A few favorite stories and reflections of the wonders of a community newspaper, by a 40-year veteran
Encouraged by a middle-school English and journalism teacher to ponder a career in newspapers, Chris Smith made a beeline to a degree in reporting and editing. He started out at his hometown paper, The Riverside Press-Enterprise. Soon, serendipity drew him north of the Golden Gate, where in 1977 he began writing for The Press Democrat.
From a general assignment reporter drawn strongly to people stories, he became a weekly columnist and then, following the 2001 semi-retirement of the peerless Gaye LeBaron, the PD’s full-time newsside columnist.
For 20 years, nothing fired him more than a remark, phone call, email, letter or text sharing with a Sonoma County story that struck his heart strings or funny bone.
Since he retired after 40-plus years in 2022, his avocations include working on a contract basis as The Press Democrat’s primary writer of obituaries of notable local people. He regards it an honor to tell of their lives and passions and contributions to this place.
He and his wife, Diane Peterson, the PD’s former food editor and Santa Rosa Symphony reviewer, live in Santa Rosa. They have a son, Max, and a conspicuously adorable Australian shepherd, Maisie.
Last Week's Speaker - Andy Werback on WWII Advanced Base Sectional Docks
Our speaker last week was Andy Werback from China Lake, California, home of Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake. He and wife Sam call Sebastopol home.
Andy is an electrical engineering graduate of UC Davis and was a computer programmer – working on embedded computers for defensive avionics on fighter aircraft and microchips in the early days of WiFi. His hobbies include history, particularly the US Navy in World War II. He was a docent and shipkeeper on the S.S. Jeremiah O’Brien, a WWII Liberty ship based in San Francisco. He is a retired software engineer. His talk focused on the impressive engineering and creation of floating dry docks to be used during WWII, some of which are still in use today.
In 1941 there was a great need for servicing war ships while out at sea. The solution was sectional floating dry docks. The design and plans were developed by consulting engineering firm Frederic R. Harris Inc, New York NY in late 1942, under contract to the Navy Department, Bureau of Yards and Docks. Each section was a ship in itself with specific facilities and functions. When fastened together, they became one massive ship with walls erected on each side. In order to load a ship on to its dry dock, it would lower itself deep enough for a ship to enter between the walls, then raise up with the ship on its deck. This is one amazing engineering feat worked on by thousands, including women we know as Rosie the Riveter.
Thank you, Andy, for researching and delivering a most fascinating and engaging topic.
Click HERE to view a limited time recording of Andy Werback's presentation on advance base sectional docks.
On a regular basis, our resident photo pro Warren Smith, submits pictures of what is going on at the weekly meetings. You can always find the most recent pictures at the websites photo journal called "Meeting Sighting" Please note that all the meeting photos for the entire Rotary year are at this location with the most recent on the last page.
Thanks for all the great pictures Warren!Link to Meeting Sightings. The most recent are on the last page!
A young boy was doing some handiwork with his father. When it came to putting a picture on the wall the father said, “I’ll do this one… You’re like lightning with a hammer!” The boy said, “Wow, is that cos I’m so fast?” “No, it’s because you never strike the same place twice!”
I have had so many wonderful experiences over the past year, but as comforting as it might be to dwell on the past, we must look toward the future.
We are closer than ever to ending polio, but that does not mean we can relax. We still have a promise to keep to the children of the world and their families, and we will only fulfill that promise through fundraising, advocacy, and the power of our collective action.
I was amazed at the capability and commitment of the peacebuilders at the Presidential Peace Conference earlier this year. Our Peace Fellowship program and our many other peace initiatives bring healing to a divided world, but they need our support to remain effective and relevant.
Amid a worldwide loneliness epidemic, Rotary offers friendship, purpose, and belonging. If we hold true to our ideals — to The Four-Way Test and our spirit of inclusivity — we will remain a beacon of light even in the darkest times.
The Action Plan can serve as a guide to make our clubs and districts simply irresistible, but it is up to us to take that advice and put it to use.
Family of Rotary, there is nothing we cannot achieve when we come together and work toward a common goal.
You are The Magic of Rotary, and I can’t wait to see the lasting change you bring to the world.
You can find all prior "RI President's Messages" at this LINK
This past year, my wife, Gay, and I have been privileged to witness the impact of The Rotary Foundation. From dialysis centers in India to environmental projects in Taiwan and educational initiatives worldwide, we have had a front-row seat to the life-changing results of your generosity. To see the work of our Foundation firsthand gives one a deeper understanding of Rotary’s power to transform lives by spreading peace, hope, and health.
In Bangkok, we saw a specialized life support machine for critically ill patients with lung and heart problems at a public hospital — only the second machine of its kind available to the city’s 11 million residents outside of private care. Funded through a global grant, this technology is saving lives because Rotary members saw a need and responded.
Everything Rotary accomplishes through the Foundation — Rotary Peace Centers, Programs of Scale, global and district grants — relies on a strong and growing endowment. This is The Magic of Rotary that you make possible through your generosity.
That is the reason I am so passionate about our goal to build the net assets and commitments of The Rotary Foundation Endowment to $2.025 billion by 30 June 2025. The Trustees set this goal in 2016, after exceeding earlier targets and recognizing the growing interest in endowed giving. Thanks to your extraordinary support — including gifts from the estates of members — the net assets and commitments of the Endowment have grown substantially and are within reach of our goal.
To contribute to the Endowment, talk with your endowment/major gifts adviser or your major gifts officer, or visit rotary.org/donate. Your generosity can help us reach our goal, which we will celebrate at the Rotary International Convention in Calgary this month.
The fruits of these gifts may not be seen for several years. We are planting trees — trees that will grow to fund Rotary Peace Fellows and scholarships, put an end to polio, support high-impact Programs of Scale and global grants, and allow our Annual Fund to spread more hope.
During my 40-year journey in Rotary leadership, The Rotary Foundation has always been at the core. From leading a Group Study Exchange team in 1986 to serving as district Foundation chair, trustee, RI president, and now as trustee chair, it has been the honor of a lifetime.
I am fortunate to have experienced and been inspired by the magic that you have created through your dedication, service, and action. Let us together continue planting trees that will provide fruit for generations.
You can find all prior "Messages from the Foundation Trustee Chair" at this LINK
Drawn by national curling and youth baseball contests, crowds of athletes flock to the small town of Summerside on Prince Edward Island. Townspeople, however, aren’t content merely to be spectators. Each winter, local curlers contend in a tournament that’s been sponsored by the Rotary Club of Summerside for nearly 20 of the event’s 36 years. In March, 36 teams vied in a friendly meetup that raised about CA$40,000 for Strive, a program that provides scholarships and Rotarian mentoring to high school students. “In curling, [a tournament] is a bonspiel,” explains Paul Power, a past president of the club. “We call ours a ‘funspiel.’” Participants, including about a dozen club members, “love their curling,” says Power. “It’s not competitive whatsoever,” unless you count the points awarded to the best-dressed Mardi Gras-themed team. “It’s basically all hands on deck” — and on the granite stones players slide across the ice once the games begin.
United States
Students learned to become environmental “solutionists” at a Maryland Rotary club’s youth summit, organizing battery and plastic recycling drives and teaching peers about growing trees. Teens at the environmental summit, the second hosted by the Rotary Club of Southern Frederick County (Urbana), joined a coalition of Interactors and other young people who volunteer to rescue uneaten school cafeteria food and compost waste. The students advocate with school leaders and state lawmakers, backed by Rotary members who support the expansion of the Lunch Out of Landfills initiative. The summit’s goal is to give students skills and confidence to push for change in their communities. “Young people bring an incredible energy and urgency to climate action,” says Mary Jo Anderson, the club’s president.
This story originally appeared in the June 2025 issue of Rotary magazine.
Rotary projects make a difference in communities around the world.
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Drawn by national curling and youth baseball contests, crowds of athletes flock to the small town of Summerside on Prince Edward Island. Townspeople, however, aren’t content merely to be spectators. Each winter, local curlers contend in a tournament that’s been sponsored by the Rotary Club of Summerside for nearly 20 of the event’s 36 years. In March, 36 teams vied in a friendly meetup that raised about CA$40,000 for Strive, a program that provides scholarships and Rotarian mentoring to high school students. “In curling, [a tournament] is a bonspiel,” explains Paul Power, a past president of the club. “We call ours a ‘funspiel.’” Participants, including about a dozen club members, “love their curling,” says Power. “It’s not competitive whatsoever,” unless you count the points awarded to the best-dressed Mardi Gras-themed team. “It’s basically all hands on deck” — and on the granite stones players slide across the ice once the games begin.
Students learned to become environmental “solutionists” at a Maryland Rotary club’s youth summit, organizing battery and plastic recycling drives and teaching peers about growing trees. Teens at the environmental summit, the second hosted by the Rotary Club of Southern Frederick County (Urbana), joined a coalition of Interactors and other young people who volunteer to rescue uneaten school cafeteria food and compost waste. The students advocate with school leaders and state lawmakers, backed by Rotary members who support the expansion of the