President Dudley Thompson
Call to Order – President Dudley Thompson
President Dudley Thompson called the 5,355th Civic Thursday meeting to order at 12:30 p.m. as he greeted many smiling faces in the California Ballroom as well as Rotarians on Facebook and Zoom. To provide everyone with a safe environment, masks are required in the Ballroom except during eating or drinking.
Erwin Chemerinsky
Speaker for the Day - Erwin Chemerinsky
Ed Jellen introduced today’s speaker, Erwin Chemerinsky. Dean Chemerinsky, author of 14 books, founding Dean of UC Irvine Law School, past Law professor at Duke and USC and a legal scholar in the area of Constitutional Law and federal civil procedures, gave an insightful talk on the Supreme Court. He highlighted the makeup of the court over the years moving back and forth between conservative and liberal to currently being staunchly conservative. Two important areas we can expect rulings on during this session are abortion rights and gun rights.
Mary Rudser
Thought for the Day - Mary Rudser
When asked what made her join Rotary and why she is still an active member, Mary Rudser shared that she joined early in her legal career to network, but stays because it is like a church for her and provides her a way to give back. Mary shared a quote from Marie Curie: “Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”
Visiting Rotarians and Guests
Past President and Past District Governor Ed Jellen welcomed visiting Rotarian Past President Ruben Sundeen from the Oakland Uptown Club. Rotarians in the ballroom introduced their guests, several of whom are going to become members.
New Member Induction - Jimmie Wilson
Renia Webb introduced our newest member, Jimmie Wilson, with a few interesting facts.
Jimmie was a football wide-receiver in high school and at San Jose State University. He was a plumber and pipe fitter for 16 years before going to UC Hastings College of the Law where he earned his law degree. He has been a Deputy District Attorney in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office for 16 years. Renia also revealed that his older brother and sister bestowed a special nickname on him as a child: “J Sweet”.
Activities and Opportunities
High Adventure Committee
Committee Co-Chair Tom Limon said there are still about 25 tickets available for the soccer game between Oakland Roots and Los Angeles Galaxy teams on September 18th at 5 p.m. Go to the club website, event listing page to buy tickets.
Rotary District 5170 Avenue of Service
Pres. Dudley invited us to attend the upcoming District Areas of Service meeting. You’ll get a chance to see what projects clubs in our district are doing. You can participate via Zoom or in person on Saturday, October 12th. The price is $50. Register online at the Rotary District 5170 website.
Environment Committee
Joel Parrott is chairing the Environment Committee, a new program about protecting the environment. (Supporting the Environment is a new major focus added by Rotary International this year.) The committee is looking for members. Contact Joel at jjparrott83@gmail.com to get involved. Dudley asked us also to consider joining ESRAG, a national organization that is doing some interesting things regarding the environment as well. Their membership fee is $30/year.
September 29 - Next First 5 Civic Wednesday Meeting
The First 5 Clubs will meet together on Wednesday, September 29 at noon. Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta will be a featured speaker. This replaces our usual Thursday time. Advance registration is required. Sign up on the Club website, Upcoming Speakers page.
Adjournment
President Dudley adjourned the meeting at 1:30 p.m. as he rang the bell.
Birthday Greetings
Happy Birthday! Celebrating between September 15 – 22 are:
17 – Janice Brickley
17 – Susan Smith
19 – Les Hilger
20 – Fred Morse
21 – Greg Gilbert
22 – Trisha Connors
22 – Pat McMillan
Membership Anniversaries in September
Thank you for your years of service to the Rotary Club of Oakland and the community!
Wayne Goodroe – 36 years
Mike Taylor – 28 years
Shanna O’Hare – 27 years
Johanna Leonard – 23 years
Marti Burchell – 19 years
Rosemary Darden – 19 years
Pat Riley – 18 years
Ginni Ring – 15 years
Wendy Willrich – 8 years
Keri Butkevich – 6 years
James Head – 6 years
Alex Kaffka – 5 years
Kyla Johnson-Trammell – 4 years
Winter Williams – 4 years
Ericka Nicholes – 2 years
Cat Brooks
Next Meeting, Thursday, September 16 - Cat Brooks - Eradicating Police Violence
Robert Kidd announced next week’s speaker will be Cat Brooks. Playwright, poet and activist Cat Brooks has been a leader of the Black Lives Matter movement and the anti-police-violence movement. Most recently she has been a leader in the movement to defund the police, here in Oakland and elsewhere. Don’t miss the opportunity to exchange views with one of Oakland’s leading social and political activists.
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