Posted by Brian Lan on Sep 20, 2018
President Rhonda opened the meeting with a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance in honor of Patriot’s Day. Richard Harrell (Veterans Outreach; Heroes’ Voices) then led the Club in singing America the Beautiful. Rhonda welcomed prospective members, a visiting Rotarian from Germany, and other guests, including her parents, Ron and Ann Harvey, who are here from Virginia seeking shelter from Hurricane Florence.
Rhonda then announced several upcoming volunteer events:
 
  • Diaper Bag Assembly (9/11) and Baby Showers (9/13) for the Homeless Prenatal Program.
  • Rotary Meadow Workday with Sutro Stewards on Saturday 9/15.
  • Dinner Club at The Arc on Monday 9/17.
  • Rotary Parade of Flags at the Italian Heritage Parade on Sunday 10/7
Rhonda and VP of Membership Dan Joraanstad (Financial Management; Retired) introduced and inducted Janine Padilla (Real Estate Sales; Coldwell Banker) as the newest member of our Club. Her sponsor and mentor is Gary Keener (Underwriting; Swiss Re Corporate Solutions).

The President of our San Francisco Rotary Foundation, Tim Hornbecker (Human Resources - Employment and Housing; The Arc of Alameda County), presented checks of $10,000 to Rotaplast and $5,000 to Radio Kenya.
 
  • Donna-Lee Young Rubin (Non-profit Medical Services; Rotaplast) and Evelyn Abad (Non-profit Medical Services; Rotaplast) talked about Rotaplast’s mission of helping children with cleft lip and cleft palate anomalies. They announced that our support is being directed to their mission in the Philippines at the end of September.
  • Lily Muldoon (Physician, UCSF) talked about Radio Kenya’s mission and that our support will help fund new infrastructure for a radio station in Kenya that helps promote health awareness for listeners, especially youth, as a way to drive down the high prevalence of HIV in the area.
President Rhonda announced that Fred Marschner (Financial Planning; Northwestern Mutual) is September’s Rotarian of the Month. Fred chairs the Grant Review Committee for the San Francisco Rotary Foundation. Rhonda praised his hard work and due diligence in the grant process.
 
Those contributing $20 or more included:
  • Bob Hermann (Retired) encouraged members to help volunteer for the Homeless Prenatal Program and Rotary Meadows Workday. 
  • Luis Moran (Real Estate Sales; Coldwell Banker) announced his recent wedding and honeymoon last month. He and his bride celebrated their shared birthday on their honeymoon trip.
  • John Mathers (Management Consulting; eVo Associates) provided updates for the Gold Miner’s Ball which will have auction packages from the other Rotary clubs in the Bay Area. He also told a story of meeting a 105-year-old Rotary member who has had perfect attendance for 75 years.
  • Anita Stangl (Non-profit Medical Services; Alliance for Smiles) introduced her friend and guest speaker John D. O’Connor as well as sharing that Alliance For Smiles will have a screening of the film Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House (which John co-produced) on 11/1.
  • David Dye (Management Consulting; Retired) shared his experience with Rotary Youth Leadership programs, noting that 140 young adults have signed up for Interact at Lowell High School. President Rhonda also wished David a happy birthday.
  • In remembrance of 9/11, Donna-Lee Young Rubin shared her moving experience on the day of the attacks while at a Rotary membership seminar she had convened as District Governor in the Boston area that year.
Today’s speaker, John O’Connor, discussed parallels and contrasts between the Watergate scandal and the current Special Counsel investigation. John was a federal prosecutor in San Francisco during the Watergate era and the Carter Administration, where John worked with Robert Mueller. John briefly shared the history of the FBI (his father was an agent) and discussed the role of former FBI Associate Director Mark Felt in the Watergate scandal. He then provided clarity around the current Mueller investigation and its possible political impacts.
 
Skip Brewster won today’s door prize: Authentic Kona Coffee grown by Harold Hoogasian(Florist - Retail; Hoogasian Flowers).
 
 
Photos by Skip Brewster
Edited by Scott Plakun (IT Consulting; The Plakun Group)