A.J. Brencic - brightening our day along with papa Jim's

Katie Rose Ware - not really a guest, but we like to recognize her every so often

Keith Brent - St, May's College, along to make sure we didn't treat Brother Ron too badly (see "Program")

Tina Bettencourt - along to see just what on earth hubby Joe does at the meetings

 

BIRTHDAYS, ANNIVERSARIES, AND OTHER MISCELLANEOUS GOODIES

 

Jim Brencic turned 40 with mirth, merriment, a Giants game, a guitar, and a $40 spiff to our favorite Rotary club. 

 

Dave Waal's son turned 15 and his busted leg turned blue.  Emolument (a.k.a. fine) of undisclosed sum ensued.

 

And Michelle Pelletreau, Ernie Furtado's daughter, was pictured in the paper along with other participants in the National Charity League, which has young people helping out in myriad ways.  But that's not all.  Michele was the Top Dog A number 1 champ in terms of hours spent helping out of the entire group.  How such beneficence justified charging Ernie $20 was hardly clear, but an excess of logic in the fining has never been that noteworthy among Club Presidents, particularly in the latter half of their terms, and His Fazelness is proving himself to be no exception.

 

DAVE WAAL CAN HANG ON TO HIS A WHILE LONGER

 

The Crutches for Afghanistan program is now officially under way.  If you have some old, unused crutches lying around the house or garage somewhere -- many of us probably do -- it's time to bring them in.  Why?  So we can hand them over to Budd McKenzie, who will take them to Afghanistan, where they are desperately needed. Thus spake President John. 

 

A MOMENT WITH AYMERIC

 

Go see "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)" at Acalanes High, in which our Brussels sprout (c'mon, you knew I'd sink to that eventually) is performing.   Remaining show dates are May 6 and May 7. Aymeric gently chided us for not turning out for Opening Night, so maybe we can make Closing Night more memorable for him. Gentleman and diplomat that he is, he did not request that any LSR attendees wear bags over their heads. That's our boy!

 

Also, Aymeric turns 19 as of May 3, a fact that was brought to the attention of the membership by King John and Court Jester Shearer by about the worst skit ever devised by the mind of man.  Brad Davis' "Roses are red . . . " poetry that he recites at Demotion parties is Pulitzer Prize material by comparison.  One would think that Rich and Herr Fazel would be mortified beyond belief after such shenanigans, and one would be wrong in so believing. Shame has never been a long suit of our otherwise commendable club.

 

IT'S ALMOST LIKE WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE DOING

 

President Fazel asked if anyone had noticed a change in the Lamorindan. Nobody could spot any differences.  It turns out that the only change is that Dominic Porrino has been handling the publishing duties for a traveling Ron Brown the past week or two.  (Last we heard from Ron was that his kayak was stuck in the Panama Canal.) King John opined (and the editorial staff and this reporter's trained chimpanzee typists all agreed) that this represents the fantastical and amazing job that gets done every week turning out this kudos-worthy publication.  Tips (and praise) gratefully received.

A CHANCE TO LEARN ABOUT AN AMAZING, TOO-OFTEN OVERLOOKED PIECE OF HISTORY

 

In and immediately after World War I, 50,000 Czech and Slovak POWs (they had been fighting for the Austrian army and had been captured by the Russians) became a force fighting first for the Allies and then for an independent homeland. They went from the fire of the War to End All Wars to the frying pan of the Russian Revolution.

 

On May 13 at the Orinda Theatre, this story will be told in the West Coast premiere of the film "Accidental Army: The Amazing Story of the Czechoslovak Legion."  Show times are 5:30 and 7:30 p.m.; reception starts at 5:00.  These screenings are possible because Orinda is the Sister City of Tabor, Czech Republic. (We all knew this, correct?)

 

But wait, there's more.  In addition to "Accidental Army," there will also be screenings of "Prague 1968," with an introduction by  Richard Pivnicka, Honorary Consul General of the Czech Republic.

 

Fifteen bucks get you in to the very special showing ($10 for students and seniors).  You can pick up tickets at the Orinda Association, 26 Orinda Way, Orinda, or call 254-8260 for more information. Thanks to Buddy Burke for calling this to our attention.

 

MOTORAMA UPDATE

 

What are you doing on June 20?  Correct answer: "I'm helping out at Motorama."  Contact Krysten Laine and repeat this to her, word for word. 

 

Seriously, there are a ton of "day of" chores that will need doing, so if at all possible, please grab an oar and help float our boat, er, cars.  In addition to being our big fundraiser this year, it promises to be a ton of fun. 

 

Oh, and Bo's Barbecue is donating a ton (give or take) of its famous barbecue for the event. Nice job, Krysten. And thank you, Bo McSwine.

 

Rich Shearer also pointed out what should be obvious.  For our members who do business in or near Lamorinda -- especially in Lafayette -- this is a marvelous advertising opportunity.  There will be scads of local folks in attendance who all have one thing in common: they are a prime target audience.  These are the people you are trying to attract to your business.  Advertising in the program and/.or being a sponsor is a great way to enhance your company's name recognition, and our rates are dirt cheap for the exposure you will get.  So how about signing up?  It's good for the Club, good for the community and good for your business.  Everyone wins here.  So pick up the phone or hop on e-mail and sign on.

 

DON'T FORGET THE MAY ACTIVITIES

 

You probably didn't read this item last week, so read it this week.  And if you read it last week, read it again. 

 

The problem: What to do with those pesky Saturdays.  You use all that energy figuring out what to do Sunday through Friday, but by Saturday you're at your wit's end.  What to do?

 

Leave the dart throw to Lamorinda Sunrise Rotary, that's what.  We've got your back (and front).

 

On May 8, it's the latest HOME Team work day. , Requests for our DDIY (Don't Do It Yourself) services are pouring in thick and fast, says Hays Englehart.  Help some seniors and bask in the glow of their gratitude.  This is truly a first-rate "feel good" program, so come on out and help.  If you can walk and chew gum at the same time, there is stuff you can do that will make a senior's day ...  and your own.

 

On May 15, off we return to Rush Ranch in Suisun City (near Fairfield) to help spruce up, paint and help with whatever needs doing at the headquarters of Access Adventure, the brainchild of Michael Muir and the labor of love for Mary Lou Fazel that provides horse-drawn wagon rides for the mobility-challenged into rugged and scenic areas that they would never otherwise get to see.  We sent a work party there last August and they had a great time.  Now it's your turn. Or perhaps Return.

 

On May 22, you will have to make a choice.  Choice #1, we are helping paint the gazebo in downtown Lafayette (and doesn't that sound just a tad dirty?).  Talk about a chance to leave your mark on the town. Alex Arnold is organizing this work party, and we sorely need bodies. 

 

Choice #2 is the District 5160 Foundation Day at Yin Ranch near Vacaville.  You can meet fellow Rotarians from all over the District, you can learn more about the Rotary Foundation, how it works and what it does (and the more you learn, the prouder you are to be a Rotarian), and you can just have a great time.  Yin Ranch is a private residence that has more fun stuff for kids and adults than any one house should have, so this is definitely a "bring the kids" event. $15 per adult, $5 for kids under 12, free if under two.  Gates open at 9:00 a.m.

 

See?  Your Saturday-in-May-scheduling worries are over.

 

PROGRAM

 

Today's speaker, Brother Ronald Gallagher, President of St. Mary's College, gave us an overview of where St. Mary's has been, where it is at present, and where it is heading.

 

St. Mary's is a run by the Christian Brothers, the oldest order in the Roman Catholic Church. It was founded by Bishop Alemany in 1863, although the effort began in 1858 when the Bishop sent his top aide to ride literally the length of California to raise the needed funds to start a college that was not run by the Jesuits (as was USF). Bishop Alemany obviously chose the right emissary. After two years of riding through rough-and-tumble gold camps, $50,000 had been raised (and that's in 1860 dollars). 

 

Most of that money came from men and women who had never had a chance to attend college.  They were told that this college would be for their children, not just for the children of privilege.  The promise was kept. When St. Mary's opened its doors, many of the entering students came from those very good camps. 

 

St. Mary's first campus was in San Francisco.  In 1868, the first Christian Brothers came to teach.  Seven came, six stayed. Twenty years later, St. Mary's moved to 29^th Street and Broadway in Oakland, a site affectionately known as The Brick Pile.  This was where St. Mary's first achieved athletic prominence -- when Slip Madigan was head football coach and when 40,000 fans would routinely attend. 

 

But as with the San Francisco site, the Oakland campus that started out being outside of town was, by 1928, surrounded by the city.  So St. Mary's moved again, this time to Moraga.  And there it remains to this today.  Although the area has again grown, St. Mary's still has plenty of room and an ample amount of elbow room.

 

When St. Mary's moved to Moraga, not much was there. There was a station for the Sacramento Northern Railroad, though, and that meant access to Oakland, Walnut Creek and Concord.  This in turn meant that many of the students in the early Moraga days were commuters. There was a train that came in the morning, waited on a siding during the day, and made the homeward run in the late afternoon. In fact, the conductor of that train earned a degree at St. Mary's.  Now, nearly two-thirds of students live on campus. 

 

Brother Ron displayed obvious and well-deserved pride in the impact St. Mary's is having, not just in the area but also in the world.  Perhaps the most visible recent example was the NCAA run by the men's basketball team, which advanced deeper into the playoffs than did any previous team. Brother Raymond stressed that he was proud of what the team accomplished, but even more proud of how they did it -- without controversy but with hard, team-oriented work from well-educated, articulate young men. 

 

St. Mary's is also garnering national recognition for the public service its students perform.  It is consistently in the U.S. News and World Report Top 100 in this category.

 

Academically, St. Mary's is no slouch, either. It is known as a "Great Books" liberal arts school, meaning that its students study the Great Books of Western Civilization. Most colleges that structure their curriculum around the Great Books do so as an honors program; St. Mary's does it with all of its students.  Brother Ron believes that this curriculum helps all St. Mary's graduates go into the world with an improved sprit of intellectual curiosity and are more articulate than they would be otherwise.

 

The students who get to benefit from this unique educational opportunity come from all over the U.S. and beyond. St. Mary's draws especially well from Europe, Australia and the Pacific Rim.  

 

Some things have changed over the years. For example, St. Mary's was men-only until 1970; now the student body is 60% women. But some things have remained the same.  Just as St. Mary's started with a large number of children of the mining camps who were the first of their families to attend college, about 35% to 40% of students today are the first of their families to attend college.

 

Not surprisingly, financial aid is in great demand at St. Mary's.  All St. Mary's students are encouraged to write thank-you letters to their source of aid, including legislators who vote on government financial aid programs.

 

Thank you, Brother Ron, for coming to tell us about the gem of a college just down the road.  It is a school in which we can all take pride.

 

 

Friday, May 14, Amy Maggiore, Tom O'Keefe of Shelter Inc.