Weekly News & Views by: Dick Bourne
Photographs by: Patsy Inouye
Approaching Oddfellows (literally and figuratively?), this aging “not-yet today’s” reporter felt like Rip Van Winkle after 9 weeks away from Davis and Sunrise Rotary. Wait, how long was I gone? Could it be holiday season already? Because…the Davis High Madrigals were out front; as were many unfamiliar faces. Christmas, or Student-of-the-Month? To add confusion, all signs pointed downstairs and voila! 
-our inaugural SOTM of the academic year, displaced from our normal upper story and stage due to a scheduling glitch. Fearing a seat shortage, many Rotarians (including yours truly) were standing with full plates, or hiding in the corners, behind the bar, etc.
-our inaugural SOTM of the academic year, displaced from our normal upper story and stage due to a scheduling glitch. Fearing a seat shortage, many Rotarians (including yours truly) were standing with full plates, or hiding in the corners, behind the bar, etc. Why “not yet today’s” reporter? Because another scribe had accepted today’s role in a trade. But as I scanned the crowd after the songs I realized that no one was taking notes. Since I’d dropped the ball and failed to send out my weekly reminder, and with Student-of-the-Month a welcome shorter-than-normal reporting assignment, I borrowed a pen and tiny notepad from Tom Read and started to scribble. Thanks to Will Portello for his standup query about a reporter; maybe if I’d laid low, he would have taken over. Look out, I’m rusty! And, further warning, I usually record on my laptop, because I can’t read my own scribbles. But editor Meaghan Likes, thankfully, to correct my frequent errors.
Absent pianist Dave Morse, we appreciated Chuck Snipes’ lusty and enthusiastic “a cappella” leadership of our signature songs “Smile” and “America the Beautiful”. A few parent-guests had the courage to join. And then…those Madri-gals (and a few Madri-guys too) appeared center-stage to sing “Somewhere”, perhaps suggesting travel plans? President Rose Cholewinski appropriately lauded the Madrigals as we indeed learned of their 2019 itinerary; maybe we can help…?? Soon all students were seated and…new format…our own Tom McHale, DHS 
principal, taking over Nancy Storm’s traditional role as MC for this monthly event, effectively, this World Series season, delivered the Rotary “first pitch.”
principal, taking over Nancy Storm’s traditional role as MC for this monthly event, effectively, this World Series season, delivered the Rotary “first pitch.”The student awards started with DaVinci, followed by King High, Davis School for Independent Study, and Davis High. After the individual presentations, the attending awardees filed out through the congratulatory gauntlet during our standard standing ovation, before President Rose urged us on to other Rotary matters, like announcements.
Other than all those students, parents, teachers, and administrators, it is possible that the only guest was Ella Errecarte (who’s no longer a guest but became an honorary member while this reporter was away….) there with her full array of toys, and oh yes, her mother too!
Announcements began with Tim Daleiden’s delighted and delightful report on our Octoberfest. The final tally isn’t quite in, but Tim reported that the ~$40-$45K net was more than double last year’s proceeds. Kudos to Patsy Inouye and the rest of the OFest leadership team! On to next year: 10/05/19 is already set. Next, Brodie Hamilton publicized the Bicycling Hall of Fame’s 32nd induction ceremony coming up Saturday 11/10 at the UCD ARC. Will everyone who rides a bike to the event will be inducted? Larry Olsen announced a “best fundraiser” (since the OFest?)- an event for our own foundation, Thursday 11/15 at Rose and John’s- don’t miss it! Ignore that 11/8 date on the tabled flyer; note the address: 1209 Fordham; also note the 6 PM start time.
With less time than usual, undeterred Sergeant Gretchen Peralta opened the floor to Happy Bucks, which flowed freely as follows:
- Larry Olsen- happy to take the rap for the bogus date on the Foundation flyer
- Vanessa Errecarte- happy to recognize Gretchen’s spirited talk at the District Conference
- Clay Brandow- happy to announce a bocce game at the Cannery… now past
- Andrew Newman- twice happy; once for a mixer that raised $500 for our Foundation (to be repeated on 1/10/19); and once for Meaghan’s first full year under her own shingle!
- Chuck Snipes- for an after-bocce “gator sausage” party to watch his Bulldogs at play against Florida (also now past, with Georgia on top again).
- Tyson Hubbard- for an AYSO event, also on Saturday 10/27?
- Will Portello- small world, for running into the above Tyson at a Litigation Management Conference in Chicago, where hopefully they had no issues to litigate (or was it a friend of Tyson’s bragging on him?!)
- Jay Brookman- happy to be our next week’s speaker in advance of Veterans’ Day!
- Meaghan Likes- happy? to be missing the next four weeks (UH-OH, who will edit our crude meeting notes?) and for having taken off 16 weeks, visited 20 states, 15 countries, and 450 friends during her first full year on her own; did she really do any work? (I’ll bet she’ll edit this… not editing but pretty sure it wasn’t 15 countries, and probably not 20 states… but close enough! :)
- Carolyn Stiver- happy to encourage us all to help with an E Street sidewalk cleanup party on 11/10- our most “grungey” downtown street? Apparently there was a flyer that this scribe missed; hopefully it will re-appear next week.
- Dick Berry- happy for the 10th anniversary of the Berry Fencing Invitational; yes, named after him, not the famous UC Davis straw-Berry.
In “After Bucks” mode, our own ERN Sergeant went on a brief attack; first checking the pulse of Brian Sway and his Dodgers; finding only a small spark of unwarranted optimism, though his team virtually won two games on Friday night and Saturday morning in an incredible 18 inning marathon.But those Red Sox! Just kept on coming, surely disappointing their Fenway fans who only hosted 2 of the 5 games.Gretchen asked Andrew Newman for a fact about South Africa, who was right on the money in noting a) their world-leading number of game preserves and b) that they are “the most gracious people anywhere.”In a following quiz, Gretchen asked Brodie Hamilton the date of our 2019 Octoberfest; Brodie quickly recanted his initial “December 7” response with the correct “10/5.”And here, the scribbles become unintelligible (as promised?)- something about Ray Sullivan and memory (I hope his is better than mine – according to Lori it is!) and then a closing attack that mentioned both Jacques Franco and Tom McHale. Maybe next week’s sergeant can quiz us all about what these two erstwhile Rotarians have in common???
The Draw-of-the-Day featured an $848 pot, with Vanessa’s Ella drawing her tablemate Carolyn Stiver’s ticket. Another free breakfast! After an announcement that former president Dennis Lindsay will lead us next week (where will our Rose be?), we all headed out for another weekend with fabulous California weather.