Governor's Visit

...by failing utterly to get our first song off the ground. After playing an all-purpose vamping introduction on the piano, Dr Bob Flynn stopped, just as we began to chorus forth with “R-O-T-A-R-Y That Spells Rotary.” Dr Bob, the man of a thousand songs, didn’t know this one. At a loss without the piano support, some stopped singing, others kept on and crashed into the wall of an awkward moment like race cars in a speedway scattering all over the infield.  Clearly, not a strong beginning.   An uncertain pause ensued, during which members called out helpful suggestions like “God Bless America” and “Home on the Range.”  Some began singing their own choices.  Clearly, Judge Phil was needed to make a ruling, but Dr. Dan Fox plodded on as the sole song leader.  We had honky-tonk pianist Dr. Ed Potter with us too, and he could have filled in, but Dan eventually had us singing “Acapulco-style” as Johnny Croshaw used to call it, without piano accompaniment, the Rotary song.  Dan followed that up with “God Bless America” which Dr Bob could play, and then the Welcome Song. Then we all clapped and congratulated ourselves for the auspicious beginning for District Governor Lew.

  Announcements came and went, among them the opportunity for Downey Rotarians to help identify characteristics we want in our new Superintendant of Schools, since Rotarian Wendy Doty is retiring from that position in March.  An open forum will be held on Wednesday October 10 at 1pm at the Manuel Gallegos Administration Center.

    Diane Davis announced that Frank Hall’s wife Edie is seriously ill, and asked for our prayers.

  In the Raffle, suspiciously no one present claimed any of the first four numbers drawn.  Patrica Megallon supplied three more freshly drawn tickets, but though the ticket holders were present, not one of them was a winner.

  Finemaster Alex Lopez fined his future in-laws, Suzette and Tony, even though they are not members, and Tony gave his recipe for a happy marriage: “Happy wife, happy life!”  Larry Garces did not know the difference between an asteroid and a meteorite, and the fine master told him that a meteorite is a piece of an asteroid that enters earth’s atmosphere and makes it to earth’s surface, burning all the way.

  The theme of fining related to the space shuttle Endeavor’s victory lap over Downey last week, continued.  Roger Brossmer knew it had made 25 missions into space; Robert Kiefier was asked what ship the Endeavour was named for and its home country, and was told that it was the British HMS Endeavour which took Captain James Cook on his first voyage in 1768, to the south Pacific to chart, appropriately, terra incognita.   The spelling of the ending of its name with “our” gives away the fact that it was registered in the UK.   Willie Medina knew that the shuttle had travelled nearly 23 million miles, which would be two round trips to our sun, which is 90 million miles away.   Space, glorious space.

  The first thing visiting District Governor Lew did was to induct two new members.  Now that really was auspicious.  He swore in Jeanette DiGenova, Alex Lopez’s fiancée, who also works as a nurse at Torrance Memorial Medical Center, and Tony Diep, he is VP, and Regional Manager from Pacific Western Bank.  Not only did they get their Rotary pins, but Governor Lew gave sponsor pins to their sponsors, Alex Lopez and Rich Strayer.  That would be a great pin to add to one’s collection.

  The governor suggested that the new members do four things: join a committee, sponsor a new member; do business with a fellow Rotarian (remember that this reporter is also a travel agent), and make a donation to the Rotary Foundation.

  Then to honor our club further, Governor Lew handed out plaques for outstanding service to Club members: John Lacey, past president, for his fundraising and fine-mastering, who drew applause, not his accustomed boos; Rich Strayer, past president and sponsor of ten new members; and Dan Fox, first Interact member (Warren High School) to join Downey Rotary and become president, for his song leading and Hubbub editing.

   Governor Lew then turned to the serious part of his speech, which was to illustrate this year’s international president’s theme, “Peace Through Service.”

  Since international Rotary president Sakuji Tanaka grew up in post-World War II Japan, his concern with the peace part of the slogan is obvious.  Examples of Rotarian service were given.  Paul Harries himself, a lonely attorney from New England founded Rotary with three other members; a coal dealer, a mining engineer and a tailor.  The first year, their brown bag lunch club did not grow much, so they decided to add the element of service, and whammo, the idea of Service Above Self spread.  Within a year there were four more Rotary clubs added to Chicago: Oakland, Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles, which is why the downtown LA club calls themselves the LA Five.

   Service can bring help by peaceful methods in troubled times.  The country named Myanmar, formerly Burma, expelled Rotary in the 1960’s.  But thanks to unofficial efforts by Rotarians to rebuild the country, especially after the recent tsunami, the present government has unofficially said Rotary will be welcome to start a club there before the end of this Rotary year.

  Then the Gov warmed to his subject with the introduction of the idea of conquering polio all over the world, recalling that as recently as in the1950’s the fear of contracting polio had become so great in this country that teen-agers could no longer congregate in public pools or party.  This reporter can remember when mention of a fever and headache and sore throat could cancel a dinner party.

   Then in the 1970’s, after Jonas Salk invented his vaccine, polio disappeared over the Untied States like a miracle.  From the idea of inoculating one small village in the Philippines, as a service by one Rotary club, came the idea of ridding the whole world of polio, with the efforts of all Rotarians.  Rotary partnered with organizations, like the UN and UNICEF, and foundations, like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which gave $335 million if Rotary could match with $200 million within two and a half years.   When Rotary announced it had beaten the deadline by six months, The Gates Foundation gave an additional $50 million in congratulation.

  What a service project.  From 350,000 cases reported world-wide each year in the 1980’s , there were only 650 in the world in 2011, which includes NO cases reported in India, which had been feared as the most difficult country because of its huge and transient population.   So far, after the first three quarters of this year, only 145 cases have been reported worldwide in 2012.

  Even war-torn countries call a truce to allow neutral vaccinators to pass through the war zones and give the dosages to the children there.    The only stubborn pockets are in Afghanistan and four countries in Africa, like Nigeria and Democratic Republic of the Congo, where there is civil war and governments are suspicious that the vaccine teams are spies.  Rotary is working for the day when no new cases are reported anywhere in the world. 

  Governor Lew gave us some inspirational advice, which he said came from “Everything I Know I Learned From the Ark.”  First, don’t miss the boat, and second, travel in pairs.  Plan ahead, we’re all in the same boat.  And finally, don’t listen to negative criticism.  After all, the Ark was built by amateurs, and the Titanic was built by professionals.