President Bill Kelly
August 5, 2021
We had a terrific speaker again this week (thanks, Andy). Robert Haines, director of the U-2 aircraft program joined us via Zoom for a very interesting presentation. Our Zoom technical difficulties were significant today as we moved to a new video platform. Our presenter was accommodating and worked with us during the Q&A session. We hope to have our technical issues worked out by next meeting.
Thanks to all who joined us in-person today as we complied with the new County Health directives on masking indoors. We were able to keep safe, while enjoying another delicious meal from the American Legion. Several Rotarians were unable to join us in-person, but added to a lively conversation on Zoom.
Meeting Highlights
Pledge: Lorenzo Rios led the club in the Pledge of Allegiance this week. Thanks, Lorenzo for accepting this last-minute assignment.
Inspiration: Ted Keech chose the timely topic of vaccines and virus protection as his inspirational talk this afternoon. As we continue to meet in-person, Ted challenged us to be as safe as possible and consider the health of our fellow Rotarians that we mingle with each week, with vaccines providing the highest protection from the pandemic. Members can always join online via Zoom if desired, for added safety.
Birthdays: No birthdays to note this week.
Anniversaries: Congratulations to Nima & Mahtab Moridi, who celebrated their anniversary today, August 5!
Rotary Anniversaries: Both Kelly Carr and Justin Citti joined our club on August 1st. Happy Rotary anniversary to you both.
We Care: No new reports from Don Skinner this week.
Upcoming events:
“Celebrate Santa Clara”, August 21, a 4-hour community event at Central Park. Rotarian Nick Streit is in contact with the City of Santa Clara, with whom we are partnering for this event. Per the City, the event is moving forward as planned, even considering the recent changes in the County Health safety orders.
More information regarding this event will be shared leading up to the event. Volunteers are needed to staff the beer station, and to staff the public relations table/booth. Please email President Bill Kelly to sign up.
The August Board Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday August 11th at 6 pm.
President’s Report:
The new County Health orders went into effect on August 2nd this week, which directed the use of personal protective masks during indoor meetings. I thank the American Legion staff and our members for working with this new set of rules and making our meeting successful. Adjusting to the adaptive challenges placed on us by this pandemic can be difficult, but we’re doing our best to make our club successful in spite of the restrictions. Thanks!
It was great to see Deborah York attend a meeting today. Deb discussed her recent bout with chemotherapy and the fact that she is sporting a new look, sans hair. Deb poked fun at the benefits of not having hair, and in having a positive attitude. Thanks, Deb for sharing your message today.
Thanks to Mike Moul for helping develop a schedule for the important role of Greeter/Inspiration provider each week. I will ask Mike to include all Rotarians in this assignment, including those who need to join us on Zoom during a particular week. That way, everyone can enjoy the role and inspire their fellow Rotarians. Please contact Mike Moul to help him fill out the schedule.
We continue to work with the online/in-person format. Our audio difficulties today were tough to manage, and caused quite a bit of frustration. We continue to change technology, which sometimes causes trouble the first time it is utilized. With more practice and training, we should have this worked out soon.
It was nice to see Colleen Noll at the meeting today. Colleen recently returned from Texas, after a lengthy work assignment. Colleen advised the club that she recently purchased a new Toyota Tacoma 4x4 vehicle at a greatly reduced price. She was feeling so grateful for saving money that she donated $250 to the club. Thank you, Colleen for your generous contribution!
Keynote Speaker:
Easy Perez presented our speaker by reading the significant resumé of Robert M. Haines, aerospace engineer and Director of the U-2 aircraft program with Lockeed Martin. Mr. Haines is an accomplished speaker as well as an accomplished professional.
During his presentation, Mr. Haines described the history of the U-2 aircraft program, including the early cold war incidents that almost caused a nuclear exchange between Russia and the United States. He also let us know the demands placed on U-2 pilots, of which he is one, aircraft capabilities, and various technical aspects of the aircraft. His question and answer session was interesting and informative as well.
Our speaker next week will Scott Stoll, a best-selling author and adventurist. His journeys are chronicled in his award-winning book, “Falling Uphill,” written after he bicycled over 32,000 miles in 59 countries and 6 continents. You can only imagine the stories he has to tell us in his presentation next week. If you like travel, engaging yourself a variety of environments and cultures, and developing relationships with people you meet, you will want to hear Scott Stoll. Feel free to invite a friend to the meeting to hear this interesting presentation. It promises to be fun.
See everyone next Thursday, August 12th, at the American Legion Hall.
American Legion post 419,
958 Homestead Rd,
Santa Clara, CA 95050