Welcome by President Emily Mathews
President Emily called the meeting to order at 12:15 from her vacation location in Newport Beach. Sans her great-grandmother’s bell, an ice bucket had to suffice.
Charles Voltz asked us to place our hand over our heart or salute as he led us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Suzanne Juptner was tasked with delivering our invocation. She took the opportunity to remember and honor the late
Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg who in her 80’s was referred to as Notorious RBG. This was a play on rapper Biggie Smalls’ “Notorious BIG” nickname. He was 6’2” and almost 400 pounds and RBG was 5’ and less than 100 pounds. When asked if she felt uncomfortable with a name derived from a gangster rapper, she said “
Why should I feel uncomfortable? We have a lot in common. First and foremost, we were both born and bred in Brooklyn, New York”.
Ruth Bader Ginsberg delivered much wisdom during her lifetime. Suzanne gave us one of her favorites which dealt with turning rejection into opportunity. “You think about what would have happened… Supposed I had gotten a job as a permanent law associate. Probably I would have climbed up the ladder and today I would be a retired partner. So often in life, the things you regard as an impediment turn out to be great good fortune.”
Guests and Visitors:
We had a guest today, former Burlingame Rotarian Alex Kent.
Announcements:
Emily reminded us that the Flamingo Flockings are continuing with more two this week. First time Flocker Suzanne Juptner will pinch hit for Emily.
Our Zoom Happy Hour will be held on Friday.
Cheryl Fama informed us that Sonrisas Dental Health will hold its Virtual Wine Tasting event on Friday, October 16th. There is a link on our website. This is a fundraiser so that Sonrisas can continue to provide dental care to uninsured children.
Alex Buljan will finally be able to deliver his Car Talk presentation on the Hillsborough Concours d’Elegance on Tuesday, October 13.
Cary Koh gave us an update on our 9th Annual Rotary Golf Tournament that will be held at Green Hills Country Club on Monday, October 12. We have over 80 golfers signed up so far. This is the only real fundraiser this year. Even if you do not play golf there are ways to help. You can donate through our Fund-a-Need link. We also have a great raffle with some super prizes. A ticket is $100. Check out the packages on our website.
Newscast:
Fritz Brauner, perpetual newscaster, entertained us once again with a list of National Day of trivia. Who knew there would be a National Chocolate Covered Pretzel Day? A quick poll showed that Rotarians prefer light chocolate to dark chocolate two to one. It was also Nat’l LED (light-emitting diodes) Day. National Walk to School Day has new meaning in this Zoom and COVID era. It is now a short walk for most students. And in honor of our speaker, a former Berkeley police office, Fritz informed us that today is National Coffee with a Cop Day.
Speaker:
Fritz wished our speaker,
Paul Watermulder, best wishes on his upcoming birthday. He asked Paul where he had been born. Trenton, New Jersey. He then introduced Paul by reading what Paul had written about his topic,
Life Lessons Learned as a Street Cop.
“For me, becoming a cop in an active urban department was like throwing a child into the swimming pool to see if it is sink or swim. I knew next to nothing about crime and criminals, or dysfunctional families, or mental illness, or addiction, or really about people who could not be trusted. Baptism by fire! And the best life lessons I could possibly have had alongside men who became closer to me in three years than most people get in 33 years. For my program, I will talk about making mistakes, the thin blue line, the effects of poverty, formation of loyalty and trust, the pathos of suicide, the role of mercy alongside justice, and so forth.”
Paul began his talk with a little bit about himself and his varied background. After growing up in upstate New York and suburban Philadelphia he graduated from Vanderbilt in 1970. He spent a bit of time on an oil tanker in the Gulf. He was a Presbyterian minister for 40 years until his retirement. He has four children, two of which followed in his footsteps. One as an Oakland police officer and the other a Presbyterian minister.
In 1972, after initially being turned down for a position with the Berkeley Police Department, he naively appealed to the mayor of Berkeley to be reconsidered. That worked! He began as a police officer with BPD and served until 1974. Paul broke his talk into various insights learned on the job.
HUMILITY – There are good and bad cops. A cop should not swagger. Everyone makes mistakes and hopefully learns from them. During one of his first arrests the young alleged thief asked to see his mama before being taken in for booking. Paul dropped him off at his home and told him to come back to the car in five minutes. In the front door and out the back. Lesson learned.
COMPASSION – Early in his career as a beat cop he responded to a number of fire alarm boxes being triggered. Then soon after received a call of a fight in a pizza restaurant. There was no fight. They then apprehended a 14-year-old burglary suspect who was responsible for these three false alarms. It turned out the juvenile was being raised by a disabled aunt. His actions were a cry for help! He was set up with a social worker who was able to help the boy.
BOUNDRIES – While patrolling at 1AM Paul pulled over a 17-year-old in a stolen car. As a juvenile he was immediately released. Paul encountered him the same day, at 4:30AM, attempting to steal another automobile. There is a thin blue line. There is a need to prevent evil.
POVERTY – In Paul’s three years with the Berkeley PD most of the people with whom he interacted were under the poverty line. They had no money, poor hygiene and usually a police record. There was an 80% chance that they had recently been in jail. Domestic disputes were most common. They were usually a result of the stresses of poverty. Often there was no food in the house. Paul learned to provide a bag of groceries upon his arrival. That often diffused the situation.
FAMILY LIFE – Ones family is the core foundation, perfect or not, for the outcome for children and youths. Paul encountered a 14-year-old in the back of a truck with his dog and beer and cigarettes that he had shoplifted. It turns out that he had run away from his home in Florida. The youth begged Paul not to call his mother. He finally relented and Paul phoned Florida. The woman said, “I’ll send for the dog, you keep the boy”. In another tragic case Paul responded to a shooting. The victim was restrained in the ambulance but begged Paul not to tell his father who was an Ivy League professor. The youth died but had kept a journal chronicling his plans for suicide because he could not live up to the expectations of his family.
Paul reminded us that evil does not have to win. He then closed with his definition of a good cop.
“A good cop protects the vulnerable from the bullies.”
Questions:
Nancy Bush asked Paul why he had chosen to become a pastor. He responded that God had spoken to him very clearly.
Jennifer Pence asked about community policing. Paul responded that the best way to create good relationships between the police and the citizens was by walking a beat. He questioned the militarization of many police departments.
President Emily thanked Paul for his very personal and inspiring presentation. She will send him the certificate acknowledging five polio vaccinations to be provided in his honor.
There was late breaking news presented by Cheryl Fama. The Peninsula Health Care District and Ability Path have partnered to establish rental units in two San Mateo homes for developmentally challenged adults. One of those homes will be named The Young Home after our very own Sheryl Young, former CEO of Ability Path.
The meeting was officially adjourned.
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Adjourn
