Los Altos Rotary Club Home of the Annual Rotary Fine Art Show February 20 2014

I can’t ever remember going to a Rotary meeting to get stoned, but with the help of MARLIS McALLISTER I was stoned and I was blue over it.

 Fortunately, everyone else was stoned before the meeting started.

Before that episode I was greeted by three Red Badgers: CINDY BOGARD O’GORMAN, SANDIE PREVOT and MICHAEL ELLERIN providing welcoming words of encouragement to entering club members. Having three Red Badgers signing the clip board for advanced greeting duty today made me feel I should also be greeting the Red Badgers for joining the Los Altos Rotary Club.

At exactly 12:15 p.m. President JACK KELLY opened the meeting with “Welcome once again to the Best Rotary Club in the Land” and assigned STEVE SHEPHERD to lead us in the pledge to the flag.

PP MARY PROCHNOW provided us with a Thought for the Day from Epicurus: “Don’t spoil what you have by desiring what you don’t have. Remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”

PE KENDRA GJERSETH asked for visiting Rotarians to announce their presence and the following complied:

Steve Andrew of Cupertino, Cookie Cooper, honorary Rotarian of Cupertino, Jim Walker, Cupertino, Jerry Potwin, James Haggerty of San Jose and Judy Hannemann of Mountain View.
Rotarians with guests were:  JOHN MORDO, MEL KAHN and DUDE ANGIUS with a table full of guests.

Announcements:
MARLIS McALLISTER reminded Rotarians to place their stones in the glass jar on the table. We were then all un-stoned.

President JACK KELLY announced that Ruth, the wife of BOB LUNDQUIST, passed away this past week.  ROBERT was President of our Club in 1986-87 and died several years ago. 

RON LABETICH reminded everyone of the Cioppino Dinner, auction and entertainment March 7 from 6 to 10 in the Garden House. Price is $70 each and tax deductable.

PP DENNIS YOUNG reminded everyone of the club’s 65th anniversary lunch at the Los Altos Country Club March 6. Lunch costs $35. Pay up now.

FRANK VERLOT is looking for help in the Young at Art program. This yearly program for the local high schools is important and FRANK needs help so contact him. He also mentioned a World Community Service program meeting that was held as you read this announcement.

ROY JONES reminded Red Badgers he still has Tee shirts for them and he is also looking for 4 drivers to help with transportation of exhibitors at the May Art Show.

STAN SCARDINO announced the Red Badgers annual program this year would be emergency backpacks for the car or house. The program is geared to sell 1500 packs.  Each Rotarian should purchase 3 packs for their family and friends.  You will hear more from this.

Paul Harris Awards:
PP WYATT ALLEN presented Paul Harris Awards at the meeting.  When a person contributes $1000 to the Rotary Foundation he/she can be recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow.  For each PHF named we know that $1,000 has been given to the Rotary Foundation and for each additional $1,000 a sapphire or ruby is added to the PHF pin as they reach a new level. 

WYATT presented the following awards at the meeting:

• LEW FRASER, PHF level
• LOUIS BOREL. PHF +1
• PAUL GONELLA. PHF+1
• DWIGHT MATTHEWS. PHF+1
• CLARI NOLET, PHF+1
• SHELLY POTVIN, PHF+1
• ANNE ARJANI, PHF+2
• GREGORY DABB, PHF+2
• JOANNE KAVALARIS, PHF+2
• CHUCK LINDAUER, PHF+2
• JOHN MCDONNELL, PHF+2
• SANDRA WHIPPLE, PHF+2

Recognition:
PP MEL KAHN was fine master for the day but the conversation was a comedy tribute to DUDE ANGIUS. MEL insists he has the record for free throws and it must be close to 300 at a time.

DUDE countered when he was the basketball coach at Los Altos High School nobody could go home till they made 25 free throws and unfortunately, Mel always came home late.

For the recognition, DUDE contributed $100 for the fine. A DUDE ANGIUS scholarship will be established on May 3rd.

In the conclusion of the lengthy tirade of superiority, Dude thanked Mel for all his work in having him assume the name of DUDE ANGIUS gymnasium at Los Altos High School. Additional recognition was given to BARRY GROVES and JUDY HANNEMANN. When Mel assumed fining members again, the following were “nicked:”

MARGE BRUNO $20, NANCY DUNAWAY $50, GARY WALDECK $20,
MIKE SPENCE $25 and JOHN SINES $25

Membership Program:
Membership Director JEAN MORDO made an important and extensive report on the membership status of the Los Altos Rotary Club with reference how to increase club membership through community representation.

In 2003, the club had 145 members and today membership has increased to 179.  We are doing better than most of the other clubs in the district. While our club increased 23% in the ten-year period, Cupertino increased 40 %, Santa Clara 20%, Saratoga 15% and District 5170 increased 11%.

During the last five years compiling the reason for terminations was 52 percent resigned, 27% moved and 21% had health problems or death.

The club is doing well on gender, but not on age and ethnicity. Males have 70% membership in the club and women only 30%.  It’s an old club with 39 members in the 65-79 age group.
Comparing our percentage of female members (31%) to Cupertino’s (41%) we are doing much better than Santa Cruz with only 16% female membership. Palo Alto, Sunnyvale and Gilroy have a higher percentage of female members than Los Altos.

We get a lot of our members from current members sponsoring red badgers. Leading the sponsorship is BOB ADAMS with 15 new members, MARGE BRUNO and SAM PESNER with 11 apiece and CYNTHIA LUEDTKE with 8 inductions.

The reason members join the club concentrate around friendship. Others look for business development, personal growth and leadership development.  Many just join for the fun and Rotary entertainment.

The question was asked, “What should we do to improve?”
Get members to sponsor or co/sponsor members.  Information about membership to our club including applications is easily accessible on our website.  Assess the needs of new members and minorities. Connect with minorities and adapt our operation to be more minorities friendly.  Finally, get a bigger and better venue.
 
The Process is Simple:

1. Bring candidate as a guest 3 times
2. Candidate fills application on LARC website
3. Sponsor fills application
4. Applications automatically come to Jean (John) MORDO
5. The Membership Director gets board approval and notifies club members
6. One hour orientation is held
7. Induction as a Red Badger

In winding up the program, members BOB ADAMS and SAM PESNER were asked “ How did you do it?(sponsor new members)”.

BOB ADAMS was president of the club in 1996-97 and he feels we can’t put a number on the size of the club because we lose about 10% each year.

“I’m proud of our club and I want to bring in more members,” Bob said. “You can make lifelong friendships and enjoy the fellowship. You have to keep looking for the top of the barrel and bring in quality people.”

BOB ADAMS is a relentless personality and after his quality membership items to consider, SAM HARDING said, ”What can I add to Bob’s desire?”

The last exercise on Rotary membership consisted of the entire membership audience at tables of ten Rotarians. The questions of each person at the table were:
Why did you join the Rotary? And, Why did you stay?

The answers will be collected, analyzed and provided at a future Rotary meeting.
President Jack closed the meeting at 12:31 p.m.

Colleen Bailey is the Executive Director of the National Steinbeck Center.   Her accomplishments at the Center earned her the distinction as the 2010 Newsmaker of the Year from the Salinas  Californian newspaper. Before working at the Center, Colleen was an arts educator and administrator in schools in Central and Southern California and Colorado. She has won numerous awards for her teaching, including Who's Who Among American Teachers (2000) and the National Society of High School Scholars Class Novel Educator of Distinction (2007).

 Colleen, a proud native and current resident of Salinas, is a graduate of the Stevenson School, the University of Southern California, and a graduate degree from Northwestern University. She has completed an Executive Program at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business.

 Colleen is a member of the Rotary Club of Salinas and serves on several boards of organizations in Monterey County.