This meeting marked the beginning of our new president Jerry Winges’ term. His debut was entertaining and inspiring. He called the meeting to order with enthusiasm and had Cary Koh lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Our wonderful pastor Paul Watermulder offered a humorous and encouraging invocation inspired by Jerry’s career as an architect. Paul emphasized Jerry’s blueprint for the upcoming year and the lines that connect our club to other clubs, our community, and the global community.
We welcomed several guests: Jonathan Dyne from Burlingame High School, with whom we work on scholarships for high-achieving students; Marla Silversmith, who brought her own guest, architect Richard Terrones; Rotary scholarship student Bernie Palilio and her mother; and Pat Chiota from the Novato Rotary Club and Rick Payne from the virtual Rotary Club of Global Action. Rick and Pat have supported our India projects, including attending the inauguration of the Busarajupalle school last year. Rick told us that his club has members from many countries, only meets online, and supports a variety of international projects. Bobba Venkatadri presented Pat and Rick with a ceremonial shawl from India to acknowledge their contributions to our India projects.
We also welcomed new member Lisa Kiesselbach, who was previously a member of the SFO Rotary Club before it disbanded after COVID, and is currently the CEO of PalCare in Burlingame.
Jerry launched his presidential term with effusive thanks to his campaign committee, noting that, due to its efforts, he handily beat his opponent … “Nobody.” So delighted was Jerry with the support of his Rotary community that he had a new sport coat made with a lining replete with Rotary logos, designed to express his loyalty to our club. After introducing the new and existing board members, Jerry described an inspiring set of goals for the upcoming year. He hopes to expand our club’s involvement in the local community and in international service projects, including India and Mexico. Jerry encouraged all members to get involved in one or more of the various service opportunities available and to have fun this year.
Jennifer Pence announced next week’s speaker, Russell Hancock, CEO of Joint Venture Silicon Valley.
The speaker on July 29, club member Dan Conway, who will speak about his career in cryptocurrency. She asked if members can help her find a speaker for the July 22 meeting. Jennifer also noted that there will be an evening social event hosted by Emily Matthews on Tuesday, July 28, for which invitees should RSVP.
Bernie Palilio, a recipient of a Rotary Club scholarship who is now a second-year student at Lehigh University, presented on her college experience as a first-generation student.
She discussed why she chose Lehigh and how she leveraged financial aid and scholarships to make her education more affordable. Bernie shared her impressive achievements, including involvement in various campus activities. She concluded by expressing gratitude for our club’s support in making her college dreams possible.
Jerry then gave a magnificent presentation called “Architecture from Around the World: From the Fabulous to the Outrageous!” Interspersed with his usual good humor, he taught us about the evolution of skyscrapers and how technical innovations supported the increasingly tall buildings around the world.
Jerry showed us a number of buildings, some of which were beautiful, some of which were astonishing, and some of which were … interesting.
(Would you want to work in a building built like a picnic basket? Or one that is all twisted and askew?) Jerry suggested ways we can learn to appreciate architecture more, including sketching as a way to see detail. He showed us a portion of his immense collection of architectural souvenirs. It was an impressive presentation on building – from someone who will be building our club and its accomplishments in the year ahead.
Russell Hancock is considered one of Silicon Valley's foremost expositors, and he has been interpreting the region to the world in the local, national, and international press for more than two decades. Utilizing data from The Silicon Valley Index, Russell will illuminate the region's current trends and challenges, drawing stark comparisons to years past.
