Past District Governor Peter Lagarias says he joined the Rotary Club of San Francisco in 1983, “because I had been in service organizations in high school and was running my own business and thought I should start networking in San Francisco and get back to service in a group setting.”At that time, the Club was all men, mostly over 60, and Peter helped to establish the “under 35 Club” to attract and retain younger members. He also voted for and was very supportive of the Club’s decision to start admitting women even before the 1987 Supreme Court decision opening Rotary to women.
Peter served as Club President in 1992-93, “the year we went out on a limb and started Rotaplast,” he says. “That was 25 years ago.” He went on to serve as Governor of District 5150 in 2001-02 under RI President Rick King, in the same class with PDG Donna-Lee Young Rubin and PDG Phyllis Nusz.
He points to Rotaplast as his “favorite of all time” project because “individual Rotarians who are not trained in medicine can fully participate in a meaningful way; they are meeting Rotarians in the host countries and learning about the culture of the host countries. That’s the icing on the cake of helping the children.”
Peter says he’s “a big fan of hands-on projects, not just writing a check, although that’s important, too.” He mentions the Bike Build and the Dictionary Project, as well as Interact and Rotaract, “getting young people involved.”
He has served in various capacities on the District level, including chairing the District 5150 committee screening local applicants for Rotary Foundation Peace Fellowships. He is currently one of 30 readers for the Rotary Foundation reviewing international applicants for the fellowships.
Peter jokes that he “was born at a very young age” in Pittsburgh, PA, then moved with his family to California. He graduated with honors and Phi Beta Kappa from UC Berkeley and with honors from UC Hastings College of the Law, where he was an editor of the Law Journal. He was an anti-trust prosecutor in franchise cases for the Federal Trade Commission and, since 1983, has had his own law firm in San Rafael, specializing in franchise and distribution law. He has “represented thousands of franchisees and numerous franchisee associations in trials, arbitrations, mediations, and negotiations,” and currently serves on the American Bar Association Franchise Law Forum Board of Governors.
He and his wife, Elaine, live in Greenbrae and have an adopted daughter, Kelly, and a grandson, Caiden, who live in Long Beach.
Peter calls himself “a bumbling photographer and filmmaker.” After taking DG Ron Gin’s class on i-Movies, he’s made two short films, including one about his relatives in Northern Greece, where he travels often and will attend a family reunion later this month.
He points to Rotaplast as his “favorite of all time” project because “individual Rotarians who are not trained in medicine can fully participate in a meaningful way; they are meeting Rotarians in the host countries and learning about the culture of the host countries. That’s the icing on the cake of helping the children.”
Peter says he’s “a big fan of hands-on projects, not just writing a check, although that’s important, too.” He mentions the Bike Build and the Dictionary Project, as well as Interact and Rotaract, “getting young people involved.”
He has served in various capacities on the District level, including chairing the District 5150 committee screening local applicants for Rotary Foundation Peace Fellowships. He is currently one of 30 readers for the Rotary Foundation reviewing international applicants for the fellowships.
Peter jokes that he “was born at a very young age” in Pittsburgh, PA, then moved with his family to California. He graduated with honors and Phi Beta Kappa from UC Berkeley and with honors from UC Hastings College of the Law, where he was an editor of the Law Journal. He was an anti-trust prosecutor in franchise cases for the Federal Trade Commission and, since 1983, has had his own law firm in San Rafael, specializing in franchise and distribution law. He has “represented thousands of franchisees and numerous franchisee associations in trials, arbitrations, mediations, and negotiations,” and currently serves on the American Bar Association Franchise Law Forum Board of Governors.
He and his wife, Elaine, live in Greenbrae and have an adopted daughter, Kelly, and a grandson, Caiden, who live in Long Beach.
Peter calls himself “a bumbling photographer and filmmaker.” After taking DG Ron Gin’s class on i-Movies, he’s made two short films, including one about his relatives in Northern Greece, where he travels often and will attend a family reunion later this month.
As for Rotary, Peter cites “the great friendships you can make, not just in your club, not just in your district, but around the world. It’s a wonderful organization that has many layers. I’m still learning about opportunities, and I’ve been in almost 35 years.”