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March 15, 2013

Richmond CA Rotary Posted on by

The Flywheel
Archive issue

NEXT MEETING: March 15, 2013

The California Symphony. And more...

Betty and Tom Overhoff, with the California Symphony, will introduce us to a premiere cultural resource of Contra Costa County. The California Symphony’s programs are performed at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek.The California Symphony also conducts and exciting and renowned music education programs, including “Sound Minds” which was launched in the Richmond/San Pablo area just this last year. website of the California Symphony.

And the “more…”?

We will have a short discussion focused exclusively on possible future projects. Lasting only 15 minutes—call it a “Mini-Assembly”—we’ll hear from members advocating possible volunteer projects. The discussion will be carried over to the next Board meeting, or the next Assembly, scheduled for April 26th.

MEETING OF March 8, 2013

Welcome

President “One Eye” Jim Young called the meeting to order on another beautiful, sunny day at the Richmond Country Club. Lilliane Kozial had the honor of leading us in the Pledge. Stoney gave us the invocation and also noted there was a great editorial response regarding Rotary’s PolioPlus. Henry Kelman was back in the saddle with a Thought for the Day…”Dow was over 14K!”

Rotarians with Guests

Henry’s brother Joe, no stranger to the Club, was his guest.

Sunshine Report

Herb Cole is in Texas tending to mom. John Nicol is at Kaiser Richmond (3rd floor?) and guests are welcomed.

Announcements

  • Adler Fellow will be performing at the Arlington Community Church last Friday night.
  • March 16 is a big day for the Club. From 9am-12noon Mark Howe will be coordinating giving our Rotary Peace Garden (1st and Nevin) a face lift and some new dirt.
  • St Patrick’s Day BARSHEEP Celebration (H’s Lordships) will take place that same night, this Saturday. Still time to sign up! Lilliane has details. Use the PayPal button in the right sidebar if you’d like to purchase tickets online. Easy.
  • RotoCare Clinic opening has been delayed to March 19.
  • The Pinole and El Cerrito Rotary Club will be having Past DG Cliff Dochteman as a special guest  on March 21st.
  • Richmond Rotary Board meeting Thursday, March 21 at La Revolucion.
  • Richmond Tales Family Fest is on 4/20. Our Richmond Rotary Club will have a booth and will be participating in the event.
  • Last Call for Mendocino Rotary Trip…I hear David Brown may be taking flight!
  • David Keystone described a particularly upsetting crime that targeted a Richmond Police officer and his dogs. The officer’s home was burglarized, resulting in the loss of a significant amount of personal property. But in addition, the burglar poisoned the officer’s two dogs, locked in a kennel in the backyard. One dog died despite efforts to save it; the other, a police dog, survived but the medical treatment has racked up very high expenses, in the “five figures”.  Jim Young suggests if you wish to make a personal contribution to help mend the crime against our police, please bring it to Rotary Friday and will make the contribution as Richmond Rotarians.

Special Events

Prez Jim had “Rotary at Work” T-Shirts for your scribe, Don Lau, and Joe Bagley, for helping out at the RotoCare Opening. Felix Hunziker, Lynn Martin, Alan Baer and daughter Stephanie were also treated to new T’s.

Recognitions

Happy and Sad Dollars

  • Hank Covell has a duck up for adoption. (His story quacked us up.)
  • Joe Kelman was happy to announce the arrival of a grandchild.
  • Stoney was happy his eldest daughter turned 47
  • David Brown has some very sad dollars for the officers that lost their lives in Santa Cruz and for the Richmond officer who’s dogs were poisoned (see note in Announcements, above).
  • Lilliane was happy to have attended Rotary President Training in San Jose.
  • Sid Chauvin is a proud grandfather and passed out cigars and booze to everyone in the Club. Okole Maluna (bottoms up!)

Norm’s Nonsense

Having been invited to his friend’s wedding anniversary party, the man asked which apartment he should go to.

“Go to the 11th floor,” the friend instructed. “Find apartment G, push the buzzer with your elbow, and when the door opens, quickly put your foot against it.”

“Why such an elaborate plan?” asked the perplexed guest.

“Well,” cried the host, “you’re not planning on coming empty-handed are you?”

PROGRAM

Lead Like Lincoln

Lilliane introduced our speaker for the day, author Arnold Kunst, who offered an insightful look at our 16th president, Abraham Lincoln. Mr. Kunst began by telling us about Lincoln’s tremendous accomplishments, achieved in the face of the dimmest possible outlook for the continued existence of the young nation. In fact, James Buchanan the 15th President, thought he would be the last president of the United States.

Mr. Kunst explained that Lincoln struggled to hold together a nation starkly divided by deeply opposed ideologies, a nation comprising 19 free states and 15 slave states. Given these conditions, Lincoln’s position at the top of the presidential pantheon was incredibly improbable. Nor did Lincoln’s apparent personal qualities suggest that he could fulfill the role of president: physically unattractive, suffering from chronic depression, lacking in administrative experience, foreign policy and military knowledge.

Yet Lincoln did not step away from the challenges he faced during the country’s time of crisis. His capacity to lead rested in no small part on his ability to inspire people with the depth of his thoughts, the clarity of his expression, and the power of his rhetoric. We should all be able to “lead like Lincoln!”


The Menehune, Rotating Editor

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