Once more our energetic President, Deirdre Daly, gaveled the meeting to order – this time at approximately 12:13p.m. Fred Coleman, lead us in a flag salute and Suzanne Scar gave the Invocation. President Deirdre then recessed the meeting for lunch and asked that we escort our guests to the buffet table.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When she resumed the meeting, at 12:29, President Deirdre invited us to continue with lunch while she thanked Bill Prather and Fred Coleman for setup, Jane Spiller and Bill Weirick for serving as our Greeters, Fred for the flag salute and Suzanne for the invocation, Mike Malone for manning the roving mike, Carl Gross for being such a wonderful photographer and editor, Bryant Huber for audio and tech support, Matt Clements for manning the front desk, Bob Davis and Betsy Watson for fining, your obedient servant as the Reminder Editor and, especially, Ginger Case, for setting up and serving lunch.

 

 

President Deirdre again welcomed Alexia Parks as a Visiting Rotarian – and  welcomed Lisa Malone, Niki Davis and our speaker, Dulanie Ellis, as our guests.

 

 

President Deirdre reminded everyone of our commitment to support both the Rotary Foundation (TRF) and the club’s foundation (RCOEF).

 

 

We all stood as Marc Whitman inducted Ron Polito as the club’s newest member.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bill Prather kept us in stitches with yet another Irish tale – about a wake run amuck.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bob Davis served as our Fine master – by asking a series of questions about the Rotary Foundation while Betsy Watson passed the net.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After yet another wonderful introduction by Christine Golden, Dulanie Ellis opened her remarks with a brief clip of her award-winning film, “Ground Operations: Battlefields to Farm Fields.”

 

Dulanie, a documentary film maker with a penchant for sustainable agriculture, made the 40-minute film to showcase the restorative power of agriculture for returning veterans, many of whom need to recover from the horrors of war.

 

Starting with a farm team of 12 veterans in 2009 her film, shown at a number of colleges and regional meetings, has generated a movement that has grown to 12,000 members.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

President Deirdre thanked Dulanie, presented her with our traditional Speaker’s gift of Ojai’s Pixie Tangerines, and gaveled the meeting to a close with a quote from Thomas Jefferson:

 

            “Agriculture is our wisest pursuit, because it will in the end contribute most to real wealth, good morals, and happiness.”