Rotary
Club of Santa Monica
"COLOR YOUR LIFE WITH
ROTARY"
Rota-Monica
ISSUE
NO. 44
JUNE 15, 2001
OUR 80th YEAR
http://RotaryClubofSantaMonica.org
WHY THERE
ARE “CRAFT” TALKS
When
Rotary started in 1905 it was a small group of businessmen. They were bothered
a bit by the realization that they knew little about any business but their
own. One of the club’s chief aims was to give members insight into one
another’s occupations. “When you know a man’s business you know him,”
wrote Paul Harris, the founder. “Rotary brings together business and
professional men … in order that they may be more intelligible to each other
and therefore more sympathetic and friendly and helpful.”
Accordingly
weekly meetings were held at each member’s office, in rotation (hence the
name Rotary). The host was also speaker of the day, telling about his own line
of work. When the club grew a little and brought in professional people as
well as business owners, the talks came to be called “craft” talks,
perhaps because no other word covered the varying work of all members.
By
the time Rotary International had more than a million members, “craft
talks” were part of the tradition at each local club, but nobody remembered
exactly what the term meant. And instead of being the standard every-week
fare, they became just occasional features as the club shifted to a regular
meeting place instead of at offices.
So
now, when one of our members is asked to give a “craft talk” he reads
whatever meaning he chooses into the term. It usually turns out to be a
fragmentary story of his life. And some of our members never get on our
schedule as craft talkers, because there isn’t room for each of the 100-plus
members on the year’s list.
That’s
how it happened, probably, that we have one longtime member as well as one new
member on the program for this Friday. The former is Hal Quigley, our incoming
president, who has been a Rotarian since 1979. Practically everyone who has
been in the club for long has gotten acquainted with Hal, because he has
served three years on the board of directors, headed various committees, and
reviewed the club books as a CPA. He has also worked and traveled widely, and
maybe he’ll tell us some of his experiences on the road.
Our
other craft talker is Dr. Edward “Ted” Chough, a general surgeon, one of
our newer members. Like many doctors, he’s hard to reach by phone, so Rota-Monica
has no information to pass along. But he’s a pleasant affable type, and
he’ll undoubtedly have interesting facts about himself to disclose.
IT
WAS A FINE YEAR
Another
Rotary year will become history on Friday evening, June 22nd.
Thinking back, I’m warmed by appreciation of the many members who contributed
generously when President John approached them so gracefully and gratefully. And
we can all feel good about the charitable uses of these funds, as distributed by
our club committees. The efforts and judgment of the committees are to be
commended.
From
my reportorial vantagepoint I’ve enjoyed watching the fining process and
reporting it to you. It couldn’t have been finer. I also thank Keith Monroe
for his editorial touches, which improved my reports. I look forward to the
coming year when I’ll report, I hope, many more tributes to members,
accompanied by ample fines, to keep serving the community.
Thanks, Lionel Ruhman
HELLO,
GOODBYE, HURRY BACK
During
the past month we greeted one new member who isn’t at all new to Rotary:
Gerald S. “Gerry” Smallwood, a Yorkshire Englishman who has been a Rotarian
in Hong Kong, Bangkok, and Kuala Lumpur. He heads his own company, Smallwood
& Co. At the same time we said goodbye to Dan Ehrler, who has been executive
vice-president of the Chamber of Commerce but is leaving to take another
position. Meanwhile Lorraine Jossel and Stephanie Droker are on leaves of
absence until the end of June.
HIATUS
(SORT OF) WILL SOON BE WITH US
Here
comes that special time for Rotarians: end of term for all officers, marked by
brisk ceremonials, then jollification, then quietude. Don’t try to come to a
Rotary luncheon on June 22. There won’t be any. So don’t expect a Rota-Monica
either.
Lest
you forget, June 22 is when we gather at dusk instead of at noon, and formally
overthrow our outgoing President John Lehne. The setting: the Riviera Country
Club, as usual.
John’s
liquidation will be the central fact of a memorable drama conceived by certain
noted impresarios within the club, and enacted by a noteworthy array of resident
stars. Beforehand, starting at 6:30, cocktails will be served, then dinner, with
music for dancing. It counts as a regular meeting and costs $30 for members, $45
for spouses and guests. Invitations have been sent to all members. You didn’t
forget to respond did you?
WHEN
PRACTICE PAID OFF
On
May 31 a van carrying ten people flipped several times, landing crumpled near
Interstate 5. A lone Highway Patrol officer was trying to deal with the scene
when three cars from Santa Monica Scout Troop 2 stopped, en route from a weekend
camp.
What
happened thereafter will interest members of our club who’ve been connected
with the troop (and maybe others who don’t realize that we are the troop’s
sponsor, at least on paper).
The
troop cars carried five Scouts, two assistant Scoutmasters and four parents. The
group offered aid to the CHP man who speedily divided up tasks. Different troop
individuals helped ease victims from the wreckage, stopped a hemorrhage, gave
rescue breathing, applied temporary dressings, treated for shock, talked
comfortingly to victims. Later they fetched and carried for arriving paramedics.
The youngest Scout continuously directed highway traffic.
Plenty
of official help arrived but the scout group stayed to do odd jobs and helped
lift victims into ambulances (nine of the ten eventually survived). Then they
cleaned blood off themselves with help from a fireman, gave reports to those in
charge, and acknowledged thanks for “stabilizing the scene.” Listeners were
impressed to hear about the troop’s annual “Bloody Monday” when it copes
with simulated accidents all over town, then listens to experts’ critiques.
(By coincidence, the latest Bloody Monday had been held just the previous week.)
In
the troop’s 58-year history, this was the fourth time members have pitched in
after a major highway accident – but the first when adults compiled a detailed
report.
WHAT’S
AHEAD?
