Spirit Day
Our Club celebrated Spirit Day, the Tuesday before the football game between our two high schools, with our traditional enthusiasm. The principals of Downey and Warren High, football coaches, senior players, activity directors, cheer leaders and pep squads were our guests for lunch and they presented their spirited program.
During this Spirit Week, each day Downey and Warren Highs have a different theme to whip up excitement. Monday is Moustache Day, Tuesday evening is the Battle of the Bands, Wednesday is Crazy Socks Day – you get the idea. But on Friday night, at the game, “You win with “character, or you lose with dignity,” as one of the coaches said.
In thanking Rotary for having them as guests, Warren Principal Ed Harris said that the experience of having lunch with Rotary presented the students with some unique moments. For one thing, we Rotarians have a public blessing of the food, which as a private club we can do, but which public schools cannot, per the First Amendment rights.
The young people were also exposed to adults singing patriotic songs and having fun singing traditional songs: we hit the high notes and a few others with our “God Bless America and “Home on the Range,” complete with howls, jingling of keys and tinkling of spoons on water glasses.
The book for the children’s section of the Downey Library was signed by both principals.
Late BREAKING NEWS: Downey won the football game, 42 to 7. Remember fellas, Character counts.
In the Club Announcements, Paul Mathys warned us that the pancake breakfast tickets which were distributed to each member during this meeting were to be sold or returned. For any unreturned tickets, the member will be billed to pay for them.
Ray Brown, speaking for the Foundation, reminded us that everyone buying tickets to go to the Paul Harris Dinner on Oct 27, would get the equivalent number of points toward their Paul Harris fellowship.
Fine Mistress Diane Davis used her podium to teach us a few things about our Rotary page web site. Jeanette DiGenova, Dr. Mary Stauffer and Heather Conwell were asked to stand, and tell us how many women are listed as being in our Rotary club. Unfortunately, the page is programmed incorrectly: it shows us as having only 22 members, of whom 8 are women. Wrong on both counts.
Ray Brown, Larry Garces, John Lacey and Jorge Montero were asked if the web page was correct when saying they were all inducted in 1908.
Then John Lacey, Larry McGrew, Harold Tseklenis, Dale Self and Roger Brossmer were asked to explain why they were mistakenly identified on the web page as females.
The club was reminded that in 1987 the Supreme Court decided that women could not be kept out of Rotary any longer on basis on gender, and Pat Pratt and Lorine Parks were asked to tell what year they joined. Both answered, 1988. But why was Paul Mathys asked to stand with them? The president the year they were inducted was Bob Austin, and Rick Lively was the president–elect. Paul had already served his term.
Finally, Robert Kiefer, Tom Hutchinson and Ann Ullstrom were asked to explain what they had in common
on the web site. Fine Mistress Diane’s point seemed to be, don’t believe everything you see in print.