1/29/08

It’s cold outside, but warm in here. That might explain the excellent attendance we were experiencing. S. Hearn on tickets despite her injuries and E. Letvitch on the fine box. Soon after the meeting began, it was rumored that the fine box position was bought off of E. Letvitch by no other than professional rainy day golfer, G. Maxe. Song leader was F. Bliss, is B. Rice taking a break this week? B. Faye lead invocation.

We had a couple friendly faces of the younger variety, (though these days, that line is hopefully starting to blur a bit) three happy CKIers, VJ, Gail and Joe. Joe had three announcements, he said:

1. Hurrays for last week’s event at Bliss’ house.

2. Upcoming event ROCK where kids play sports with cool young adults

3. CKI General meeting tonight at 7pm. The room is 100 GPB in the north side of campus. (depicted below)

J. Piercy reported on the state of our 85^th anniversary dinner. No location yet, but dinner will be less than 30 dollars.

Kiwanis Midyear is coming up on March 8, a Saturday. Berkeley Kiwanis covers your registration and your interclub lunch. Let J. Rosano know if you are coming so we can register.

Key club Conclave is this Saturday, J. Rosano and D. Haughin will be spending some time with both Oakland Tech and Berkeley Key Club while they vote for their elected official.

B. Carpenter reports that the interclub at Hayward Castro Valley was our 15^th of the year! Hayward will be meeting at Carrows tonight at 7pm for their takeover.

Lt. Governor E. Letvitch had an exciting announcement to make at this point: He did not have a badge on and wanted to contribute some big money.

We have our own takeovers coming up:

Feb 5: Berkeley High School Key Club

Feb 12: UCB Circle K

Mar 11: Oakland Tech Key Club

NEW MEMBER ALERT!

Welcome Jessica Padilla to our club! She was inducted this afternoon.

D. Leonard reports an upcoming social event, St. Patrick’s day dinner will indeed be at the Paradise’s house on March 15. There will also be a trip to the shooting range, and perhaps a firing range? Date to be determined. (Maybe to prepare for a hunting trip to S. Dakota?)

G. Maxe reports that Scholarship applications are out! Due date is 3/28.

Membership chair, D. Wong reports that the membership committee will be meeting 8pm next Tuesday at Brennans for social times. Come by and enjoy an Irish beer or coffee.

<3 <3 <3 Anniversary <3 <3 <3

Our newest member J. Padilla is celebrating her one year anniversary with her husband. A break will be given since it’s her first day as a member. Congrats Jessica!

Our youngest member H. Leventhal announces that this Saturday is her first service project with the animal shelter. 10:30- 12:30pm at 2013 Second Street, Berkeley, CA 94710

HAPPY AND SADS

Lots of Happy sads today!

Fruit Bob reports 4 :0) dollars for a new fruit. Kara Kara Oranges, hybrid fruit with grapefruits. Delicious!

B. Carpenter reports much :0( for having to leave early today.

J. Piercy is :0) that E. Letvitch has a new member to take care of him.

J. Padilla is :0) for her anniversary and :0( because she also has to leave early.

E. Goodman reports :0( for her missed meeting and :0( for food poisoning last week.

D. Leonard is :0) to show off his new fire extinguisher, though I didn’t hear what it was for, was that for fires, wasps or fun?

B. Skrak is :0) for his 3 weeks in Hawaii, he does look a little more tan considering it’s the middle of winter still.

F. Bliss is :0) for Jessica, our newest member and :0) for our guest and his sister in law.

S. Hearn is :0) that her leg feels a little better, :0( because she has to wear pressure socks and :0) that she gets to buy new shoes because of it.

B. Rice is :0( that he was late to the meeting, and :0) that there was no secret greeter.

At this point, the secret greeter, (me!) D. Wong, stood up to bust those who neglected their handshake duties. We had two such people: J. Egeberg and B. Lowman, who had walked in late.

Our Guest speaker for the day was a Bliss, Frank’s sister in law, who came to recruit people and businesses to move to S. Dakota as well as speak on the poverty which exist there. She promises that if you were interested, the Governor Rounds himself will give you a call.

With just a couple ten thousand dollars you can buy yourself a great mansion, a couple acres and shoot a mountain lion. Live cheap with no or low property tax (good with your mansion)

Also come to visit, there are prairies, badlands and corn palaces.

1/22/07

Three minutes early… Pres. Khing Khong rang the bell- and caught the bar gang en masse.  Leonard, Rosano, Egeberg, & Levitch all paid fines, as well as D. Wong who arrived late but not from the bar!!  Ticket taker D. Haughin graciously collected your money in exchange for a handshake and lunch ticket.  Song leader B. Rice was in fine form with GBA, and S. Hearn gave a warm invocation including thanks for the rain and our good works.  J. Egeberg enjoyed carrying around the poker table box- and it filled up with a fair amount of monies.        

We were graced with the presence of B. Rice's "my

good wife Esther," and Susan from the Salvation Army.  Heard that Susan might be joining our group of great Kiwanians.  Which brings to mind we have two new members in the last two weeks.  Hayley was inducted already.  Jessica will be inducted next week we hear.  See EOB (end of bulletin) for bio information and contact numbers.   

Interclub chair B. Carpenter announced no interclub this past week; however four of us are headed to Castro Valley Hayward tonight.  LTG Ed will be making his official visit.  Also…  CV/Hayward is having a Key Club takeover next Tuesday, the 29^th.  BC would like you to volunteer to join him and VC at this event.  Wonder if there will be an interclub at the Alameda Chili Cook-off this coming Saturday, the 26^th??  Guess we'll hear next week!!!     
 

Circle K is back in town and in classes.  We were joined by Joe, Gail and Virginia (bundled up!!)  and two others who snuck in later.  Jan 29^th will be their first meeting of the semester.  They have been resting on vacation, but many of them attended GO WEST to help decorate the floats for the Rose Parade.  That's a yearly event that they love to do!  

Upcoming NOTE OF IMPORTANCE:

Our February 26^th meeting will be a celebration of the 85^th birthday of Berkeley Kiwanis, as well as a time to honor all of our Legion of Honor members.  It will be an evening meeting with libations at 5:30 and dinner at 6:30 and will be held at the Berkeley City Club.  For this event the City Club has offered to have more parking spots in the lot available for our members who need closer parking.  More on this event to come, but please get it on your calendar now- it is a very special day!!

 

JJJJJLLLLL$$$$$$$$$$$$$$     

J. Rosano enjoyed taking some of our Key Clubbers to their DCM- there were about 60 kids there- and the meeting lasted around 20 minutes.  He thinks Ed should learn from them!!!  D. Leonard has rowed about 1/3 of what C. Fitch has- about 10 million meters.  Pres K. Khong sorry some football (?) player is flying the coup, and he won enough money in Reno to pay for having chains put on his car on the ride over the mountains coming home.  F. Bliss L he had to leave early as  
 
 

his employee Pres K. Khong had the day off.  LTG E. Levitch had to leave early also, but he had 10J

for/from Jessica for becoming a member and for being inducted next week.  J. Egeberg put in some to find out what B. Barnwell's Tshirt "Bar Crawl" meant.  B.B. explained that the Lower Haight Merchant's Assoc. held a fundraiser to plant trees in the Lower Haight area-  it was a visit to 6 bars one evening…  he doesn't like beer or wine, but enjoyed the outing anyway!!! (Sounds like great fun to this editor.)

D. Haughin had J that her mom is doing better, and she appreciated all who helped out at club while she was off.  R. Bliss gave monies for the San Leandro Crab Feed… she tried to pay there, but was informed to give the money to our club instead.  (There is a story behind that!!)

      

Other NOTES OF IMPORTANCE

Feb 2:  (Sat) 10:30-12:30: Animal Shelter Training for any of us wanting to volunteer at the shelter.  Sign up with D. Wong.

Feb 5, 19: Sponsored Youth Take Overs

March 15: (Sat) St. Pat's Day Social at Paradis(e)!!!  Always a fun event- and there are no raveling rugs around. (No oven either!)

April 19:  Cazadero work day will be this day.  April 25-27: Gualala work weekend. 

Feb 23 is Gualala reconnoiter day but you have to be privately invited… shucks!!

(and some thought I could not spell!!)

And… somewhere in here we will have a social event at a firing range.  + Scholarship applications are out… and that luncheon will be in May…  So lots of good things… Oh..RIF in Feb!!! 

Our speaker today was none other than our incoming President, Denise Haughin.  She wants to get started on her term right now!!  WOW!!  If you have committees you want to head, be on, be off, or whatever- PLEASE let her know!!  If you have new ideas, want to be on the board, or just anything… PLEASE call her!!  She has formed a committee for a new venue.  It'll be headed up by VC and rebel D. Wong.  We hear J. Egeberg wants to join in- and anyone else who wants to "sample eat" at places or just have some input into this, please let VC or DW know!!   Denise listened to comments, suggestions, etc., and we had an opportunity to fill out a form  
 
 

indicating some of our preferences, ideas or whatever.      

 
 

SAQOTW:

 

What feeling is so nice as a child's hand in yours?

So small, so soft and warm.

Like a kitten huddling in the shelter of your clasp.

Marjorie Holmes 
 
 

Hope that you are all enjoying this lovely wet and cold weather.  We do need the rain!! 

Have a great week.

01/15/08

 

Spring was "in the air" with the sun shinning brightly through the Berkeley City Club windows.  That brightness must have led us astray for we were a talkative bunch.  Phuoc did ask for order and with a few pleas did bring us to order (order?  Yes, order). 

BobR had us bursting with song, as he led us in "God Bless America".  JohnP noted our service work, the fine food, and the great weather as he asked God for blessings on all of us.  George was in charge of The Fine Box.  Frank opted for insurance and it was a good thing that he listed to his own professional advice.  Tammy chuckled as she declared he did need it.  Our guest was one of last year's scholarship winners:  Daniel Bada. 

The Board Meeting is/was this Tuesday, January 15 at Ed's. 

And a cause for celebration!  February we celebrate the 85^th Anniversary of our own Kiwanis Club of Berkeley.  A celebration luncheon will be February 26^th. 

InterClubBill proudly announced two completed interclubs:  DCM (Phuoc, Ed, Deborah, Hayley, Frank) and the San Leandro Crab Feed (BC and VC, Roberta and Frank, Adele and Duane). 

George's birthday was celebrated.  Although no request for a chorus of Happy Birthday was heard, we did hear a few folks' rendition of said song via George's voice mail (for those that are confused; this is another reason to attend Tuesday meetings).  Thank you George for your generous check of $42.00.  George stayed at the podium for a second recognition:  two years' perfect attendance.  Congratulations on this achievement too, George. 

Fenn Wilson's passing was noted; his obituary is at the end of this newsletter.  Fenn will be missed; I still have his "special" fine box for my presidency on a predominate spot on my desk at work. 

Happy and Sad

--VC was happy Tamara had purchased a glass of wine for her;

--JohnP was happy about a pleasant excursion with Hayley to some schools;

--Tamara was sad for missing meetings and happy to be back.  At the group's request, she told her long and sad tale of breaking her leg—it had to do with excited dogs, a throw rug that was unraveling, a flight of stairs and a hard tile landing;

--Duane was shocked and saddened by RevBill's red attire;

--BobR happy with a field trip to the SF museum and the fun of overlooking SF from the top floor, reminiscing about his youth;

--Frank enjoyed his Sunday walk with Roberta, noted they were empty nesters again (Ethan has relocated to SF) and commented on his "exclusive" table;

--SecJack represented Denise who was sad to miss the meeting but happy her mom was "hanging in there";

--Jeff told a long tale of a trip to Florida and a party during the National Championships and choices in t-shirts. 

JohnP introduced our guest, Daniel Bada; one of our '07 Scholarship Winners.  He attends Occidental in Southern California.  Having lived in Berkeley all his life, he is enjoying the "newness" of a different area.  And his college of 1800 is smaller than Berkeley High!  Another adjustment. He is involved in helping kids at a local high school and will be the Student Leader, next semester, of  
 
 
 
 
 

the group that does this.  He intends to major in Psychology. 

SecJack then introduced our own NewBob, who talked of being accosted at his bus stop by a homeless person, who had a history of violence.  Unfortunately, Bob ended up in the hospital.  He has been working with the police (the culprit was known to the police) and they would, as Bob would, like to get him help with his violent tendencies.  The District Attorney's Office has not been helpful and the culprit is out on the streets again (his favorite haunt is Bob's bus stop).  Yes, Bob is getting police escort when he is heading to the bus stop.  It was a sad story, especially since Bob is dedicated to public transit (one of the reasons he moved from LA) and takes 15-20 bus trips a week.  Take care, Bob. 

Get out your calendar; SecJack noted the following dates:

Feb 26:  85^th Anniversary Celebration

March 8:  San Jose Mid Year conference

March 15 or 16:  St. Patrick's Day celebration

April 19:  Casadero

April 26-27:  Gualala 

Dan was asked to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.  And then Phuoc dismissed us to enjoy the sunshine and the promise of spring. 

                              (Scribe: tjp) 
 
 
 

Fenn Wilson's Obituary 

Fenn J. Wilson Jan. 13, 1921 - Dec. 28, 2007 Longtime Orinda resident (recently of Rossmoor), Fenn Wilson passed away on December 28, 2007, two weeks shy of his 87th birthday, in the company of his immediate and extended family while on a holiday cruise in Mexico. He is survived by his daughter Marcie Waldron, his son Douglas Wilson (both of the Sonoma Valley), his brother Earl Wilson of El Cerrito, and his sister Rosemary Bello of Salinas. From his Berkeley roots, Fenn's many years were as varied as they were accomplished. He first put his handsome 6'6" frame to the test on Berkeley High School's football field. Though his real toughening would come in 1943 immediately after graduating from UC Berkeley, when he joined the U.S. Marine Corps and               headed for the Pacific Theater's significant battle - Iwo Jima. After the conflict's first wave of victory, Fenn witnessed the famed flag raising, close enough to the photographer's camera to hear its shutter click. For the rest of his life, Fenn would stand before small organizations, historians, and filmmakers, and present his poignant recollection - a talk etched in the memories' of many. Love found expression in the post-war years - Libby (Elizabeth Goetsch of St. Louis, Missouri) - became his life-long spouse, lovely and tall at his side until her passing just five months ago. On a sun-drenched Orinda hilltop, where in 1950 they built a gracious family home, daughter Marcia was born in 1951, followed by son Douglas in 1953. In business, Fenn cut his teeth as a sales representative for the Maytag Corporation. Eager, smart, and hard working, he soon moved on to join the Berkeley office of Dean Witter & Co. (now Morgan Stanley) where he rose from broker, to certified financial planner, to office manager, to Senior Vice President for investments. Throughout his 38-year-long career as a financial professional he generously shared his expertise by serving on the boards of the Berkeley YMCA, Alta Bates Hospital, and the Chaparral House. To his cronies in the Berkeley Kiwanis Club and the Berkeley Breakfast Club, he never held back a smile or a handshake. Alongside his family and career, Fenn had quiet joys as well-high Sierra lakes, creek side campsites, and the tugs of many a Rainbow trout. These were at Fenn's core, joys that somehow mirrored who he was-a husband, father, and friend at once gentle and steadfast - as solid as men are made. The family will celebrate his life with a private memorial gathering. Memorial contributions may be made to The California Transplant Donor Network (1000 Broadway, Suite 600, Oakland, CA 94607) or The California State Park Foundation (800 College Avenue, P.O. Box 548, Kentfield, CA 94914).

Published in the Contra Costa Times on 1/13/2008.