Introduction
On a warm and sunny day Rotarians gathered for service and fellowship. This meeting was also special because it was the last meeting under the Presidency of Wendy Barker. Christine Golden gave a moving encouragement to all of us to feel and express our gratitude.
Visitors
Tara Saylor gave us an update on her educational progress; she will be applying for her Master’s degree once she finishes at SBBC. Rick Reid, a new Ojai resident, introduced himself. Tracy Taylor Curtis, today’s speaker, is an accomplished aviatrix.
Biggest Ball of Twine
Wendy presented us with an amusing account of the “biggest” and “oddest” things she has photographed in her travels. Wendy shared some other photos from other Rotarians.
Announcements
- Wendy’s demotion party will be Thursday night at Boccali’s
- Sue Gilbreth’s first meeting as President will be July 11
- Taundra encouraged us to volunteer to assist with the Rotary Fun Run
Fining with Ren Adams
Ren did his utmost to extract filthy lucre from Rotarians by asking questions about the summer solstice. To his dismay, his questions were easily answered and no money was raised.
Wine Festival
Our competition, Ojai Rotary West, will mount the annual Wine Festival on Saturday. We are encouraged to attend either as guest or as volunteers. Patricia represented our club well
Program: Tracy Taylor Curtis, Aviatrix
Bret Bradigan introduced our speaker, Tracy Taylor Curtis, who gave a lively and interesting presentation about her ambition to combine two of her passions: aviation and the history of women in aviation. Here are some of her comments I found particularly interesting:
- Early aviation was dangerous: of the first 40 airmail pilot, 29 died in crashes
- She financed her flying lessons by working as a waitress in New Zealand
- She was inspired by early movies and books about aviation
- She flies her Boeing Stearman along routes identical to the routes of previous women aviation pioneers like Amelia Earhart and Mary Heath
- BBC has made a documentary about her efforts
- She crashed in Winslow Arizona after filling her tanks with contaminated fuel
- The words every pilot dreads hearing are “call the tower” after landing
- She is on a 3-year tour
Wendy’s ending thoughts
Wendy said that being President was surprisingly fun. Wendy, thanks for making it fun for us!
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