Christine Krolik took the mic to begin the meeting with some announcements. The major item was our upcoming gala to celebrate Burlingame Rotary’s 100th anniversary. She asked who might know the date of the event and where it will be held. It was common knowledge that January 30th is the date and Kohl Mansion is the place. She encouraged everyone to go to our website to sign up. A show of hands indicated that most members were planning on attending.
Jennifer Pence came forward to update us on the Interact auction results from BHS Interact raised $1,000, out pacing last year. Thank you to all the generous Rotarians.
Sunshine report: Bob Doerr gave us the sad news that Charlie Rosebrook’s brother, Terry Rosebrook, passed away. We circulated a card.
President Phil Siegle was then allowed to take over the meeting. He asked Paul Watermulder to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
He then called on Doug Person to give the Invocation. Doug repeated one he had delivered in the past as he felt it was perfect for the season.
John Roberts, Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, delivered this speech for the Commencement Address at Cardigan, his son’s high school, on June 3, 2017.
Now the commencement speakers will typically also wish you good luck and extend good wishes to you. I will not do that, and I’ll tell you why. From time to time in the years to come, I hope you will be treated unfairly, so that you will come to know the value of justice. I hope that you will suffer betrayal because that will teach you the importance of loyalty. Sorry to say, but I hope you will be lonely from time to time so that you don’t take friends for granted. I wish you bad luck, again, from time to time so that you will be conscious of the role of chance in life and understand that your success is not completely deserved and that the failure of others is not completely deserved either. And whenyou lose, as you will from time to time, I hope every now and then, your opponent will gloat over your failure. It is a way for you to understand the importance of sportsmanship. I hope you’ll be ignored so you know the importance of listening to others, and I hope you will have just enough pain to learn compassion. Whether I wish these things or not, they’re going to happen. And whether you benefit from them or not will depend upon your ability to see the message in your misfortunes.
Visiting Rotarian – Dr. Peter Webb from the Rotary Club of San Mateo joined us as a guest of Pastor Paul.
Newscast +: To add a bit of holiday frivolity, Fritz Brauner entertained us with a Turkey Trivia Quiz. Below is a sampling. You will have to look up the answers as this editor can’t remember them.
1- What is the wobbly red piece of flesh on top of the beak of a turkey called?
Snood B) Wattle C) Comb D) Gobbler
2- Which U.S. state raises the most turkeys annually?
North Carolina B) Minnesota C) Arkansas D) Indiana
3- What is the average weight of a Thanksgiving turkey?
10 pounds B) 15 pounds C) 20 pounds D) 25 pound
4- How fast can a wild turkey run?
5 mph B) 10 mph C) 15 mph D) 20 mph
5- Which U.S. President officially pardoned the first turkey?
Abraham Lincoln B) Harry Truman C) John F. Kennedy D) George H.W. Bush
6- What is the process of soaking a turkey in a saltwater solution before cooking it called?
Marinating B) Brining C) Basting D) Poachin
Program: President Phil then called on our Three Amigos to present their traditional Thanksgiving program. Pastor Paul Watermulder, Rabbi Jay Miller and Father Michael Mahoney came forward to provide some post-election hope.
Paul led off the group by recounting an event from World War I on the Western Front when the German and the British called a temporary truce for Christmas, singing Adeste Fideles and even venturing out of their trenches. This year at Thanksgiving, we are challenged to also find ways of reconciliation amid cultural and political wars. It seems we have nearly as much tension as there was in that war, right here in– in churches & synagogues, Rotary clubs & faculties, corporate offices, medical staffs, on site work teams, etc. Even in families, especially around Thanksgiving meals.
Can you step out of your “trench” to meet those who politically you might feel are like enemies? What would happen if each of us believed in the infectious power of kindness?
Jay then shared some of his thoughts on the subject. “60 years ago, it was my first semester at Cal, And I was sitting in Wheeler Auditorium for Poli Sci 1, and Professor Gene Lee said something that has impacted my thinking, as a Rabbi, as a Political Scientist, and as a person, ever since.”
We think of the nation of all republican or democrats.
Not so, we are all individuals with varied perspectives.
Once every four years, we vote for a Democratic or Republican presidential candidate.
The next day we go back to being individuals with a range of perspectives.
Rotary is a segment of “We the People.” And in every nation. Think of what we do and accomplish.
We are transforming a school in India - because we can make a difference.
We determined, several decades ago, that women would not be excluded from Rotary- because we can make a difference.
We circulate a card, as we are doing today, of celebration or condolence, signed personally by individuals - because we can make a difference.
Father Michael, as always, sprinkled his presentation humor as well as humanism. He reminded us that life goes on no matter who heads our government. We’ve seen these changes many times before.
To hear the full program and words of wisdom from these three amazing gentlemen, list to the recording by clicking the link below.
