Ambling into the St. Thomas Aquinas were the usual suspects on this unsuspectingly cool, breezy summer day. The weekly confabulation of Rotarians was set to commence.
Greeter: The ever-affable Terry Beckett welcomed us with a smile so genuine we’re pretty sure it made the sun jealous.
Pledge & Inspiration: Dave Watson pulled double duty — first leading the pledge, then delivering an inspiring tale about Charles Plumb, a Navy pilot shot down over Vietnam who spent six years in a POW camp. Years later, a stranger approached him in a diner and said, “I packed your parachute.” Dave reminded us all to appreciate the quiet heroes in our lives. So… if your coffee was hot and your chair un-wobbly today, find Barry, Bill or Gary and thank them for packing your metaphoric parachute.
Set-Up Crew Heroes: Barry Verga, Bill Prather, and Gary Liptak — unheralded champions of chairs and podiums. Rotary thanks you.
Visiting Rotarians: None. Apparently, word got out about last week’s trivia fines.
Guests:
-
Capt. Steve Jenkins, Ojai’s top cop as Chief of Police.
-
Ashley Fauvre, Richa Badami, Mark Lewis (more on him later!), and Matthew Donner — scoping out our tech situation. Hopefully, we’re still analog enough to charm him.
Roving Mic: Tessa Turner, wielding the mic like a talk show host on triple espresso.
Announcements:
District Conference is coming to Ventura! Oct. 17-19 at the Crowne Plaza. Breakout sessions, dinner, dancing, and a chance to remember why we love being Rotarians. Registration fee? Covered by the club! Dancing shoes? That’s on you.
Vons Grand Opening: Jeff Loebl shared that the new Vons opens Aug. 1 at 8 a.m., and they’re donating $5,000 to support Ojai education. All we have to do is buy bananas and smile.
Ojai Day Booth (Oct. 18): Kelley Rasmussen needs volunteers with charm, patience, and sunscreen. Bonus if you can explain what Rotary does in 30 seconds or less.
Rotary Beach Bash (Aug. 22): Organized by the indomitable “Socialistas” — Janet, Cindy, and Tessa. Hosted by Dennis Guernsey and Larry Wilde at their Faria Beach pad. There will be sand. There will be laughter. There will not be skinny dipping (officially).
Holiday Party (Dec. 17): Mark your calendars for a festive soiree at the new El Roblar Hotel. You’ll want to dress snazzy and pretend you didn’t just have a third slice of pie.
Taste of Ojai (Oct. 25): Leah Hecker wants YOU to bring in vendors and sponsors. Let’s make this year’s event the tastiest yet.
Social Media Reminder: Snap those pics and send them to Chris Williams at CWilliams@LIVSothebysRealty.com. We need more proof that we’re the best-looking Rotary club west of the Rockies.
FINING:
Chris Williams returned with trivia and confession time. Highlights:
Leah Hecker got a new dog. He’s adorable, and she was happy to pay his dues.
Don Reed’s grandson published a PhD thesis in glaciology and held 3.6 million-year-old Antarctic ice. We’d say “cool,” but that pun would freeze us out of the meeting.
Trivia ranged from easy (dogs are man’s best friend) to obscure (Nepal’s flag isn’t rectangular). Joe Cesena nailed that one.
PROGRAM: Mark Lewis
Barry Verga introduced our own Mark Lewis, journalist extraordinaire and Ojai treasure. Mark’s talk was a whirlwind tour through the lives of Gypsy Boots and the Nature Boys, precursors to the hippies, vegans, and health food influencers we now pretend to be on Instagram.
From NaturMenschen in 1890s Germany to Nat King Cole’s “Nature Boy” in 1947, to the health-food store revolution in 1950s L.A., Mark wove a tale of sun-kissed, barefoot back-to-the-landers that somehow ended with Gordon Kennedyfarming dates near Tahquitz Canyon.
Bonus local connections:
Takeaway: Even if Gypsy never lived in Ojai, he definitely vibed here.
CLOSING:
President Sue Gilbreth closed us out with a reminder from Peace Chairs Amy and Bill Warlick about the Dignity Index. Level 8 reads:
“I see myself in every human being. I refuse to hate. I offer dignity to everyone.”
Let’s aim for that. Even when someone cuts you off in the Vons parking lot.
