Posted by Dora Dye on Dec 23, 2018
From check-in to check-out, the 2018 Holiday Party was a delight.
 
The sound of The Salvation Army Band, led by our own Major Raymond Erickson-King (Human Services; The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Center), greeted guests as they stepped off the elevator, leading the way to the meeting room. Upon arrival, everyone was treated to a glass of champagne or other beverage to celebrate an outstanding year for our Club.
 
President Rhonda Poppen sounded the bell at noon and welcomed some special guests, including District Governor Jayne Hulbert. Eric Schmautz (Banking Management; Wells Fargo) talked about our Club's first meeting in the very same room at the Westin St. Francis 110 years ago. Then, it was time for lunch and fellowship.

The audience was pleased and honored by a surprise visit from San Francisco Mayor London Breed, who told us that she understands Rotary's impact, since a scholarship she received from the Fisherman's Wharf Club was one of the things that changed her life. She also presented President Rhonda with a proclamation from the City and County of San Francisco to recognize the 110th anniversary of the Rotary Club of San Francisco.

After the Mayor left, President Rhonda called to order the annual meeting. She introduced the current Board of Directors before asking President-elect Casey Blair (Foreign Equity Trading; Feis Options), chair of the Nominating Committee, to announce the slate of candidates for the 2019-2020 Board of Directors. The slate was elected by acclamation:
 
  • President: Casey Blair
  • President-Elect: JT Forbus (Accounting Services ; Bogdan & Frasco)
  • Treasurer: Gary Dales (Fly Leasing)
  • Secretary: Dora Dye (Education; City College)
  • Vice President of PR and Communication: John Dean (Dean Dispute Resolution)
  • Vice President of Club Service: Michael Petricca (Security Services; Academy of Art)
  • Vice President of Youth Leadership: Lynn Luckow (Development; LikeMinded.org)
President-elect Casey then led a countdown of the number of years all in the room had been a Rotarian of this Club, beginning with nearly everyone standing for having been a Rotarian for 5 years or less. People sat as Casey counted up by 5-year intervals: those in the Club longer than 5 years, longer than 10 years, longer than 15 years, and on. Les Andersen (Non-profit Management; Retired) was the only person still standing when the count reached 45 years or more. The audience gave Les a standing ovation, and the Board presented him with a $110 gift card to Macy’s, his favorite store.

Several attendees won $110 gift cards in a drawing held by President-elect Casey and President-elect Nominee JT Forbus. A trivia game challenged each table's collective knowledge about our Club's history: Table 9 won with the most correct answers.

Past Presidents Anita Stangl (Non-profit Medical Services; Alliance for Smiles) and Jim Patrick (Office Supplies; Patrick & Co.) led the audience in a rousing series of toasts to the Club’s 110th anniversary.

Rick Harrell (Veterans Services; Heroes' Voices) and Brian Lan (Financial Advisor; Merrill Lynch) led the audience in a sing-a-long of holiday songs, accompanied by The Salvation Army Band.

The second surprise of the afternoon was an appearance from Santa Claus. After his appearance, President Rhonda made a few comments and adjourned the meeting and luncheon.

Many thanks to the Holiday Party Committee – Casey Blair, David Dye (Management Consulting; Retired), Dora Dye, Lena Dokuchayeva (Business Development; Vereschagin Law), John Mathers (Management Consulting; eVo Associates), Janine Padilla (Real Estate; Coldwell Banker), Stacey Poole (Law - Family; Lerner-Poole), Rhonda Poppen, Eric Schmautz, and Stephanie Schmautz (Retirement Living; The Carlisle) – for this outstanding event that will be in the memory of many for years to come. Special thanks to John Mount (Statistical Consulting; Win-Vector) for serving as the official photographer.