Monthly Archives: August 2015
NEXT MEETING: August 28, 2015Junior Achievement: Program OverviewStacey Martin-Bonaduce, Program Director for Junior Achievement (JA) in West Contra Costa and Oakland, will provide an overview of programs that prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. JA provides business/entrepreneurship, financial literacy and workforce readiness programs for K-12th grade students throughout Northern and Central California. Volunteers are key to JA’s success, creating a powerful combination of academic knowledge and real-life business experience that bridges the gap between the classroom and the world beyond. During 2014-2015, more than 4,000 volunteers taught JA programs to over 100,000 students from diverse socioeconomic demographics in 23 counties. MEETING OF August 21, 2015WelcomePresident Alan Blavins called the meeting to order and asked Jim Young to lead the Pledge of Allegiance. He asked Stoney Stonework to invoke a moment of silence for freedom, peace, and justice on Earth. In Sid Chauvin’s absence, Herb Cole had a thought for the day: Your friends will come and go, while your enemies will tend to accumulate so be nice to everyone! Visiting Rotarians and GuestsThere were no guests, but Rotarian Ralph Porter from the Solano Sunset Club in Vallejo joined us for lunch. And if it wasn’t Ralph Porter (excuse a possible scribe error), the man made a very good impression anyway and we welcome him back. Announcements
RecognitionsHappy and Sad DollarsNorm’s NonsensePROGRAMStacey Street introduced Cecilia Gaerlan, Executive Director for the Bataan Legacy Historical Society. Cecilia gave an extremely compelling presentation on World War II in the Philippines. Cecilia’s father, Luis Gaerlan, was a soldier during WWII in the Philippines, but though he suffered horrific trauma, he never told the full story to his family since it was too difficult to remember. When Cecilia started learning the truth, that Filipino soldiers were used, deceived and sacrificed to win the war, and ultimately betrayed when deprived of benefits on Truman’s signing of the 1st Surplus Rescission Act, she founded Bataan Legacy to address the lack of information about the role of Filipinos during the war. Its multimedia presentations are designed to teach everyone the importance of WWII in the Philippines and to present the war from different points of view – soldiers, civilians, Filipinos, Americans and other nationalities. Cecilia provided a brief historical overview, chronicling the history of the Philippines as a colony, then a Commonwealth, the history of fighting over the Philippines, and then how it was ultimately invaded and overpowered by the Japanese. She described the Bataan Death March to the prison camp after the surrender on April 9, 1942, where troops were forced to march 60 miles in tropical conditions, and were beaten, bayoneted or left to die if they couldn’t go on. Nearly 11,000 died, and another 25,000 perished in the prison camps. In addition, in 1945, during the liberation of the Philippines, approximately 100,000 civilians died in Manila, and by the end of the war, approximately 1,000,000 Filipino civilians perished. Cecilia also showed several short videos and film clips, including historical footage that she narrated live, and interviews with Filipino soldiers. Cecilia closed by inviting everyone to attend two special events: an exhibition on WWII in the Philippines will be at the SF Public Library from September 12 through January 9, and a conference hosted by Bataan Legacy on Saturday, October 24th from 10 AM to 5 PM in San Francisco. Visit For more information or to register (attendance is free), please visit this web page. For more information about Bataan Legacy, visit www.bataanlegacy.org. Stacey Street, Rotating Editor |
NEXT MEETING: August 21, 2015World War II in the Philippines
Cecilia I. Gaerlan, Executive Director of Bataan Legacy Historical Society, will speak about the organization and the role of Filipinos during World War II in the Philippines. Bataan Legacy Historical Society’s main goal is to educate the public on the historical significance of the Battle of Bataan and World War II in the Philippines by presenting the war from different perspectives (Filipino, American, soldiers and civilians) through its multimedia presentations, exhibitions, conferences and lectures in schools and different organizations throughout the country. It also documents the stories of survivors and veterans of WWII in the Philippines. Cecilia was inspired by her father, Luis Gaerlan, Jr. a Filipino veteran (41st Infantry Regiment) of WWII and a survivor of the Bataan Death March. They have produced a documentary, and the trailer can be viewed here. MEETING OF August 14, 2015WelcomeThe One and Only President Alan Blavins opened up the meeting with a joke. Sid’s thought for the day was that wives with missing husbands should post their pictures on beer cans. Visiting Rotarians and GuestsNeha Venkatesh and her mother and father were guests of Henry Moe. Neha is a Junior at Salesian and a member of the Interact Club. She started her own foundation called Scholarships without Borders. She supplies shoes to students in countries around the world and she attended Rotary to speak about her foundation. This summer she took a trip to Spain to witness things she had purchased being handed out to students. Erle Brown offered a pledge to her foundation and will pay it off during the Rotary Crab Feed. Dan Tanita also gave her a donation as well as our speaker Ron Hilley. Announcements
RecognitionsHappy and Sad DollarsNorm’s NonsensePROGRAMThe FBI and Polygraph Examinations: Q&A with Ron HilleyJim Young introduced Ron Hilley, a retired FBI Agent and Polygraph Examiner and Interviewer. Ron spoke about his time with the FBI and about his current job as a consultant for Polygraph tests. He said when he is hired he first studies the background of the person he will be performing the polygraph on then he sits and talks with the person for a few hours before he even starts the polygraph. He spoke of the importance of building a rapport with the person, trying to gain trust. His stories were engaging and every Rotarian seemed very interested in his talk.
Henry Moe, Rotating Scribe |
NEXT MEETING: August 14, 2015The FBI and Polygraph Examinations: Q&A with Ron HilleyRon Hilley, retired FBI Agent and Polygraph Examiner and Interviewer will describe his experience in both fields and will respond to your questions. Ron studied Russian at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA, and earned his BA from U.C.L.A. in Slavic Languages. Ron was also a member of the US Navy from 1966-69. MEETING OF August 7, 2015WelcomeOn a bright sunny day, Prez Alan called the meeting to order. Your Scribe led the group in the Pledge and Prez Alan asked for a Silent Prayer for Peace on Earth. Sgt-at-Arms Sid Chauvin offered the following from General George S. Patton, “Always do more than is required of you.” Visiting Rotarians and GuestsPam Jones introduced her guest Jennifer Granillo. A report on the Holiday Auction Tour at KABC-TVHoliday Auction bidders, Josh & Emily Surowitz, Linda & Jim Young and Zelpha & Sid Chauvin toured the KABC-7 News studios Friday in San Francisco, hosted by News Anchor Dan Ashley. The measured tempo of on-the-air news delivery belies the hectic behind-the-scenes activity of the operation’s staff of 50, who receive, edit and assemble electronic news from around the region and the world. Great tour! If we are lucky, Stacey Street will talk the personable Mr. Ashley into offering the tour again. The news team pictured with Richmond Rotarians is Michael Finney, Dan Ashley and Cheryl Jennings. Announcements
RecognitionsHappy and Sad DollarsNorm’s NonsensePROGRAMOmbudsmen: Elder Advocates in ActionOur guest speaker was Nicole Howell, Executive Director of the Ombudsman Services of Contra Costa (OSCC), an advocacy agency for frail and vulnerable residents in long-term care facilities. OSCC is a non-profit organization that serves the 9,000 residents in CC County who are in the 460 skilled nursing care and residential care facilities across the county. Nicole and her team of 2 full-time and 2 part-time staff do “pop-ins” at the various facilities, investigate reports of abuse or neglect, and work with family members looking for possible placement of relatives. OSCC believe that there should be “freedom of choice” or personalized care give to people placed in care facilities. There is also a concerted effort to move away from medication as a means of “controlling” residents. Nicole asked us to:
The Menehune “Rotating Editor” |
NEXT MEETING: August 7, 2015Ombudsmen: Elder Advocates in ActionNicole Howell, Executive Director, discusses the Ombudsman Services of Contra Costa (OSCC), which advocates for the frail and vulnerable residents of long-term care facilities in the county. Their vision is for the long-term care facilities in Contra Costa County to be the best in the country and reflect the high standards of resident-centered care. The Ombudsman Services of Contra Costa serves 2,880 residents of skilled nursing facilities and 6,200 residents of residential care facilities. OSCC investigates complaints made on behalf of residents, and works to bring resolution to those complaints. In addition, OSCC provides a range of resources for residents, their families, and facility staff. MEETING OF July 31, 2015WelcomePresident Alan Blavins called the meeting to order and asked Connie Tritt to lead us in the Pledge. Alan asked for a silent prayer and Sgt-at-Arms Sid Chauvin offered this thought for the day: “The older you get, the harder it is to lose weight because your body and your fat have become good friends.” Visiting Rotarians and GuestsDistrict Foundation Stewardship Chair and District Governor Nominee (2017-2018) Gary Vilhauer was a visiting Rotarian. Jim Young brought his lovely wife Linda as his guest. Special EventsPaul Harris Fellow awards were presented by Dan Tanita, DDS, to Tyler Covell (Hank Covell’s grandson) and Shana Bagley (your scribe). Announcements
Sunshine Report RecognitionsHappy and Sad DollarsNorm’s NonsensePROGRAMJim Young introduced our speaker, UC Berkeley research astronomer Stephen Stahler, Ph. D. Dr. Stahler gave an out of this world (thank you Tom Butt) presentation on “Why are there Stars.” While learning about molecular clouds, super novi, compact objects, negative heat capacity, and accretion luminosity, we also learned some valuable astronomy factoids that apply to our everyday, Earth-based lives:
For background, visit Dr. Stahler’s website, which has links to his recent papers, publications, and sketches can be found here. Anyone interested in purchasing his book, The Formation of Stars, you can do so on Amazon. -Shana Bagley (soon-to –be-Howe), Rotating Scribette |