleman Farmer HARN SOPER, as Art Show Chair asked if everyone had engraved their calendar with the May 17th and 18th 2014.  Some really anal retentive people raised their hands.  The rest of us dug out our i-phones and surreptitiously added the Art Show to those dates. 

PE KENDRA GJERSETH announced that our speaker for next week had to cancel because of an out of town engagement, but would be replaced byDennis Nahat of late with Ballet San Jose.

Membership Director JEAN MORDO  had a unique honor today.  With the help of PP MARY PROCHNOW, he welcomed in a new member to the club as a Blue Badger.  The member, sponsored by Mary is TIM SHEEHAN.  Tim is a Past President of the Wasco Ca. Rotary Club.  Wasco is south of Fresno on Highway 99.   WELCOME TIM!

10 MINUTE TALK

Now to continue the reference to George Plimpton, GARY BROWN gave his 10 minute talk.  He was born in the Village of Amityville, Long Island NY.  His early years were punctuated with the need to always have a job.  His family was not wealthy.  In order to get things he wanted, he had to earn the money to buy them.  He listed job after job.  They were the typical jobs of youth in those days, paper boy, gas station attendant, grocery store bagger, lawns, construction jobs etc. 

He met his wife in Jr. College, and married her a number of years later.  He got his teaching credentials but went into construction, moved to the west coast with his wife to find better work.  He worked as a technical writer at Four Phase and Sun Systems for a number of years.  They then moved back to the east coast for better work, moved back to the area in 2009 to settle down with Spangler Mortuary, where he is today. 

As I sat there listening to his life long search for a good job, a better job, a career, I was struck with the idea of how his experience in job searching might make a great book, addressed to so many people out of work today, out of the work force, out of even the hope of a job.  He clearly didn’t take the easy out by going on the dole, but was always searching, always trying, and always succeeding. 

A KINDER GENTLER PP MARY PROCHNOW stuck it to 10 people today as Finemaster.  So much for the “Kinder Gentler” person.  By my count she got about $300. 

THE PROGRAM
This continues the reference to George Plimpton.  Today’s program was a vocal history of Molly Bell by Molly Bell with music and lyrics by Molly Bell.  As you followed Molly’s goal to be On Broadway, you once again conjured up the image of determination, goal-oriented work, and single purpose of action.  Like GARY BROWN, they both had lots of jobs to further their goals. 
Molly started acting/singing at our local youth theatre, LAYT run by the Parks and Recreation Department.  Since that beginning she has acted and sung all over the United States and is currently working on her second musical, sorry I didn’t get the name, but it is something like The Real Housewives - The Musical. 

Her “Becoming Britney” musical was her first musical and was presented several years ago.  Here is areview of that performance.  Her performance today earned her a standing ovation. 

Did you see the thread:  George Plimpton, GARY BROWN, and Molly Bell?  If you were born before 1975, you probably got it.  Otherwise it probably went over your head. 

Comings and Goings - September 2013

Dennis Nahat Ballet San Jose