President Doug Person called the meeting to order.
Delia Montano led the Pledge of Allegiance.
Jay Miller delivered the invocation. With the upcoming 250th anniversary of the US, he talked about the US flag and recited the lyrics to the Star-Spangled Banner.
Thoughts and Prayers: Jennifer said that Carol Tanzi has had a severe respiratory illness for several weeks. Marilyn Orr passed around a get-well card. Paul reported that Charlene Drummer is flying to Dallas to meet up with her son and attend a family funeral. Delia Montano said that Jim Shyppert is now in hospice care. We will keep him in our thoughts and prayers.
Visitors:Paul Watermulder introduced Lisa Kiesselbach, formerly of the SF Airport Rotary Club. Jennifer Pence introduced our speaker, Steve Hathaway, and his wife, Gloria. Frances Boscacci introduced her friend Sandra Pan. Spandan Chakrabarti from Sonrisas Dental Health introduced himself.
New Member: Al Royse initiated SandyKaur into the Club. Sandy runs her own business, Nurse Next Door. She is looking forward to contributing to the Club!
Restaurant Bingo: Jennifer said that we are on a mission to patronize the restaurants that contributed to Burlingame’s Got Talent.
Upcoming Programs: Jennifer reviewed several upcoming programs, including one on AI next week, and the debunking of President Doug on June 24. Good luck Doug! We are dark on July 1 but will reconvene on July 8 with incoming President Jerry Winges speaking.
Hillsborough Town Newsletter: William Li encouraged Hillsborough residents to read the Town’s quarterly newsletter. The latest issues includes an article about Rotary’s Japanese exchange students and their visit with the City Council.
1990 Institute: Frances introduced Sandra Pan. Sandra retired from her career and now serves on the board of the 1990 Institute, which provides resources for helping Asian American youth. They are having an event at CSM on Saturday, September 19, 8:15 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Sonrisas Dental Health: Fritz Brauner noted that Rotary is donating funds to Sonrisas Dental Health. He invited Tiffany Turner, the CEO, and Spandan Chakrabarti, Director of Development, to give a presentation. Tiffany reviewed why oral health care matters as it affects education, work, general health, and quality of life. Sonrisas serves about 15,000 patients per year, predominantly Medicaid beneficiaries. They provide onsite screenings, health education, coaching, and navigation services to 5,000 children and older adults. Sonrisas is always looking for donations and volunteers and would love to see Rotarians attend one of upcoming events. After the presentation, Fritz presented Tiffany with a $2,000 check from Rotary.
Program
Jennifer introduced Steve Hathaway to discuss his book Mayors Across America, which includes several local Bay Area Mayors. Steve is a long-time Bay Area photographer who has photographed celebrities, artists, athletes, and others.
Steve noted that his grandfather, who grew up in a coal mining town in western Pennsylvania, was a Rotarian. His dad came out to Alameda during the war and eventually became a banker and joined Rotary.
The Mayors Across America project took eight years. The Mayor on the book cover is the Mayor of Port Costa, who is a musician and performed at the book launch party. Steve worked on the book with longtime friends Tom Weir and Paul Shellenberg.
The first Mayor he found and photographed was Farmer John Muller from Half Moon Bay who is a pumpkin farmer. Steve eventually photographed 89 other Mayors. Sometimes Mayors he photographed would suggest other Mayors to photograph, like Farmer John suggesting Steve photograph Dennis Fisicaro in Colma. He also photographed Karyl Matsumoto, South San Francisco, who was born at the Manzanar internment camp. The photo shows Karyl holding a picture of Manzanar residents.
Steve showed photos of other Mayors and told stories about the Mayors and the photos: Willie Brown; Greg Wortham from Sweetwater, TX, holding a rattlesnake on a rod in front of wind turbines; Judy Cochran from Livingston, TX, with a stuffed alligator head on her desk; Serge Dedina, a surfer, from Imperial Beach, CA; Chester Fryer from Munfordville, KY, standing in front of a smaller version of Stonehenge; Lyn James from Bownman, ND, standing in a field of sunflowers; Elsie Eiler from Monowi, NB, the smallest incorporated city in America, population 1; James Perkins, Jr., the first black Mayor of Selma, AL; Mike Forman, an astronaut from Friendswood, TX; Clint Eastwood, who served as Mayor of Carmel by the Sea for two years; Quentin Hart, the first black Mayor of Waterloo, IA; and Sister Carolyn Farrell, from Albuquerque, NM, the first and only nun to be a Mayor in America.
Pick up a copy of Steve’s book. The pictures are great!
President Doug adjourned the meeting after thanking Steve and presenting him with a certificate noting that Burlingame Rotary is donating polio doses in his name.
When AI Starts Shopping for Us: The Future of Money and Trust
Artificial intelligence is rapidly moving beyond answering questions and making recommendations to helping people complete real-world tasks—including purchases. As AI assistants become capable of finding products, comparing options, and making transactions on our behalf, the way we pay for things may change dramatically. This talk explores the opportunities, risks, and safeguards that will shape a future where technology plays a larger role in our financial decisions.
