Issues are arranged in reverse order. Scroll down to find the issue you want.
March 27, 2003
COMING EVENTS
April 3 - Wine and Food Pairing
April 10 - GSE Team from Vietnam
April 17 - Anissa Daaou, Youth Exchange Student and Boy Scout Charter Presentation
April 24 - Our Local Foundation at Work and Paul Harris Awards
May 1 - Dennis Kelley - Take Control of your Stock Portfolio with Options
May 8 - Another interesting program
May 15 - All Day Breakfast, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
May 22 - Salute to Agriculture - Community Lunch at Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds
May 29 - Jim Becker - International Project
The meeting was dark, as any of you who showed up at the Vets Hall on Thursday were made quickly aware.
Farmers and Merchants Night was held on Friday evening. All in attendance appeared to be having a good time. The bartenders tell me that drinks were down from previous years. They indicated much more wine was drunk. Do you think this is because we have more women attending? It seems that a few years ago this was a Boys Night Out event. Not so anymore. Many of the members actually brought their spouses.
The food, Stew and Polenta, was plentiful and excellent. The service by the Interact kids, the FFA and Boy Scouts was as good as you would find in any restaurant.
The committee led by Babe Amaral did a great job.
Then there was the entertainment. A little bird told me, she could not understand why she and President Ed were left on the stage, that they were never hypnotized.
It does appear that some guests up on the stage were sound asleep and, given their reaction after being sent back to the audience, they truly were responding to the hypnotist.
This week's Rota-Teller editor: Lou Steinberg.
NEXT WEEK:
Fine Can: Bill Groverman
Microphone: Loretta Catarozoli
Visitors: Erik Gunheim
Editor: Ricardo Marzo
March 20, 2003
COMING EVENTS
March 27 - Club dark (Farmers and Merchants Night March 28)
March 28 - Farmers and Merchants Night, 6:30 p.m.
April 3 - Wine and Food Pairing
April 10 - GSE Team from Vietnam
April 17 - Anissa Daaou, Youth Exchange Student and Boy Scout Charter Presentation
April 24 - Our Local Foundation at Work and Paul Harris Awards
May 1 - Wally Bragdon introduces an interesting program
May 8 - Another interesting program
May 15 - All Day Breakfast, 7:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
May 22 - Salute to Agriculture - Community Lunch at Sonoma-Marin Fairgrounds
May 29 - Jim Becker - International Project
The bell sounded at precisely 12:30 and PRESIDENT ED called the meeting to order. GENE BENEDETTI led us in a jolly rendition of I’m a Rambler followed by an enthusiastic God Bless America .
JIM McCAFFREY gave the invocation. We bowed our heads and asked God to watch over our troops overseas. We asked that He bring them home safely.
The usual hugs and handshakes quickly followed. JOE ALLEN introduced the visiting Rotarians. The Rotarians with guests were then introduced followed by the Sunshine Report. PRESIDENT ED happily announced that AL KAPLAN is back in action after having a bout with pneumonia..
JEANNETTE CLARK was happy to take center stage and present the CLUB with a $3,000 check from the Petaluma Area Chapter of Realtors for our annual Children’s Christmas Party. Thank you Realtors for your generosity.
RICK MOSSI delivered the microphone to the ROTARIANS with announcements. STEVE OLMSTED reminded everyone of the upcoming Farmer’s Night. The fun begins at 6:30 on Friday, the 28th. Please contact PAUL MASELLI for your tickets so he can get an accurate head count.
Microphone duty did not exclude RICK from the PRESIDENT’S wrath of fines. It seems RICK, the President of our Chamber of Commerce, had microphone duty at the recent Community Awards Night. For that privilege the PRESIDENT awarded RICK with a $50 donation to the Club.
LYN DE L’EAU didn’t want to speak next even though she had recently been the guest speaker at a Women in Business Luncheon. She also had her picture in some newspaper???? PRESIDENT ED is good at uncovering these things. For her notoriety LYN donated $25 to the Club.
PRESIDENT ED hates to leave anyone out of the fun, so he picked on our newest member, STEVE POWELL next. STEVE had just returned from the warm Palm Springs area. That trip cost him $25. Welcome STEVE!
CONNIE HEIZER was up next. CONNIE was the only new member of our Club to attend the District Assembly. She must have had beginners luck. She won the Grand Prize, which was a case of fine wine. This cost her nothing because the attention of the crowd soon moved to barrister MIKE BADDELEY and his side kick KATHY O’CONNOR.
They were just trying to get CONNIE’S attention when our PRESIDENT busted them for talking. PRESIDENT ED warned MIKE about his comments in the last Rota-Teller. He felt MIKE was a little over the edge on his comments about ED's old leather flight helmet and goggles still fitting him. MIKE quickly came back with the fact that he was just exercising his First Amendment Rights. PRESIDENT ED fined the Barrister $10 and his Sidekick $5.
DUKE IVERSON won the raffle and walked away with a fine bottle of wine.
We all sang Happy Birthday to JAMES GOTELLI (the only one at the birthday table). JIM McCAFFREY didn’t want to acknowledge another birthday and sat at his usual table.
TAWNY TESCONI filled in for JIM MICKELSON and introduced our guest speaker, George Dray. George restores vintage airplanes. His talk was of special interest to all the pilots in the audience, especially our own PRESIDENT ED.
This week's Rota-Teller editor: Loretta Catarozoli.
NEXT WEEK:
Fine Can: (Dark)
Microphone: (Dark)
Visitors: (Dark)
Editor: Lou Steinberg
March 13, 2003
COMING EVENTS
March 20 - Another interesting program
March 27 - Club dark (Farmers and Merchants Night March 28)
March 28 - Farmers and Merchants Night
April 3 - Wine and Food Pairing
After cajoling yours truly into agreeing to adjudicate yet another Rotary caper case (to wit, a bell that went missing, albeit temporarily) at some nebulous future date, our erstwhile Sky Pilot-in-Chief, President ED FULLERTON, dutifully opened the meeting at the appointed half-hour, and immediately had our Club's very own music man (any trouble in River City?!), TED ADKINS, lead us in song . . . a rather cacophonous rendition of God Bless America. The Club's preacher man, LARRY GOTFREDSON, then clamored atop the bully pulpit to deliver the thought for the day, and to ponder "for whom the bell tolls?" (query, if a missing bell tolls, does anyone hear it?!).
After the Club's signature handshakes, hugs and busses among members, LINDA ZACHARIN introduced our sole visiting Rotarian (Leland Fishman), followed by the introduction of the guests of Rotarians, including the spouses of President Ed (Carol), and Dr. Feelgood, ROY MUSIK (Linda), respectively. After a warm welcome of guests, the Prez gave the Sunshine Report: Wildcat AL KAPLAN is recovering from a bout with pneumonia, while the pool shark, GINA PITTLER, is healing nicely from some minor surgery. The Prez then made our entire table feel ill by fining all of us $5.00 (even those of us who were innocent) for the incessant murmur emanating from the philosophical musings (fashion tips?) of HEIDI KIBBE, KATHY O'CONNOR, TAWNY TESCONI, RICK OBERLIN and STEVE OLMSTED.
The big Ragu, PAUL MASELLI, then reminded us that March 28 (6:30 p.m. at the Petaluma Vets Building) is our Club's Annual Farmers Night Feed. Order your tickets if you have not yet done so (get 'em while they last), and call Paul for details. Mr. Refi, LOU STEINBERG, then put out a call to action to all Club Senior Interact committee members to come to the aid of the party at the next Interact event - call Lou ASAP for details. The town cheerleader (OK, ambassador), ONITA PELLEGRINI, concluded the announcements by noting that the annual community awards event is this evening, and that PDG John Strong will be one of the honorees. Congratulations, John.
The Prez then formally called upon your editor to act as judge pro-tem pro bono sua sponte . . . or something to that effect . . . to conduct a formal inquiry and investigation of the big bell caper. The Prez provided no information, facts or evidence of any type or nature upon which to proceed, apparently operating under the "mushroom theory" (keep 'em in the dark and feed them nothing but . . . compost, or some excretory substitute therefore) - oh well, if it's good enough for Ed's board, I guess it's good enough for me! Although something tells me that the call to a future president of our Club, who I understand was the recent subject of a thorough probe (think medical) of a completely different nature, will shed a little light on the old mushroom farm in this matter!
Dr. Crackback, DAVE AMUNDSEN, apparently having no idea about his 5th amendment rights under the U.S. Constitution (especially his right to remain silent), immediately jumped to his feet to brag about finding a big bell between his legs with no explanation as to how it got there! Where's the doctor of jurisprudence, ERIK GUNHEIM, Esq., when Dave needs him? E.G. call home!
Illustrating once again that his logic train sometimes uncouples and runs in different directions on the same track, the Prez made a tortured segue to note that Petaluma's annual Butter and Eggs Day parade will be held on the last weekend of April and that the three local Rotary Clubs (Valley, Breakfast, and us) are combining talents, efforts and time to enter a Rotary float with (barrel roll . . . I mean, drum roll please) . . . an aviation theme (I just hope Ed's old leather flight helmet and goggles still fit him!?)!
The old pilot then dropped a $10.00 fine bomb on new member GRETA VIGUIE on the auspicious occasion of her first official meeting, ostensibly to "involve" her - a heartfelt welcome would probably have been more welcome - congratulations, Greta, welcome to the Ed Zone.
Feeling full of bull (or is it bear, now?), JIM BECKER, looking like a deer in the headlights on Wall Street, acknowledged that he was "confused" about the bell caper, admitted he did not "have a clue", and confessed to a recent trip to New York and a certified dive off a Caribbean Island with humpback whales (gee, I knew the stock market had taken a steep dive, but I had no idea . . .). No bell, but Jim did cough up a $60 fine, with a gratuitous additional $50 towards Gretchen's Paul Harris - thanks, Jim.
Proving once again that no good invocation goes unpunished, LARRY GOTFREDSON found out the hard way "for whom the bell tolls" . . . him, as the Prez pulled $100 out of Larry's collection basket for varied and sundry "blessings", including a step-daughter's graduation, attending the world's largest salmon barbecue (Fort Bragg), an Alaskan cruise with his family, a new grandson, and a bigger yard -- thanks, Larry.
Dr. Love (Boat), TED ADKINS, having recently returned from yet another 4-5 week trip (this time a bit more terrestrial - Palm Springs), where he spent some quality time with his very talented celebrity daughter, Dana, a local talk show host, was then fined a mere $10.00 by an obviously star struck Prez --thanks, TED.
Guest Tom Joynt won the raffle, followed by the Delegation Master, MARK STOKES, who sent his assistant to introduce our speakers from the AAUW (American Association of University Women), each of whom gave an informative presentation on their sister-to-sister Summit event held in Petaluma early this month. A book in their names, and a token of our appreciation, for a job well done. Meeting adjourned.
Have a safe St. Patrick's Day (apparently no shows DON O'RAMATICI and DAN O'LIBARLE got an early start)!!
This week's Rota-Teller editor: Mike Baddeley.
NEXT WEEK:
Fine Can: Gene Andrews
Microphone: Rick Mossi
Visitors: Joe Allen
Editor: Loretta Catarozoli
March 6, 2003
COMING EVENTS
March 13 - Sue Carson - AAUW Sister to Sister Program
March 20 - Another interesting program
March 27 - Club dark (Farmers and Merchants Night March 28)
March 28 - Farmers and Merchants Night
April 3 - Wine and Food Pairing
PRESIDENT ED called on BARNEY FAUSS to lead the opening song, then invited DAN LIBARLE to deliver the thought for the day. Holding up the plaque that his father gave him when he joined Rotary, he observed that Rotary’s Four-Way Test shows the way to a better world.
After LOU STEINBERG introduced visiting Rotarians from Sebastopol, Mill Valley and Petaluma Valley, CONNIE HEIZER and LINDA ZACHARIN introduced their guests. Want to help with the Rotary float in this year’s (Saturday, April 26) Butter and Eggs Day parade? Contact President Ed! Earlier in April (April 9-13) we’ll be doing our international project in Mexico.
BABE AMARAL touted the upcoming Farmers and Merchants Night (Friday, March 28 at 6:30 p.m.) as an evening full of food, drink and camaraderie, all for only $20. He even promised a hypnotist and background music. Since this replaces the regular Thursday meeting that week, PRESIDENT ED asked all members to purchase at least one ticket. Members who can’t attend that evening should turn in their ticket so it can be used to host a farmer or merchant who can attend. Whether you use the ticket yourself-or host someone else-you’ll be marked as attending and thus avoid the need to make-up elsewhere.
JIM MICKELSON, deputized by President Ed to investigate the case of the missing bell, presented his preliminary report. Waving a plastic bag labeled “Exhibit A,” he announced that with these clues (flakes of cow manure and a Viagra® pen) he was hot on the trail of the culprit. Stay tuned!
President-elect ONITA PELLEGRINI reported on attending the PETS training in San Jose last weekend. She reported that it was a valuable experience and that it convinced her that our club was without equal. She then urged members to attend the District Assembly in Ukiah this Saturday. Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. and sessions begin at 9:00 a.m.
PRESIDENT ED saluted these Rotarians who are celebrating March wedding anniversaries: BILL LAWRENCE, RALPH PELTON, HENRY HANSEL, RON HARRIS, KIP HERZOG, BARNEY FAUSS and ROY MUSICK.
New honorary member, JACK SMITH, was presented his badge and also received a check representing our club’s contribution to the Coast Guard recreation fund. Before it was all over, Ed struck back and hit Jim with a $10 fine for all this. Then the big fines began.
HENRY HANSEL was recognized by a Toyota ad in Time magazine saluting his public involvement. A timely presentation of the 2002 Community Service Award to our club (for the McNear Playground project) from the California Park and Recreation Society exemplified this public service. This, along with a Hawaii vacation, cost Henry a $50 fine. Generous Henry tossed in another $50 for our local foundation.
BILL LANE made an infrequent-but welcome-appearance today. He observed that his son had been promoted to Commander in the U.S. Naval Medical Corps and would be wearing twice the 1½ stripes his dad had worn as a Lieutenant (j.g.) many years ago. He then tried to double a proffered $10 fine to $20 but President Ed upped the ante to a full $100.
TOM BAKER admitted to making a daily round-trip from Penngrove to Petaluma but confessed that he had traveled to Mexico recently. He admitted to catching (and eating) a 20 pound fish and paid $100 for the experience.
TENNY TUCKER, fully recovered from his recent trauma (no more leg brace), admitted to winning $4,000 in a Super Bowl pool and agreed to share $100 of it with the club.
After raffle winner CONNIE HEIZER drew a blue rock for a bottle of wine (next week: $175), LINDA ZACHARIN introduced Petaluma Mayor David Glass who discussed the challenges and opportunities the city faces.
This week's Rota-Teller editor: Al Cattalini.
NEXT WEEK:
Fine Can: Vera Ciammetti
Microphone: Marcus Benedetti
Visitors: Linda Zacharin
Editor: Loretta Catarozoli