Pledge of Allegiance: Lisa Goldman
Thought for the Day: Bob Doerr: A very emotional Bob reacted to just seeing the movie “20 Days in Mariupol” that shines a light on the horrible reality of the on-going brutal war in Ukraine. He could only make it half-way through. He then described part of Rotary that few know about: the Rotary Peace Fellows, scholars all over the world who had received fellowships to study conflict resolution and peace studies. The Rotary Peace Centers have trained more than 1700 fellows who now work in over 140 countries. They also keep in touch through a pipeline to warn of early signs of trouble. The takeaway: Rotary does good things we do not know about; Rotary is bigger than you think and deeper than you know.
Sunshine Report: “WE ARE FINE!” as boldly proclaimed by our Burlingame Rotary Surgeon General Dr. Jim Shypertt. (He is giving free examinations through the end of the month to all those who join the President’s Club.)
Guests of the Club:
William Li – Town of Hillsborough, for his second visit.
Returning Member:
Doug Person presented a new pin to our own Peter Comaroto who had resigned from the Club but has rejoined the fold. Welcome back Peter!
Announcements:
1) April 21 the Club will host our fundraiser “Burlingame’s Got Talent!” Save the date and let any talented people out there about the event so that they may consider performing. Also, please sign up on the Burlingame Rotary website to reserve your ticket for this popular event.
2) Welcome to our Japanese exchange students who arrive Thursday Mar. 21. There are four girls and one boy who will be hosted by Rotary families. There is a welcome party at the home of Peter Comaroto Friday Mar. 22, 3-5pm, and a farewell party at Joe LaMariana’s house the following Friday, 3-6pm.
3) Our annual golf tournament at Green Hills Country Club will take place on Monday, September 21, so save the date.
4) June 6, a Thursday(!) will be our annual meeting with the Lions Club to reveal the Burlingame Citizen of the Year. Past recipients include our own Mark Lucchesi (2012) and Jennifer Pfaff (2016.) If you have a suggestion for a worthy candidate for this high honor, please contact Fritz Brauner or Cary Koh.
Speakers:
Jennifer Pfaff and Mark Lucchesi of the Burlingame Historical Society gave a wonderful presentation full of banter and local historical insights.
The Burlingame Historical Society was founded in 1975. Its mission is to preserve and share the history of Burlingame and Hillsborough through education and research.
This all-volunteer group has done many special projects. In 2023 alone it has partnered with the Burlingame Public Works on the Historical Sites Map, researched and produced a video for the BHS centennial, and is a stakeholder in the El Camino Real Renewal Project and the Broadway Specific Plan.
Mark Lucchesi produced over 30 podcasts last year through his “Burlingame: It’s a Small Town” efforts preserving verbal histories. The Society also produces a newsletter called “The Record.” Coming in 2024 is a new mini-museum of local history to be located in the historic train station.
We were treated to a fascinating slide show called “Then and Now,” showing pictures of scenes from decades ago, some from the early 1900’s, in contrast with the same scenes today. There were too many highlights to mention but here are a few:
- Picture of Jim’s Supermarket from 1966, showing Mark’s dad
- California Drive at Broadway 1949 with and old streetcar
- 1930’s view of the “Candy Store” as a Packard Dealership
- Street views of Lorton and Burlingame Avenue through the decades.
Thanks to Jennifer and Mark, and other members in the room for the wonderful memories and a history of how our Town has changed.
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 