VISALIA ROTARY CLUB

“Gangs! Finding a Solution” was the topic of our program this week presented by Police Chief Bob Carden.  Bob packed much information into his talk:  6 of 12 homicides this year were perpetrated by people averaging 16 years of age.  There are approximately 3,000 gang members in Visalia.  Last year there were 1,000 gang arrests.  Gangs are run from the prisons.  3 out of 4 on probation reoffend within 3 years.  Sending more gang members to prison is not the answer.  It’s more effective to prevent the “disease” than to cure it.  The Solution is to reach kids before they become teenagers and give them a sense of recognition and belonging.  Visalia has many programs working toward this end:  Pro Youth Heart (there are more kids in after school programs than are in gangs!), Boys and Girls Club, Scouting, sports, and various other programs for kids.  Get involved, either personally or by contributions to support these programs.  Rotary is a great supporter of our community.  Keep up the “Good Job”, Rotarians! 

This week Rotary Salutes Mike and Margaret Haworth with a Paul Harris Fellow.  Mike and Margaret, involved in Young Life, have had an incredible impact over the years on the lives of teens.  Thanks for all you’ve done!  Announcements:  November 8^th, 9 am to 11 am, the Boy Scout Cabin will be dedicated at Mooney’s Grove.  November and December are board elections.  If you would like to be on the board or you would like to nominate someone to the board please contact Ed Sullivan, Al Fisher, or Paul Sonier.  Mark your calendars for the Monterey District Conference from June 5^th to the 7^th.  After next Wednesday’s meeting the Christmas Party Committee will meet.  Save the date for the Rotary Christmas Party: December 10^th.  The wine auction is November 5^th in the evening so we will be dark at Noon.  Contact Susan Lucas if you need to RSVP, 901-6673. 

Thanks to our new Sailors:  Bill Gerlach, who acquired two grandsons this year (Bill is our Webmaster! If you haven’t seen it, check out our Visalia Rotary webpage...thanks Bill for all you do for us!); and Mike Schauffele, who returned from visiting friends and family in Europe and brought President Ed a beer coaster and a beer mug.  Mike volunteered to be in charge of the beer on the Search for Paradise and he also volunteered to be Assistant Skipper.  A Great Big Special Welcome to our new member, John Estes, sponsored by Cal Gomes.  John has returned to Visalia to retire.  Uh Oh, another USC grad! Join us next week for another exciting installment of: “As the Rotary Wheel Turns.”  (I ‘m going to hunt up some coffee.  I think this article put me to sleep!) Zzzzzzzz…

Francie couldn’t attend today’s meeting and asked me if I would be okay with writing the article. Since I’ve only written a few….I will try and make this as entertaining as possible. The meeting began with Derek Wisehart leading us all in the Flag Salute and the invocation was given by Don Hutton followed by a warm and fuzzy meet and greet by all members. The football poll was announced with glasses of wine flowing throughout the room. Texas is currently in the lead! 

A heart-felt thank you went to Cal Gomes and his crew for a great event last week at his ranch. I had a great time with all the members that attended and enjoyed the quite countryside, although I believe I still smell like campfire smoke. Wayne Yada announced the visiting Rotarians and guests. General Crowe announced the birthdays, Tom Brodersen announced the wedding anniversaries and Gail Riley announced the club anniversaries. A special announcement was made by Greg Meis regarding make-ups, and the ability to complete this task (via the internet) with clubs around the world. I missed exactly how to accomplish this, but Greg would be able to help you with the details. 

Sully Sailors welcomed a number of new shipmates aboard. David Hyde was first to join with the new arrival of grandson, Grant. He also announced his engagement (for an extra fine of course). Next to join was Andy Balerud who presented pictures of his family and will share his “Norwegian Pride” with us at a later date. Now of course he could leave us without telling a hilarious joke. You still got it Andy! 

A video rolled next displaying “Voices in Harmony” featuring our very own Doyle Pope. Although I couldn’t hear the vast of awards that were won, they are 1^st in the United States and 3^rd in the world! Doyle will set sail with the rest of the crew as the entertainment director of the ship. 

President Ed wanted to make sure everyone is receiving the Rotarian magazine. If not, you can contact Wayne Yada to be signed up. Also the wine auction was announced for Nov 5^th at the Visalia Country Club. We will be dark that day at noon, and please bring your donations/gifts to Don Hutton’s office to be cataloged. 

Sergeant at Arms Don Hutton and Brent Calvin were roaming around the room for victims. They began with Jim Wohlford whom was asked to talk about the crazy financial world we are now in. Next was Nancy Powell who, when asked how she could sit with a bunch of attorneys, her response was…”I deal with over 2,000 students each day, they don’t scare me!” And last but not least, Don Hutton got his wish for a smaller vest!!! The Elmo sized jacket worked!!! 

Many “Thanks” to Dick Combs and Gene Yunt for their review of the various ballot propositions.  This is a great service and a wonderful way to gain some perspective on the morass of initiatives and legislative referrals.  You are encouraged to read the voter information pamphlet. The first eleven pages or so contain summary information and provide an easier read.  You can always vote “No” if the proposal is too confusing or if you feel it is poorly written.  Vote “Yes” or “No” but Vote!  Also, a gentle reminder: if you need to leave the meeting early, please excuse yourself to the program speaker.  Eating your lunch near the exit to avoid notice when you leave actually IS noticed!  Meetings are required because you can’t network and build camaraderie if you don’t interact with the other members on a regular basis, so try to attend the whole meeting. Thanks. (This was a public service announcement!) 

This week we did not have a winner for the Football Pool, however, Pete Akin won the opportunity prize:  an autographed copy of Dick Combs book, “Inside the Soviet Alternate Universe” (available from bookstores for just under $20…President Ed, you should get a commission for promoting this book!) Congratulations, Pete!  Eric Shannon (Thanks, Eric!) donated two sets of “wine and Rotary wine glasses” as door prizes to promote our wine auction (November 5th, at the Country Club; let Gary Paden know what you are donating and drop off your donations to Don Hutton’s office at 300 W. School St. Cash donations welcome!)  Tom Beene as one of this week’s Sergeants-at-arms, was challenged with his report…heck, he was challenged just putting on the vest/dress, but we graciously cut him some slack because things have been rough for Tom and banking lately! Doug Berg, proving to be an over achiever, really got into the spirit and recognized several people: Raphael Arzate was fined $25 for his jewelry promotion: “if it doesn’t rain you get your purchase for free”…I think you need to check with Raphael about the specifics of that promotion!  Gary Herbst joined Sully’s Sailors as athletic director because his handicap dropped from 10.4 to 7.8 just by watching Doug Berg practice his golf swing.  This is amazing!  This is like some kind of weird psychic osmosis thing! It must be more than a little scary for Gary to be that closely connected to Doug Berg (Du du DU du).  I might be tempted to suggest that’s a CPA-thing, kind of like how male children that are half human half vampire are poisonous but the females are not, but that is REALLY weird, so I won’t go there! Pete Akin was fined $25 for attending a COS class studying the greats from Plato to Al Fisher…pretty comprehensive curriculum!  Pete also supports Proposition I, which will enhance the COS campus and programs.  Bill Miller joined the Sailors in search of Paradise as chief communications officer because he is now a great-grandpa (Congrats!)   Tom Brodersen’s Rotary Foreign Affairs Roundtable meets at Café 225 the last Monday of the month.  Contact Tom for more info.  Frank Serpa joined the crew of Sully’s Sailors because rumor had it he was driving a Cadillac (heaven forebid!)  Frank brought President Ed an itsy bitsy bottle of something to take his mind off his economic woes from the Korean President of Kia Motors.  Frank volunteered to be in charge of cleaning the heads on board ship!  That’s the way to go, Frank!  Congratulations to Joe Kuhn and Lisa Nunes:  Drum roll please! brrrrrr! They received their Blue Badges today! Woo Hoo! Next week:  Facial Rejuvenation presented by Dr. Mitts.  I won’t make any jokes about the appropriateness of the talk…hits too close to home, anyway!

Kudos to our Sergeants-at-arms, Randy Smith and Randy Groom.  They really hustled those microphones around!  Many thanks to those who waited to use a microphone…it really helped everyone keep track of what was going on…thank you, thank you, and thank you!  I joined Sully’s Sailors today.  I’m so very proud to be a member of this club, and I figured the crew searching for Paradise needed someone to serve, so I volunteered to be a passenger!  What?  OK, so I’ll help write articles of crew meetings, too.  Is that better?  Of course now I’m fine free, so if I want to tease someone I can! Watch out, now!  Also joining the President’s Club were Gerry Schneider and Dick Combs.  Gerry Schneider, fisherman extraordinaire, almost became our program as he described trail-side wildlife identification techniques (black bear scat, aka poop, from eating berries; Grizzly bear scat containing canisters of pepper spray…good one, Gerry!)  Gerry volunteered to be the wildlife officer on board which translates into super-duper-pooper detective!  Dick Combs joined the club in honor of grandson #2 and his book which is finally in print (5 books equal one doorstop!)  Dick volunteered to give lectures on foreign policy on the poop-deck of the ship!  Welcome aboard! 

The football pool held a drawing for this week’s treat: Byron Riegel won 2 tickets to the Taste of Downtown.  Congratulations, Byron!  Tom Beene delivered an assessment of local bank health.  His advice:  “Calm down a little. 98% of the banks are fine.”  Andy Balerud was back among us after traveling to just about every place on the planet.  Welcome back, Andy! Russ McKinney brought President Ed a “message in a bottle” from 16 Ukrainian sailors interested in joining his crew to search for Paradise.  They sent some Pirate Grog as enticement.  Speaking of grog… a reminder:  Our Wine Auction is November 5th, 5:30 pm at the Country Club, we are dark at noon that day.  Get a description of your contributions to Susan Lucus.  Cal Gomes Ranch will host the COGS event on October 10th.  All members are encouraged to attend and it’s FREE!  Dress is Rotary Western!  RSVP to Marilyn Mitchell at 901-6754.  Our Student of the Month, Chang Ho Lee, a senior at Mt. Whitney impressed everyone so much he almost received a standing ovation…the applause just didn’t stop!  Chang Ho came to this country as a 5th grader from Korea.  He has a GPA of 4.15, is a member of many clubs, and participates in many sports.  He plans on attending UC San Diego followed by pharmacy graduate school.  Truly a worthy honoree! 

Bill Scroggins spoke about College of the Sequoias.  Measure I, a bond measure to provide facilities, will be on the ballot.  There are many exciting uses planned for the funds:  New track, pave the back parking lot, a new gym, remodeling the old gym, solar panels on 2 buildings to save $50,000 a year on energy costs, a nursing program building and special nursing school equipment, outdoor lighting to enhance security on campus, and emergency phones located around campus.  Programs planned to enhance or initiate include a physical therapy program, medical translation program, paramedic program, and registered veterinary technician program.  We are blessed to have such a wonderful school opportunity in our community.  Do your “homework” on Measure I and vote on Election Day!  Postpone voting your absentee ballots and join us next week for Gene Yunt and Dick Comb’s presentation on the “November Elections.”

“Special Thanks” go to our Webmaster, Bill Gerlach, and Joe Kuhn, (our member with the Marriott), for the heads up on the projected parking squeeze today…That was a great warning! We appreciate it!  As you may notice, I try to write these articles based on what happens at meetings.  This week’s article promises to omit information, because, honestly, (4-way test), I don’t know what happened.  Yes, I attended, but between passing the microphones around like musical chairs, people speaking before receiving the microphone, people holding the microphones too low to be heard (if you can’t hear yourself over the microphone, nobody else can hear you either!), and people talking too fast, this was one of the most difficult meetings to catch what was happening. I’m toying with idea of buying one of those gadgets you see on TV that let you eavesdrop on the birds and neighbors just as a backup so I can hear what’s going on at the meetings.  I developed eye strain from trying to read lips!  Maybe I need to take a speed listening course? No, I’m still not going to use a tape recorder! Not hearing it once is enough!  So here we go:  

Football challenge:  looks like a few folks were actually in attendance to win a drink for their team’s #1 standing for the week.  President’s Club:  By no means did I manage to catch the names of everyone joining this week.  It was challenging to discern who joined and who was just sharing! (Please forgive me if you joined and are not listed)  Soapy MulHolland joined because she rafted down the Colorado River and volunteered to serve wine on the voyage in search of Paradise.  President Ed joined the club as Captain in order to be fine free the rest of the year…I’m sure that’s a relief for President Ed since he was heading the list of those fined!  Secretary’s Report:  $5,000 donated to the Tulare County Library and $500 given to Rotoplast.  Paul Harris Awards presented to Christine Rowan and Tom Broderson.  Congratulations!  (62% of our members are Paul Harris Fellows. Well done!)  The Wine Auction is November 5^th, 5:30 pm at the Country Club.  RSVP to the Committee and let them know what you are donating.  The Board has some matching points.  It sounded to me like if you spend an amount at the auction that when matched entitles you to a Paul Harris Award, then the club matches your donation…clear as mud?  October 4^th is the Wish Upon a Star Oldies Car Show and Dinner Dance, contact Wayne Yada.  Also on October 4^th is the Tulare County Association of Realtors Walk-Run benefitting Pro-Youth Heart and another organization I missed, contact Gail Riley.  October 10^th at 6 pm is the COGS event at the ranch of Cal Gomes, mark your calendars.  Visalia Breakfast Rotary is holding their Golf Tournament and Crab Feed on October 17^th, contact Matt Kneeland at 559-805-8211.  

Now to our Program:  Update on Measure R presented by Ramon Lara and Elizabeth Wright.  Measure R was passed in 2006. You may recall this was the measure for the half percent sales tax increase to improve the transportation infrastructure in Tulare County.  So far over $33 million has been received.  There is an oversight committee that keeps an eye on the funds being received and used as intended.  Thanks to the Oversight Committee for being there and for all your hard work!  Some examples of projects resulting from Measure R are the widening of Road 80, street paving around Visalia, and the Bridge to Premier Graphics…Whoops, I mean the bridge over 198 at Santa Fe!  Next week bring your personal amplification devises and join us as Bill Scroggins talks to us about “College of the Sequoias.”

Our District Governor, August Hioco spoke to us today, and I must give him the highest praise I can give a speaker, which is:  by the end of his talk the coffee pot was still full!  An engineer by trade, August is dedicated to Rotary (20 years.)  His parents immigrated to the U.S. from France in 1940 and his original family name was truncated upon entering this country, so “No” he is not Asian!  He grew up in Colorado where his dad worked in the coal mines. He was a Bronze Eagle Scout (32 merit badges!)  He has pledged our district’s support to Rotary International President, D.K. Lee, to “Make Dreams Real.”  D.K. would like to see children around the world helped in the seven areas of water, literacy, medicine, health, hunger, agricultural projects, and solar energy.  He would also like to see Rotary membership increase 10%, which would be approximately 300 net new members for our district.  

Thanks to those joining the Search for Paradise:  Tom Seidler (proud of Notre Dame) will be in charge of selling hot dogs and beer; Amy Pack who said she would bring hula skirts, coconut shells, and help with entertainment (she quite clearly did NOT say she WAS the entertainment, nor did she say she was going to model the hula skirt and coconut shells!…and if we’re talking “South Pacific” it’s the guys who wear that stuff! Eeeew!); Nola Sherman joined in honor of her 3^rd grandchild and will supply binoculars for crow’s nest duty; Drew Sorensen who is proud of his parents and his dad’s new book (Drew will fish for the crew!)  Lee Goldstein, returning from the Olympics in China, supplied a flag for the mast of the ship.  By the way, does the ship have a name?  

Nancy Powell introduced Student of the Month, Jordan Simons.  Jordan has a 3.96 weighted GPA.  He participates in cross country, track, Sequoia Youth Symphony, California State Honor Orchestra, and is president of the Golden West Orchestra.  He would like to attend the Air Force Academy.  Congratulations, Jordan!  Ian Fisher, introduced by his very proud grandfather, Al Fisher, presented a summary of his Eagle Scout Project.  Ian has a 4.0 GPA, he’s on the varsity swim and water polo teams, and he plays bagpipes. For his Eagle Scout project, Ian renovated the kitchen and bathroom at the Girl Scout Friendship House. Ian discovered he ended up doing more than he planned…which is the nature of remodeling!  Well done, Ian!  

Announcements:  Lost meal cards will be replaced (keep in mind the 4-way test!)  Mark your calendars for the wine auction on November 5 and let the committee know what you will contribute.  As long as you are at your calendars, put down December 10^th for the Rotary Christmas Party! Next week our program will be an update on Measure R.  See you then!

Stan Carrizosa, Jr. started off our meeting with an example of his contest winning abilities by singing “The Star Spangled Banner” like we’ve never experienced it before!  How exciting to have a home grown celebrity in our midst!  Stan was greeted with cheers and applause for his accomplishment as the winner of the Disney High School Musical III “Get in the Picture” Contest.  We were even treated to a clip of the announcement on TV!  (…more cheers!...more applause!)  Stan, Sr. was so very, very proud he joined Sully’s Sailors a SECOND time this year and volunteered to be the entertainment officer!  Stan Carrizosa, Jr.’s dad was our program today on the state of the Visalia Unified School District.  The API baseline has increased from 624 in 2002 to today’s score of 735, compared to other districts in California like Long Beach with a score of 732.  94% of our students, including special ed students, passed the High School Exit Exam in our District, compared to 90% for the state as a whole.  Visalia partners with many organizations and programs to connect the children to their school community including sports and especially the commitment to the music program.  Kudos to everyone working towards the success of our kids! Special “Thanks” to Stan, Jr.’s dad!  

None of the winners of the weekly Football Pool were present so the treat reward of “grog” went unclaimed, despite the volunteers willing to stand in for the winners! You still have time to enter the Pool.  Notify Justin Mosley if you wish to participate or drop your business card with your team written on the back into the jar at the signup desk.  It’s $50 to join.  Pick a team and if your team is rated #1 for the week you get a “treat” (determined by Sailor Harry Wood – keeper of Sully’s Sailors Key to the Wine Cellar.)  If your team wins the BCS National Championship January 8^th in Miami you receive a refund of your entry fee, the ability to honor a person of your choice with a Paul Harris Fellowship, and all other entry fees are awarded to the organization of your choice. The sooner you join the sooner you can win a weekly “treat”!   

Dick Watson, Sergeant at Arms, conducted a reverse fine, by fining everyone $5 who did NOT attend the recent COS fundraiser. Interesting twist, Dick! Tom Beene, Sergeant at Arms, embarrassed Nancy Lockwood into joining Sully’s Sailors by referring to her picture in a local publication as a “centerfold”.  Nancy agreed to be Communications Officer during the search for Paradise.  Lee Mirviss, recently returned from a trip to South Africa with his wife and 4 grandsons, brought President Ed a shirt from South Africa and joined the crew after first trying to join with a 500 million piece of currency worth about ten cents!  Dave Miller, the “Elder”, returned from Israel (the self proclaimed 51^st state!)  with a “president” t-shirt and a prayer cap for President Ed.  Should President Ed wear both items while in the Middle East he would be a target no matter where he was!  Dave volunteered to clean the boat in the search for Paradise.   Next week our District Governor, August Hiroco will speak. Please plan to attend and add to the standing ovation!  

Another EXCITING Rotary meeting! I made the mistake of concentrating on work instead of writing this article immediately, so I’m learning that the meaning of my notes decreases in direct proportion to the time it takes me to start writing!  Let’s see…Well, Don Hutton was the center of a debate regarding the vests worn by the Sergeants-at-Arms…are they vests or dresses?  Well, if the shoe fits…well the shoe doesn’t fit, now does it?  That’s the whole point!  So what’s the alternative?  Form fitting vests/dresses? How about hats with fruit piled on them? Where did that come from? Probably the same place the vests came from…which would be what?…a yard sale?  Onward to the business at hand:  a round of appreciation for our “fine-ees” of the week:  Doug Berg, $20, because he didn’t wear his vest/dress last week; President Ed, $5, back from Colorado visiting his new granddaughter (nobody is immune from fines); Steve Chrisman, $25 for a fishing trip (watch out fishing buddies… the finers are out to getcha!); Dino Simoni, $25, coaching at El D and a test (can’t remember what my notes mean!); and Eric Shannon, wasn’t fined, but he returned from a trip to Alaska where he saw Sarah Palin’s house and brought President Ed some salmon and some playing cards.  New recruits to Sully’s Sailors:  John Heinsohn brought back a gift from France of a hospital “wine carafe”…yes, you guessed it, it’s similar to the “beer mug” President Al received last year, designed to relieve the middle man! (John “visited” a hospital as a patient and wished he were home in Kaweah Delta); and John Crowe who volunteered to be the sonar operator on the search for Paradise.  Dean Singh returned from the Democratic National Convention as a delegate …very exciting for him!  Justin Mosley introduced the Rotary Football Challenge:  for $50 you can join, name your team, if your team wins you get back your $50 and can donate to a Paul Harris Award or donate the proceeds to the charity of your choice…and if I am deciphering my notes correctly, weekly winners receive some kind of treats from Harry Wood…would that be sweet prayers?  

Our program today was Pamela Creedon of the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board.  This agency is just concerned with quality of water not the quantity, so the primary charge is to protect water quality, including ground water.  The current challenge is trying to derive a plan to protect the land from salts carried by the water. There is talk of a valley drain for the brine.  I have trouble visualizing this concept, but the presentation didn’t come with visual aids and I was challenged to hear and understand this much!  Join us next week for Stan Carrizosa with an update on our schools…and probably an update on his son’s progress in the Disney contest, as well!  

Well, I think Randy Groom, Sergeant-at-arms, has found a rapid fire way of attracting members to join Sully’s Sailors: give them the option of joining the crew or help demonstrate for our speaker today, Dr. Marty Prah, who spoke on “New Treatments for Prostate Cancer.”  Randy snagged three members today with that incentive:  Tom Brodersen, Harvey May, and Ron Hellstern.  I’ve never heard anyone say “Yes” so fast!  Can’t say I blame them for turning down demonstration duty! Dr. Prah presented slides and a short video on a new, less-invasive surgery procedure for removing the prostate called da Vinci Prostatectomy. (No, this has NOTHING to do with ancient conspiracy theories involving “The Last Supper” ! !)  September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.  Wear a pale blue ribbon and spread the word for men over 50 to have a PSA test as well as the more commonly known “digital rectal exam” (that is “digital” as in “finger”, not “computer”!) Early detection is the key to the best prognosis.  Before introducing Dr. Prah, Lindsay Mann delivered a brief response to a recent Times Delta editorial which cast an unfavorable light on Kaweah Delta District Hospital.  The editorial chose a very narrow segment of all statistics to criticize KDDH.  It’s the ol’ “figures never lie, but liars figure.” I’m concerned that if I try to paraphrase Linday’s comments here I’ll do more harm than good, so if you have questions about this situation, please give Lindsay a call!  

Other folks fined or joining Sully’s Sailors:  Rob Fox (made a trip back to Oshkosh), Rolf Westly (cruise to Alaska…wait a minute, does this mean Rolf already has experience sailing?), and Val Saucedo (his son is studying law at USF; Val will take care of the sentencing of Sully’s Crew!)  

Various Announcements:  Shave-The-Brave update: Our Rotary Club donated $3,000 to Make a Wish Foundation and members donated $1,825 for J R Shannon shaving his head for the cause! (“Too cool!” ) The wine auction is scheduled for November 5^th, so save the date.  Plan to attend our September 17^th meeting when the District Governor is expected.  Correction from last article: Meal cards are available at the sign-in desk.  The cost is $120.  This is billed to your account.  Each card has 24 little “$5” marks on it, so you can mix’n’match any combination of full lunches or soup’n’salads.  Greeters at the desk will punch out the amount you are spending for lunch.  This is a great way to pay for your lunch by check, keep your cash in your pocket, and the greeters are less likely to run out of five dollar bills for making change!  Next week our program is Pamela Creedon from Central Valley Regional Quality Control Board.  See you then…Same Rotary time, same Rotary channel!  

In President Ed’s absence, Wayne Yada conducted the meeting and the ranks of Sully’s Sailors are swelling…10 in this meeting alone!: Frank Surroz (who wanted to wait for Vic, but joined even though he’s nervous about an airman being the navigator!); Pastor Dave for his new parking lot WITHOUT compact spaces…I applaud you, Pastor Dave!; Rick Strid for pictures of his daughters in the newspaper, one daughter got married and the other graduated…2 times the daughters so he volunteered to pay 2 times the fine…$500…three cheers for Rick!; Stan Carrizosa who is proud that it’s his son’s name is all over the press instead of his own (Stan Jr. is one of 8 kids picked from 10,000 kids across the country currently participating in a reality-type show relating to Disney’s High School Musical 3); Dean Singh who is a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in Denver; Ralph Bookout, car magnate/slum lord, with 2 two self-proclaimed skills: selling used cars and turning back speedometers (the statute of limitations has run…guess the statute can’t be turned back!);  Bruce Nicotero, celebrating 8 years with JoAnn Stores and his 3^rd granddaughter born in February; Gene Yunt, because he has a friend to brag about (Major David Sablan, U.S. Army) with 6 awards for valor; Michael Phelps, who designed the jewelry worn by Richard Allen’s wife as seen in Influencials; and Don Sharp, who turned 70, sold his Fresno agency, but still has his Visalia agency.  Thanks to all our new recruits!  

Lindsay Mann presented our Scout of the Month, T.J. Andreas of Troop 302.  T.J. is a cross country runner and he received a perfect score on the ACT (mercy!)  After graduation from high school he plans on attending Cal Poly as an engineering major (Go Mustangs!). For his Eagle Scout project he chose to fix up the Elbow Creek Cemetery.  He added visitors’ benches, removed weeds, and put down material to inhibit future weed growth covered with seed gravel.  He showed before and after pictures…that’s the spirit, T.J.!  

Our program, Dana Shoir, gemologist, was introduced by Michael Phelps.  Dana travels to actual mines for the rough gems so he can certify their origin.  He shared amazing pictures of his travels. The mine deposits for some of the gems are the same, be they in South America, Africa, or Asia because the deposits were formed while the continents were one land mass (the super continent called “Pangaea”.)  If Sully’s Sailors tried to sail around that to find paradise they’d be sailing in one big circle!  Next meeting:  Shave the Brave!

Hey, no singing today!  As much as I like to test my knowledge of patriot song lyrics it is nice to rest the memory on occasion! Our president today was Brian Hyde…well done, Brian!  Brian received a standing ovation for running the meeting (…sorry, Ed…) Well, OK, we were already standing when he told us he was in charge…a mere technicality! (I guess President Ed was looking for paradise a little early, except I wouldn’t think Colorado would be the place to start that search!) Since members have the option of joining the President’s Club or paying $25 and being available for future fines, it’s interesting how many folks are opting for the $25 route.  Thanks to those who accepted fines today, at whatever level:  Eric Lindberg (expecting a grandson any time now), Jim Ford (great golf game!), Dick Combs (fined once again for his first book…Dick, you need to write a book quicker so it doesn’t lap Presidents!), Al Fisher (for his cookbook with jokes…book #4 for Al), Gerry Schneider (20 year anniversary in his profession announced on PBS and almost causing Doug Berg to cut his own throat while shaving…better luck next time, Doug!),  Randy “Dance Daddy” Groom (whose daughter is a member of the award winning Dancers’ Edge), B.J. Perch and Basil Perch (B.J. is expecting his 3^rd son), Matt Graham (whose boss is reported to be a slave driver…aw, come on, not BRIAN HYDE!...and who received his first paycheck…it didn’t really bounce, did it?...BOING!), Susan Lucas (because the wine auction committee meeting was going to be at the Holiday Inn until Joe Kuhn challenged her to move the meeting to the Marriott and then he’d join the club, too!), Joe Kuhn (see previous detail!)  

Dean Glass introduced Dan and Rosa from the Ridge Creek Dinuba Golf Course who presented pictures of the new facility before, during, and after construction.  Built to recycle waste water (that doesn’t cause the course to smell bad, does it?) instead of letting it evaporate, its design follows that of European courses (maybe the Europeans don’t notice the smell?)  It sports a 205 acre golf course, 30 acre driving range, 115 acres for residential development, the longest hole in California (#15), a 3.5 mile walking path around the course open to the public, not to mention the pro-shop and club house…all this and it’s debt free! Does President Ed play golf?...maybe paradise is in Dinuba? ? ?

The Star Spangled Banner and salute started the meeting on a great note with the Olympics just around the corner….go USA!! Al Fisher read the birthdays and wedding anniversaries, followed by the Phil Mirwald announcing the club anniversaries. President Ed reiterated the “idea” of the sergeant of arms in that you can be “recognized” for $25 (maybe less) or you can join Sully Sailors (President’s Club). 

Sully’s Sailors are growing fast and the ship will have to accommodate all classes: joining this week was Rick Wehmueller for Bank of the Sierra ranking No. 6 by US Banker for return on Equity. Rick will be counting and cleaning fish. Mike Wiley recognized for having a grand opening for their bank (Suncrest) and Eric Shannon asking everyone to bring the new bank money. Mike will be the banjo player on the ship and Eric will bring the drinks. Phil Luna will be the bouncer of the ship and asked to carry the 4 Way test coin along for support. Laurie Isham also jumped aboard and will be bringing her husband’s book “Court Expert” which is with a publisher in San Francisco. Laurie also offered to cook for the crew. Secretary’s report was given by Wayne Yada and indicated a contribution was given to the Fox Theatre for electrical products. Brent Calvin was also recognized along with his mom, Linda Gist-Calvin. Linda is the President General of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). They recently attended a conference and Brent brought back some gifts for President Ed. Brent agreed to join Sully Sailor’s as the sail….Gerald Steiner was recognized for losing a lot of weight and when ask how he said….”I just stopped eating”! Well okay, he just cut back. Gerald also joined the sailors and will be swabbing the deck. Jim Hurlbutt also joined Sully Sailors after returning from a 17 day trip to central Europe. He brought back some honey liquor and agreed to be the court reporter for the mutiny trials aboard ship. Tom Peltzer was last to join the ship this week after returning from Africa. He agreed to be in charge of the “hookers” and I was glad to hear it was for the fishermen…..I wasn’t sure where that whole “job” was headed??? 

Our meetings under our new President Ed are assuming a comfortable agenda sequence.  President Ed is doing well developing his own style of meetings and I applaud him for avoiding the temptation to mimic other meeting styles…Well done, Ed!  Our Sergeants-at-Arms, the Two Randy’s  (Randy Groom and Randy Smith) stalked around hunting prey for Sully’s Sailors in their adorable uniforms…ok, so I COULD have called them aprons, but that seemed unfair, and hey, the term “sergeant” has a military ring to it, so “uniform” seems an appropriate term.  David Nash joined “The Crew” because he said our Sergeant-at-Arms’ “uniforms” made our club resemble Kiwanis…or was that Lions Club?  In order to join Sully’s Sailors, Dave had to think up a skill to help out on the boat.  It was decided that Dave was a “not-guy”…no, whoops, sorry..that’s “knot guy.”  V T Tsvirinko offered to join the club when Fresno Pacific completes their new building.  Tom Beene reassured all members that their deposits at the bank are FDIC insured up to $100, and he reminded Steve Chrisman that he can’t withdraw an overdraft.  Tom offered to pay $20 now and join Sully’s Sailors later.  Brian Hyde, who was the first to join Sully’s Sailors, was a candidate for double-jeopardy, but our Sergeants-at-Arms were reminded that once a member becomes a Sailor that member is exempt from fines for the rest of the year!  Even the Sergeants need to join The Crew, so Randy Smith joined because he’s back from a wonderful cruise to Alaska.  Randy brought back gifts for President Ed: Alaskan Moose Balls (Neapolitan flavor!) and Hunter Sticks (reindeer jerky…poor Rudolph!)  Joe Kuhn was awarded a $25 credit for retrieving our Rotary computer that was abandoned after the last meeting…way to go, Joe!  

Wayne Yada delivered the Secretary’s Report:  Thank you notes were received from Associated Charities (for donation), the Library Foundation (for donation), and the City of Visalia (for help with the Student Exchange.)  Also, Cal Gomes is returning to our club…Welcome back, Cal!  Wayne read a letter from a Miss Mai Lin looking for her man, named Dave Burr.  It was decided that this was a fictional story, (the names were changed to accuse the innocent) and had no basis in fact.   Dave didn’t want to join the Crew (who could blame him?) but he DID pay his attorney, Russ McKinney, one dollar for defending him against the atrocious allegations contained in the letter.  Y’all better watch out!  Deep Throat 3 is out there and just waiting to getchya!  

Membership Committee:  Al Fisher encouraged everyone to bring in new members.  We need about 20 new members each year just to stay even and another 27 members to reach the District goal of a 10% increase.  Packets are available to give prospective members and an application form is in the back of the Club Roster.  

“Rotary Salutes” honored Lt. Commander Murrell Twibell with a Paul Harris Award.  Murrell joined the Navy in 1935 and served on the “Enterprise,” an aircraft carrier, during World War II.  His invention of a breathing apparatus allowed personnel to descend into the burning carrier to unlock the steering mechanism which was damaged during a Japanese bombing raid.  This was the subject of a History Chanel special.  A clip from this show was presented for viewing.  All I can say is “Wow!”…followed by a standing ovation…Wow!  Special note:  Murrell Twibell can still fit into his uniform!  

Steve Creel presented our program today on “Public Speaking.”  Steve gave us such pearls as:  Stay on topic, don’t be lured off topic by audience reaction, give credit if you use someone else’s material, be yourself when you speak (don’t try to become someone else), prepare (be concise and keep it simple), if you rehearse and ask for feedback don’t argue with the comments, prepare your speech then let it get “cold” before you assess it, and last but not least:  know when to stop!  So, having said that…we’ll see you next week for a joint meeting of all four clubs in the Convention Center! 

Welcome to the second meeting of our new president, President Ed…only 50 more meetings…sorry I missed the first meeting…I was totally under-the-weather.  What does that mean, anyway?  I’ll tell you what it means…you’re hitting turbulence!  Anyway,…back to the meeting…First, we have the Sergeant At Arms Report, which seems to be the Press Gang for joining the President’s Club aka Sully’s Sailors…Yo Ho!  Welcome aboard to Gary Paden (whose house was featured in Lifestyle Magazine, his wife liked the article, so all is well with the world!), Tony Correia (because he’s NOT going fishing with the guys), Dick Hopper (who is following in the footsteps of George Washington as Masonic Grand Master.  Dick was concerned about having to row Sully’s boat if there’s no wind…I don’t think that’ll be a problem, Dick.  From the sound of it, there will be plenty of wind produced on that boat!), Tony Salierno (because he actually returns phone calls and says “yes”, plus he’s joining under the “Yacht” package for $350, to help buy a motor big enough to keep from rowing!), and Duane Scott (who got his first eagle off the blue tee on the 9^th hole at the Country Club, and is proud of his Fresno Diamond Dogs…Woo Hoo!).  Thanks to you all,  Maties! Arrrh!  

The new roster is out.  Look for your committees and check your information.  Report any errors to Wayne Yada to correct in the roster next year.  A reminder:  roster information may not be distributed without prior Board approval. Bills for dues will be going out. Membership is a great deal at only $160!  Laurie Isham, with ProYouth/Heart, presented Past President Al with a plaque in appreciation of his support which helped 3,000 kids.  That’s our Al!  Our meeting on July 23rd will be a joint meeting with all four clubs.  So you are forewarned!  Steve Creel is taking names of those interested in giving the invocation at meetings.  Contact Steve if you are interested in helping (627-1660.)  

Duane Scott introduced our program by demonstrating his singing talents with Dan Pessano of Good Company Players.  (Duane sang well… I have to say that ‘cuz he’s my senior partner, ‘n’ all.)  Little known trivia:  Dan used to perform as Ronald McDonald at Grand Openings in the early days!  A true celebrity! Dan gave us an entertaining program, exchanging quips with members and presenting various facts about the Company and its programs.  Good Company Players is celebrating its 35^th anniversary as a dinner theater.  It is currently presenting “Annie Get Your Gun” and will be moving on to “Chicago” and the “Producers”, to name a few upcoming shows.  Royalties to produce a show can range from $25,000 to $40,000, (paid 6 to 7 months in advance) which does not include the cost of scripts, scores, and costumes.  The Company is totally funded by “butts in seats.”  There are no grants to help meet expenses, so the Company works diligently to give you a great deal for your dollar.  Dan brought along two cast members, Jessica and Emily, to sing a few songs for us. Now THAT’S singing! What clear, beautiful, bright voices! For performance and ticket information go to their website at www.gcplayers.com or call the ticket office at 266-9494.  Time to castoff for home!  See you next week!