Eyes bright and shiny, we gathered to break bread and laud those who educate and inspire our coming generations.
Pledge of Alleigiance & invocation
Surely the pledge was led by a person of stellar character and reputation, excellent personal skills; an all-around excellent Rotarian. The person was not identified by your reporter, but the group delivered the pledge perfectly.
Mr. Jerry Kuehn delivered the invocation. That was easy; he was at my table.
Guests and Visitors
For her second visit was Mrs. Cheri Carr. One more visit and she can apply for membership.
There were no visiting Rotarians, today.
Announcements
President Barry announced that the Mangini Senior Awards are being presented tonight, May 16, for the Burlingame High School Seniors. Mike Heffernan will attend and Rotarians are welcome to attend as well. These young people deserve our recognition. Congratulations all!
On June 6, we will have an off-site meeting at Mercy Center. Mercy Center is located midway to the top of Adeline, at Alvarado. Turn right into the driveway; signs are posted. Mercy Center is an internationally-known retreat and conference center and offers venue and event spaces. It is part of the 40-acre parcel that is the site of Kohl Mansion, Mercy High School, and the Mother House of the Sisters of Mercy.
Your reporter was a devout Catholic School girl and aspired to convent life. Then, I met Jake!
Moving along…this is a day to dress casually and wear walking shoes. We will enjoy lunch boxes and a period of contemplation.
SPOTLIGHT
President Barry introduced Maggie MacIsaac, Ed.D., Superintendent of the Burlingame School District. The Superintendent introduced Pam Scott, Principal of Burlingame Intermediate School. Principal Pam introduced Outstanding Teacher of the year Heather Polcik. Heather teaches Humanities to eighth graders. Your reporter’s clients are easy-peasy compared to eighth graders. I hope these folks are paid what they’re worth!!! NOT!!!!!
Burlingame High School Principal Di Yim introduced Bethany Lukach, a second-year teacher who is 2015-2016 Mangini Teacher of the Year. Bethany thanked Rotary for the nice lunch instead of her usual dry sandwich in a brown paper bag!! Thanks for all you do, ladies!
Speaker for the Day
Our Speaker for the Day was Kevin Skelly, Superintendent of the San Mateo Union High School District since July, 2015. Dr. Skelly was imported from Ireland at two years old, paid attention, earned a degree in Economics from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in Education and Policy and Administration from U.C. Berkeley. He was formerly Superintendent of Palo Alto Unified School District and Interim Superintendent of Mountain View Whisman School District.
Dr. Skelly spoke about the challenge of education at the epicenter of technological innovation. The mid-Peninsula is the place to be if one’s interest is high tech. This places a great burden on the cost of living, especially housing costs, and workplace competition. Tech companies are looking for the BEST programmer, not just a programmer.
Dr. Skelly thanked Rotary for his wife’s Rotary Scholarship which allowed Dr.Skelly and his wife to study at the University in Quito, Ecuador.Dr. Skelly also was well aware of Rotary International’s success in the attempt to eradicate polio in the world.The Skelly family came from Ireland seeking a better life and a fulfilling future for their children. There was an emphasis on education, and Dr. Skelly stated that his educational accomplishments are a form of thanks to his parents and this country.
How do we give back? Make a better life for family and others. Education is the answer to all social ills. A seamless transition from high school to community college is important. We need to expose high school kids to community college sites; important that they have familiarity with college life. Ages 18-24 are the critical years for education; social and emotional support of kids is utmost of importance.Housing teaching staff is an issue. Good diversity here is a positive. We need to be alert to mental health issues. Conversations about resilience important at all levels, from all sources. Debt of $50-$60,000 for a four-year education is burdensome.Thanks so much, Dr. Skelly. Our wonderful children are in good hands! A book will be donated in your name to Burlingame Public Library.
footnote
It’s fun having rookies to train. Each of mine has been woefully late – later than Mark Johnson - the last couple of weeks. I assured them that they should be under no pressure to be on time or to attend at all; there are ways to make up. However, I did learn today that someone was so late that he didn’t get fed at all so there are limits. Mark always makes sure he gets lunch. Be like Mark. Arrive early enough to get lunch.
I have also pointed out the Bad Boys and the importance of wearing badges. It could be no-more-nice-guy after June 27!
Our speaker today was Dr. Barbie Bennett, M.D., Attending Physician, Stanford Health Care, Emergency Medicine. On call at Peninsula Hospital Emergency....
PLEDGE AND INVOCATION
The faithful assembled at the designated hour as President Barry called the meeting to order. Actually, the unfaithful were there, too, but no need to name names. Visiting Rotarian Teddy the K led the pledge of allegiance to the United States of America, although he has a special fondness for South of the Border. South of the Border will be an attractive haven for people not pleased with the outcome of the presidential election: great food, warm weather, and a wall to protect us from the gringos. Okay, I saw this on Facebook…
Charles Voltz invoked that “Change is Upon Us.” No argument here. Charles suggested we look to all the resources we enjoy through Rotary to continue to make life meaningful and rewarding. Truly so; the benefits of Rotary Membership are constantly evolving and expanding.
Pledge of Alleigience & Invocation
Guests of the club included Cathy Jones, attending for her third visit and beginning the process of becoming a member of Rotary Club of Burlingame. She is an interesting lady and is a second-generation Rotarian following her dad Mike Horwitz. So glad to have you, Cathy!
Our speaker today was introduced by Cheryl Fama. When I asked who the speaker was, Mary Murphy said she was a Barbie. Your reporter walked over to get her card for purposes of accurate reporting. Wow, she is a real, grown-up Barbie. Yes, Super-Achiever Over-The-Top Barbie!!! Really, this is too much. She is highly-educated, highly accomplished, head of everything, runs everything, and in the meantime enjoys a family of six kids. Must she be brilliant, gorgeous, funny, and nice, too? Enough! No Visiting Rotarians Today.
announcements
Barry Parker survived a near-accident up near Skylawn Cemetery. He was all shook up, for good reason! Nothing like a near-miss to make you appreciate life and see everything in glorious, living color. Leave our Barry alone…for the next few weeks anyway.
Jim Shypertt and a few other Rotarians attended a recognition event at College of San Mateo over the weekend. Jim reports they saw Tom Mohr and he looked good. We think of you and miss you, Tom!
Mark your calendars. On June 6, our meeting will be off site at Mercy Center up on Adeline. We will enjoy boxed lunches and are advised to wear comfortable walking shoes. Heels discouraged. It’s also the 72nd anniversary of the D-Day Invasion. The date of the mysterious mystery dinner at Chez Mariani is August 21. Sign up for fun and frolic.
newscast
We enjoyed a Newscast by Marc Friedman who has recently visited Cuba. We had fun identifying the classic cars that are ubiquitous on the Island. While I vaguely remember D-Day, probably because I was starting to get solid food for the first time, I definitely remember activities in 67 Chevys. Ah, youth! Who says Cubans don’t have a sense of humor. They boast a “Rincon de los Cretinos,” a depiction of Republican cretins including Presidents Nixon, Bush 41, Bush 43. A spot is reserved for the addition of a fourth cretin should hell freeze over. Marc was able to return from Havana and through Customs with little attention. Security a tad lax.
today's speaker
Cheryl Fama introduced our speaker, Dr. Barbie Bennett, M.D., Attending Physician, Stanford Health Care, Emergency Medicine. This is what her business card says; she is on call at Peninsula Hospital Emergency as well and has numbers of other hats she wears and boards on which she sits. When asked why she selected emergency room as a practice, she admitted to being an adrenaline junkie. She did point out that our Dr. Paul Nieberding had chosen another area of concentration, Ear-Nose-Throat. Dr. Barbie thought blood and guts of the E.R. preferable to E.N.T. with secretions of all sorts that I will leave to your imagination. Hey, someone’s got to do it, right, Dr. Paul?
Did Dr.Barbie mention www.youthfulsolutions.com? No, she did not. While she’s resting she operates a skin care and laser center providing regenerative/metabolic medicine. That operation is at 215 N. San Mateo Drive, Suite 1, San Mateo, walking distance from your reporter’s office. Your reporter could use some rejuvenation methinks.
The audience was in rapt attention, waiting for the examination that was promised of our City Councilman Ricardo Ortiz. Never happened, but Dr. Barbie said she would be happy to visit again. Yes, please!!!
Mary Murphy asked why, when her son Robert simply couldn’t breathe, 911 sent medical, fire department, and police to her home? Proximity of first-responders! It takes a while to get the medical team there and the police and fire staffs often can give relief until the medical folks arrive. The police will also want to verify why the child stopped breathing? Was someone jumping ugly on someone else? Was there a domestic dispute? Not being able to breathe is not like a diaper rash, you know. Still, a 911 call for help could be anything and the E.R. is basically a 24/7 circus.
The majority of visitors to the E.R. are not really very ill. Many times it’s a family member trying to be relieved of the responsibility of taking care of grandma or a fussy child. The E.R. doctor on duty must decide what other specialties should be summoned: X-ray? Psychiatry? The police? The paddy wagon? A person of the cloth for last rites?Frustrating are “Google Graduates.” Folks have a symptom and Google it; now they’re experts and want all the tests they read about. No matter how many degrees or years of experience the doctor has, the patient knows it all from Google. I must say Google does know everything, Dr.Barbie.Try not to visit the E.R. at 2:00 A.M. Why? Sean Williams knew: it’s when he’s closing up Paddy Flynn’s. The drunks have been socking each other and walking into traffic! I hear tell anyway. Try not to go at 8:00 – A.M. or P.M. That’s when the shift changes and you get a doctor who’s been on tired feet for hours and is losing fascination with you.
Why doesn’t the doctor know all about you? It’s in the computer!!! Let’s see: shall I stop your bleeding or stop and read “Gone with the Wind,” the story of your aches and pains an former institutionalizations!
The patients don’t know! Don’t know what medications they are taking, when the symptoms started, is there family history of this condition? They report conditions that don’t exist. Apparently there was a scary condition someone named jaw necrosis. No such thing. It’s good if you mention the parts of you that have been replaced, like they’re plastic or someone else’s junk. It’s a lot to ask, but helpful.
Staph infections are a serious problem. We consume massive amounts of antibiotics through the meat we consume. Pass the Chicken Alfredo.
Hospitals cooperate with one another for information. There is a “Care Everywhere” program. Kaiser hospital has a dispatch desk which will provide information about Kaiser patients when they’re being treated in other than Kaiser facilities.
Thank you so much, Dr. Barbie. You are a force of nature. Rotary Club of Burlingame will be donating a book in your name to the Burlingame Public Library as part of the Peninsula Health Care District “Health on the Shelf” program.
President Barry announced that the Mangini Senior Awards are being presented tonight, May 16, for the Burlingame High School Seniors. Mike Heffernan will attend and Rotarians are welcome to attend as well. These young people deserve our recognition. Congratulations all!
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Guests of the club included Cathy Jones, attending for her third visit and beginning the process of becoming a member of Rotary Club of Burlingame. She is an interesting lady and is a second-generation Rotarian following her dad Mike Horwitz. So glad to have you, Cathy! .JPG)
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Why doesn’t the doctor know all about you? It’s in the computer!!! Let’s see: shall I stop your bleeding or stop and read “Gone with the Wind,” the story of your aches and pains an former institutionalizations!
