Weekly eBulletin - Oct. 30, 2013

UCLA/USC TAILGATE LUNCHEON – Joint meeting with 4 Torrance Clubs, Tuesday Nov. 26, 12:00 $30, club responsible for 60 tickets, 370 attendees, Speakers – USC J. K McKay, UCLA Kevin Jordan - Scott Fellows update: “At present our club still has 35 tickets unsold. We must meet our obligation to buy all of the luncheon tickets our club has committed to, as we have already issued a check for the total amount to the event." The Tailgate committee still needs two volunteers from each participating club to assist on November 26^th with the Tailgate Luncheon.  We will need you from 9 a.m. to about the conclusion of the event at 1:30 p.m. See Scott to volunteer.

President-elect Rolando Andrade has called for a meeting of all past-presidents of the club immediately after this meeting concludes.  That will be at 1:30 today.

Comment on club website – Internet and Website Wizard, former Prez Bill Paul, urged all members (and anyone we know that use how to use a computer) to visit the club website, cruise around a bit, and learn more about what and when we are asked to participate in the community in which we live and work. Mr. Paul also mentioned that putting all of our info online is a lot of work and after typing this last sentence (correctly, I might add) I know exactly how hard it is to maintain such an important online site.

Past President Proud Moments – Gayle Bailey – 2004-05:  Ms. Bailey was our club president during the 100^th anniversary of Rotary, and she was the first female president in our Rotary club since the two clubs, Riviera & North Redondo Beach, merged during the 1998 – 1999 calendar year. She noted that Pat Cashin was the Rotary district governor at that time and Ms. Bailey was proud to announce that during her tenure as Prez, Redondo Beach Rotary became a 100% Paul Harris club. She further noted that any president is only as good as the members to actually get involved in the projects Rotary supports.      Amen to that!!

SPEAKER – Eli Gauna Craft Talk: Before PDG and new Redondo Rotarian, Mr. Guana started his wonderful “craft talk” (actually the story of his life) he discussed his speaker’s fees and how much they should be. After noting the charges required to satisfy the speaker’s time and effort, the figures ranging up to several hundred dollars, he finally decided to give $10 to our foundation. Your humble correspondent notes that if it were me standing there, I would have held out for $20 and have those modest funds be channeled in the opposite direction. But I digress.  

To properly tell his story, he needed to go back to where he was born and to explain what he has done with his life and how he epitomizes the American Dream.  Mr. Guana was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1937, and shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor his family moved to Canoga Park, California, a middle class city in the San Fernando Valley. His father enlisted in the Army and was killed in the famous battle of Iwo Jima in 1943. He had no memory of his father and was raised mostly by his grandparents, who apparently did a great job. He graduated high school in 1955, but a year before that regular June event he lied about his age and enlisted in the California National Guard, staying until 1960. He was promoted to rank of Sergeant, and still today jokes about the kindred relationships he had with soldiers under his command. He proudly notes that while he was in uniform, no one picked a fight with the USA.

In 1956 he enrolled college at UCLA, earning his BA in History in 1960. Also, and during that time, he fought in the Golden Gloves boxing competition beating every opponent he faced. After pounding an assortment of boxers, he found the time to earn a Masters Degree, also in History at UCLA. Huge accomplishments and finished in just 6 years. Your humble correspondent also attended the same university, and in 7 really fun years was proud to earn a single degree, also in History. Again, I digress. 

Shortly after graduation he met the love of his life, and was married in 1965. The fact that his wife looked remarkably like former First Lady, Jackie Kennedy is obviously beside the point. He has great taste in relationships and together they created a wonderful family, their two sons becoming champion swimmers, Valedictorians in High School and both earning scholarships to college. They are blessed with many grandchildren.

In 1972, he heard of a distinguished community service organization, Rotary International, and joined the Van Nuys club in 1972, becoming the District 5260 Governor in 1991-92. He sites two accomplishments as his most important and satisfying projects: He went twice to Mexico to deliver fire trucks to Firefighters and school supplies and specialized equipment to the Braille Institute, in Mexico City.

All in all, PDG Eli Guana has led a very important life, one in which he mentors people at every opportunity and his legacy to the world, and especially to Rotary, will be one of the finest ever. Past Prez, Bill Paul, emotionally followed by noting this craft talk was one of the finest he has ever heard. Your humble correspondent strongly agrees.

FINE MASTER: Steve (or someone), Mayor Aspel was absent which meant no member got fined today.

Raffle Ticket – green marble. Bill Gard didn't get the green marble and had to settle for a measly $10, however he graciously donated the money back to the foundation. Our speaker from a week ago, Kate Rosloff from Holland donated a couple of “Stroop Wafles” in cute little boxes. They are a little Dutch cookie. Yummy.

Joke Master - Chantel King: She labored (really, she did) to tell us just how to tell if someone is too old to go out Trick or Treating. While I can’t believe she spent the time to make the “Top Ten” list on 5 large poster boards, the joke was actually quite funny.