As a warm morning turned into a balmy afternoon, the straggle of Rotarians flowed into St. Thomas Fellowship Hall for a meeting in which not one person mentioned it was Bastille Day. Vive la France! Vive la Revolution!
Greeting them with hails of camaraderie were Kevin Davis and Clinton Haugen as Dave Brubaker separated us from our $10 bills.
Leading us in the pledge was Terry Beckett, then a stirring reading of Desiderata poem by Max Ehrmann, which concludes with this stanza:
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
Visiting Rotarians and Guests
Co-president Carl Gross gaveled the assemblage into a semblance of order while introducing the following guests:
Jack McClenahan, past president of Rotary West and past district governor, joined us as did Greg Webster’s special guest.
Bret Nighman handled the camera as the roving mic decided to pass the mortal threshold on to the big tangle of electrical wires in the sky.
Future Programs:
Jack Jacobs introduced the following programs:
- July 21st: Susan Andrzejewski, CSUCI - Dean of Business (JJ)
Cal State Channel Islands School of Business - Vision for the Future
– August 4th: THE Jack Jacobs, not the ersatz Ojai Rotary Jack. The retired colonel and Medal of Honor recipient and also military analyst for NBC and MSNBC.
FINING:
Bob Eisley wrung confessions out of …
- Taylor Saylor, promoting the Ojai Film Society’s new summer series of free film screenings at Libbey Bowl, starting July 28th with the stirring documentary “Going Varsity in Mariachi.”
- Bret Bradigan in memorial of his cousin and fast friend Mickey Bradigan, who died at age 62 last week.
- Kevin Davis on going into an MBA program to further his education and get a teaching credential.
- Al West on his front-page feature with three generations of Boy Scouts.
GREAT MOMENTS IN HISTORY
Bret B walked us through the strange and fascinating life of Frederick the Great of Prussia, the fourth of 11 children, who was known for his pronounced effeminacy and diminutive stature and become a giant among world leaders. He was not intended for the crown until his older brothers died young. A sensitive artistic soul, he was regularly beaten by his father who beheaded Frederick’s partner Hans Hermann von Katte, and tried to have Frederick himself beheaded.
He took his years of experience in reading, writing, theater, ballet and opera and cleverly translated it to the battlefield, where of the 13 major battles he fought, he won 11, lost one and tied one. By the time of his death in 1786, Prussia was one of the five great powers in the world, and a cultural mecca for artists and philosophers from around the world, including Voltaire.
CLUB AWARDS
Co-president Bill Prather said that Kay Bliss, our past co-president, was planning to present, but caring for her co-presidenting husband Marty Babayco took priority.
First, he listed the following names as beneficiaries of Marty and Kay’s gratitude for serving on their board:
Treasurer: Dave Brubaker
Past-President: Betsy Watson
Member at Large: Cheree Edwards
RCOEF chair: Mike Weaver
Fundraising Chair: Fern Barishman
Public Relations: Kevin Davis
Youth Services: Don Reed
Vocational Service: Larry Beckett
International Service: Leslie Bouché
Community Service: Sue Gilbreth
Club Service: Sean McDermott
And the drumroll please ….
Rotarian of the Year: Sean McDermott! Congratulations!
VISION STATEMENT:
Dr. Gross outlined his and Bill’s intentions for the year with the annual mantra “Let’s Have Fun.” After talking about Marty and Kay’s successes this past year (ten new members!), he shared that among their new moves would be:
- Reach out to other service organizations for joint projects
- Re-establish working relationships with OUSD for portfolio reviews, teacher grants and more.
- New members: Better data capture to followup with guests and meetings with members to address concerns and offer counsel.
- Tech Committee re-establishment after being dormant to make better use of social media, and aid tech-challenged members.
- Re-Invigorate the Peace Committee
- Make Finining more positive
- Establish a privacy policy online
- Work toward greater diversity
CLUB ASSEMBLY
Members were directed to tables on the side where Committee Chairs talked about their projects and people could sign up and get involved. Members are encouraged to get involved with at least two projects, with one of them being Club Service, which has the greatest needs at the moment.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Sorry Carl I missed this! Too much chatter.
- July 28th: 
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