Rotagram for Wednesday, Feb 22, 2023

Meeting was called to order by Club President Joe Lins. He welcomed everyone in attendance and thanked President Elect Jim Ripley for stepping in for last week’s meeting. “When he asked me to take his place this week, I said of course. It was then when he told me all I had to do was sit in the back and be quiet!” He welcomed Nikki Rogers as the soon to be Newest Nine Member.

President Lins welcomed and introduced newly transferred Fullerton South. “Would you guys stand and be recognized please?” He let each member introduce themselves, starting with Robert Jarvis a contractor in asphalt paving. Robert grew up in Fullerton and went to High School in La Habra, “Rotary has been a big part of my life for the last 15 years.” Aaron Gregg is an attorney in Fullerton. He says that there was a time that he was the youngest member at Fullerton South. Aaron lives here in Fullerton, “I proud to be here and hope to be a positive influence.” Dr. Paul Simon is a dentist in Fullerton. He says he moved away 12 years ago but what keeps him in Fullerton is Rotary and his condo. Matthew Reeskin is a Physical Therapist with 4 practices in the city of Fullerton. He has been a Rotarian for 10 years now and he says he was the youngest person when he joined. Dick Ackerman, former lawyer, former politician and Brett Ackerman’s father, “I was never the youngest person in my Rotary Club.” President Lins asked the club to give them a great Fullerton Rotary Club welcome!

Today’s important facts, what is blue and doesn’t weigh very much? Many tried to guess but no one got it correct. The answer is light blue. Another important fact of the day, to the person who invented zero, thanks for nothing. Randy for President chants took over the room.

On This Day segment, in 1903, Major League Baseball Rules Committee rule that pitcher’s mound must not be more than 15 inches higher than the baselines or home plate. “Now they’re making the bases bigger and rounder and higher.” In 1941, former University of Notre Dame star fullback Elmer Layden is named first Commissioner of the NFL. In 1949, former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion Joe Louis retires with a 66-3-0 record including 52 knockouts. He defended the title a record 25 times. In 1993, the New Expansion National Hockey League team, owned in Anaheim by Disney, receives its name, inspired by the 1992 Disney movie, ‘The Mighty Ducks.’ Since the topic of ducks was brought up, President Lins showed the club his imitation of a duck. He credits his father Greg Lins for his awesome personality.

For our Commencement Ceremonies, Rashawn Underdue gave us our Invocation. He expressed the word gratitude, the quality of being faithful and the readiness to show appreciation. “One of the things we try to do at our house is take emotions and make them into actions.” He recited a poem by an artist named Joy Harjo entitled, “Perhaps the World Ends Here.” The world begins at a kitchen table. No matter what, we must eat to live. The gifts of earth are brought and prepared, set on the table. So it has been since creation, and it will go on. We chase chickens or dogs away from it. Babies teethe at the corners. They scrape their knees under it. It is here that children are given instructions on what it means to be human. We make men at it, we make women. At this table we gossip, recall enemies and the ghosts of lovers. Our dreams drink coffee with us as they put their arms around our children. They laugh with us at our poor falling-down selves and as we put ourselves back together once again at the table. This table has been a house in the rain, an umbrella in the sun. Wars have begun and ended at this table. It is a place to hide in the shadow of terror. A place to celebrate the terrible victory. We have given birth on this table and have prepared our parents for burial here. At this table we sing with joy, with sorrow. We pray of suffering and remorse. We give thanks. Perhaps the world will end at the kitchen table, while we are laughing and crying, eating of the last sweet bite. Rashawn led us in prayer.

For our Patriotic Moment, Leslie McCarthy led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Our Songmaster, Bud Lang, asked the club members in attendance if anyone knew what March 28th was. “It’s the beginning of baseball season. Let’s stand up and do the Star-Spangled Banner.”

Today’s announcements, March 29 is the Annual State of the City Address, which conflicts with our club’s meeting on Wednesday’s. In the past years, our club’s meeting attendance has not met our minimum guarantee. The Fullerton Rotary Club Board has decided, after careful consideration, to not have a lunch meeting that day, giving members an opportunity to attend the event guilt free.

Leslie McCarthy announced a Friend raiser and Membership Drive, that she and Bailey Klein are working on for our April 26 meeting. “It will be very dissimilar to last year’s. But it still will be fun and inviting. Our challenge to you is in the next month and a half, please start scouting friends, frenemies, your pastor, your priest, your father confessor so we can hear their speech during their Craft Talks. Anybody that you think will be a good fit for this club. The more the merrier.”

Miko announced Top 100 Banquets for 2023. March 29 is the event at Sunny Hills High School Theater with a reception in the cafeteria. Miko invited new member Steve McLaughlin, Fullerton High School District Administrator, to attend the event.

Today’s Finemaster/Recognition Master was past club secretary Bob Muschek. He thanked our club members for such a warm welcome. He immediately fined himself for his impromptu exit from last week’s meeting. “I had just gotten my lunch plate. I took about 3 mouthfuls when I got a call from the church, I am the first responder for the Methodist Church.” He said that a pipe burst caused a flood which caused the fire alarm to go off in the middle of pre-school class. In a funny interaction, he recognized Brett Ackerman’s birthday, “What do you expect to do on your birthday?” Brett said he wants to spend some time at Big Bear Mountain, “how will you get up to Big Bear? By dog sled or something else?” joked Mr. Muschek. Brett was fined $5. Matt Howells was not present but recognized for his upcoming 3-year Rotary Anniversary. Not satisfied with his $5 collected in the pot, he fined everyone sitting in the tables with new members to put in $1, “in celebration of our new members.” President Joe Lins was recognized for winning the “Randy McFarland Silly Joke Award.” He gave a humble brag for a $20 fine, “between now and August, I will have 3 new great grandchildren.” Thad Sanford, “My grandson is in the Marine Corps as a Second Lieutenant in the Infantry. He was just reassigned to 29 Palms, home to the Joshua Tree National Park Headquarters and the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center, the world’s largest Marine Corps training base.” Mr. Muschek said he has a lot of respect for the Marine Corps. Miko bragged about being a first-time great grandmother. Congratulations Miko! Fullerton South member bragged about his two daughters who play water polo at Sunny Hills High School, who achieved the winningest record. Minard Duncan bragged about his Marine friend who accomplished 400 missions, who, unfortunately passed recently. Mr. Bob Muschek did a great job as Finemaster and generated some money for the club. Great Job Mr. Muschek.

Our Program at hand, The Award Winning, Loan Giving, Rotarian Theresa Stachelski AKA Tez! She thanked everyone for having her. She reflected on how she always wanted to be a Native American, “I was sort of pissed off about it when I was a kid because I wasn’t one.” She remembers a song by Cher entitled, “Half-Breed,” that further her desire to want to be a Native American. Tez is of Italian descent, and she is extremely proud of it as well, and she used it to her advantage when the time called for it. “When I was in my dorm rooms at Cal Poly, one of my friends was kind of being accosted by some cowboy,” tells Tez. “This guy referred to me as the Italian Stallion, which was kind of stupid. At least he knew I was Italian.” She remembers a night when the Cowboy got into a shouting match with her friend and Tez’ Brooklyn mafioso accent took over her. Needless to say, it worked. Tez’s early education years were spent in the “penitentiary,” also known as Catholic School. She went to St. John High School in Santa Fe Springs, “it was a great time. I really enjoyed my time there.” At Cal Poly Pomona, she remembers that her football team was “crappy”, so the athletics department canceled football all together. While at Cal Poly, she earned her BS on ‘BS’, “I have a Bachelor of Science in Public Relations. If you knew me, you would know that keeping my mouth under control and saying the right thing is virtually impossible. Having a Public Relations degree was probably the stupidest major I could have chosen.” Tez has been working in Real Estate as a loan officer for the past 30 years, in home finance. “A lot of my clients become friends. I am used to nurturing and nagging. To get somebody into a house is a really cool experience.” Tez deals with the stresses of her job unlike others, “I started making Jewel Hearts out of vintage jewelry.” She sells these items at different locations in Fullerton. Tez’s most important facets of her life are her twins, a boy who is 6’8” and a girl who is 5’3”, which makes them easily identifiable. “I spend most of my time trying to maintain my patience. When someone asks me if they are identical, I politely say that everything needs to be identical. They don’t look alike.” Tez’s husband, Bob, is an engineer who she considers as a genius. They have a great and fun relationship, “every year we go to Pismo Beach for the summer.” She started her non-profit and philanthropic work with the YWCA several years ago as an Executive Board member. “The thing I like about the YWCA is that they’ve been around forever and from day one, they’ve included women of color. Which I thought was the coolest thing.” Another non-profit organization that she partners with in Fullerton is NGA, the National Giving Alliance, “it’s a really cool organization and it’s manned by some really lovely lovey Fullerton residents.” Crittenton Services in one of her most proudest moments as well. She credits Joyce Capelle for her joining the Board at Crittenton. “Joyce is genius! She is an amazing human being and she created a situation where kids from abysmal circumstances have kind of died and gone to heaven. It’s such a wonderful organization.” Crittenton services offers behavioral health care, safe shelter, and individualized support to help the most vulnerable system-involved children, youth, and families. She had a very hands-on approach with her work during COVID-19, “I kept hearing about how the nurses at the hospitals didn’t have enough PPE. I started hand sewing face masks. I advertised them on FB at no charge, as many as you need situation. I made about 800 of those.” Her act of kindness spread as others donated supplies. She ended her Craft Talk with a mention of her membership of DAR, Daughters of American Revolution, where she did some charity work in the form of making 400 face masks for the Navajo Nation. Tez received a round of applause for her awesome presentation. President Lins presented her with the highly coveted speakers award, “thank you very much and congratulations on all your success.”

Save the Date, Fullerton Mayor’s Prayer Breakfast on May 5th with Fram Virjee as the Keynote speaker. Also, Fullerton State of the City on March 29 at Cal State Fullerton.

Last thing on the agenda, the Opportunity Drawing and two more drawings for a free Muck event courtesy of Farrell. Lucky ticket holder, 6369830, Robert Jarvis wins the $32 but will take the large cash settlement of $1.2 million instead. Lucky ticket holders 6369814, 6369827, Leslie McCarthy and Nikki Rogers each win one ticket to the Muck. “Join us next week for a hot presentation from our Fullerton Fire Chief Adam Loeser. Thanks again for coming today. We will see you next week. Charge On! Meeting adjourned.”