12:10 PM President Elect Michael Scar welcomed Rotarians and Guests to the best club he knows!
Deidre Daly led the club through the flag salute and Sid Cohen led the invocation.
The meeting was called to order at 12:35 PM. President-Elect Scar thanked Bill Prather for room set up. Sid was thanked for the invocation, Deidre for the flag salute, Jane was thanked for greeting, Colin was thanked as the roving mic, Greg as the fine master. Tony Thatcher was thanked for desk duty and Ginger for serving the club.
Visiting Rotarians and Guests
Guests: Jon Swift, George Thacher, Pauline Larwood, Jennifer Berry, Cynthia Weirick, Joseph Gilbert, Diane Duncan.
Announcements:
Bill Gilbreth shared upcoming talks:
February 21st: Our very own Marty Babayco will share about the Nordhoff Musical
February 28th: We will be introducing the Living Treasures
March 6th: Leslie Bouche and Kay Bliss will be sharing the Club’s involvement in International Service
Deirdre Daly shared tha
t the Membership Committee is having another Fireside Chat on February 21st.
Bret Bradigan encouraged members to participate with the Club’s Community Service Activities. The Living Treasures nominations are being accepted. The Community Service Grant deadline is March 15th.
The Club was reminded that the International Service Committee will be meeting on Tuesday at the Ojai Café Emporium at 7:30AM and also the Rotary Board meeting meets the 3rd Monday of each month at 8AM at the Gables Clubhouse.
RCOEF (Rotary Club of Ojai Educational Foundation)--Don Reed
Don Reed gave a quick introd
uction and update on the Rotary Club of Ojai Educational Foundation. The Rotary Club of Ojai Educational Foundation was established in 1991 as a non-profit corporation complying with Section 501(c)(3) of the IRS. The Foundation's primary purpose is to encourage and assist students and teachers in the Ojai Valley with scholarships and grants. We also support the charitable work of the Rotary Club of Ojai. The Scholarship Program is committed to supporting students with drive and ambition to further their education. In order to take advantage of the variety of educational opportunities beyond high school, students are urged to apply for financial support through the following Rotary scholarships:
• Vocational Scholarships (1-year certificate programs in such fields as auto mechanics, nursing, welding, electrical contracting, carpentry, dental assistanting)
• Community College Scholarships (2-year associate degrees)
• Undergraduate Scholarships (4-year undergraduate degrees)
AWARDS:
• Fifteen 1-year scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $6,000
• One Wilson scholarship up to $80,000 awarded over a 4-year period
Fining and Confessions:
Greg Webster led Fining and Confessions. Dwayne Boccalli reflected to how the club brought a Divorce Attorney to speak on Valentine’s Day thanks to our past member Joque Van Dyke. Judy Gabriel shared that tours are now available to visit Meditation Mountain. Patricia Anderson shared that she’s been recently approved by Medicare for MFT and mental health. Bob Davis shared that he is very proud of the work our club has done. Greg will be celebrating his 38th birthday on Sunday. Fining questions were on the Valentine’s Day holiday.
The Program:
Tony Thacher introduced our speaker Dr. Jonathan Swift. Jon was born in New York but grew up surfing and playing sports in North County, San Diego. His first loves are poetry and music. However, Jon’s fascination with the natural world led him to the intellectual frontiers of astronomy and astrophysics, where he has published his research in several areas of specialization, including cosmology, star formation, exoplanets, and astronomical instrumentation. He graduated Summa Cum Laude from UCLA with a BS in physics, and earned an MA and a PhD in astronomy & astrophysics from UC Berkeley. At Thacher, Jon redesigned and renovated the campus observatory which now includes a fully automated, research-grade telescope. In addition to directing the observatory and maintaining a vibrant research program where students are able to participate in relevant astronomical research, Jon teaches astronomy, physics, mathematics, and data science. Outside the classroom, Jon runs the winter camping program and coaches the varsity boys’ tennis team. Jon lives on the Thacher campus with his wife Gloria, daughter Annika, and son Ansel.
Dr. Swift gave a fascinating presentation about the Astronomy program at the Thacher School including its legacy history.
President Elect Scar finished by thanking our speaker and providing a special gift of citrus from our Club.
Meeting was adjourned at 1:30 PM
