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Call To Order - President Dudley Thompson

President Dudley Thompson called to order the 5,374th Civic Thursday meeting of the 3rd oldest Rotary Club in the world. He announced we will continue meeting via Zoom throughout the month of February

Thought For The Day - Mary Ray Brophy

Mary Ray Brophy followed up last week’s speaker topic with her Thought for the Day from the new mission statement issued by the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service:  “USCIS upholds America’s promise as a nation of welcome and responsibility with fairness, integrity and respect for all we serve…The United States is and will remain a welcoming nation that embraces people from across the world…And, when we offer refuge to those in need of protection, we are living up to our nation’s highest ideals.”

Visiting Rotarians and Guests

Past President and Past District Governor Ed Jellen introduced Assistant District Governor Dianne Dorn, a member of the San Leandro Rotary Club, Cynthia Dorsey of the Newark Rotary Club and guest of Carolyn Watson, Ken Richardson’s guest, Paul Pervere, a retired accounting professional and brother of member Maude Pervere and Mary Geong’s guest, Vivian Chen. In addition, there were many guests of our speakers.

Announcements

Saroni-Lena Summer Internships

Janice Brickley gave a brief report on the great success of last year’s first-ever summer internship program for Saroni-Lena scholars. She invited members with active businesses or nonprofit organizations to consider participating in the 2022 Summer Internship Program. A commitment includes providing the student with at least six weeks of meaningful learning for a minimum of 20 hours per week at a $15/hour pay rate minimum. Contact Janice at janicembrickley@gmail.com for further details.

Gala Sponsors Needed

Jennie Hunsberger provided an overview of the various April 28th Gala sponsorships and related benefits, including a new sponsorship level of $10,000 that is still available. Among the many benefits at this level is a promise by President Dudley to immediately shave his beard! In addition to other monetary sponsorship levels, the Gala Committee is also seeking in-kind gifts for the auction such as time at vacation homes, tickets to events, wine and more. Email your offer or send questions to http://rotarygala2022.com

Carbon Footprint Survey

Environment Committee member Stewart Epstein thanked members who have completed the carbon footprint survey and announced there was still time to get it done. Rotarians who complete the survey will be entered into two separate drawings to win a “Winery Tasting for Four People” at his Brooklyn West Winery in Oakland.  (Don’t worry, your individual scores are your own!) Take the survey here: http://Coolclimate.berkeley.edu . Then provide your individual results to Jesse Bowdle at execadmin@oakland-rotary.org or Joel Parrott at jjparrott83@gmail.com .

Speaker for the Day – Angela Watson and Panel

This meeting during Black History Month was a very special one as Rotarians were treated to a behind-the-scenes look at the “color of ballet.” The presentation featured an esteemed panel of experts introduced by Georgia Richardson and moderated by self-proclaimed “dance mom” Carolyn Watson. Collectively the panel’s experience spans at least a half-dozen esteemed dance companies from coast to coast. Each panelist shared their experience firsthand as a person of color committed to a dance career.

Karlya Shelton-Benjamin, a former first-generation principal ballerina with the Dance Theater of Harlem (DTH), talked about her early professional ballet career in Colorado where she was the only black person in an all-white company. Her dance career grew at DTH, taking her all over the world to dance for large audiences as well as for kings, queens and U.S. Presidents. Eventually she would become a resident of Oakland. Here Karlya would cross paths and generations to mentor young Oakland resident Angela Watson.

Angela first began studying dance under the tutelage of another of the day’s panelist, Reginald Ray-Savage, Artistic Director at the Oakland School for the Arts. Reginald’s remarks at the meeting focused on his early career experience as well as his current teaching method. He insists that each student adhere to a very strict standard of training like that required by some of the best choreographers and ballet masters. It’s the same method he was expected to master as a professional dancer with the Katherine Dunham Dance Company and other troupes in Chicago before moving to the Bay Area in the 1990s.

In her young career Angela Watson has danced the principal role of Clara in San Francisco Ballet’s “The Nutcracker” and was the only African American student accepted to the Ballet School’s Advanced Preprofessional Level. Already Angela has received a national Young Arts Foundation Award for her accomplishments in ballet. Yet she began her ballet training only in her pre-teen years, unlike others who begin as children. Angela is currently in the San Francisco Ballet Student Training Program. She stressed the importance of motivation, setting and keeping focused on goals, not getting distracted and working very hard. While she has sometimes been the first person of color in a group, thus making it difficult to share her experience and bond with others like her, it is getting a little better. She believes it is important to share her values for success with those who come behind her.

Overall, all panelists agreed that the future for dancers of color appeared brighter than in any prior decades, but still has a way to go in achieving equity.

Studying ballet can be expensive because it involves not only training, but travel and attending performances of other companies even it if means buying a ticket for a top row balcony seat. To help fund these needs, contributions to Pathways can be made by texting the word YOUTH to 707070 or by visiting their website https://www.pledge.to/YOUTH .

Bellringers

President Dudley began to adjourn the meeting until he was advised of three bellringers online. 

Ces Butner, Lois Corrin and Georgia Richardson rang the bell for Angela Watson.

Adjournment

President Dudley adjourned the meeting at 1:35 pm reminding us to Serve to Change Lives and Don’t Keep Rotary a Secret!

Next Meeting, February 17 – Mitchell Schwarzer – Hella Town

Robert Kidd announced next Thursday’s meeting via Zoom will feature author Mitchell Schwarzer and his new book “Hella Town: Oakland’s History of Development and Disruption”. He is professor of Urban and Architectural History at the California College of the Arts.

Call To Order - President Dudley Thompson

President Dudley Thompson called to order the 5,373rd Civic Thursday meeting of the 3rd oldest Rotary Club in the world. He opened the meeting with Gung Hoy Fat Choy! Happy Lunar New Year to everyone. President Dudley announced we will continue meeting via Zoom throughout the month of February.

Thought For The Day - Edward Brail

Edward Brail’s thought for the day included many well-known quotes from Abraham Lincoln. One we can all live by is “It’s not the years in your life that count, it’s the life in your years”.

Visiting Rotarians and Guests

Past President and Past District Governor Ed Jellen introduced Cheryl Fabio, Director of Evolutionary Blues, and guest of Allison Bliss. He also introduced Ken Richardson’s guest, Paul Pervere, a retired accounting professional and brother of member Maude Pervere.

Assistant District Governor Dianne Dorn, a member of the San Leandro Rotary, also attended.

Lunar New Year

If you’ve ever wondered about Lunar New Year, President-Elect Mary Geong gave us an excellent presentation on the traditions associated with Lunar New Year. Gung Hay Fat Choy means may you be happy and prosperous. Lunar New Year is the most important celebration in the Asian community. 2022 is the year of the Tiger. Red is traditionally worn during this celebration. Crisp bills are given in red envelopes.  Oranges and Tangerines are in abundance during this celebration and represent prosperity. You will see many beautiful Red Calendars during the Lunar New Year. Three lucky people received calendars as a gift from Mary. They were Pete Noonan, Debo Sarkar and Cynthia Harris. Due to Covid restrictions we could not have our Rotary Lunar New Year Dinner in a restaurant so to-go Bento boxes were available for Rotarians to order and pick-up.

Committee & Event Information

Evolutionary Blues Film – February 24

Georgia Richardson and Nancy Williams are working on our program for Black History Month. On February 24th join fellow Rotarians at the Grand Lake Theatre for a streaming of Evolutionary Blues. 30 performing artists will be highlighted in the film.  Proof of vaccination will be required for entry. Tickets are $14. This is a family friendly event and the public is welcome.  Please share our Rotary Facebook page highlighting this event on your social media.

Richmond to Castro Valley Epic Hike

Robert Kidd and the High Adventure Committee have a series of hikes planned that will take us from Richmond to Castro Valley. The first one is on February 27th and goes to Wildcat Canyon. This will be followed by a hike in Tilden Park in April, Redwood Park in June and Lake Chabot in August. Mark your calendars!

Rotary Golf Tournament – February 15

The Rotary Golf Tournament is just around the corner. It will be at Sequoyah Country Club on February 15th. You can sign up on the website, there are a few spots left.

International Women’s Day – March 13

Celebrate International Women’s Day with Rotary District 5170 on March 13th. 

Rotary District 5170 Conference – April 22 – 24

The District Conference is April 22- April 24. There will be three days of interesting speakers. It takes place at the Blackhawk Museum and the San Ramon Marriott Hotel. Sign up on the District website.

Red Cross Blood Drive

The Red Cross is in need of blood donations.  Giving is easy – you can download the Red Cross Blood Donor App and join the “Rotary District 5170” Team. If you are not app-happy, you can also call the Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767 and make an appointment. Let Jesse Bowdle know you have donated.

Environment Committee Carbon Footprint Survey

The Environment Committee is conducting a survey to determine the club’s carbon footprint. Take the survey at https://coolclimate.org/calculator and then email your results to Committee Chair Joel Parrott at jjparrott83@gmail.com. Results are measured by each individual’s zip code.

Speaker for the Day - Jean Pfaelzer

Mary Geong introduced Jean Pfaelzer, Professor of American Studies and Asian Studies at the University of Delaware and author of “The Forgotten War Against Chinese Americans.”

Jean traced the history of Chinese Americans in the Pacific Northwest and California and offered insight into their challenging experiences. Jean noted that the City of San Francisco and many other cities have offered apologies for the discrimination and violence to which the Chinese community was subjected.

Bellringers

Linda Chew rang the bell for Mary Geong.

Lois Corrin rang the bell twice, once for Mary Geong and once for Cheryl Fabio.

Adjournment

President Dudley adjourned the meeting at 1:30 pm reminding us to Serve to Change Lives and Don’t Keep Rotary a Secret!

Next Meeting, February 10 – Angela Watson – The Color of Ballet

Georgia Richardson announced our speaker will be American Ballerina Angela Watson with guest panelists Reginald Ray-Savage and Karlya Shelton-Benjamin. They will be interviewed by Angela’s mother, Carolyn Watson.

Call To Order - President Dudley Thompson

President Dudley Thompson called to order the 5,372nd Civic Thursday meeting of the 3rd oldest Rotary Club in the world. We are a diverse group of some 270 business, professional and community leaders dedicated to Service Above Self.

President Dudley announced that pursuant to a decision made by the Executive Committee and the Board of Directors we will continue meeting via Zoom throughout the month of February.  Together we recited our vision statement, “Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change, across the globe, in our communities and in ourselves.”

Thought for the Day – Riza Hernandez

Riza Hernandez shared this timely reminder that small acts now have great results in the future from Warren Buffett, “Someone’s sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”

Visiting Rotarians and Guests

Past President and Past District Governor Ed Jellen introduced Past President and Assistant Governor of District 4A, Dianne Dorn from the San Leandro Club and Frank Yoke, member of San Francisco Rotary Club #2 and guest of David Stein. We also welcomed Richard Swart, President of the Rotary Club of San Francisco Chinatown.

Meeting Sponsor – Jesse Schmidt, TNT Strength (Truth Not Trends)

Jesse Schmidt is the co-owner of TNT, a strength building company located at 5255 College Avenue. Strength and fitness are achieved in 30-minute workout sessions once or twice a week (either in person or virtually) and TNT’s philosophy is that strength training can be started at any age and will promote better health and longevity. Past President Peter Sherris gave a testimonial and noted that when he started working with Jesse, that he had two caveats – 1) he wanted to ski and, 2) he didn’t want to be hurt. After working with Jesse, he found his strength had improved and skiing was easier.  Jesse also thanked Rotarians Danny Mai, David Kersten (see his video about TNT at https://vimeo.com/670326596), Nancy Williams, Diane Schaffer, Peter Sherris and Astrid Lacitis, Shannon Hackley, Riza Hernandez, Sandeep Rajbhandari and Gary Flaxman (for finding the building).

Feed The Hungry Results

David Kittner, chair of the Community Service Committee, thanked Rotarians for their generosity in giving to the Feed the Hungry Drive in December which raises fund for people in our community experiencing food insecurity. We raised $52,000 which is triple our past giving which was $16,000. The money is distributed locally to the following organizations: Alameda County Food Bank, Bay Area Meals on Wheels, Harbor House, Oakland Catholic Worker Food Program, Operation Dignity, St. Mary’s Center and St. Vincent DePaul. David Kittner also acknowledged the following Rotarians for their special generosity: Past Presidents Ces Butner, Robert Kidd, Peter Sherris, David Douglas and Lorna Padia Markus as well as Fred Morse, Steve Nicholls, and Joe Goralka. Well done, Rotarians!!!

Committee & Event Information

Red Cross Blood Drive

Isaac Kos-Read encouraged us all to donated blood through the Rotary District 5170 Red Cross Blood Drive. The nation is experiencing a need for donors due to shortages at blood banks. Giving is easy – you can download the Red Cross Blood Donor App and join the “Rotary District 5170” Team. If you are not app-happy, you can also call the Red Cross at 1-800-733-2767 and make an appointment.

Lunar New Year Celebration – February 3

President-Elect Mary Geong wished us Gung Hay Fat Choy!  Due to COVID-19, we are unable to come together to celebrate the Lunar New Year (Year of the Tiger) with our annual dinner.  However, we would like to offer you an alternative solution - a Japanese take-out Bento Box from Sakura Bistro Restaurant in Oakland. The cost of each dinner is $ 30, and you can select beef, chicken or salmon teriyaki. Dinner comes with rice and two other side dishes.

Your dinner can be picked up at the curb in front of the California Ballroom from 4:30 to 5:30 pm on Thursday, February 3rd.  We also offer a delivery option with President Dudley and other Rotarians serving at Rotary-Dashers. The link for ordering is in the Club’s Website Calendar or you may call Jesse Bowdle to order and get more details. Orders must be in by noon on February 1.

Other Upcoming Activities

President Dudley reminded us that even though the pandemic continues, we are continuing to engage in outdoor activities. On February 15, there will be a Golf Tournament and on February 24, we have rented the Grand Lake Theatre for a screening of Evolutionary Blues, a full-length documentary, featuring interviews with more than 30 artists who regularly played in clubs and music venues that lined the blocks of 7th Street before a charge for “urban renewal” decimated the thriving, self-sustaining Oakland Black community. It’s a story about the Great Migration, told through the lens and culture of blues musicians, many of whom never made it to national fame but were respected and acclaimed within the true blues scene. They carried the soul of their Southern roots — Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas — to Oakland. Doors will open at 6 pm with the screening beginning at 7 pm. After the screening, there will be a Q&A with the film's Director Cheryl Fabio. Get tickets here:  https://bit.ly/3Km9GjE . Proof of full vaccination is required. Masks must be worn except when eating and drinking.

We will have a celebration of International Women’s Day on March 13. Get ready to be in the Mood for Gratitude Gala on Thursday, April 28 at the Sequoyah Country Club from 6-10 p.m. where both indoor and outdoor options will be available. REMINDER: Please resubmit proof of vaccination and booster to Jesse Bowdle.

Breakout Rooms

President Dudley invited us to join Breakout Rooms and discuss how we can increase membership because let’s not keep Rotary a secret.

Discussions in the breakout rooms were fruitful and yielded these suggestions: One group discussed getting a QR code developed that sends people to the Rotary website (Jesse Schmidt); Dana Sack noted that not everyone can attend lunch so he emphasizes the great work we are doing with our youth committees. Karen Friedman announced we will be resuming our activities at Laney College next Tuesday from 1-3 pm. When talking about Rotary, President Elect-Elect Tom Limon likes to highlight the leadership and public speaking skills that can be learned by becoming a Rotarian. Past President Ces Butner encouraged us to think about our friends and invite them to attend a meeting or an event.

Speaker for the Day - Larry Beil

Ahmad Anderson introduced his friend and our speaker today, sports director, Larry Beil from ABC KGO-TV in San Francisco. Beil graduated from the University of Hawaii and worked at ESPN and KTVU in Oakland and KGMB in Honolulu. Giving a nod to his Hawaiian upbring, Beil coined the catch phrase, “Aloha means goodbye” after showing a home run.

Larry began by discussing the topic on everyone's mind. He thinks the 49ers will go to the Super Bowl if they win against the Rams this Saturday. He discussed his upbringing in Hawaii and his years as a journalism student. He wanted to play sports but when he realized that might not be his path forward, he started writing for television about sports. He recalled that when he was looking for a home in the Bay Area in 1989 he was in the Caldecott Tunnel when the Loma Prieta earthquake occurred. The tunnel did not move. In his career, he has covered multiple Super Bowls and NBA Finals.

Beil offered a few predictions for upcoming games. He thinks the Bengals have a lot to overcome in their upcoming game against the Chiefs. He doesn't think the A's are going to move to Las Vegas as there is no money for a new stadium. He discussed the effect on COVID in sports and the impact it has had on high school students who were not able to play and were not able to be seen by potential scouts. He thinks we can cultivate sports in the community by emphasizing education in the classroom and then sports and see to it that all athletes have the equipment they need in order to play. He also weighed in on the NIL opportunity for college athletes to market themselves and accept lucrative sponsorships. The concern is that college athletes who are not at athletic powerhouse schools will not have the same opportunity as students enlarge at large universities.

Bellringers

Karen Friedman rang the bell for David Kittner and Feed The Hungry food drive.

Joycie Mack rang the bell for Larry Beil.

Bob Peltz rang the bell for President Dudley Thompson.

Adjournment

President Dudley adjourned the meeting at 1:35 pm reminding us to Serve to Change Lives and Don’t Keep Rotary a Secret!

Next Meeting, February 3 – Jean Pfaelzer – The Forgotten War Against Chinese Americans

President-Elect Mary Geong announced our speaker will be Professor Jean Pfaelzer from the University of Delaware who will discuss the forgotten war against Chinese Americans based on her published research, “Driven Out” (U.C. Press 2007).

Call To Order - President Dudley Thompson

President Dudley Thompson called to order the Zoom-only 5,371st Civic Thursday meeting at 12:30 pm.

Thought For The Day - Keith Giron

Our country celebrated MLK day this last Monday and Keith Giron told us how “Service Above Self” is a theme worthy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Keith also shared that the Karl F Stucki World Community Services Committee just finalized four grants in service to the community.

Visiting Rotarians and Guests

Past President & District Governor Ed Jellen announced visiting Rotarian and guest of Robert Raburn, Kathryn Marshall of San Francisco Evening Rotary Club.

Meeting Sponsor – Jason Wizelman, Draper and Kramer Mortgage

Jason Wizelman is a mortgage lender. His strong belief in the Rotary 4-Way Test motivates him to help others in the community and also his clients.  Jason is there to help you make intelligent decisions around loans and mortgages.

The Rotary Foundation Campaign Results

Joe Goralka and Leeann Alameda told us about The Rotary Foundation month in December. It was an excellent year of fundraising and has changed the culture of giving where the vast majority of Rotarians are giving every year.  This year we had 65%-member participation toward the 100% goal which is a great improvement from previous years. Club members donated over $135,000. Oakland #3 is the top giver in District 5170 again which is a big honor and benefit as the club receives additional funds for grants.  

Committee & Event Information

Blood Drive

Joe Goralka also told us about a severe blood shortage and in response, our club is doing a blood drive.  Go online or call the Red Cross and donate.  Please take your photo and send it to Jesse Bowdle for a picture donor board.  

Environment Committee

Joel Parrott, Committee Chair, told us about their first initiative starting with a short survey on carbon footprints.  How can we each make a meaningful step to reduce climate change?   To take the survey, use this link to take you to the CoolClimate Network Caculator:   https://coolclimate.berkeley.edu/calculator

If you’re interested in joining the Committee, email Joel at jjparrott83@gmail.com .

Lunar New Year Celebration – February 3

President Elect Mary Geong, zooming in from Washington, D.C., announced this year’s Club festivity for Year of the Tiger Lunar New Year will be an online “virtual” dinner on February 3.  On the menu are delicious Japanese bento box servings from Sakura Bistro Tapas & Sake Bar in Oakland.  A single dinner runs $30 including tax & tip, and you can either pick up the dinner from 4:30 – 5:30 pm at the California Ballroom or have it delivered to your home.  Be sure to make your on-line reservation on the Club’s website ASAP before the February 1 deadline.   https://www.oakland-rotary.org/calendar/events/2022-02-03/oakland-rotary...

Evolutionary Blues – West Oakland’s Music Legacy – February 24

Nancy Williams announced a Black History Month activity will be the “Evolutionary Blues” documentary film showing at Grand Lake Theatre.  Tickets are $14 each. Limited seating and proof of vaccination needed. This film is an Oakland-based story about blues musicians and their migration from the South.  After the screening, there will be a Q&A with the director, Cheryl Fabio.  Get tickets here:  https://bit.ly/3Km9GjE .

Speaker for the Day - Regina Jackson

Renia Webb introduced today’s speaker, Regina Jackson.  She is a Cal Bears grad, coach and a Robert Wood Johnson Fellow.  She just retired and finished her last year as the chair of the Oakland Police Commission.  

The goal of the Police Commission is to oversee the police department and has stated goals to reduce the disparate impact on enforcement in the Black community.  There are seven volunteer commissioners with two alternates who oversee the police commissioner with the unique ability to take action over significant policies of the police force.  

Some of their successes have included the change to policies around use of force and probation and parole searches.  

Regina would like to see police be less militaristic and more involved in the community in hopes they do not have to address and respond to such a variety of calls.  

Bellringers

Isaac Kos-Read rang the bell twice, once for Leeann Alameda and once for the Blood Drive.

Lois Corrin, Renia Webb, Ahmad Anderson, Robert Kidd, Georgia Richardson, Wil Hobbs, Ces Butner, Ruth Stroup and Ken Benson rang the bell for Regina Jackson.

Adjournment

President Dudley adjourned the meeting at 1:33 p.m. reminding us to Serve to Change Lives and Don’t Keep Rotary a Secret!

Next Meeting, January 27 – Larry Beil – New World of Name-Image-Likeness in Sports

Ahmad Anderson announced our speaker will be Larry Beil of ABC Channel 7. He will talk about the new world of name-image-likeness compensation for intercollegiate athletes  and anything else you want to know about sports.

Call To Order - President Ces Butner

Past President Ces Butner took the helm for the Club’s 5,370th Civic Thursday meeting in place of President Dudley Thompson who was called away to civic jury duties.

Thought For The Day - Jason Wizelman

Jason Wizelman gave us not just one thought for the day but several precious aphorisms from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: only light can dispel darkness; only love can banish hate; threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere; the time is always right to do right; and what are you doing for others?

Visiting Rotarians and Guests

Just as Past President & District Governor Ed Jellen bemoaned the absence of guests, Sandeepa Nayak chimed in to say that Pello Walker had joined us, and Ces noted that Dianne Dorn, Past President of the San Leandro Club, was also among the virtual attendees.

Meeting Sponsor – Nancy Williams, Money Pages

Pres. Ces then turned the “mic” over to Nancy Williams, whose advertising firm, Money Pages of Oakland, sponsored today’s meeting. Nancy informed us that Money Pages is a full-service ad agency recently ranked #1 in the marketing field by a major advertising trade journal.  The company handles both direct mail and digital advertising; and it has a team who will manage your social media marketing.  Money Pages’ client list includes the Oakland A’s, the Oakland Ballet, the Oakland Marathon, and several Club members, including Derreck Johnson (Home of Chicken & Waffles), Jesse Schmidt (TNT Strength), and Ruth Stroup. When invited by Nancy to talk about her client experience, Ruth Stroup said that Money Pages hit a home run in getting the word out about the Shredding Day service that Ruth’s Farmers Insurance agency sponsors once a year.

New Members

Past President David Stein introduced new member Dawnn Hills of the DMH Insurance Group.  Her key pastimes include board games and singing.  She has an impressive collection of Monopoly games.

David Kersten introduced new member Clive Worsley, the new Director of the Junior Center of Art and Science. Clive was previously with Cal Shakes and, though you wouldn’t guess it from his accent, is a native of Glasgow, Scotland.

Committee & Event Information

Business Development Committee

Jesse Schmidt, Chair of the Business Development Committee, announced that the Committee is filling out the schedule of Thursday Meeting Sponsors for the first six months of 2022. Sign up to be a sponsor.  There’s no better way to broadcast your brand to the Club!  Jesse ended by reciting a quote from novelist Howard Zinn about the importance of both optimism and good acts when in the midst of a prolonged crisis.

Environment Committee

Joel Parrott took the “mic” as the Chair of the new Environment Committee. Joel reported that the Committee has an initial roster of 12 members, and welcomes others to join the committee. They have a mission statement and plan to soon conduct a survey of all Club members to ascertain our “carbon footprint” in the battle against climate change. If you’re interested in joining, email Joel at jjparrott83@gmail.com.

Lunar New Year Celebration

Danny Mai announced this year’s Club festivity for the upcoming Year of the Tiger Lunar New Year will be an online “virtual” dinner starting at 4:30 p.m. on February 3.  On the menu are delicious Japanese bento box servings from Sakura Bistro Tapas & Sake Bar in Oakland.  A single dinner runs $30 including tax & tip, and you can either pick the dinner up at the California Ballroom or have it delivered to your home.  Be sure to make your online reservation on the Club’s website ASAP before the February 1 deadline. Contact Danny Mai at dmai@novateckit.com or Pres. Elect Mary Geong at mmgeong@aol.com if you have questions.

Speaker for the Day - Roy Neel

Past President David Stein introduced our speaker Roy Neel, a distinguished Professor of Political Science at Vanderbilt University.  David noted that Prof. Neel has had major responsibilities in the political realm, including roles in the Clinton Administration, management of Al Gore’s 2000 Presidential campaign, and recent Presidential transitions, including the controversial “hanging chad” debacle that plagued the 2000 election.  He is also the author of a novel called The Electors, which addresses the pitfalls of the existing Electoral College system.  These were his observations:

1)   The U.S. Supreme Court recently ruled a state can enact a law that binds an elector to vote for the Presidential candidate to whom he is pledged under state law.  Thus, the “faithless elector” problem, which occasionally arises when an elector changes his vote to a different candidate has been resolved – at least for states that have passed the requisite “binding” legislation.

2)   On Jan. 6, 2021, there was an overt attempt by certain members of Congress to challenge the certified votes of several states’ slates of Electors.  Had they succeeded, Joe Biden would have had fewer than the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win, and the outcome would have been decided by the House of Representatives.  There is a pending bipartisan bill that would foreclose future post-certification challenges by confirming that Congress’ must accept the Electoral College votes that are certified by a state.

3)   If no candidate receives the requisite 270 Electoral College votes, the subsequent vote in the House is highly undemocratic.  This is because a single vote is allocated to each state’s House delegation.  Thus, the vote cast by Wyoming’s single representative would be given the same weight as the prevailing vote of California’s 50 plus representatives!  The Founding Fathers agreed to this “one vote for each state” arrangement in order to placate the less populated states.                                                                      

4)   It would take a constitutional amendment to eliminate the one-vote-for-each-state rule.  However, due to the high vote thresholds for such an amendment, it is highly unlikely that it could pass over the opposition of the small states and their Republican Congressmen.  The only viable path to an amendment may require a massive episode of Electoral College corruption that engenders widespread popular demands for reform.

5)   Some Democratic states, including California, have entered into a compact that purports to minimize the risk of a Presidential election being decided in the House due to any candidate failing to garner 270 or more Electoral College votes.  The compact commits each of the signatory states to allocating all of their Electoral College votes to the candidate who wins the state’s popular vote.

6)   Another major problem with the current system is the language in the Constitution allows each state to govern the state’s process for conducting Presidential (and other federal) elections.  Since the 2020 election, 19 states have passed laws that effectively suppress the vote, especially in low-income communities.  Eight of these states have made legislative changes that transfer vote certification authority from independent commissions to partisan state legislators.  These changes will bolster the Republican takeover of state and local offices.  They also ominously increase the likelihood that future Presidential elections will be decided by the House under the current one-vote-for-each state rule.  Note that the pending bipartisan effort to curtail Congress’ alleged authority to disregard a state’s certified Electoral College votes would have no effect on a state’s ability to cancel popularly elected outcomes by means of these recent state law changes.

7)   In response to questions from “the floor”, Prof. Neel said: A) He disagrees with commentator David Brooks’ assertion that studies have shown that state voting restrictions have no impact on actual voting. Consider, e.g., the effect of “poll tax” and similar laws enacted in the post-Reconstruction South and the obvious impact of more recent laws that curtain early voting options that many people need to exercise their voting rights.  B) There are no federal voting audit rules.  Any audits are done at the state level.  C) Most people do not understand how the Electoral College process works.  Among other things, we need to include better civic education in school curricula.  D) If the Democrats succeed in passing a federal election reform bill, it could be repealed by a future Republican Congress, but would face a higher burden of proof.  E) As Republicans have already done, Democrats need to become more engaged in filling state and local political offices.

Bellringers

Ruth Stroup rang the bell for Nancy Williams & Money Pages.

Lois Corrin rang the bell for Martin Luther King, Jr., then offered a touching anecdote about meeting Dr King when she was a child.

Ana-Marie Jones rang the bell for Ruth Stroup.

David Stein rang the bell for Roy Neel.

Adjournment

President for the Day Ces adjourned the meeting at 1:31 p.m

Next Meeting, January 20 – Regina Jackson – Policing in Oakland

President Dudley Thompson returned from jury duty in time to announce that Regina Jackson, Chair of the Oakland Police Commission, will be our keynote speaker at next week’s Zoom meeting.

President Dudley Thompson

Call To Order - President Dudley Thompson

President Dudley Thompson convened the 5,369th Civic Thursday meeting of the Rotary Club of Oakland, the third oldest club in the Rotary world among 36,000 clubs in more than 200 countries.

Thought For The Day - Debo Sarkar

On this one-year anniversary of the insurgency at the US Capitol, Debo Sarkar shared a message of sanity and sanctity from India, the country of his birth, with an uplifting quote from Sri Ramakrishna:

“An ocean of bliss may rain down from the heavens, but if you hold up only a thimble, that is all you receive. Wisdom leads to unity, ignorance to separation. Spirituality automatically leads to humility. When a flower develops into a fruit, the petals drop off on its own. When one becomes spiritual, the ego vanishes gradually on its own. A tree laden with fruits always bends low. Humility is a sign of greatness.”

Speaker for the Day - Mayor Libby Shaaf

Past President Ces Butner introduced our speaker, Oakland Mayor and Rotary Honorary Member Libby Schaaf, noting Mayor Schaaf has worked to address Oakland issues like public safety and homelessness by stabilizing rents and housing thus preventing 1,800 families from losing homes annually. She created Oakland’s first Transportation Commission to address infrastructure and make previously unsafe roads and neighborhoods better. She also founded Oakland Promise, the cradle to college program, providing scholarships and mentors for more than 1,400 Oakland students annually and providing all babies born in Oakland with a $500 college saving account with financial coaching to parents. Mayor Schaaf, now entering her last year as two-term, eight-year tenure, addressed the Club as Mayor for the last time today.

Mayor Schaaf opened with appreciation for all her longtime friends met during her time in the 1990’s as an active Rotarian sponsored by her late godfather Harold LawrenceMayor Schaaf shared her recommitment to Oakland, spending her final months addressing increased gun violence, public safety and homelessness spikes during the pandemic. She credits her experience as a HOPE Mentor as inspiration for creating Oakland Promise with too many personal shout outs to her Rotarian influences to name. Mayor Schaaf spoke to the prior vernacular’s aspiration of “Oakland’s Potential” and highlighted the many ways Oakland has grown in its values of equity and inclusion while increasing units of “deeply affordable” housing and welcoming the energy of new Oakland residents arriving to “taste the secret sauce”. She noted 17,000 new units of housing with 2,100 of those affordable housing units to be expanded in time.

Mayor Schaaf shared more and more large companies are relocating their Headquarters to Oakland including Blue Shield, PG&E and Credit Karma, lifting up the “Oakland Brand’ with more jobs that are “changing the skyline and headlines” by improving infrastructure with the historic passage of Measure KK which has now paved over 100 miles of Oakland roads with 350 more miles planned over the next five years. Building on our values, she detailed the success of Oakland Promise sending more than 500 students to college each year.

Mayor Schaaf is also proud to be partnering with Oakland Chamber of Commerce to pilot a new housing program, the “Cabin Community/Tiny Village” model, a shift away from “gym style” congregate housing shelters to more dignified housing options, nearly tripling the number of previously unhoused to now-sheltered Oaklanders. This model is now recognized for its success in housing more than other large cities and appears to be successfully executed via the “Keep Oakland Housed” program, now keeping more than 2000 households in homes per year.  Calling herself Oakland’s “Chief Hustler”, she continues to secure more investment in Oakland from large institutions and national philanthropic organizations accounting for approximately $140M in accrued capital to date.

Safety continues to be at the forefront of her initiatives, with the City Council recently supporting her bid to increase the Oakland Police Department force with 60 more officers and redistribute police resources, especially to East Oakland, with a renewed goal to again cut gun violence in half, (towards pre-pandemic progress that had been made) by doubling staff to restore our nationally recognized Ceasefire initiative. She suggested all homes purchase security cameras and angle them pointing to the street to help deter criminals and hold accountable perpetrators. She also noted success with a pre-school initiative for a new parcel tax to support three and four-year-olds to start preschool. She is honored to be the first Oakland Mayor (and first woman) to chair the Big City Mayors Council with other large cities, getting funding to address homelessness by creating public-private partnerships for housing vouchers. She was recently honored to go to Washington, at the invite of President Biden and Vice President Harris, to attend the $1.3 Trillion Infrastructure Bill signing and shared a recent visit from the Secretary of Transportation to kick off “Town for All”, a comprehensive mobility system in key neighborhoods including Chinatown, Lake Merritt and Howard Terminal, Oakland’s new home to 18 acres of public access waterfront featuring 3,000 units of housing including many “deeply affordable” units, alongside multi-use interface with business, civic and other organizations coming together to attract excitement and greater investment in Oakland’s future.

Responding to questions from attendees, she encouraged anyone having problems with homeless sleeping outside businesses to call 311 or email public safety to send outreach workers. She also recommended the 211 Social Services hotline. She acknowledged problems experienced by Lake Merritt area residents where illegal vendors, events with amplified sound and unpermitted events are taking place. She further acknowledged concerns for the growing Snow Park encampment and said the concerns will be addressed.

New Members

Wendy Howard introduced our first new member of 2022, Kevin Hunter, VP of Johnstone Supply, a 3rd generation Californian, noting previous honors from the Boys Club and Coast Guard inspired his joining Rotary. Kevin generously rang the bell twice in honor of Gene Zahas and Wendy Howard. Thank you and welcome, Kevin!

Keith Giron also introduced newest member Jean Rains. A retired teacher, Jean enjoys taking kids out in nature and loves live music, especially east bay Jazz. Welcome, Jean!

Visiting Rotarians and Guests

Past President and Past District Governor Ed Jellen, announced visiting Rotarians including: Jennifer Pringle of the Dublin Rotary Club and District Governor Richard Flanders from Rotary Club of North Pleasanton, whose annual visit was to observe and rate us as part of his official duties.

Other visitors were Patty Pringle, Danielle Geong and Adam Pimentel, guests of President Elect Mary Geong; Bonnie Zita, guest of Allison Bliss; Bob Welch, guest of Linda Boessenecker, and Barry Donelan, guest of Keith Uriarte.

Presidential Bellringers

Past President Michael Bruck was honored by President Dudley as former Mayor of Piedmont featured in a four-page article, plus a photo of Mike, Carolyn and their cat on the front cover of Piedmont Living magazine, prompting a multiple bell ringing spree reported elsewhere in the Live Oak.

President Elect Mary Geong rang the bell for Lily Charlotte Pimentel, first granddaughter on both sides of her family, born November 22nd. Congrats to Mary and the family!

Frank Brunk - Remembrance

Past President Jack McAboy shared a few words in honor local icon Frank Brunk’s recent passing at age 95. He was a long-time member of Rotary. Frank played on the UC Berkeley football team from 1949 and ran the kickoff in the 1950 Rose Bowl. He is credited with re-establishing Cal’s golf program raising $30M and leading the Bears to the AA Championship in 2004. Frank was a true hero and will be missed. A moment of silence was held to remember him.

GALA

Trisha Connors excitedly announced our 2022 Gala will take place Thursday, April 28, in-person, at Sequoyah Country Club with indoor and outdoor attendance options. The theme “In the Mood with Gratitude” salutes our health and fellowship in the Club. The fundraising goal is $100,000 net and Sponsorships are now available. Please contact Trisha Connors at tmmdrdc@gmail.com.

Ratification of Revised Bylaws and Constitution

President Dudley reminded us the last club meeting was our Annual Business Meeting. There are two more items for ratification. On December 10th, all members were emailed Amendments to the Constitution and Bylaws for review and vote today. Past President Michael Bruck, in his role as Club Secretary, confirmed we had a quorum in attendance. President Dudley reported no comments were received in the interim, then highlighted changes before the vote.

Rotary International approved a new Constitution, which was last approved by our Club in January 2017. In March 2021 our Board of Directors approved revisions and organizational changes including financial reports at meetings. Board of Directors Meeting Minutes will now be available in Club Runner. Noting that club membership should represent a cross section of business, civic, education and non-profit sectors to include a range of ages, genders and ethnic diversity, President Dudley asked for a motion. Past President Linda Boessenecker moved to accept changes as proposed, seconded by Trisha Connors, for the revised Constitution. Motion passed. Past President Jack McAboy moved and Debo Sarkar seconded the motion to accept the revised Bylaws including name change of Rotary magazine and other minor changes. Passed and adopted.

Bellringers

Michael Bruck rang the bell for being featured in the December Piedmont Living magazine.

Mary Geong rang the bell in honor of her first grandchild, Lily Charlotte Pimentel.

Kevin Hunter rang the bell in honor of Wendy Howard and Gene Zahas.

Joe Goralka rang the bell for Kevin Hunter in honor of Gene Zahas.

John Holmgren, Karen Friedman, Daniel Cheng, Linda & Jim Boessenecker, Nik Dehejia, Bob Breecker, Keith Giron, Ed Jellen, Ces Butner, Linda Chew, Steve Blair, Julie Fox, Gabe Bruck, Tom Limon, Gary Flaxman and Dudley Thompson rang the bell for Mike and Carolyn Bruck.

Ces Butner, Tom Limon, Isaac Kos-Read, Tommy Edwards, Derreck Johnson, Gary Flaxman, Joycie Mack, Steve Lowe and Dudley Thompson rang the bell for Libby Shaaf.

Keith Uriarte rang the bell for the 66 new police officers.

Adjournment

President Dudley adjourned the first meeting of 2022 at 1:38 p.m.

Next Meeting, January 13 – Roy Neal – Presidential Transitions

David Stein announced our featured speaker will be Roy Neal, Adjunct Professor at Vanderbilt University where he teaches courses on Presidential Transitions and Presidential Leadership.  He served as Chief of Staff to Vice President Al Gore and Deputy Chief of Staff to Bill Clinton.

President Dudley Thompson

Call To Order - President Dudley Thompson

President Dudley Thompson convened the 5,368th Civic Thursday meeting of the Rotary Club of Oakland where we unite with 36,000 Rotarians and 10,000 Rotaractors across the United States to make a difference. President Dudley welcomed members attending in person in the California ballroom and those attending via Zoom.

Thought For The Day - Gary Flaxman

Gary Flaxman shared a personal thought in honor of today’s speakers. He observed that the club is filled with individual members who provide service to the community but together we make up an orchestra of service.

Speaker for the Day - Mieko Hatano and David Moschler

Past President Robert Kidd introduced our two speakers, Mieko Hatano and David MoschlerMieko is Executive Director of the Oakland Symphony where she manages the business, human and financial resources of the symphony. She is currently leading the search for the musical director to replace Michael Morgan. 

David is the Musical Director of the Awesome Orchestra which performs in traditional and non-traditional venues and strives to bring orchestra to people and places that are not familiar with symphonic music.

Mieko and David shared thoughts on the joys and tribulations of symphonic music. While the music director and business director occupy distinct functions within their organizations, the jobs often overlap. Decisions on who plays, how long they will play and how to ensure that tickets are sold impact the overall success of the symphony. Commenting on “Why an orchestra exists” David shared his vision that an “orchestra wants to take the listener on an adventure”. The Awesome Orchestra ensures this through providing adventurous repertoire, adventurous venues, and adventurous people to play with. The Oakland Symphony also strives to inspire listeners through adventurous music. 

Both speakers emphasized the importance of live performances to truly experience the pageantry and excitement of orchestral music. Orchestras have become somewhat “ossified” exemplifying the need to bring the symphony to new and diverse audiences and the willingness to take risks. One test of music being bad or good is if you want to hear it again. It is important to erase the perception that symphony is only for a certain segment of the population.

Visiting Rotarians and Guests

Past President and Past District Governor Ed Jellen, looking relaxed and tanned upon returning from his Hawaiian vacation, announced we had no visiting Rotarians.

Guests introduced were Nick Henge, guest of Fred Morse; Ellie Ganelin, guest of Allison Bliss; Vinni Agganal, guest of Dana Sack as well as Concho Delgado Gaitan, wife of President Dudley, who was attending via Zoom.

Annual Meeting

1. Mid-year report

Pres. Dudley reminded members that he shared his three major goals at his inauguration. They include bringing the club members back together, ensuring that we are the best service organization in Oakland, and engaging members to the fullest extent

  • The club has met 19 times in a hybrid mode (in person & via Zoom) and four times Zoom only. Attendance has remained stable with 50% attending in person and 50% attending remotely. While there have been some technical issues he believes these have been resolved resulting in a higher quality remote experience.
  • Several tactics to encourage members to attend in person have been implemented including pre-meeting receptions, food ordering and ensuring a safe environment.
  • Membership goal is 300 by the end of President Dudley’s term. Currently we have inducted 17 new members with several applications in the pipeline. However, we have had some resignations resulting in the membership total remaining around the same as the prior year-end at 271 members and 11 honorary members. Most importantly there is a robust Membership Committee with a solid plan.
  • Encouraging member engagement is an ongoing effort including direct calls to members, many who did not realize meetings are being held online as well as in person. Social engagement opportunities have included Cocktails with the President, Business Development receptions, attending Oakland A’s and Oakland Roots games, Live Stream of the Warriors game, club service opportunities, and sports activities—golf, hikes, biking and pickleball.
  • Committee work is the backbone of the Club and efforts are impressive especially given the challenges with COVID 19 restrictions. These include:
  • KinderPrep Committee continuing to support TK classes although OUSD does not allow for visits. Alternate support includes supporting teachers with gift certificates and supplies and funding specific projects.
  • Interact is active in 4 High schools.
  • HOPE is currently mentoring 5 students who had the opportunity to attend a Warriors game with courtside seats during warmups.
  • Saroni Lena Scholarship Committee is supporting 25 students.
  • Enterprise Institute is planning the 40th Anniversary Camp in April.
  • Speech Contest will be held at the last meeting in February.
  • Service Committees are funding many projects locally and internationally. A trip to Mexico to distribute wheelchairs is planned for the summer.
  • Housing Insecurity is negotiating for a property. Food Insecurity is working with Laney College to provide food baskets.
  • Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee is developing tactics to encourage the club to appreciate and respect differences.
  • Board of Directors has developed reciprocal relationships with five Chambers of Commerce in Oakland. The board has developed a method to resolve member disputes.
  • The Club’s financial position is strong. The Oakland Rotary Endowment has reached $5 million.
  • Executive Administrator, Jesse Bowdle, is completing his first year.

President Dudley acknowledged that coming back together is his goal, but it is challenging as well. He encouraged members to find a way to get and stay involved.

2. Election

Past President & Nominating Committee Chair Sean Marx introduced the slate of new members for the board of directors. Members serving a 3-year term beginning in July 2022 are Joel Parrott, Keri Butkevich and Riza Hernandez. Member to serve an unexpired term 2022-2024 is Alex Kaffka. President-elect Nominee to serve as Club President for 2023-2024 is Tom Limon

Nominations were closed and the election of the slate was accepted by unanimous vote.

President-elect Nominee, Tom Limon, thanked the Nominating Committee. He shared that he was inspired by the leadership of the past presidents and is honored that the membership has put their faith in him.

3. Environment Committee

Joel Parrott shared that the new Environment Committee is being established to increase awareness that we all must become carbon neutral. Dr. Parrott shared several recent examples of environmental actions (tornadoes, drought, etc.) that highlight the need to focus on the environment. He invites any member that is interested to email him at jjparrott83@gmail.com to become involved in the committee.

Upcoming Events

President Dudley announced following upcoming club events:

1. December 23 & 30 - no lunch meetings – Happy Holidays

2. January 6 - first meeting of 2022 with Mayor Libby Schaaf and District Governor Richard Flanders

3. January 7 – Stand Up Broadway Comedy Night at the Sound Room, Oakland

4. January 15 - High Adventure visit to the Pacific Pinball Museum, Alameda

5. February 3 - Lunar New Year dinner at Peony Seafood Restaurant, Oakland

6. February 27 - Dinner with RI President-elect Jennifer Jones at Blackhawk Museum, Danville

Bellringers

Ces Butner and Ruth Stroup rang the bell for President Dudley and the efforts of the club in the first half of the year.

Joe Goralka and Ruth Stroup rang the bell in honor of President-elect Nominee Tom LimonKristine Watson and Tom Limon rang the bell in honor of President-elect Mary Geong.

Lorna Padia Markus rang the bell in honor of the organizers of the Train of Lights event.

Lois Corrin rang the bell to honor the memory of Bell Hooks who recently passed away.

Adjournment

President Dudley adjourned the final meeting of 2021 at 1:34  p.m.

Mayor Libby Schaaf

Next Meeting, January 6 – Mayor Libby Schaaf – The State of our City

No meetings on December 23 and 30.

Robert Kidd announced our featured speaker will be Mayor Libby Schaaf. Mayor Schaaf was born and raised in Oakland, which she proudly describes as, “the most unapologetic Sanctuary City in America”. During her tenure, Oakland has undergone an economic revitalization and building boom, as well as cut gun violence in half.

P

Call To Order - President Dudley Thompson

President Dudley Thompson called to order the 5,367th meeting of the Rotary Club of Oakland to order at 12:30 p.m. President Dudley provided the usual instructions to those attending in-person and by Zoom. He also recognized Wayne Goodroe who announced that long-time member Bob Peltz, who was attending his first in-person meeting since 2020, celebrated his 90th birthday on December 7th.

Due to last week's tech glitches, President Dudley re-recognized all of last week's bellringers on Zoom.

Linda and Jim Boessenecker, Alex Poulsen, Linda Chew, and Jason Wizelman, rang the bell for John Weaver.

Alex Poulsen rang the bell for Clif Dochterman.

Jack McAboy, Catherine Coleman, Teresa Weyand, Debo Sarkar and Pat Williams rang the bell for Gary Flaxman.

Isaac Kos-Read rang the bell for Tom Limon.

Kim Cohn rang the bell for meeting speaker Scott Stephens and her father, Don Cohn, a 40-year professional in fire management who was attending via Zoom, for their critical work.

Thought For The Day - Kerry Hamill

Kerry Hamill shared two food and hunger thoughts: hunger is not a charity issue, it is a justice issue (U.N. Food & Agriculture Organization) and "Food is national security, Food is economy. Food is history. Food is everything." (Jose Andres, World Central Kitchen founder) 

Speaker for the Day - Chris and Jana Pastena

C J Hirschfield introduced Chris and Jana Pastena. Chris Pastena has been in the restaurant business for 35 years and is the owner/operator of Oakland restaurants Calavera and Chop Bar. His previous restaurants included Tribune Tavern and Lungomare. He is a James Beard award winner. Jana Pastena is a graduate of Mills College and Golden Gate Law School. She serves on the Children's Fairyland board of directors.

Jana's connection to food and social justice goes back to her childhood when she helped deliver food baskets during the holidays. During the pandemic shutdown, Chris and Jana paid their staff and continued health insurance coverage until their savings and resources were exhausted.

Prior to the pandemic, Chris had no experience in preparing hundreds of meals to go. He and his staff worked with World Central Kitchen, founded by chef Jose Andres, and learned how to produce a large volume of meals, helping them to retain staff and keep the restaurant doors open. 

Chris and Jana are now involved in the local Community Kitchens which is a collective of restaurants whose mission is to feed the community. The organization serves 10,000 meals each month with a goal of serving 10,000 meals per day. Partner restaurants add a 1% surcharge to guest checks and these funds help provide meals for the local community. If the group receives sufficient funding from Alameda County, it can solve the food insecurity crisis in the county. 

Visiting Rotarians and Guests

Allison Bliss introduced her guest, Kacie Stratton, Executive Director of Harbor House.

New Member Induction – Mary Ray Brophy

Jason Wizelman, substituting for sponsor Wendy Howard, introduced Mary Ray Brophy. Mary Ray is an immigration attorney. Wendy's two interesting facts: she speaks Spanish and has seven grandchildren. Welcome Mary Ray!

Announcements

President Dudley announced eight upcoming club events:

1. Niles Canyon Holiday Train - Oakland members joined a train full of other local Rotarians (and Santa) for a beautiful holiday train ride last Thursday.

2. December 16 - Annual Meeting to elect directors and the president-elect-nominee

3. December 23 & 30 - no lunch meetings

4. January 6 - first meeting of 2022 with Mayor Libby Schaaf and District Governor Richard Flanders

5. January 7 – Stand Up Broadway Comedy Night at the Sound Room, Oakland

6. January 15 - High Adventure visit to the Pacific Pinball Museum, Alameda

7. February 3 - Lunar New Year dinner at Peony Seafood Restaurant, Oakland

8. February 27 - Dinner with RI president-elect Jennifer Jones at Blackhawk Museum, Danville

Feed the Hungry

C J Hirschfield kicked off the 2021 Feed the Hungry campaign by reporting that food insecurity continues due to increasing demand and surging food costs. The Alameda County Community Food Bank serves 70,000 people each day. One in four Alameda County residents faces food insecurity. President Dudley then firmly grasped the gavel in anticipation of the forthcoming bellringers. The bell rang for about 15 minutes with countless donations.

$15,000 – Ces Butner, matching the first $15,000 in donations

$5,000 – David Douglas

$2,500 – David Kittner, Steve Nicholls, Fred Morse, Robert Kidd, Joe Goralka, Peter Sherris and Lorna Padia Markus

$1,000 – Dudley Thompson, Connie Berkey Kittner and Ruth Stroup

$500 – Jason Wizelman, Linda and Jim Boessenecker, Mary Geong, Karen Friedman, Bruce Nye, Catherine Coleman, Peter Turner, Deep Rajbhandari, John Holmgren, Steve Blair, Elida Scola in honor of her clients and the Pastenas, East Bay Restaurant Supply for Chris and Jana Pastena, and Jack McAboy (5) for the AV Team (Peter Sherris, Gabe Bruck, Jack Iles, Alex Poulsen and Rob Sklar)

$250 – Sean Callum, Trisha Connors, Mary Rudser, Alex Kaffka, Bob Peltz, Bob Barth, Ralph Sklar, Scott Bowhay, Rick Draper, Alex Poulsen, Tom Limon, Mike Mowery, Linda Chewand Ken Benson

$200 – Jesse Schmidt

$150 – Keri Butkevich

$100 – Leeann Alameda, Keith Uriarte, Jesse Bowdle., Marti Burchell, Pat Williams, Debra Barnes, David Stein, Kerry Hamill, Lois Corrin, Stephanie Casenza, Phil Holt, Nancy Williams, Mary Ray Brophy, Michael Bruck, Gary Flaxman, Ana-Marie Jones, C J Hirschfield, Mona Hall, Stew Epstein, Ed Jellen, Mark Miller and Sandeepa Nayak.

Many thanks to all of the donors.

Bellringers

Wayne Goodroe rang the bell twice (2) in honor of Bob Peltz celebrating his 90th birthday. 

Lorna Padia Markus rang the bell on behalf of all the wonderful Rotarians in the room, on line and their generosity.

Adjournment

President Dudley adjourned the penultimate meeting of 2021 at 1:30 p.m.

Next Meeting, December 16 – David Moschler and Mieko Hatano – The Future of Classical Orchestral Music

Robert Kidd announced our speakers will be David Moschler and Mieko Hatano.  We bring together in conversation two of the East Bay's new generation of musical thinkers: Mieko Hatano (executive director of the Oakland Symphony), and David Moschler (founder/director of the innovative "Awesome Orchestra"). Eavesdrop on Mieko and David as they ponder the future of the music "business" in general, and of their orchestral "business" in particular.

President Dudley Thompson

Call To Order - President Dudley Thompson

President Dudley Thompson called to order the 5,366th Civic Thursday meeting of the third oldest Rotary Club in the world. The audio-visual challenge for the day was that attendees in the Ballroom couldn’t hear presenters connecting on Zoom.

Thought For The Day - Pam Claassen

Pam Claassen tried to give the thought for the day via Zoom but couldn’t be heard in the Ballroom. Instead she entered it in the Chat box. She offered two quotes.  From John Muir, “The clearest way into the Universe is through a forest wilderness”, and a Greek Proverb, “A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit.”

Speaker for the Day - Scott Stephens

Speakers Committee Chair and Past President Robert Kidd introduced our guest speaker Scott Stephens, PhD, professor at UC-Berkeley and head of the Center for Fire Science which includes the Stephens Lab for Research and Education in Wildland Fire Science.

Dr. Stephens discussed the lab’s research at the Illilouette Creek Basin in Yosemite National Park and at the Sugarloaf Creek Basin in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. These areas have experienced incidents of naturally ignited wildfire over 40 years, allowing researchers to study the processes and effects of fire under relatively natural conditions. They indicate that such fires are not a bad thing and in fact are useful in controlling the risk of mega-fires of greater disaster and cost to vegetation, forest regeneration and to human habitats where nearby communities exist. The question is how to adopt such mitigation efforts for better forest management given the labor and material costs. Dr. Stephens noted that better fire mitigation may be on the way thanks to grants approved by the legislature and signed by Governor Newsom, as well as by recent funding efforts by the Biden/Harris Administration.

In Memoriam – Dr. John Weaver & Clif Dochterman

President Dudley announced the recent passing of two esteemed Rotarians. Club member John Weaver, MD, passed at the age of 85 years. Renia Webb shared remembrances from her interview with him in preparation for a Rotarian Reintroduction, which was postponed due to his illness. Dr. Weaver was highly regarded as a physician in our community as well as a dedicated Rotarian who served in many capacities since joining Rotary in 1972. An Oakland native, John received his medical training at UCSF and completed both his internship and residency at Highland Hospital. There he gained compassion for the uninsured and in greatest in need of healthcare, leading to his lifelong commitment of service to residents in our community as well as in countries abroad including Thailand, Peru, Columbia and more. It was while serving in Guatemala with Karl Stucki, John’s service and generosity were honored with a clinic named after him. This “gentle giant” will indeed be missed by many of us.

Also being remembered for a life well-lived in service to others was Clif Dochterman, Past President of Rotary International in 1992-93. A stellar motivational speaker, Clif was also Past Chairman of the Rotary Foundation and is credited with creating the Polio Plus Campaign. He lived in Moraga and spoke many times at Oakland Rotary. His passing was announced at a recent District 5170 meeting.

Pres. Dudley asked for a moment of silence to honor both Rotarians.

Visiting Rotarians and Guests

President-Elect Mary Geong introduced Richard Swart, President of San Francisco Chinatown Rotary Club.

Nominating Committee Report

Past President and Nominating Committee Chair Sean Marx announced the candidates for the 2022-2025 Board of Directors who will be elected at the club’s December 16th meeting. They are Joel Parrott, DVM, Riza Hernandez and Keri Butkevich. He announced that Alex Kaffka has been appointed to the Board of Directors to begin serving immediately, filling the vacancy from Mike Mowery’s resignation and move out of state.

With anticipation building, Sean also announced the committee’s recommendation that Tom Limon be elected to serve as Club President for 2023-2024. This news was greeted with much hardy applause in the Ballroom and on Zoom.

Sean thanked members of the Nominating Committee – Elida Scola, Ana-Marie Jones, Jack McAboy, Pat Williams, Shannon Hackley, Karen Friedman and Robert Kidd – for their important service. In closing the nominating report, Sean noted that the revised Club Constitution and Bylaws will be presented for a vote and adoption at the January 6th general membership meeting.  

Stew Epstein

New Member Induction - Stewart Upstein

Keith Uriarte introduced new member Stew Epstein, co-owner of the Brooklyn West Winery in Jack London Square. Stew has been making wine for the past 30 years.  He and his wife live in the East Bay and are avid members of Berkeley Rep Theatre. He also enjoys photography. Welcome, Stew!

ACTIVITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES

The Rotary Foundation Campaign

Rotary Foundation transforms your gifts into positive life-changing projects around the world.

We're currently at just 41% participation and we ask that club members pledge or donate soon so we can meet the President's Challenge of 100% participation and get an additional $50,000 to fund these vital programs. The minimum is just $25 and makes a big difference.  To learn more about how your donations make a difference, you can watch this video.

Mail a check today made out to "The Rotary Foundation" to our Oakland Rotary office or call Jesse Bowdle with your credit card information at 925-207-2370.  Thank you for your support!

HOPE Trip to the Warriors Game

Gary Flaxman to reported on the behind-the-scenes tour of Chase Center in San Francisco for Rotarians and HOPE mentees. The trip had been planned two years ago but put on hold. While it rained the day of the tour and since Chase Center is round it was hard to find the front door, a good time was had by the 25 members and mentees who attended the recent Warriors game where Steph Curry scored 50 points (!) and the group enjoyed seeing a pre-game shoot-around session. Exciting good fellowship!

Feed The Hungry Next Week

C J Hirschfeld let us know that our 2021 Feed the Hungry annual fundraising bellringer event next week features a dollar-for-dollar match for the first $10,000 raised. Please come and ring the bell as many times as your circumstance allows, with $100 contributed each time you ring the bell! This year the funds will help support these partner nonprofits and their vetted and impactful programs:

Alameda County Food Bank Multi – Distribution Sites

Bay Area Meals on Wheels for Homebound Seniors

St. Vincent de Paul Hot Lunch Program & Food Pantry

St. Mary’s Center On-site Meals for Seniors and Preschoolers

Operation Dignity Lunch for Veterans

Oakland Catholic Worker Food Program for Immigrants/Refugees

Last year the Club raised an amazing $41,100 to feed Oakland’s hungry residents, including $16,100 from Rotary members and a generous $25,000 gift from MN Builders. Let’s see if we can top that in 2021!

Upcoming Activities

With the club now in overtime, Pres. Dudley quickly reminded everyone of several upcoming activities.

Golf Tournament on December 7th at the Metropolitan Golf Links, Oakland. First tee time is 10:30 am.  Registration is $51 and due by November 23rd. For more information, please contact Mike Mowery at ch.doo.mow@gmail.com.

The Niles Canyon Railway Train of Lights Tour on December 9 from 4:30 – 7:00 pm. The train will depart from the Niles Station in Fremont for a round-trip tour through the canyon. It is a great fun event for families and each person will get a special treat bag. Tickets are $45 per person. Purchase them on the Club website Calendar page.

Bellringers

Linda and Jim Boessenecker, Alex Poulsen, Linda Chew, Jason Wizelman, Michael Bruck, Fred Morse, Bob Breecker, Tom Limon, Ces Butner, Joe Goralka, Karen Friedman, Sean Marx, Ces Butner, Keith Giron, Renia Webb and Rod Hughes rang the bell for John Weaver.

Joe Goralka, Fred Morse, Dudley Thompson, John Claassen and Alex Poulsen rang the bell for Clif Dochterman.

Jack McAboy, Catherine Coleman, Teresa Weyand, Debo Sarkar and Pat Williams rang the bell for Gary Flaxman.

Isaac Kos-Read rang the bell for Tom Limon.

Kim Cohn rang the bell for Scott Stephens and for her father, Don Cohn, a 40-year professional in fire management who was attending via Zoom, for their critical work.

Adjournment

President Dudley thanked all Rotarians by name participating in the agenda and meeting set-up, then adjourned the meeting at 1:30 p.m.

Next Meeting, December 9 – Chris and Jana Pastena – How The Oakland Restaurant Industry is Responding to the Pandemic

C J Hirschfield announced our speakers on December 9 will be restaurateurs Chris and Jana Pastena, who will share how our local restaurant industry is responding to the pandemic. Chris is the owner/operator of the wildly successful Calavera and Chop Bar restaurants. Previous restaurants have included the Lungomare and Tribune Tavern. Jana has been able to offer good jobs to diverse Oakland residents, create a place of community in their establishments, and help make Oakland a top culinary destination.

President Dudley Thompson

Call To Order - President Dudley Thompson

President Dudley Thompson called to order the 5,365th Civic Thursday meeting of the 3rd oldest Rotary Club in the world. Members continued to prove how flexible they are with the greatly improved, but not ideal, sound system. When the podium mic didn’t work, and Zoom participants couldn’t hear the meeting, President Dudley used the one portable mic which he held throughout the meeting, sharing it with Rotarians who introduced their guests from their seats in the Ballroom. Kudos to Pres. Dudley, and the AV Team who spend 3½ hours Wednesday night in the Ballroom setting everything up with the guidance of a consulting team skilled and experienced in working with other Rotary clubs and their hybrid meetings. Expect the sound system to continue to improve in the coming weeks.

Thought For The Day - Lewis Griggs 

Lewis Griggs provided the thought for the day from the writings of our speaker’s book “The Little Book of Race and Restorative Justice”. 

Fania Davis.

Speaker for the Day - Fania Davis.

Lewis Griggs returned to the Zoom podium to introduce our speaker, Fania Davis. Dr. Davis is nationally renowned for her role in restorative justice.  Restorative justice is based on a desired set of principles and practices to mediate conflict, strengthen community and repair harm. She is a long-time social justice activist, Civil Rights trial attorney, writer, scholar and the author of “The Little Book of Race and Restorative Justice: Black Lives, Healing and U.S. Social Transformation.”

She explained that Restorative Justice asks who was harmed, what are the needs and responsibilities of all affected, and how to bring all affected parties together to address needs and repair harm.

Restorative Justice is also rooted in indigenous practices.  It is reparative, inclusive and balanced.

Dr. Davis identified three core values: respect, relationship and responsibility. A paradigm shift needs to take place in how things are handled.  She shared an example of changing the prevalent “school to prison pipeline” – when a student exhibits adolescent behavior, they don’t get a suspension, which can ultimately lead to expulsion, and arrest. Instead, the issue is addressed up front in a reparative way.

In Memoriam - Al Saroni, Jr.

President Dudley shared news of the passing of Al Saroni, Jr. last month at the age of 95.  Al was an honorary member of the club and lived in Idaho. Among his activities was flyfishing, golf, a race horse owner and enthusiast.  His father, Al Saroni, Sr. was a 50-year member of Oakland Rotary. Al, Sr. made the first donation to fund scholarships in 1951 which started what is called now called the Saroni-Lena Scholarship Fund. Al, Jr. continued to contribute to the fund after his father’s passing. A moment of silence was held to remember these two philanthropists.

Visiting Rotarians and Guests

Dianne Dorn, Past President of the San Leandro Club and Assistant District Governor for Area 4A introduced her two guests, Ken Pon and Kristina Seher, both members of the San Leandro Rotary Club.

Keith Giron introduced his guest, Jean Raines, who is applying to become a club member.

Renia Webb introduced her guests, Dwayne Aikens, Executive Director and Board Member Andrea Smith of We Lead Ours (WELO).

Sean Marx

The Rotary Foundation Campaign

Past President Sean Marx shared the inspirational story about how Global Grants have served two communities in Kenya.  Called WASH projects, the most recent grant totaling $63,686 was a collaborative project with the Rotary Clubs of Los Angeles and Louisville, Kentucky as well as the Suna Rotary Club in Kenya. Oakland Rotary’s financial investment was $18,750.  We saw a short video that showed prior to the project, the girls (not boys) fetched buckets of water every day from the lake to their village. the water was polluted and the latrines were unhealthy.  This project provided two water systems to extract and clean the water from Lake Victoria for two villages totaling 28,000 inhabitants. Previous grants have included focusing on schools.and students’ needs such as providing desks.

This is the final meeting highlighting The Rotary Foundation annual campaign held every November. The Every Member donation goal of reaching 100% participation by December 31st will be matched by a challenge grant of $50,000 made by six club members. Sean Marx made a donation to provide a second level Paul Harris Fellow to Renia Webb.

Pres. Dudley shared a couple of stories about the influence Rotary International has had in world affairs.  In 1948, they were one of the founders of the United Nations and still have an important relationship with it. Some years ago one of the countries where polio was rampant was the Sudan, which was at war in 1997-98.  A four-day ceasefire was negotiated so children could be accessed and given polio vaccine. The challenge was buying the vaccine on such short notice. Moraga resident Cliff Dochterman was Rotary Foundation President at the time.  He was able to authorize $400,000 to pay for the vaccine ($500K was the limit) on the spot, and the project moved forward successfully.

Coat Collection Project

Renia Webb presented 350 articles including gently used coats, scarves, hats and gloves to We Lead Ours (WELO).  Accepting the donation were Dwayne Aikens, Executive Director and Andrea Smith, Board Member. Renia gave a shout-out to everyone who donated items and especially thanked Teresa Weyand who knitted 100+ caps for families.

Cal Band Visit Before The Big Game

Arriving just before 1:30 pm, the Cal Straw Hat Band made their annual appearance in advance of the Big Game against Stanford on Saturday.  Instead of the usual three musical songs, the 20+ student musicians treated us to an expanded program and a new repertoire plus some dance moves for nearly 20 minutes. As always, their enthusiasm, energy and musicianship were well received. Go Bears!

Upcoming Activities

With the club now in overtime, Pres. Dudley quickly reminded everyone of several upcoming activities.

Cocktails with the President later this evening at the Moxy Hotel.

On November 26, Rotarians will be at the New Parkway Theater to watch the Warriors vs Portland Trailblazers game. Purchase tickets on the Club website, Calendar page.

Golf Tournament on December 7th at the Metropolitan Golf Links, Oakland. First tee time is 10:30 am.  Registration is $51 and due by November 23rd. For more information, please contact Mike Mowery at ch.doo.mow@gmail.com.

The Niles Canyon Railway Train of Lights Tour on December 9 from 4:30 – 7:00 pm. The train will depart from the Niles Station in Fremont for a round-trip tour through the canyon. It is a great fun event for families and each person will get a special treat bag. Tickets are $45 per person. Purchase them on the Club website Calendar page.

Bellringers

Dudley Thompson rang the bell for Ken Pon.

Adjournment

President Dudley adjourned the meeting at 1:50 p.m

Dr. Scott Stephens

Next Meeting, December 2 - Dr. Scott Stephens - Forest Fires in California's New Climate Reality.

Our speaker on December 2nd will be Dr. Scott Stephens, Professor of Fire Science at UC Berkeley’s Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management.  He is also an optimist, provided we aggressively pursue prescribed burning, incorporate indigenous forest management practices, and emphasize the post-fire structure of our forests.  Come hear Dr. Stephens describe the options at hand, because the next two decades will be critical.  Bring a colleague or friend.

No Meeting on November 25th – Happy Thanksgiving!