edited by
JOHN GRELCK
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This has been a very demanding and challenging year for our club and I think our members have rose to the occasion. It has also been a lot of fun and very rewarding. I want to thank my Rotary Board and the Committee Chairs for all the time and work they have done - Richard Brown, John Chu, Bob Moir, Elle Seymour, Jeff Cotter, Jeff Little, Lou Karpf, Jim Vreeland Jr., Sharon Pike, Wim Ilmanen, David Wyatt, and John Patterson. There are also some other members of our club that have done a lot this year and I want to thank them also - Bob France, Suzanne Hollrah, Paul Matthies, John Grelck, Butch Phillips, Deepa Willingham, Len Dalberg, and Ed Andrisek. And finally, I want to thank all of our club members for making this Rotary Centennial Year such a success. The Annual Rotary International Convention was held in Chicago and it was a very outstanding event. Over 41,000 people were there and representing 161 countries. The convention started on Saturday with a parade that include many floats from various countries and lasted 1 ½ hours. The opening plenary session was held on Sunday and included an address by Glen Estess Sr., President of Rotary International, video messages from Richard Daley, Mayor of Chicago, Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations, and President George Bush, the flag ceremony, and some outstanding entertainment. Some of the other programs that were presented during the convention were the highlights of what happened in Rotary in the first 100 years and what we should expect in the next 100 years. We also had a program on women in Rotary and Mr. Ted Turner was one of our speakers. There were 127 booths on club & district projects, Rotary fellowships, and other miscellaneous booths. While I was at the convention, I met Rotarians from any countries - Taiwan, India, Switzerland, Nigeria, Japan, Australia, Jamaica, Canada, and France. I also met Rotarians from many other states as well. I think attending a Rotary International Convention is a very rewarding experience and gives you a better understanding of Rotary. It is something that all Rotarians should try to do. Theodor & Marie Petersen purchased their Alamo Pintado Ranch property in October 1913. Sunny Fields Park is the southeast corner of that property. The triangle was formed when Alamo Pintado Road was changed in 1985, eliminating a 90-degree turn. Elna Petersen Mayhugh of Merced, California, writes that she lived in a house on Alamo Pintado Road, situated very close to the site of our Centennial Project, the playground. The house she lived in was moved away about 80 years ago. Soon many children will play where she played as a child. Elna Mayhugh participated with other Petersen family members in providing the funds for "The Twisty Slide", which is part of the Centennial Playground. Tajikistan became the 167th Rotary country when the Rotary Club of Dushanbe received its charter back on April 5. The event was the culmination of an eight-year quest by some of the club's 36 charter members to bring Rotary to the Central Asian country. We are always looking for articles about our members and all the Rotary activity that occurs in the Valley. Please contact Len Dalberg or myself. You have it easily in your power to increase the sum total of this world's happiness now. How? By giving a few words of sincere appreciation to someone who is lonely or discouraged. Perhaps you will forget tomorrow the kind words you say today, but the recipient may cherish them over a lifetime. - Dale Carnegie Coming Programs Wednesday, June 29, 2005 @ 6:00PM Demotion Party at the Royal Scandinavian Inn Wednesday, July 6, 2005 @ 12:10PM President Deepa's Visions for 2005-2006 Wednesday, July 13, 2005 @ 12:10PM Club Assembly |
