GUESTS
Rotarians: We didn't have the privilege.
Others:
Jackie Welles, Ray's better half, who he described as "vertical" (i.e., healthy)
Barbara Pelletreau, Ernie's better (albeit tardy) half
Michelle Pelletreau, Ernie and Barbara's daughter and Royal guest speaker
Elizabeth Landry, Michelle's friend and potential Royal participant
Christine Landry, her mother
Mehrnaz Ahrar, InterAct president at AHS
DRESS REHEARSAL FOR NEXT YEAR President Fazel having ducked for cover and split in his RV for the week, newly PETted Prez-elect Thomas Peeks took over. Thomas is a physical guy to say the least, but it took all his strength to ring the bell loudly enough to reduce this herd of cats to a meek meow.
Thomas related that the Governor's Hospitality Suite at PETS was graced by a genuine Jim Brencic original poster showing our members in action, each in his/her own way. (For any newbie who hasn't heard, PETS is the President-Elect Training Seminar which turns innocent babes-in-the-woods into merciless dictators.) Other than the Hospitality Suite, Thomas had remarkably little to say about PETS, and one of his instructors, George Chaffey, said even less, i.e., nada. One wonders whether they ever got past the Hospitality Suite.
In his baptism under fire, the Mr. One Heartbeat Away had to deal with strange stuff right off the bat. Rick Ashburn was spotted wearing a guest badge to cover up the fact that his own badge was missing. A shocking accusation was made that Rev. Ray Welles took it. Buddy Burke then seconded the accusation and, proving it's always the second guy who's caught, was the one who paid. About this time, Barbara Pelletreau arrived late, just as Ernie and Michelle were confronted with the published evidence of Michelle's Girl Scout Gold Award. For all this, the Prez-to-be was going to assess Ernie $5, showing he still has a few things to learn. By popular demand the amount was increased to $25.
Then came Birthdays & Anniversaries. The only one on the list
was Ken Kosich, who was presciently absent. But Dan Herbert, that good Boy Scout, volunteered. It seems he was kidnapped by a third-time Grammy winner and taken to Elk (a hamlet in Mendocino County), where they stared at the ocean for three days. Oh, yeah, he is married to the Grammy winner, Annette, who shared the awards with the rest of the San Francisco Symphony Chorus, showing how Mahler should be performed.
Missing in action today, and being missed, was Thomas Raeth, who is recovering from back surgery. From all of us, especially those who have to some degree been there, we hope you have a quick and pain-free recovery, Thomas.
STUFF WE DO Back came Krysten, and if you don't help her realize her dream of a successful Motorama, she'll passionately break your kneecaps - er, request you to participate on one of the committees. Time's a-wastin', so it would be nice if everyone would be proactive on this point. Pick a committee you like, and contact the chairperson. She's shooting out an e-mail blast with a "menu" showing the organization. The committee chairs are:
Exhibitor Chairs: Hays Englehart/ Dave Watson
Publicity Chair- Jim Brencic
Vendor Chair- Hays Englehart
VIP/ Hospitality Chair- Gillett Johnson
Web Chair- Chuck Yeager
Sponsorship- Mark Roberts
Event - Krysten Laine
Joe Bettencourt continues on a roll with the HOME TEAM, the angels assisting seniors. Six people are needed for Saturday, April 10. Brochures are being printed, and there's already been newspaper publicity. Kudos to Joe and Hays.
Jim Brencic isn't asking for much. Just a leftover laptop which consistently works so a few pictures can be shown on our screen. We can call it the "Anti-Curse." Let him know if you have one available.
InterAct president Mehrnaz Ahrar of Acalanes HS was back, asking for six folks to chaperone and peddle food & drink at InterAct's event Sat., March 20. She also thought individual donations of $10 would be a neat idea. Proceeds are to benefit a medical relief organization.
Flyers appeared for an item of interest relating to past appearances by Budd MacKenzie on Afghanistan. This is "Afghanistan - From The Inside Looking Out." benefiting Trust In Education which builds schools, reconstructs villages, and supports street children in Kabul. It takes place at Diablo Country Club on March 25, 6:00 reception and 7:00 program, $50 ($25 for students). For tickets, phone (925) 299-2011 or visit www.trustineducation.org.
MYSTERIOUS GOINGS-ON
Prez-elect is carrying on the Mystery Rotarian concept. First clue was that the Mysterious One graduated with a high school class
of 49. Second: He helped end the career of an NFL quarterback.Third: He turned down a scholarship to law school. The answer, which of course everyone knew, was Dan Garfin. A Head-Royce graduate. A baseball player at Cal who hit a grand slam off Stanford's Chad Hutchinson, who thereafter lost the strike zone completely and also lasted about one day with the Dallas Cowboys. (You may recall that Chad is considerably bigger than Dan, so we hope Chad doesn't see this worldwide publication.) Very happy about not going to law school.
And what was up with photographing those shoes
on the feet of Ray and Buddy? Just the kind of weird kicks that these badge-stealers would wear.
Oh, and you may have noticed Aymeric's absence. The poor lad is mysteriously imprisoned in Hawaii. A full explanation will be extracted from him next week.
A ROYAL TIME Segueing into the program, Alex Arnold exhorted all to publicize the opportunity for high school juniors to go to either Camp Royal or Camp Venture this summer. We have two slots available in each camp. Camp Royal is an inspiring leadership camp for a week near Hayfork, way up the river. Camp Venture furnishes practical training in business. The fee for the student is zero. Applications should be in by April 15. See Alex for details.
Then came Papa Ernie, muttering about "The Curse" of the projector and what it was doing to Michelle's Camp Royal show. He did impart that she's a senior at Campolindo, is waiting on college applications too numerous to mention, and her recent activities include the Girl Scout Gold Award for a project at Shelter, Inc., and the National Charity League.
At long last we got to hear Michelle speak on her Camp Royal experience.
When she departed on the bus with a bunch of strangers, she felt nervous, but that didn't last long. On arrival at Camp Royal, about all she saw were 146 students and a bunch of people in yellow sweatshirts jumping around with signs. Somehow she got to her cabin and staked a claim to a bed. "Ice breakers" and getting-to-know you games worked very well, leading to deeper questions for which the group opened up.
Each morning included workshops and featured outstanding speakers. For example, the first morning's theme was hope and breaking free. On a later day, Chau Yoder, who is known to many Rotarians, spoke and demonstrated mindful leadership through meditation.
One project for the students was repairing of LN-4 hands, followed by their delivery to landmine victims. It is rumored that one of Rich Shearer's products benefited from this service.
Challenges are a big part of Camp Royal, to step out, work as teams, and overcome obstacles. A psychologist was there to help the students discover their own personalities. Among the more spectacular challenges were Climbing the Wall, and the Rope Course which included climbing a very tall and wobbly pole, then standing on a tiny platform at the top and jumping across. Toward the end, the students wrote and drew their breakthrough events on a board, then broke the board with their bare hands. All this probably empowered everyone to be at their best in the Talent Show at the end, which included poetry, song, dance, skits and a contortionist.
Of course, all this was not without some free-time recreation, including volleyball, Frisbee, dancing, hacky-sack, and lap tag (we won't ask).
Michelle expressed gratitude for the experience, and felt she learned a lot about herself, how guarded people are, and the need to be more open. She is continuing friendships made at Camp Royal. This remains one of our more successful enduring programs.
With the Motorama looming, Krysten Laine was a perfect Thinker for the Day. Drawing on Aristotle and brushing aside the fact that lawyers may not make the grade, she reminded us that to accomplish dreams, passion is needed, the more the better.