High Gear, September 12, 2016

 

President Stan called the meeting to order at 12:20p, after our two weeks off celebrating Labor Day and the darlings being back in school.  There were a lot of good-looking folks on fabulous vacations, as reported on Facebook.  Usually Labor Day rolls right into Indian Summer, but not this year. It’s been global cooling thus far.  It’s all good, ahead we have the golf tournament and barbecue, Thanksgiving with the God Squad, a fight to the finish for The Donald and Hill, a decision on rent control.  Good thing we had a break.

 

Pledge of Alliegience and Invocation

Doug McGeorge led us in the pledge

John Delaney inspired us by reading an invocation that had been prepared by Chris Stedman after the events of September 11, 2001.    Chris’ hope is that our present divisiveness will result in solidarity.    We can only hope.

 

 

 

Introduction

Dennis Zell pointed out that Mike Horwitz wanted to take a knee.  Someone in the peanut gallery suggested Mike might be a backup Rotarian.  President Stan snitched about Dennis’ comprehensive and fascinating discussion of the First Amendment at our Book Club/Salon gathering last month.  All agreed it was looooooooooong, thorough, detailed, and looooooooooong.  Dennis volunteered to join Stan’s President Club if he would stop talking. He did and welcomed Dennis to this special club.  President Stan left a voice message a for Funmeister Sean Williams.  Stan waited by the phone for 3-days and finally Sean called.  A lack of repect for the office, but $150 and now a member of the President’s Club made it all better, Thank you Sean. 

Announcements

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Past President Mark Johnson is a Silver sponsor ($1,000) of the Golf tournament. Past President Lage Anderson of Carr McClellan is a Silver Sponsor too.  Thank you big time Mark and Lage!!  Deputy Funmeister Sean Williams reminded us of the upcoming Billiards and Brews Event at Steelhead Brewery Company, Burlingame, on September 26.     We will be sharing the billiard room with another group. They have food and we don’t. So, be your most adorable self to the other guys and they might share…  Bringing a bag lunch is probably frowned upon.
For some unknown reason, Bob Doerr said “There is no defense of ignorance.” Sounds true, so let’s run with it.
Happy Birthday!  Sheryl Young and Suzanne Juptner.
Bill Tiedeman handed out tickets for the District 5150 Foundation Event to be held at our very own Hilton San Francisco Bayfront on October 8.  Bill suggested $200 for the ten tickets sounds about right.  Important:  Your ticket cost/ donation counts toward your Paul Harris Award.  The district anticipates a $200 contribution per member annually for foundation projects.

Announcements continued...

A really, truly, authentic, Trump tie, in the original plastic box was auctioned.  Starting bid was $1.00, but Dennis took pity and won the tie for $25.00.
Mike Horwitz waxed poetic about the Rotary Club of Burlingame 5th Annual Scholarship Golf Tournament, to be held at Peninsula Golf and Country Club on October 3.  Golfers are lined up, Charlie Rosebrook is preparing to best himself with the feast. The one and only Diane Dwyer will conduct the live auction.  Stan’s Marriott friends are donating 100+ box lunches and $1,100 worth of golfers, a 3-day, 2-night Room & Golf auction item for the Desert Springs Marriott Resort, and 2- rooms at the Monterey Marriott to go with a round of golf for four at Pebble Beach!!  Marilyn Orr invites club members who have been hole sponsors to submit a check in the amount of $250 made to the Rotary Service Fund.  Marilyn needs the bucks next week, please; you know how she is.  Jennifer Pence is donating a student  (that’s code for an able volunteer from her tutoring operation.)
 
Speaker -  Our own Cary T. Koh
We know Cary T. Koh as a Financial Advisor with Ting & Associates, an affiliate of Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc., San Mateo.  That is an accomplishment of note, but here’s more:
A native of Berkeley, Cary was a professional violinist for 20 years.  Cary studied music at Berkeley and simultaneously studied pre-med.  He gave up medicine for music, but credits his scientific training with contributing to his skill as  a performer. Upon graduating from UC Berkeley, he furthered his violin studies in London and New York. 
Formerly a Core Member of the Australian Chamber Orchestra, he has performed all around the world in prestigious venues such as the Musikverein(Vienna), the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), the Sydney Opera House, and Carnegie Hall.

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Cary has performed with pop artists such as Dionne Warwick, Kenny Loggins, Mary J. Blige, and Jay Z. As a recording artist, he has played on several motion picture and video game soundtracks. Since joining Ting & Associates as a Financial Advisor at Merrill Lynch in 2013, Cary also joined the Board of Trustees of the Crowden Music Center at Berkeley, which strives to combine music and education to nurture, develop, and inspire students of all ages, and to provide essential support to the musical life of the community.  
When not working, Cary enjoys golfing, downhill skiing and playing chamber music. Not a whisper was heard as Cary raised his instrument and thrilled us with the purest tones we have heard. We were transformed.  Cary generously shared some of the technical aspects of his art.   We could only be mesmerized by the result.  Thanks, Cary; we look forward to an encore.