Acting-President Professor Kimball ambled to the dais and called the meeting to order. He then asked Carol Tanzi, who had just arrived, to lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag. Our virtual flag appeared on the screen and we all followed her lead.
Mike then asked Jennifer Pence to come to the podium to deliver the invocation.
In a world where many are lonely
We give thanks for our Rotary friendships and community;
In a world that some find meaningless
We give thanks for our shared purpose;
In a world where many are hungry
We give thanks for this food;
In a world full of needs
We give thanks for service above self.
It was then time to recognize visiting Rotarians and guests of Rotarians. Marilyn Orr took possession of the roving mic and introduced former Burlingame Rotarian Joe Galligan, who now resides in North Carolina and is a member of a Rotary Club there. Marilyn then moved on to our speaker, former Rotarian Jesús Nava. Mike, also, recognized Charles Rosebrook, whom we don’t see frequently as he spends most of his time in the wilds of Twain Harte.
We had a sunshine report by Bob Doerr on Tom Chakos. Tom had fallen and broken his hip a few weeks back. He is recovering now at home. A card was circulated for everyone’s signature.
We then moved on to welcoming a new member. Doug Person came forward and asked Jeff Krolik to join him at the podium. Jeff was sponsored by his lovely wife, Christine Krolik, who unfortunately was unable to be at the meeting. Doug presented Jeff with his Rotary pin and a few inspirational words about Rotary.
It as then time for the program. Marilyn Orr ascended the stage to introduce our speaker. Former Rotarian Jesús Nava is originally from San Antonio, Texas, the second eldest of eleven children. He earned a B.A. from the University of Texas and a master’s degree from the University of Kansas. He worked for 36 years in city management serving local governments across the southwestern United States, including 10 years as Burlingame’s chief financial officer.
Upon retirement from public service, Jesús enrolled at De Anza College where he has been studying film and television production. He recently created a company, New World Films, LLC. and currently has three documentary films in production: La Raza Unida of Texas; Jimmy: A Pedagogue’s Journey; and Westside, an homage to Westside San Antonio. The mission of New World Films is to make films highlighting the lives of people of the Southwest.
Jesús talked about his journey and his pivot from civil servant to the creative realm of film making. He always had a camera in his hand, even as a youth. At that time in Texas, he was politically active and embraced the formation of La Raza Unida, a former Hispanic political party. His films center around the San Antonio neighborhoods in which he grew up.
We were treated to seeing these three short documentary films. At the conclusion there were a number of questions from the audience.
Acting-president Kimball then presented Jesús with a certificate noting that we would be donating five polio immunizations in his honor.
To view this meeting, use the link below:
Our very own Burlingame Rotarian, Mark Lucchesi has started a podcast for the Burlingame Historical Society called "Burlingame is a Small Town." He has interviewed a number of Burlingame Rotarians as well as other prominent folks in our community. You can check out his YouTube podcasts 