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.
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