Ces Butner, President of Rotary Club of Oakland
Call to Order – Ces Butner
President Ces Butner welcomed all to the 5,338th Civic Thursday meeting from the podium in the California Ballroom. This is a first in the club’s history – a hybrid meeting of in-person and virtual attendees. He noted it has been 60 weeks since we last met in person. Only nine people were in the ballroom as the very busy Audio-Visual team, co-chaired by Sandeepa Nayak and Jack Iles, and key leaders brought us together. Only Scott Bowhay and President Ces spoke from the Ballroom. Everyone else was on Zoom.
Scott Bowhay
Thought for the Day – Scott Bowhay
Scott Bowhay saluted the resilience of Rotarians, who have continued to serve the community despite COVID-19 restrictions. His thought – and challenge to us: “We Rotarians have never been more needed. There are people here in Oakland who need our help.
Visiting Rotarians and Guests
Past President Ed Jellen welcomed Dianne Dorn, Past President of the San Leandro Club. Others attending were Clifton Barnes, guest of Jackie Forrester, and Deborah Boyer, Carole King and Christy VanSlyke, guests of C J Hirschfield.
Casino Night Virtual Auction & Raffle
Casino Night Virtual Auction & Raffle – May 22
Kathleen Sims updated us about the Rotary Casino Night on May 22nd. Reminders have gone out via US mail and email. Tickets are $100 each and the attendee gets 25 chips. Purchase tickets at https://www.biddingowl.com/OaklandRotaryEndowment.
The evening will begin at 6 p.m. when the Lobby opens. At 6:30 p.m. mixologist Nigel Jones of Kingston 11 will preside over specialty drinks in The Lounge. A special feature of the evening is the Wine Cellar Raffle, with 25 bottles of wine donated by Board Members and Endowment Trustees. Raffle tickets cost $50 each and there are a limited number available. Contact Executive Administrator Jesse Bowdle to order raffle tickets. Call him at 925-207-2370 or email execadmin@oakland-rotary.org.
Announcements and Breakout Room Session
President Ces announced the first in-person meeting is being planned for Thursday, June 17th. It will be a hybrid meeting, with Rotarians able to meet in the Ballroom or attend via Zoom. Details to follow. In the meantime, the pandemic has been a test of our resiliency as a Club. For example, we have been unable to do as many service projects as usual. Members were invited to spend a few minutes in Breakout Rooms enjoying some fellowship.
Gary Meyer
Speaker for the Day – Gary Meyer
C J Hirshfield introduced the speaker, Gary Meyer, a co-founder of the Telluride Film Festival.
He talked about the recent Oscar Awards Ceremony as well as the future for films in local theaters. The Oscars Ceremony had a 51% drop in viewership from last year. He had high hopes for the broadcast, but noted it lacked a single host, unlike the days of Bob Hope, Whoopi Goldberg, Billy Crystal and others. There was no audio-visual entertainment, including film clips.
The Disc Jockey did a good job but in the past the orchestra not only provided music, it signaled awardees when their acceptance time was up. Instead, awardees went on and on, often thanking everyone by name who was part of their film. He suggests handling thank yous by run a list their names at the bottom of the screen while the oral acceptance is being delivered.
Another important area in the past has been In Memoriam time when individuals in the industry who have passed away are acknowledged. It was cut to a minimum and the list of individuals ran so fast on the screen that it was hard to read.
Asked which Oscar nominees he liked, he had a very long list, many of which did not get serious attention.
As to the future of going to theaters, he believes people will want to go to the movies. It is a big night out for many people. According to the National Association of Theater Owners, new air filtration systems are being installed in venues, which he believes will open in the fall. The plusses to going to the theater is an escape from the day’s happenings, the big screen and sound that surrounds are important, and part of the audience experience is how everyone is responding to laughter, sadness, etc.
He reminded us that movies have survived previous changes in technology: radio, television, DVD, live streaming, etc. It is important to support independent theaters. He also predicts that most films will open in a tiered fashion; first in the theaters for a few weeks, then on other platforms where viewers will pay a fee, and finally later for free.
Click here to view Gary Meyer segment.
Bellringers
David Kersten rang the bell for Nancy Williams, who published his article about what it means to be a Rotarian in her Money Pages publication this month. It can be accessed at https://money-pages.dcatalog.com/v/Money-Pages-Oakland. Thank you David and Nancy!
Adjournment
President Ces closed the meeting by ringing the bell with his closing adage “and that’s the way it went” plus the reminder that Rotary Opens Opportunity for Service Above Self.
Birthday Greetings
Happy Birthday! Celebrating between May 11 and 17 are:
11 – Emily Morgan
– Courtney Morse
– Nicholas Williams
14 – David Barron
15 – Catherine Pinkas
17 – David Kersten
Membership Anniversaries through May 17
Thank you for your years of service to the Rotary Club of Oakland and the community!
- Charlie Adams – 38 years
- Dudley Thompson – 28 years
- Phil Campbell – 22 years
- Anne Bisagno – 19 years
- Tom Freeman – 19 years
- Courtney Ruby – 19 years
- Brad Levesque – 13 years
- Debo Sarkar – 7 years
- Pat Williams – 6 years
- Riza Hernandez – 5 years
- Jim Caponigro – 5 years
- Sonja Fitz – 2 years
- Janice Brickley – 1 year
- Vivian Maner – 1 year
Reshma Saujani
Next Meeting, Thursday, May 13 – Reshma Saujani – The Urgency of a Marshall Plan for Moms
Julayne Virgil announced our speaker will be Reshma Saujani, founder of Girls Who Code.
We need a Marshall Plan for Moms — a plan to pay our mothers for their unseen unpaid labor. Other countries have social safety nets. America has moms. It’s time to compensate moms for all they do to keep our economy, our country, running.
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