Troubled Time
- by Jim Hallett
It was Monday, October 29, 2018, and President Ken Deemer was back at the helm, greeted by Harrison Clay reminding us of the unifying power of music in troubled times and Larry Johnson declaring that he stands with his Jewish brothers and sisters after the tragic killings at a Pittsburgh synagogue. President Ken then commented on experiencing the Day of the Dead at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. Announcements included President Ken telling us that the club will now be an annual sponsor of TedX Manhattan Beach, and that signups for Operation Teddy Bear, originally brought to us by the late and beloved Dennis Ridge, were almost full. Meanwhile dine-arounds are already under way and Cedric Tuck-Sherman is taking signups for the November 28 Vision to Learn school visit.
Rotarian Of The Month Russ Samuels
Rotarian of the Month was awarded to Russ Samuels, who is the polar opposite of how Kareem Abdul-Jabbar described Laker fans (“They come late and leave early and do nothing in between”). Besides making our meetings run smoothly and showing up most all the time for most every activity, he is now reworking our accounting system. He had his best Aw Shucks look while we warmly stood and applauded him.
Life Blood of the Club
Dave Long and his Membership Committee brought us two new members for induction: Nina Patel, sponsored by Steve De Baets; and Hilary Mahan, sponsored by Jan Rhees. Then older new members received their blue badges: Kelly Stroman, Keith Sultemeier, Kathleen Murphy, John Clough, and Annie Hendrickson.
Operation Mend
Charlie Steinmetz reminded us that wounded veterans are still serving us every day of their lives, as he introduced us to Troy Simon and Nick Middlesworth of Operation Mend, the UCLA Health Sciences program serving our Iraq and Afghanistan survivors. They started with a video depicting the journey of Staff Sgt. Octavio Sanchez, with over 90% of his body covered in burns suffered in combat, whose appearance has improved dramatically following multiple procedures. Operation Mend shows a 98% completion rate despite the need for as many as 30 surgeries and despite the avoidance that often accompanies PTSD, providing concierge services for both the patient and family. The VA does its part, but won’t fund outside services, and Operation Mend has, so far, no government funding. They have a $10 million private budget for the next year. They welcome funding, and they welcome buddy families—taking, for example, patients and their families to a ball game, dinner, or any such activity. President Ken announced that Operation Mend will be a beneficiary of VetFest.
Happy $$$
Debby Arnold announced that she and husband Walt have sold their company and are now retired (no more flights to India?)….Rick Farrell arrived with copies of the new book written about his college band, with proceeds to be directed to fund missionaries…..Jason Wallace’s son, with an assist from President Ken, is an MIT grad, and has just sold his first company (and so Dad is set for life?)…..James Kennedy had a big thank-you for Tom Jeffry for some valuable assistance.
The Happiest Dollar of All
President Ken called it the Happiest Dollar Of All. Barbara Matles, long an active member of this club, who, among other things, has produced countless tens of thousands of dollars for club projects with her auctioned travel packages, surprised most of us by announcing that this month is the one-year anniversary of her surviving breast cancer. She and Hal seem to show up for everything, so apparently not even breast cancer has been slowing them down. But it was clear in listening to her that this has been traumatic, and perhaps still is. We are lucky to have her in this club, happy to have her in this club, and we are relying on a long-term recovery for one of our club’s treasures.