In the Beginning...
Fresh back from her birthday trip with husband Don to her “special place” on Catalina Island’s Avalon, where she attended a meeting of the 75-year-old club, Prez Cheree Edwards was tanned, rested and ready as she gaveled the chattering classes of Rotarians to order for the meeting of the “best Rotary club I know.”
First, those best Rotarians were lightened up on their lucre supply at the front desk by Randy Roth, with an assist from Don Reed, who was also taking payments for Taste of Ojai tickets. Mike Malone gave us a warm welcome as he scanned our badges. Sid Cohn led us in the flag salute, and Al West gave us a typical inspiring invocation. Betsy Watson sprinted around the room with the roving mic, while Carl Gross snapped a few pics and Ginger got a shout-out for her sterling service as the banquet host, giving us a special treat as she laid out the fixings for the Soule Park speciality dish, Chinese chicken salad.
Cheree said that the dish was inspired by a story from our dearly departed Lerie Bjornstedt, who brought back a stock of chopsticks from a Rotary convention as souvenirs for the club, and was vastly amused by the ineptitude of the mostly male members fumbling around with the unfamiliar utensils.
Guests
included Sandy Buechley’s guest, Lisa Aronson, as well as Fred Farkhani’s guest, Carol Chybowski— who talked about Medicare signup season and how to make sure you’re getting the best deals on medications while staying with your local pharmacist — as well as Rich Bloch, Santa Barbara Zoo CEO, about whom more will be heard later.
Announcements:
- Peace Day:
Judy Gabriel and Ray Powers urged everyone to come out for Rotary Peace Day in Libbey Park on Sunday, Oct. 22nd, and that several volunteers were needed to help with the event, setting up and manning the booth. Ray talked about the school kids on the Strike for Climate Action who were massing the park, part of Swedish student activist Greta Thunberg’s effort to raise awareness of the threat.
- Taste of Ojai:
Mike Malone said the committee was moving full steam ahead for our club’s one major fund-raiser on Sunday, Oct. 27th, now at the Topa Mountain Winery. He called for volunteers to help with parking, sign-in, table setup and other tasks for this community-wide event. Bill Prather was running the sign-in desk and needed 8-9 people for two shifts. All members were urged to get their tickets as a service commitment to the club.
- October Classic:
Cheree said that the weekend of Oct. 26-27 will be another busy weekend; on Saturday is the October Classic run/walk for the Community Memorial Hospital’s Guild.
- Rotary Fashions:
Catherine Lee, with the assistance of runway models Bob Davis and Terry Twichell, took an order for the stylish blue polo shirts featuring the Rotary logo. She needed 12 for the minimum order and it looked like she got it from the show of hands. Please place your order with Catherine if you missed the meeting.
Rotarian of the Month/Parachute Packing Award:
Cheree was catching up with her recognition program for the month of August, and the clear winner was Colin Jones, who does a lot of unglamorous, behind-the-scenes work for the club, including the recent District Governor visit, in which he pressure-washed and polished the Pavilion at Matilija Middle School. Congratulations Colin! Well-earned.
Fining:
Greg Webster made his fine debut with a series of questions about his special place, Anacapa Island, where his forebears once grazed sheep. But first, confessions …
- Bill Weirick urged everyone to come out for the OUSD and City’s meeting on Monday, Sept. 23rd at the Boyd Center about plans for the OUSD’s Chaparral property. The meeting is at 7 p.m. and several proposals for the downtown location will be discussed.
- Mike Malone confessed to eating his first snail during their recent two-week trip to Paris, which he balanced out with a french fry.
- Leslie Bouche is celebrating her 4th anniversary as a Rotarian.
- Ron Polito completed his first day as a driver for Help of Ojai without any significant mishaps, and he was happy to be working with another club member for the driving, Fred Coleman.
- Colin Jones confessed to his 18th anniversary and reflected on how many of the members then had passed on. He was also turning 72(?!) which adds up to 90 so he rounded up his fine to $100.
- Bill Prather’s 48th anniversary in Rotary was nigh, and he talked about his club in Texas, where every lunch meeting included delicious barbecue and beer!
Greg Webster then asked a few questions about Anacapa Island’s history, of which only Marty Babayco answered correctly. The island is 12 miles offshore, became government property in 1848, was leased out in five-year increments in 1902 and became part of California in 1850. Stumpees included Brian Berman, Matt Clements, Andy Gilman and Therese Brown.
Program:
Dr. Marty Pops, filling in for John Russell, introduced Rich Block, one of the most experienced executives in the zoo world. Block has been CEO of the Santa Barbara Zoo since 1998 and is also senior fellow with the World Wildlife Fund, among many other civic contributions. Block's program was titled “Elephants, Giraffes & Ojai: Oh My!” But not before Pops elicited deafening groans with his wildebeest-related punnery about what’s “gnu” at the zoo.
He talked about the Asian elephants, Suzie and Little Mac, who were brought to the zoo as babies in 1972 and were immediate sensations. Block described the $100,000 dental work that Suzie had toward the end of her 47-year life, which was soon pushed out by another tooth. Elephants have only four teeth, which grow out and are replaced six times in their lives. The elephants were closely studied for a growing body of useful science, and were very different in their personalities. The SB Zoo is closing out their elephant habitat once a suitable home can be found for the aged Mac - who has already lived well past the median age for captive elephants.
The giraffes are always fan favorites at the zoo, even after the loss of the Gemina, the world-famous giraffe with the crooked neck. In 2006, the zoo brought in Michael from Canada, who is living the life of Reilly, siring 7 baby giraffes with two more on the way. He’s been keeping his lady giraffes - Betty Lou and Audrey - busy, even with and through their 15-month gestation period.
And on the conservation front, the SB Zoo is one of the foremost research centers around, with enduring and important partnerships with many local agencies and corporations, including the US Forest Service, Department of Fish and Game, Fish and Wildlife Service, Toyota and universities and endangered species specialists. Among the species of interest to the zoo, which are emblazoned on the side of the six Toyota 4-Runners donated by Gold Coast Toyota are the kit fox (the quickest species de-listed as endangered), sea otter, snowy plovers, condors and red-legged frogs.
The zoo’s efforts have been rewarded by the US Fish & Wildlife Service. Block wrapped up his fascinating program, leaving the room wanting more.
The lively and informative meeting was closed out by prez Cheree citing John Muir: “Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own, and makes it so much larger and better in every way."
