Oct 6 2015 - Rotary Forum
Posted by Dick Dannells
Program October 6, 2015: Jim Gregory “People of Honor- What Arroyo Grande's Japanese-American Endured--And the Victories They Won--During World War II”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel Conn began meeting at 12:33 PM by auctioning off the fine-free badge to Bruce Beaudoin for $50.
FINES:
Kari Ziegler and Bruce Beaudoin received spin-the-wheel fines of $40 and $98, respectively for their 1 year and 18 years with the Club. Kari also added Happy Bucks to draw attention to a very important operation for her four-year-old friend that is undergoing a procedure to see if any residual cancer is left in her body. Paul Holden contributed some Happy Buck’s for his trip to Michigan where he attended a U of M football game.
ANNOUCEMENTS:
Pres. Joel reminded us of the “Stop Hunger Now” project during the Pismo Beach Clam Festival on October 17 from 4 to 7 PM. He asked for some volunteers to sign-up to help set up at 2 PM. The rest of the volunteers are asked to come by 4 PM to join the assembly line to package 10,000 meals. Steve Curry introduced Valence Lothaire from a Uganda Rotary Club. Valence spoke of the $38,000 RI grant to put in water pumps, solar panels, and a computer lab for their school that has an enrollment of over 600. Valence thanked us for our generosity in supporting the school that he worked so hard to establish in his native village. Bonnie Mogan drew the black marble and won the raffle jackpot of $120. Paul Toms III sent a thank you note for our honoring his father with the Service Above Self Award.
PROGRAM: Jim Gregory “People of Honor- What Arroyo Grande's Japanese-American Endured--And the Victories They Won--During World War II”
Ashlea Boyer introduced Jim Gregory who was raised in Arroyo Grande Valley and taught history for 30 years; first at Mission Prep and the last 19 years at Arroyo Grande High School. He showed a 10 minute video, which began by depicting the fact that the Japanese Emperor that took over in 1867 with the goal to modernize Japan raised taxes so high that over 300,000 of their people were dispossessed with many settling in Arroyo Grande Valley to farm. His book is being published January 11, 2016 and will be available on Amazon.com and at the Arroyo Grande Historical Society. The book contains numerous stories of the Japanese Americans he got to know during his years growing up in this area. Due to their hard work, they prospered, but were again disossessed after Pearl Harbor. They returned from the war without the hostility that was imparted upon them from internment camps such as Gila River internment camp located in the middle of the desert Southwest of Phoenix Arizona. When they returned the only place that they could sleep were in the homes of kindhearted Arroyo Grande families that took them in because the public accommodations were not open to them.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“Everybody has a load to carry some let it weigh them down and others use it to build muscles."
Program October 6, 2015: Jim Gregory “People of Honor- What Arroyo Grande's Japanese-American Endured--And the Victories They Won--During World War II”
By Dick Dannells
Pres. Joel Conn began meeting at 12:33 PM by auctioning off the fine-free badge to Bruce Beaudoin for $50.
FINES:
Kari Ziegler and Bruce Beaudoin received spin-the-wheel fines of $40 and $98, respectively for their 1 year and 18 years with the Club. Kari also added Happy Bucks to draw attention to a very important operation for her four-year-old friend that is undergoing a procedure to see if any residual cancer is left in her body. Paul Holden contributed some Happy Buck’s for his trip to Michigan where he attended a U of M football game.
ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pres. Joel reminded us of the “Stop Hunger Now” project during the Pismo Beach Clam Festival on October 17 from 4 to 7 PM. He asked for some volunteers to sign-up to help set up at 2 PM. The rest of the volunteers are asked to come by 4 PM to join the assembly line to package 10,000 meals. Steve Curry introduced Valence Lothaire from a Uganda Rotary Club. Valence spoke of the $38,000 RI grant to put in water pumps, solar panels, and a computer lab for their school that has an enrollment of over 600. Valence thanked us for our generosity in supporting the school that he worked so hard to establish in his native village. Bonnie Mogan drew the black marble and won the raffle jackpot of $120. Paul Toms III sent a thank you note for our honoring his father with the Service Above Self Award.
PROGRAM: Jim Gregory “People of Honor- What Arroyo Grande's Japanese-American Endured--And the Victories They Won--During World War II”
Ashlea Boyer introduced Jim Gregory who was raised in Arroyo Grande Valley and taught history for 30 years; first at Mission Prep and the last 19 years at Arroyo Grande High School. He showed a 10 minute video, which began by depicting the fact that the Japanese Emperor that took over in 1867 with the goal to modernize Japan raised taxes so high that over 300,000 of their people were dispossessed with many settling in Arroyo Grande Valley to farm. His book is being published January 11, 2016 and will be available on Amazon.com and at the Arroyo Grande Historical Society. The book contains numerous stories of the Japanese Americans he got to know during his years growing up in this area. Due to their hard work, they prospered, but were again disossessed after Pearl Harbor. They returned from the war without the hostility that was imparted upon them from internment camps such as Gila River internment camp located in the middle of the desert Southwest of Phoenix Arizona. When they returned the only place that they could sleep were in the homes of kindhearted Arroyo Grande families that took them in because the public accommodations were not open to them.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY BY PAUL JONES:
“Everybody has a load to carry some let it weigh them down and others use it to build muscles."