President JT Harold Forbus (Accounting | Bogdan & Frasco) welcomed everyone and thanked our Club's International Committee for organizing today's celebration of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations. He expressed how proud he is to be a Rotarian and praised our Club for its strong leadership support. He listed Rotary's seven areas of focus and referred to Rotary's motto of Service Above Self. Next, he introduced and thanked Mary Bates, the District Governor of Rotary District 5150; Danielle Lallement, the District Governor Elect of Rotary District 5150; Gary Chow, the District Governor Elect Nominee of Rotary District 5150; and Liz Mark, an Assistant Governor of Rotary District 5150.
President JT then introduced Club member Hans-Ulrich "Uli" Suedbeck (Governmental Relations | Federal Foreign Office, Berlin, Germany). Uli welcomed the members of the diplomatic and consular corps of San Francisco to our meeting today. He said that today's celebration of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations is worth celebrating. He added that the challenges in today's world call for an international coordinated response more than ever.
President JT gave a brief history of the signing of the Charter of the United Nations on June 26, 1945. He introduced Peter Kyle of the Rotary Club of Capitol Hill and current Rotary International Director for Zones 33 and 34. Peter introduced today's distinguished speaker, Dr. Tatjana Kobb, appointed by Rotary International President Holger Knaack as a 2020-2021 Rotary International Representative at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. Dr. Kobb is a medical doctor and serves as a member of Rotary International’s Cadre of Technical Advisors for public health grants. She is a member of the Rotary Club of Newton.
Dr. Kobb discussed Rotary’s involvement in the formation of the United Nations, the current activities between Rotary and the United Nations, and her role as the Rotary Representative to the United Nations. After Dr. Kobb's presentation, Jane Mermelstein (Real Estate: Sales | Zephyr Real Estate) read questions submitted by members in today's audience to Dr. Kobb and generated a discussion.Mary Steiner of the United Nations Association, San Francisco Chapter, joined to invite everyone to their activities and to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the creation of the United Nations on October 24. For more information, go here.
President JT introduced Club Member Heidi Kuhn (Peace Building | Roots of Peace) whose grandfather, William Hill Thomas, was president of our Club in 1941-1942. Past President Thomas did attend the signing of the UN Charter at the War Memorial in 1945. Heidi talked about the importance of "Rotary Roots" and how those roots have been passed down in her family.
President JT thanked Dr. Kobb and announced that 100 children would be inoculated against polio in her name. He led everyone in saying Rotary's Four-Way Test and adjourned the meeting at 1:15 p.m.
Edited by Dora Dye (Education: Community College | City College of San Francisco)