President FRANK called the meeting to order at 12:15 pm and asked TOM JOHNSON to lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

President FRANK thanked the staff of today’s Rotary Frank Talk: 

• Greeters SRIJOY ADITYA, MJ LOMAX and JOHN MCBIRNEY; 

• Thought of the Day ANNE KEARNS; 

• Rotator photographer BRUCE FITZGERALD; Rotator writer SUSIE MIELKE; 

• Rotator editor PP CYNTHIA LUEDTKE; 

• Rotator publisher ANNIE JU; 

• Technical Wizards LEE CODDING and MIKE KERR; 

• Website and Zoom STEVE POMEROY and DAVID GREEN.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
ANNE KEARNS, inspired by fall, gave a quote from Robert Frost,

“O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
To-morrow’s wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.”

ANNE gave a bonus quote of her own, “Warm October, Cold February.”

REMOTE ROTARIANS
Nine Rotarians called in from the field: LOIS ADAMS, VIVIEN D’ANDREA, KATHY LERA, PP CYNTHIA LUEDTKE, TIGER ROHRS, MARIA SANCHEZ, PAUL SCHUTZ, MARGE SENTOUS GEHL, and LYNN WILSON ROBERTS.

INTRODUCTIONS
PE JOE EYRE coolly managed introductions, wearing comfortable shorts.
Jesse Schmidt visited from the Oakland Rotary Club.
CINDY BOGARD O’GORMAN introduced long-time Los Altos resident, Toby Emerson.
JANET HARDING introduced her cousin, Lawrence Troxell, attending for the third time.
BENNY LOEBNER introduced Laurie Tanen, also visiting for the third time.
PP STAN SCARDINO introduced someone who needed no introduction, Jeanne MacVicar.
SHERRY AUERBACH introduced her neighbor, Charlotte Martin, and today’s speaker, Ken Kizer.
KRIS OLSON introduced two guests of the club, Amy Esoo and James Laffen, from Family Matters.

NEXT WEEK’S PROGRAM
Julie Dominguez of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe will speak about Ohlone history and culture.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
GARY MAGGARD asked that Rotarians look through their photo albums for pictures of LARC Family and Friends who served or are now serving in the military. We will honor them during the Veterans Day luncheon hosted by the Veterans Support Committee. Please email photos to SUSIE MIELKE by November 1 along with the veteran's name, relationship to Rotarian, branch of service, rank, and years served. Questions? Email GARY.

A handful of spots are left for the Rotary Dine Around hosted by LINDSAY and HM CRAIG CARPENTER on Tuesday, October 13, at Pompeii Ristorante. Sign up now for a fun “Ciao Down!”

The next Cuppa Joe is scheduled for October 13 at Holders 8-9 a.m. Happy Hour will take place October 21 from 5-6 at the Laughing Monk Bar.

It’s been 5 years since Los Altos Bears graced downtown Los Altos, led by bear tamers CAROL DABB and PP STAN SCARDINO. PP STAN did not seem enthusiastic about volunteering to do this again.

President FRANK reminded us to sign up for the Intergenerational Volunteer Adventure in Guatemala. Mornings will be spent on hands-on collaborative projects while afternoons will be filled with sightseeing. Those interested should contact SHARI ELMER by October 15.

And don’t forget about the volunteer clean-up activities recommended by the Climate Action Committee. The first is trail clean-up at Stevens Creek on October 17, 9-11 a.m. The second clean-up is at Surfers Beach on October 31, 9-11 a.m. Email LONNIE GARY or call him (650) 861-3909 if you are interested.

THE ROTARY FOUNDATION
JEANNINE ANTYPAS and GERRI ACERS kicked off this year’s TRF campaign. Last year, Los Altos Rotary raised over $42,000 for TRF and Polio Plus. Last week, CINDY BOGARD O’GORMAN talked about the importance of Polio Plus. TRF donations also make an impact through World Community Service’s global grants. WCS oversees approximately 20 grants at any given time. JEANNINE and GERRI briefly described several WCS projects: a farming project in Puno, Peru championed by JACKIE OLSON; the Karat School in Cote D’Ivoire championed by SHERRY AUERBACH; maternal and neonatal health in Nepal championed by BRUCE FITZGERALD and KAREN BERNER.

LEE CODDING showed us how to donate to TRF online. Checks, cash, and DAF are also accepted.

A LEGACY OF SERVICE
President FRANK paid tribute to two Rotarians who have been in Rotary for 50 years or more, PP SAM HARDING and PP MEL KAHN. PP SAM talked about the hard work, fun, and adventures he’s had in Rotary, including traveling to Africa and managing Y2K. PP MEL was amazed that he’s been in Rotary for 50 years since he’s only 35 years old. Of all his Rotary accomplishments, he’s most proud of all the good people in LARC. He clarified that not all people in the club are good, but he’s proud of the ones who are.

First Lady SHARI ELMER literally searched the world for 50-year Rotary pins. She found them in Denmark and enlisted ELSBETH TEBRAKE’s help in arranging shipment to the Netherlands before the pins were safely carried to Los Altos.

Delicious cake was served to honor our two Rotarians who truly are worth talking about.

RECOGNITION
Ably assisted by KRIS OLSON, PP DONNA VERNA asked, “What is it about LARC that keeps people coming back?

GREG DABB volunteered to say that the high quality of people in LARC keeps him coming back.

DUANNI HURD’S sponsor, John Sylvester, inspired her. DUANNI mentioned that she is speaking at a conference in San Francisco soon.

JEAN MORDO declared that he could say that he comes to see his friends, to have fun doing projects, or to learn about all the good that Rotary is doing, but he would be lying. He comes because Barbara wants him out of the house.

TOM LISTON comes to see everyone.

PETER LANDSBERGER likes hanging out with the movers and shakers in the community.

PAT FARRELL, who turned 96, comes for camaraderie and friendship.

STEVE SHEPHERD comes because he’s still trying to get Membership to correct the year in which he joined LARC.

FEATURED PROGRAM: Realizing the Promise of Organ Transplantation

SHERRY AUERBACH introduced today’s speaker and her good friend, Ken Kizer. Dr. Kenneth W. Kizer is an internationally recognized physician executive who currently serves as a Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of California Davis School of Medicine, and a Senior Scholar, Clinical Excellence Research Center, Stanford University School of Medicine. 

He previously has held senior leadership positions in state and federal government, the private sector, academia, and philanthropy, including serving a record tenure as Director of the former California Department of Health Services and California’s top health official, and as Under Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, where he engineered the internationally acclaimed transformation of the Veterans Healthcare System in the late 1990s.

Dr. Kizer is board certified in six medical specialties and/or subspecialties and is a fellow or distinguished fellow of 12 professional societies. He has authored more than 500 professional publications and is the recipient of numerous national awards.

Ken thanked Rotary for its advocacy and financial support for transplantation. He presented an overview of the US organ transplantation system. Transplants can be categorized by tissue type   and between whom. In the US, the transplant system is a highly regulated public-private partnership overseen by the federal government but operated by a network of medical and nonprofit entities. A central computer generates a prioritized match when a donor organ becomes available. In 2025, a record 49,064 organs were transplanted. Kidneys are the most common type of organ transplant. The number of patients on the waiting list for a transplant is 112,643. Anyone can register to be an organ donor.

There are concerns about the US transplantation system, such as unfair wait list allocation, patient safety failures (death, disease), and nonuse of donated organs. Recent news coverage features headlines like “Hospitals Cater to Transplant Tourists as US Patients Wait for Organs.” In 2024, almost one-third of deceased donor kidneys were not transplanted. Each day, 22-23 people die while waiting for organ donation.

Legislation was passed in 2023, Securing the US Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act, to address these concerns. However, the GAO reports that the HRSA, the agency responsible, lacks plans to execute recommendations. Operational improvements have stalled because of the complexity of moving away from a single-vendor system. Ken urged Rotary to “keep transplantation on the dance card.”

Jeanne MacVicar asked if there is a point at which organs “age out” and are not suitable for transplantation. Ken said the answer was not clear. People in their 80s receive transplants.

BILL BASSETT asked about costs and who is responsible for paying. Ken replied that a kidney transplant costs $400k-$600k, a heart transplant $2million+. Generally, insurance or Medicare will cover costs. There are ongoing costs that transplant recipients pay, e.g., travel costs.

President FRANK presented a book, The Heart, which will be donated to a school in Ken’s honor.