Due to the COVID-19 Threat we have shifted our club meetings to Zoom. To join us contact any of our officers or our membership chairman and we'll send you an invite and link.
June 18, 2020
President Dave called the Zoom Rotary meeting to order at 11 a.m. As always, we started the meeting with the 4 Way Test which puts us in the giving/caring mode to discuss the latest happenings last week.
Resa Coopat led us in the flag salute after a brief introduction. She did her research as June 14th was Flag Day and she talked about the creation of the Continental Army and how they met and created a new flag representing the 2nd Continental Congress formed in 1775. The new flag consisted of 13 stars and 13 stripes.
Judy Luttiken followed Resa with the Inspirational Message. Her topic was Father's Day which is celebrated on June 21st. She had some very thoughtful quotes that she read and I'm sure many of us could relate to some happy times with our Dads!
Bob Kaplan was introduced as our only guest who will be inducted as our newest member the first meeting in July. Welcome aboard Bob! Joel led us in the Welcome Song and David commented on how much his signing voice has improved over the years! "It was nice and clear" (because most of us were muted)!!
David thanked Mike for always being there to set up the Zoom meeting and Karen was scribe. Bill Angus always transfers the notes he receives and incorporates them into our weekly newsletter and has been doing that behind the scenes for years.....our unsung hero!
Along with every one else contributing over $600+ in happy bucks, Bob Barr gave $250 for meetings missed due to an issue with his Parkinson disease and another $250 as a gift to our club! Jeanne Hawkins also contributed $1,000 to the club as a very generous donation. It was also noted that both John and Jeanne each became Major Donors to Rotary International this year. Congratulations on your constant support of Rotary. PLEASE REMEMBER TO SEND YOUR MONEY TO EITHER THE CLUB OR FOUNDATION P.O. BOX THAT PAT CHAFFEE WILL PROVIDE IN AN EMAIL TO THE CLUB.
During the June 16th Board Meeting, they voted to give $2,000 for the Caregivers Project led by Sandie Dewane. She will visit several care facilities and donate to the care givers in the facilities. She'll provide a cake and gift cards to each one of the staff along with a thank you note. It's a wonderful recognition of all their hard work, especially during the Covid19 crisis. Sandie was also selected as Rotarian of the Month!
Congratulations Sandie!! The board also voted to induct Bob Barr and Ernie Giles as honorary members.
2020 Rotary International Virtual Convention will be on June 20, 2020 at 8:00 AM which is 6 AM California time. It ends on June 26, 2020 at 5 PM or 3 PM California time. You must register for this on line.
DISTRICT 5340 Virtual Governor's Celebration will be held on June 29th from 6 pm to 9 pm. You must also register for this event on line.
Our Demotion Party will be on Zoom next Thurs. , June 24th at 5:30. Past President Doug will be our host!
Alex Robertson thanked all the members for completing a questionnaire he sent out and will tally the results by next week. A hard drive problem caused a delay in his being able to pull up the comments.
Dan Barrios reported on the Rotary Foundation giving and he thinks we are the 3rd highest giving club in our district of over 60 clubs. Yeah Team!!
Arilla subbed for John O this week and fined everyone $10 who did a "Who Am I" during the Zoom meetings. Happy Anniversary to both the Hyldahl's (56 years) and the Westbrook's (57years) who celebrated their anniversaries this month. We also had several members celebrating their birthdays this month: Toby, Charley, Gary, Diane and ??? My apologies if I missed anyone. I just know there were a lot!
We just had one guest speaker for his Who Am I (thank goodness because he had a long history in the corporate world...very interesting). Toby started with the Bank of America and had an intense one year training program where he eventually worked with the CIA (banks were full of them in those days!) from a Mexican Corporate Desk. His assignment was to repossess 3 Boeing 727s. Pretty tall order for his first big job! When he returned to B of A he saw the women and minorities were overlooked for every promotion to a higher position. He took it upon himself to try and break "The Glass Ceiling". During most of his career he never forgot about this injustice. He even saw where women were banned from certain clubs. He eventually was promoted to a VP where he had some clout and started promoting and advancing women and minorities to higher positions in their company. He broke the ceiling and they were so grateful to him.
His goal was always to "step outside the box, create solutions and meet challenges." "He didn't play by the book." He worked with Morgan Stanley in the 1980's and ended his 25 year career in Investment Consulting. Great look into the life of Toby and his life story. We're glad you ended up with us in Rotary!
Toby also provided an additional reflection to share after his presentation for inclusion in his Who Am I:
"As for my "Who Am I," I thought I would try a different approach and reflect back over my 79 years to determine what really motivated me especially as an adult. I was raised under privileged circumstances, thus the elite Prep school. My parents always reminded me and my two younger brothers that we had a duty to reach out to those less fortunate than us. My mother constantly set the example and even extended it to pets, mostly cats, that were in distress which she would bring home. That lesson was ingrained in me at a very early age.
My Senior year high school literature class required a term paper on an author of our choice plus a verbal presentation. I selected Mark Twain and have been influenced by him ever since. His central theme is lead with your heart and not be guided by your conscience. In fact, he despised his conscience. That of course, is the great lesson of "Huckleberry Finn." While under lock down I finally got around to studying his Autobiography, 5 pounds worth. The word "heart" appears routinely. He dictated the book over a number of years, thus following his own example.
While working for Dillingham in Honolulu I got to know many locals as I surfed with them. I was accepted and they gave me a nickname: " Toby Watanabe."
Finally, my fondest moments at Rotary are watching young adults, many minorities and women, receive scholarships, and other accolades. Rotarians do lead with their hearts. Cheers." - Toby
David closed the meeting with a couple of thoughts that were discussed at the Board Meeting. They felt it was time to bring in outside guest speakers now as we enter into a new phase that may allow us to meet in person soon. Let's hope!!
They also discussed racial discourse and will form a team to look at how to support the community and reach out to a more diverse group of men and women.
Stay safe, stay well and "see" you next week for the party! Remember it is WEDNESDAY, June 24th. Congratulations to David King for giving of your time and efforts to lead our club.
Yours in Rotary,
Karen Stelman
Scribe