Jim's story for April 2 Bulletin

- by Jim Hallett

 

It was Monday, March 26, 2018, and President Mark Burton was still AWL (Absent With Leave), returning us to the glorious days of yesteryear when Shannon Ryan rode herd on us. First, Ed Kushins cautioned us against miscommunications, advising us to “avoid ambiguity.” Our distinguished guests included Deb Robertson’sdaughter Kim and Paul Allman’s wife Sharon. Acting President Shannon started us off with a video about leadership, carrying the message that early followers are the ones who take us to the tipping point, but only if the leaders bring in the early followers as equal partners. As examples of such leaders, Shannon listed Jordan Holbert and Debby Arnold with Celebrate Manhattan Beach, Mike Matthews with Rise Against Hunger, Ed Kushins with Working Wardrobes, James Kennedy with Help Puerto Rico, and Steve DeBaets with Rotary Cares.

 

Jim Hunter and Don Redman paid a welcome visit to our beloved Larry Wolf. Jim candidly reported that Larry’s progress, after 16 months, is slight. Larry and Lynn are looking at stem cell work in Mexico. In the meantime, Lynn wrote our Club’s Foundation a $10,000 check in acknowledgement of how much the club, and many of our members, have meant to them during Larry’s struggle.

 

Loli Ramezani presented a $1000 check, intended as $200 to each of our five elementary schools, to three of our local school librarians, in connection with our Rotary Reads program.

 

As part of our Old Guys Craft Talk series, we heard from the acknowledged “most interesting man in the world,”Paul Allman. He was born in Lafayette, Indiana, one of four boys, and was always into music and sports, playing his guitar and lettering in wrestling. He came to El Porto in 1968, got a BFA from USC, won a print competition and used the financial award to launch seven years abroad. He was a baker and skier in Switzerland. He bicycled to Africa via the Alps, France, Spain and Morocco. He lived with Lisa in a cave in the Canary Islands, and she found him a job in Sweden.  Somewhere in there he found another cave in Greece and travelled the Nile and stopped in Sudan, the Nubian Desert (or was it the Nubile Dessert?), Kenya (Paul uses the British colonial pronunciation, I noted), and Ethiopia.

 

Ethiopia gave Paul his Indiana Paul adventures. He got in, but getting out after the overthrow of Haile Selassie and subsequent civil war was another matter altogether. Stubborn and impatient, he travelled overland and is lucky to be alive. He found the joy of exotic tribes and the terror of terrorists along his way.  He kept artistic journals, got arrested, and finally got out. He walked across the border to Kenya and promptly climbed Mount Kenya.  He finally returned to his Swedish homeland, via a touchy stay in Cold War Moscow, where he studied epistemology at Uppsala University.

 

Alas, the road trip ended and he signed up with Northrop, back in his Manhattan Beach homeland. In 1988 he started his own business, PTS, Professional Training Services, with multiple major government and business clients, and Rotary associates including Nelson Gray, Duke Winser, Scotty Dannison and Dan Burchette. He semi-retired in 2005, but training is in his blood.

 

In 1992 he helped start up Leadership Manhattan Beach and stayed with it for 25 years, eventually turning it over to 1994 LMB alumna Kathleen Terry, who ran it for 15 years. Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce President Dave Hornbecker, in 1989, sponsored Paul into Manhattan Beach Rotary, and he was our president in 1995-6, working with Jim Hunter to turn us into a breakfast club, resulting in huge membership growth.

 

Paul’s best decision was to marry Sharon Gradinette, who has become his travel partner. The travel has never stopped and has included long bicycle trips across territories such as New Zealand, Southeast Asia, Indonesia, Zambia/Zimbabwe, and South America. Along the way he has picked up French, German, Swedish, Greek, Arabic, and Swahili (and he speaks some English). Lately it seems he and Sharon are more inclined to enjoy their homes in Big Bear and Sedona.

 

Paul Allman proved himself to be the poster boy for the oft-quoted saying that each member of this Manhattan Beach Rotary Club has a remarkable story to tell. Nonetheless, I don’t envy Program Director Gerry Morton as he tries to find another Old Guy to follow Paul’s act.  Personally, I’d rather bungee jump off that Queenstown Bridge with Paul.  (Not.)