In the Beginning...
Ojai Rotarians meandered into the St. Thomas fellowship hall on an unseasonably cool and cloudy Cinco de Mayo, looking for camaraderie and acts of service. And badges. Stinking badges.
Taking their lucre, filthy and otherwise, was the inimitable Dave Brubaker, while Kelly Rasmussen gave us a warm welcome. Bruce Hanson led us in the pledge while
Tony Thacher delivered a stirring invocation about the meaning of Cinco de Mayo and the heroism shown in beating back an invasion in 1862 by
Napoleon III’s nephew Maximilian:
Water hollows stone,
wind scatters water,
stone stops the wind.
Water, wind, stone.
Wind carves stone,
stone's a cup of water,
water escapes and is wind.
Stone, wind, water.
Wind sings in its whirling,
water murmurs going by,
unmoving stone keeps still.
Wind, water, stone.
Each is another and no other:
crossing and vanishing
through their empty names:
water, stone, wind.
The room was ably arranged by Bret Nighman, Sean McDermott and Bill Prather, Bret the Younger Nighman manned the mic while Bret the Elder Bradigan is penning this piece as we speak.
Dr. Frank Finck joined us via zoom.
Guests:
We had a few, including visiting Rotarians Kern Lewis and Barry Verga. Chris Williams, Sandy Treadwell, Jim Bailey, Daniel and Emmanuel Fairbanks. Our speaker Doug Parker was also introduced.
Kay Bliss and Marty Babayco, our co-prezs, gaveled the melee into a semblance of order, which then lined up for servings of taco salad by Jayne Cruise. Yum.
Special Presentations:
Bill Hatch introduced the Student “Service Above Self” award to Summit School and Rock Tree Sky student Emmanuel Fairbanks. Jim Bailey, well known to Rotarians, as administrator of Rock Tree Sky said that Emmanuel was an easy choice because of his willingness to help clean up the school grounds, and his hustle — working restaurants jobs and owning a truck at his young age, ferrying people around as an act of service.
Paul Harris Fellow:
Dr. Marty Pops was presented by Kay with his PHF plus 5.
Club Business:
Thank Yous to Brian Schlaak for organizing the Al West Arbor Day visit to Ojai Valley School’s beautiful new upper campus, and to Colin Jones, our erstwhile member, for arranging for the tree and the planting itself. And special thanks of course to Al West, for his program and inspiration.
Speed Vocational Networking Event:
The Something Different event for May 28th will be this networking event at Kent Hall near city hall at noon. Lunch provided including in the cost of $10. Let Kay know if you plan to attend because seats are filling up fast.
75h Anniversary:
Bike Station Project — Sean McDermott has organized this special project for the 75th anniversary. The concept was the project had to be youth-oriented and sustainable, so it was settled to build five to 10 bike repair stations, with air and repair tools, strategically placed around town and near the bike trail. Check out BikeOjai.org to keep up to date with the project.
Cheree Edwards brought us up to speed on the Diamond Anniversary Gala Celebration, set for Boccali’s upper Ojai ranch on Saturday, June 3 from 4 to 8 p.m. Tickets are only $75 after much negotiation. Postcards just went out, and the event committee was hard at work producing a blowout party. She also talked about Tony Thacher’s excellent work on the 75th anniversary magazine, which is just closing out with 48 pages of club history, future and fun facts.
FINING
Betsy Watson, with Kathy Yee on net, worked through a few questions on Cinco de Mayo facts with a clever misdirection. Did you know that Cinco de Mayo is a national holiday in the U.S.? And that it was first instituted by FDR as part of his Good Neighbor Policy in 1933? And that it’s official name is something some Battle of Puebla.Neither did Clint Haugen, Kelly Rasmussen, Tara Saylor (though she may have answered correctly) and FDR?
Confessions first though:
- Bob Eisler talked about his piano promotion to intermediate status by the teacher Fern Barishman.
- Tony Thacher challenged anyone to proof the 75th anniversary publication that weekend.
- Cheree paid up for another mention of Tony and Bret the Elder’s work on the book.
- Don Reed swelled with pride about the track achievements of his grandson Colin Kirkpatrick who won the Div II steeplechase event and came in 2nd in the 5,000 meters race at a recent event, and was looking forward to seeing him compete in person soon and hoping to watch him break the steeplechase record.
- Jerry Maryniuk sported a pair of noise-cancelling headphones and was not tuning out the meeting. In fact he was hoping it would help him pick up voices more clearly.
COMING PROGRAMS:
May 12th: Get Acquainted Talks.
May 19th: RCOEF scholarship luncheon at Boccali’s restaurant.
May 26th: Something Different Friday: Speed Networking Event at Kent Hall.
June 2: Dark
June 9: Richard Hajas, chair of Casitas Water District
June 16: Dr. Neil Canby of the Ventura County Emergency Services.
PROGRAM:
Doug Parker talked about the meeting that set the corner of his life, at the corner of Broad and Wall streets, when he ran into a classmate of his at Cornell as he was papering the town with his brand-new law degree.
The friend told him to check out the firm of Mudge & Stern & Baldwin. That led to a fascinating career in litigation with the august firm, and a blind date led to his marriage, which he described “as a work in progress” for more than 60 years.
Quoting Ogden Nash, he said, "To keep your marriage brimming, with love in the wedding cup, whenever you're wrong, admit it; whenever you're right, shut up.”
The firm took on a new partner in 1963 with the hiring of Richard Nixon, former vice president and failed presidential and California governor contender. Doug was assigned to Nixon in a landmark Supreme Court case of Time Inc. vs Hill, a family who argued that their privacy was invaded by Time magazine. Nixon won the case, of course with a little help from his co-counsel Doug Parker, who wrote the briefs and coached the former VP and future president.
Parker was recruited by his former law firm partner Leonard Garment to join the counsel’s office in the Nixon White House during the darkest days of Watergate. He worked for Nixon from April to November of 1973, before taking a position at the Housing & Urban Development department. One touchy moment that he negotiated was for the FBI to pick up files for evidence, and refused to give up their guns. The deal was that they could wear their guns, but only after the president retired to his quarters. Nixon was not happy to see a burly FBI bodyguard with his files the next morning.
After working in the Ford administration, Parker returned to private practice. He was hired by the Toronto Blue Jays when their draftee, a two-sport standout Danny Ainge, was being sought by the Boston Celtics. The contract case went to a jury trial in less than three weeks, which is likely still a record in the busy 2nd U.S. Court of Appeals.
Parker also talked about some of his other case, involving the remote airport outside Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and NASA satellite technology. He retired in 1995, whereupon “my wife informed me that was not looking for full-time help around the house. You need to find a project.” He told her “I’m going to write a book.” What about, she asked? “I don’t know yet,” he said. He settled on Ogden Nash, whose poetry had delighted him his entire life. Despite having never written a book, he convinced Nash’s daughters to allow him to research his archives. “My presumption and naïveté was stunning” he said, but he eventually found a publisher for the only authorized biography of the great writer, master of the short comic poem.”
The American people,
With grins jocose,
Always survive the fatal dose.
And though our systems are slightly wobbly,
We’ll fool the doctor this time, prob'ly.
Kay Bliss rang the bell on the meeting with the life hack, a quote from Thomas Edison:
“If we did all the things we’re capable of, we would literally astonish ourselves."
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