UPCOMING PROGRAMS
June 13: Scholastic Heroes
Day at Dodger Stadium
June 20: Prez Ken Demotion
CALENDAR IT NOW
July 1: Alan Bernstein begins
term as 106th LA5 President
July 11: Inaugural Meeting of
the new Rotary Year.
July 18: Michael Feinstein,
Conductor Pasadena Pops.
July 25: Andrea Van de Kamp,
Walt Disney Concert Hall
VISIT WWW.ROTARYLA5.ORG FOR MORE
INFORMATION ON SPEAKERS & EVENTS
it will be the BEST MEETING all year
Dodger Stadium Hosts LA5 on Friday
T he popularity of Prez Ken’s lunches have packed the California Club and the City Club for months
but the savvy leader saved the best meeting of the year for this Friday — only a week before his demo-
tion. Many club old-timers know what he is up to: Ken wants
everyone to have the best time and therefore he hopes they
will be charitable at his demotion on June 20.
“It’s pretty obvious,” said one member who preferred to not be identified. “The Dodgers are again the sweethearts of Los Angeles. There’ll be lots of players and the lunch is gratis. I
think he is just buying goodwill so that he doesn’t get
roasted too badly next week.”
Program Chair Jose Vera replied, “I wouldn’t bet on it.”
Rotary Club of Los Angeles
established 1909
June 13, 2014
rotaryLA5.org
Marjorie Heller, Community Service Grants Approval Committee co-chair, handed out another batch of checks at the Friday meeting. Marjorie welcomed Whitney Smith (Ketchum-Downtown YMCA) and presented her with a check for $3000, Jacki Weber (Homeboys Indus-
tries) received a check for $4000 and Deanna Wilcox (Executive Director, Kids-Net LA) took back $2500.
2 El Rodeo
El Rodeo 3
Nick Griego was fined for closing a real estate deal in Palos Verdes and doing business with fellow LA5er Peter Weinberger.
Prez Ken apologized claiming, “We just gotta make money.”
If you missed seeing the gang last week
Paul Richey and Al Shonk aren’t sure. Should we go with the seafood salad or the eggplant parmigiana? Where the heck is gas-
tronome Ben Tunnell to help us make the choice?
Past President Don Crocker gave Prez Ken one of his paintings to skirt a president fine. Is that a view from Nick Griego's PV List-
ing?
Prez Ken welcomes newest member Carrie Hidding and thanks her sponsor Keith Ellis.
Prez Ken bragged he’s collected three times the presidential fines the prior three presidents had assessed. Treasurer Don Robinson
says the club’s finances are in the black thanks to Ken’s draco-nian gavel banging.
John Langfitt huddled with program speaker Gary Glasberg to ready him for dozens of LA5ers who may approach him with televi-
sion script concepts. Art Kassel ably handled all security.
Ben’s Lunch Advice World-class Gastronome Ben Tunnell heads for the Chicago
Blues Festival this weekend to hear his favorite performer, Dr.
John. He heads for LAX after
this wonderful Friday lunch.
Diners: You MUST have a prior reservation for the Dodger Stadium Scholarship lunch and there are absolutely NO seats for walk-ins.
There is no non-diner option today.
ENTREE: Dodger fare.
VEGETARIAN: Dodger fare.
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P rez Ken cracked the whip and
threatened the already hard working Board or Directors they would not get
dinner or a bathroom break until the annual legislation is complete. Board actions include approval of meeting minutes, financial
statements, community grants following com-mittee review, international projects, member-ship applications and resignations and updat-
ing the club’s by-laws.
New Membership Approvals
Carrie Hidding, sponsored by Keith Ellis.
Community Grant Approvals
$3,000 for Eisner Pediatric and Family Medical
Center to implement the Healthy Habits pro-
gram.
$3,500 for The Friends of EXPO Center to sup-port the After School Academic Enrichment
Program of the EXPO Youth Orchestra.
$4,000 for Homeboy Industries to fund a fork-
lift training program.
$3,000 for Stuart M. Ketchum YMCA to pur-chase three computers for SAT and college
preparation workshops.
$3,000 for Salvation Army to fund the Red
Shield Literacy project.
$2,285 for SOS Mentoring poster contest
prizes.
You May Have Won $6,250
N o one claimed the El Rodeo weekly raffle last week, therefore the poten-
tial prize grew a little larger. Win-ners may keep the money, bribe a
club officer or apply it towards LA5 member-ship dues and lunches. The raffle winners
this week are:
● Chris C. (joined LA5 in 2000) ● Galen E. (joined LA5 in 2008) ● Vic M. (joined LA5 in 1989)
● Jim M. (joined LA5 in 1990)
● Robert V. (joined LA5 in 2005)
If you see your name, you must contact either Prez Ken or Jon Gibby before June 16, to
claim your prize. No attorneys, please.
Directors cannot take a break
Board Actions
Proliferate
as Year End Approaches
New rules posted at the prestigious California Club had many club veterans in a snit. Said one, “This is a free country and I’m going to grow mutton chops sideburns to show them.”
Chartered June 25, 1909
Club Leadership 2013-14
Ken Chong, President Alan Bernstein, President-Elect Jose Vera, Vice-President Elizabeth Wheeler, Secretary Don Robinson, Treasurer Jay Richardson, Past President
Club Service Arthur Kassel Paul Richey
Community Service Margaret Karren Jim Hoyt
Funding Todd Johnson Al Shonk
International Service Laine Wagenseller Rick Sarmiento
Membership and Retention Charisse Older Erick Weiss
Vocational Service John Miller John Jaacks
Youth Service Anthony Calloway Paul Jacques
Sergeant-at-Arms Paul Ekstrand Barry Hytowitz Steve Sommers
Executive Director Jon Gibby [email protected]
Rotary Club of Los Angeles 523 West Sixth Street, Suite 718 Los Angeles, CA 90014 Telephone 213.624.8601 Facsimile 213.624.2694 WWW.ROTARYLA5.ORG
District 5280 Governor Doug Baker
El Rodeo Marc Leeka, Editor Peter Weinberger, Sr. Reporter Tony Medley, Photographer
Rotarians You Want to Know:
Marjorie Heller
I f you are a new member who has
yet to learn why LA5 makes a differ-ence in our city, Marjorie Heller
passionately suggests you join the Community Service Grant Committee. She says, “The committee is the gateway
to familiarize yourself with nonprofits in our community. Committee members identify unfulfilled local needs and recom-
mend LA5 grants funded by donations
from the club membership.”
In short, Marjorie feels this is the best committee in LA5 because “it is LA5’s investment in a better tomorrow. This is how new members learn how Rotary cares
and why LA5 is so impor-
tant in Los Angeles!”
Marjorie joined the club in 1996 and, by her account, she sees her friends at LA5
more often than her sister who lives across town. She treasures Friday lunches
because it is her time dedi-cated to making new
friends.
“Of all the LA5 activities I’ve attended, the Angel City
Celebration and Giveaway last December was probably the best. Hundreds of Ro-
tary volunteers gave away thousands of toys, tons of
clothing and everybody got a pancake breakfast. It was
THE BEST!”
If you haven’t met Marjorie yet, then please introduce
yourself at the next meet-
ing.
Marjorie’s Favorites
The best city I have ever visited is Istanbul because it is so rich
with history and art, plus great
food.
If I had only one last restaurant
meal in Los Angeles I would go to Huge Tree Pastry on Atlantic
Boulevard in Monterey Park.
The last book I read was The Everything Mother of the Bride Book by Katie Martin. Now that the wedding is over, I am too
pooped to pick up a new book.
If I could take only three albums to a desert island I would bring
Dvorák’s From the New World Symphony #9 conducted by Ist-
ván Kertész, Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons with Takako Nishizaki
on violin and Aaron Copland with the London Symphony per-
forming his Rodeo ballet suite.
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T he 105th Rotary International Conven-
tion was held in Sydney, Australia, on the first weekend of June. Four days were
packed with plenary sessions, workshops and world class keynote speakers. Although the offi-cial count will not be released for another month,
more than 18,000 Rotary club members from over 150 countries were expected to attend including about 50 from District 5280. It was anticipated that
clubs in Australia, United States, Japan, Korea, Tai-wan, Canada, India, New Zealand, Philippines and
Bangladesh would comprise the greatest participa-
tion.
A major portion of the convention was devoted to
Rotary's top priority: the global eradication of polio. The convention included an update on Rotary's
funding campaign with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, in which the latter will match 2 for 1 every new dollar Rotary commits to polio eradication
up to $35,000,000 per year through 2018.
Rotary launched its polio eradication program in 1985, and in 1988 helped launch the Global Polio
Eradication Initiative. Rotary members have since contributed more than $1.2-billion and countless
volunteer hours to protect more than two billion children in 122 countries from polio. Since the ini-tiative launched in 1988, the incidence of polio has
plummeted by more than 99 percent, from about 350,000 cases a year to 416 in 2013 and only 89
confirmed so far this year.
LA5’s own J.T. Waring, whose clean water projects in Myanmar and efforts to create the new Rotary
Club of Yangon have been successful, saw the Myanmar flag presented at the colorful opening ceremony. Rotary was established in Burma in 1928
but in 1962 all nongovernmental organizations were
banned in the renamed country Myanmar.
LA5er J.T. Waring and a Historic Moment
Annual Rotary Convention
The Myanmar flag is presented at the Sydney Interna-tional Convention, the first time the country has had an authorized Rotary Club since 1962. Photo by Alyce
Henson.
Convention-goers enjoyed a concert and light show at the Sydney Opera House. The building was illuminated with an End Polio Now message in 2009 in honor of Rotary's
104th anniversary. Photo by Mark Wallace.