Bulletin of the Marin Evening Rotary Club
October 12, 2010
Our meeting was called to order promptly by President Mark Shirley. Keith
Axtell led us in the pledge to the flag. For his thought, Keith told us
about a Rotary Conference for District Governors in the Western States,
held recently in Seattle. The Conference, which included past, present
and future District Governors from the Western U.S, had over 600
attendees. Both Holly and Keith attended. The Conference focused on one
of Keith's favorite areas of service - international and included,
amongst other things, a presentation by a representative of the Gates
Foundation.
Back to the present and the
introduction of guests. We had two this evening - Tim Howard, President
of the Novato Roteract (and General Manager of the Novato Courtyard by
Marriott.) and one of our regular visitors, Lea Schwarz. Our guest
speaker was nowhere to be found.
As we moved on to Good Times, Allen
Ng grabbed the microphone and eagerly admitted - before having to face
an accuser - that it was he who was pictured on the front page of a
recent issue of the Marin IJ. Coincidentally Keith had a copy of said
front page with him, and he shared it with us. Keith and Holly then
admitted to a good time, as they had visited Vancouver Island prior to
the Rotary Conference in Seattle, and Frank Benaderet admitted that he
and your Editor had spent an enjoyable day at the movies, watching the
Social Network, about the life of Facebook.
Marsha then told us that for her
husband's 70th birthday this past Sunday, she and he had riden Segways
through Sonoma and the surrounding vinyards. Marsha recommended it as a
"phenomenal experience."Continuing on with Good Times, Lea told us that
she had been to Colorado to visit with her 14 year
old granddaughter (and also her son and other grandchild, I think) where
they celebrated Lea's birthday. Jayne and Gene had visited Branson's
campus for the first time, which they reported as lovely, though the
occasion was a memorial service for a Branson student.
Moving swiftly to Announcements, Tim Howard, of the
Novato Roteract Club urged us all to consider attending the 6th Annual
Roteract Halloween Fundraiser at the Novato Horsemen's Club. Several of
us noted that the speaker had yet to show. Elsia advised us that she had
sent out the invitations for our Thanksgiving for Seniors and also that
we would again be in need of rides for our guests. Jayne reminded us
all about the Rotary Foundation Event on November 7 in Foster City
and the October 24th event in San Francisco for End Polio Now. Mark
announced that the Club's Christmas/Holiday Dinner & Party would be
Saturday December 24 (at his Dad's house, if I remember correctly),
while Eiko reminded us of the Postal Food Drive on December 18 from 2 to
4..
So that was about it for Announcements. We were
getting down near the end of the program, and still no speaker. Holly
ascended the rostrum (or is it a podium ? or a dias ? Prizes to the
first member who gets that right.) and gave us a sort of Holly's
History of Rotary 1985-2010 - or -Twenty Five Years Down, Twenty Five To Go.
Holly had farsightedly saved the Awards Book from
her year and passed it around so we could all try to find pictures of
ourselves and what we'd looked like those many years before. H
er
Awards book was clearly a thing of beauty, while offering memories of
the past. Daguerreotypes, tintypes, reverse focal lenses, Voigtlanders,
Zeiss Ikons, Leicas, Practicas. And the pictures, Oh, the pictures - 4
Color Process, DuoTones, Fim Noir, Talkies, No Talkies. Ah, the
memories.
Some folk mused that it would be neat if we could
put all of our various award books on our website, which is a nice idea,
but who's to say that all the award books were ever saved - or even put
together in the first place ? At any rate, Holly had done an exemplary
job with hers.
It was time for the raffle, jointly won by Eiko and
your Editor, but that was about it, as another brief scan of the room
showed that our speaker never did make it. So down went the gavel,
and off we went.
See you all next week -
Respectfully,
Your Editor
