Stand-Up Guy Jack Gallagher Owned the Mic

Posted by John McIntyre on Dec 08, 2022
 
 
Rotary Meeting of December 6, 2022
 
 
WELCOME/GAVEL-IN
 
President Linda Geery (Gilbert & Associates) gaveled in the meeting at 12:08pm, welcoming all to today’s meeting as the pulsing strains of Heart’s “Barracuda” compelled us to don our game faces.
 
THANK YOUS
 
President Linda thanked this meeting’s greeters Mike Polis (Legal Counsel/Wilke Fleury), Paul Keefer (Executive Director/Pacific Charter Institute), and Jarrett Osborne-Revis (Senior Counsel/Buchalter Law Firm). Pulse Reporter John McIntyre (Mercy Foundation) was announced to anemic response, but the crowd recaptured its fervor as John Swentowsky (Swentowsky Photography) was announced for handling photography for today’s meeting, and Dennis Cook (Partner/Cook Brown, LLP) was saluted for providing the wine reception.
 
 
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
 
Past President Dan McVeigh, mindful of our speaker today, did some research into the myriad benefits of humor, which range from improved mental health, heart health, improved interactions with others, enhanced attractiveness, and as a guardian against depression. Clearly enhanced memory was not among the benefits, as I don’t recall Dan’s quote from Mark Twain. However, he concluded with the sage comment: “Laugh at yourself and the whole world laughs with you. Cry, and you just mess up your mascara.”
 
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
 
President Linda led the club in saluting the flag and our country.
 
INTRODUCTION OF GUESTS
 
Sgt.-at-Arms Käthe Nathan (Retired) rose to introduce guests:
  • Elke van Schlosser, visiting Rotarian from the Portola Valley Woodside Club
  • Scott Yuill, visiting Rotarian from the Sacramento Passport Club
  • Faith Whitmore from Sacramento Regional Family Justice Center, guest of Steve Hymas (Downey Brand)
  • Susan Lamb Cook, guest of Dennis Cook
  • Sandy Shubb, guest of Judge Bill Shubb
  • Brite Bowker, guest of Jack Bowker
 
HEAD TABLE
 
President Linda introduced those who graced the dais today:
  • Meeting Sponsor Steve Hymas (Downey Brand)
  • President Linda
  • Speaker Jack Gallagher
  • Chair of the Day John Wood
 
MEETING SPONSOR
 
President Linda invited steve Hymas forward to introduce FAITH WHITMORE, Chief Executive Officer of the Sacramento Region Family Justice Center, an organization that he and Downey Brand are proud to support. Whitmore explained the community needs her organization addresses.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ROTARY SPOTLIGHT
 
Here are Elfrena Foord’s introductions of this week’s featured club members, all of whom have December birthdays:
  • Past-President Dan Cole: Rotary seems to be in the Cole Family blood line. Dan has been a member in our Club for 45 years, his father Bob Cole 71 years, and his grandfather nearly 50 years. Dan served as our President 32 years ago. He revolutionized the Rotary office by buying its first fax machine and is now amused that fax machines are so “yesterday.” Two highlights from his Presidency that he’s proud of: first, he started Brown Bag Day, an idea from the Rotary Club of Denver, which we still use now, and second, he initiated a program called “jobs and college.” 75 Rotarians became mentors for about 100 kids at McClatchy High who were at risk of not graduating. The goal was to get them through high school and either to a job or to college. No surprise that now one of Dan’s favorite charities is College Track, that does this same thing. Dan started Evergreen Company in 1981 with partners. They developed over seven million feet of commercial real estate property, primarily office and retail. He treasures his 40-year partnership with his original partners, but today, he is happiest working in business with his two sons—in real estate with Rob Cole at Cole Partners Development and Jeff Cole at Goodwin Cole Tent and Awning. Dan’s favorite hobby are family activities with four generations right here in Sacramento. Fun Fact: On September 4, 1993, Bob Cole, age 72, and Dan Cole, age 58, climbed to the top of Mount Shasta (elevation over 14,000 feet). It was a father & son high adventure!
  • Len McCandlIss: Len has been in Rotary for 43 years, seven years in Chico and 36 years in Sacramento. Len has an interesting mix of boring and exciting. He graduated in 1967 from Chico State with a major in accounting, solid but many consider boring. But before that, he was in the Army 82nd Airborne Division, in the parachute maintenance company and on the sky diving demonstration team. And sky diving survived as one of his hobbies after the Army. That’s more exciting than most of us want to experience. Len has had a wonderful career as CEO of two different foundations. Still in Chico after college, he served as CEO at Chico State University Research Foundation for 15 years. Then he was hired away to Sacramento as CEO of the newly formed Sierra Health Foundation in 1984. Sierra Health Foundation resulted from $78 million from the conversion of Foundation Health Plan moving from a nonprofit to a for-profit company. During his tenure, $65 million was donated to health-related nonprofits. Len not only had to create the policies, procedures and structures of the new Foundation, but was also responsible for the creation and construction of the of the Sierra Health Foundation building on the Sacramento River. Besides housing the Foundation offices, its meeting rooms are made available to nonprofit organizations. Fun Fact: Len has quit sky diving and dirt bike riding, but still has golf, skiing and fly fishing to keep him entertained.
  • Bryan Murray: Bryan has been in Rotary one year. But he says Rotary is in his family’s blood. His dad, Todd Murray, has been in Point West Rotary for many years, and even approved of Bryan joining our club. Also, Bryan was president of a Rotaract Club when living in the Bay Area. After 10+ years working in the high-demand field of technology, Bryan decided he wanted to make a career change, to have a life outside of work. For the past two years, he has worked with Bender Insurance Solutions. He is the insurance specialist in the technology area, his past field, and in the real estate arena, his personal interest. He says the hardest part of his career change was mastering all the legal aspects of insurance contracts. The easiest? Talking to people and solving their insurance issues. Now with time outside of work, he has the opportunity to coach his sons’ sports teams and join tremendous organizations like Toastmasters and Rotary. Fun Fact: Bryan was living in Sacramento, his wife in the Bay Area. There was no way they would have met each other than both being at a party on a ranch in Winters in 2007. They hit it off instantly (he humbly says, “It was slim pickings for her that day”), and dated long-distance for a year, before getting together. They honeymooned in New Zealand, where his wife was born and lived intermittently while growing up. Brian says that New Zealand is the most magical place he's ever been to, and most people who visit New Zealand agree, even though there are 5 sheep to every person there.
  • John Frisch: John has been a member of our club for 36 years in our club, serving as our President 27 years ago. John has been in commercial real estate brokerage for 40 years, the last 30 years with Cornish & Carey Newmark Commercial. He was the managing Partner for 23 of those years. In 1992, he started with 11 agents, which grew to 45 agents and started with a half-million in revenue, which grew to over $18 million; amazing growth in just 23 years. But he says the most gratifying part of the job was hiring young agents with no money and helping them become successful professionals with big houses, fancy cars, and, lots of debt. Keeps them motivated! John was acknowledged for his professional accomplishments and community involvement by receiving the Sacramento Metro Chamber’s Sacramentan of the Year honor in 2013. He has served on numerous community boards and raised millions of dollars for several local no profits. The Association for Commercial Estate awarded him the Humanitarian of the Year award not once, but six times. Now John, and wife Maggie, enjoy driving around the country in their motorhome with two rat terriers. They have been to 45 states and driven nearly 100,000 miles. Their favorite food is in the South where the barbeque and fresh seafood is out of this world good. Fun Fact: John grew up on a 40-acre farm near Clovis CA. On Memorial Day weekend in 1970, while a senior at Clovis High School, John rode his Suzuki 500 motorcycle to Salt Lake City for a 12-hour visit with a high school buddy. Imagine riding a motorcycle 1,600 miles in three days!!
CLUB ANNOUNCEMENTS
  • President Linda reminded all that it’s time to vote for 2022-23 Rotary leadership, prior to our Annual Meeting (next week) if possible!
  • Jim Leet (Retired) announced that we still need some additional daughters to volunteer for roles at Daughter’s Day.
  • John Swentowsky reminded all that we have Loaves & Fishes on Thursday, Dec. 29 – both morning (prep) and lunch (serving) slots available. This is a wonderful way to give back!
  • Christy Holderegger (VP/Volunteers of America) announced that the Community Grants application window is now open and she encouraged members to make sure their favorite charities are aware. For questions, ask Christy or another member of the committee.
 
 
 
YOU’RE A GEM FOR GIVING
  • Leo McFarland (CEO/Volunteers of America) invested $1,000 for Christy Holderegger’s Paul Harris as Leo retires and announced that, after a national search, VOA will have Christy as their new CEO. There was much rejoicing!
  • Christy Holderegger thanked Leo and the club for their support and put $100 toward her next Paul Harris
  • Past- Emperor Wes Yee (Yee Dentistry) noted that he, too, would soon be retiring, but prefers today to acknowledge Linda Geery as she explores her own retirement with $100 toward her next Paul Harris.
  • Past-President Walter Dahl (Dahl Law) invested $100 toward water, in honor of his daughter as she deploys on the USS Nimitz.
  • Mike Polis, a UCLA undergrad celebrated his Bruins victory over the Cal Bears with a $150 investment to the audible yet understated chagrin of the Cal faithful…
  • Dan Cole (Evergreen Company) and his dad Bob (Retired) put $100 up in honor of Leo McFarland and his impending retirement
  • Paul Keefer announced that he’d be retiring…in a decade, but put forward $100 toward his Paul Harris in honor of the retirees
  • Käthe Nathan (Retired) offered $25 toward her Paul Harris in honor of Christy Holderegger and their long-standing friendship
  • Past President John Frisch (Newmark) honored Wes Yee and Leo McFarland for their impending retirements with a $1,000 toward his Eddie Mulligan
SPEAKER
 
Chair of the Day John Wood introduced speaker Jack Gallagher by way of running through his entertainment history, starting with his early stand-up days in the late 70s in Boston. He moved on to LA where he became a regular at The Improv, and roles in a few movies, including “Shakes the Clown” (the classic with Bobcat Goldthwaite…), and Heartbreak Ridge under the direction of Clint Eastwood. He also did some concert-opener work for Dolly Parton, among others, and a TV in a series called, “Bringing Up Jack,” not to mention a consistent role as Larry David’s doctor on “Curb Your Enthusiasm.” In sum, this is a guy who really has been entertaining all his life!
 
Gallagher stepped to the dais, noting “I sound successful when you read my resume, but then I go home to my wife…” His bride features frequently in his story-telling, particularly for her skill as an inflated-ego deflator…perfect for his self-deprecating style. Apropos of that, he shared the story about attending the Hollywood opening of Heartbreak Ridge; he knew he’d appear in the first few minutes, because of where his role fell in the script. When the time came, he was on screen for 15 seconds and his voice was present in voiceover for a few additional seconds. After his “co-starring” moment passed, his wife said, “Let’s go…”
 
Jack says he’s not a joke teller, he’s a storyteller. He shared a story of his early days, where his dad conveyed a phone message, saying that Jack’s “gig” had been moved from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. – and he asked his son what a “gig” was – a term that was then used exclusively in the entertainment community. After Jack’s explanation, his dad used gig at every turn – “any new gigs?”  “There’s my gigger…”, etc.
 
He discussed that actors get “residuals” quarterly, where they are paid out for their presence onscreen. He recently got his residual check, which he shared with his sons. Commenting on his 14-cent check, one son noted that it took a 32-cent stamp to send the check…the other son said, “Work harder.”
 
Jack reflected that his personal career highlight was the moment when he was getting introduced on The Tonight Show with Johnnie Carson; he recalls standing behind the curtain, waiting for his name to be called, and then stepping out on the stage where, he said “I killed it.”
 
He feels as an entertainer, his job is to erase the outside world for 90 minutes. At shows, he says “There’s a ton of [junk] outside; it’ll be there when we’re done. For now, let’s just have fun!” He also mentioned that he has an upcoming one-man show relating to his several trips driving across the US, and that one thing that stood out to him was how friendly and generous Americans were, as he drove across the country. He marveled at how divided we seem to be politically, because he saw none of that during his travels. For those who’ve not done cross-country drives, he called out the varied terrain in places like Kansas, saying “…in Kansas you can basically take your hands off the wheel for about six hours…”
 
Jim Henderson (almost-retired attorney) asked Jack what was the most interesting thing he could recall from his cross-country drives, and he noted his son Liam knows interesting facts about nearly everywhere they go and does “VLOGs” along the way. Jack also noted that people take great pride in their communities, always ready to share highlights and recommendations with travelers like him. Paul Keefer then asked how Jack evaluates his work and knows if it’s good. Jack said that he’s been at his storytelling work long enough that he’s developed some tricks; he’ll test new material sandwiched between stuff he already knows gets good response – so if the new bit doesn’t work, he opened it with a laugh and follows it with another laugh. He also says that if something doesn’t work three times, then “it’s gone.” The final question came from Jim Leet, who asked about Jack’s influences. Jack said, as a storyteller, his influences were other storytelling comics like Bill Cosby “before he got weird – or before we knew he was weird…” He also mentioned George Carlin and Robert Klein as influences.
 
President Linda thanked Jack for his visit and thoughts, and announced that, in thanks for his presentation today, 100 children would receive the polio vaccine in his honor.
 
WRAPPING UP
 
After thanking Jack, President Linda called on Sergeant-at-Arms Käthe Nathan, who announced that we will be back next week, for our annual meeting and Cindy Nichol from Sacramento International Airport (the top-rated midsize airport in the country!). Walter Dahl then took the mic from Käthe, announcing that, because Jack was our presenter, he’d make no attempt at humor and instead shared some history regarding the first Ted Talk: It was titled, “On a Wing and a Prayer,” and featured Colonel Sanders and Oral Roberts…
President Linda concluded the meeting at 1:26pm.
 
 
NEXT MEETING
 
Join us on next Tuesday (December 13th), for our Annual Meeting. We will announce the results of the Board election for the 2023-24 term, as well as the name of our next President-Elect Nominee (the person who will be slotted to follow President-Elect Todd Koolakian in 2024-25), and there will be other special activities as well.
 
Our guest speaker helps bring our dreams of travel and visiting family to life. Cindy Nichol is Director of Airports for Sacramento County, overseeing four facilities that serve more than 4.5 million people in the growing Northern California market. As the Capital of the fourth largest economy in the world, our airports are a major economic catalysts in the north state.
 
Find out key areas of growth for Sacramento International’s role with 13 passenger airlines, FedEx and Amazon freight; and Mather’s 11,000-foot runway serving UPS, Intel and general aviation. In addition, the County operates Executive Airport and Franklin Field.
 
 
DAUGHTERS’ DAY DECEMBER 20TH!
 
The tradition continues! Our annual Daughters’ Day pre-holiday celebration will be on Tuesday, December 20th, at the Annunciation Greek Church, 600 Alhambra Boulevard. Doors will open at 11:30 and the meeting will begin shortly after noon. As usual, the daughters (and granddaughters, and nieces) will take over and run the meeting. There will be music by the Rotary Rockers, some age-appropriate activities for the young ones, and a visit from our favorite member of the Rotary Club of the North Pole. There will also be the traditional prizes for youngest daughter, the daughter who has traveled the farthest to attend, and the daughter who has attended the most Daughters’ Day celebrations. We will be dining on roast turkey with mashed potatoes and gravy, or chick strips with macaroni and cheese. Everyone is welcome to attend, whether or not you have a daughter. If you plan to attend, you MUST register in advance. The deadline for reservations is Thursday, December 15th. To register, click on the link below:
 
PHOTO GALLERY (Courtesy of John Swentowsky)