Russell Hampton
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The Rotary Club of Ojai
 

Ojai Rotary Reminder Newsletter
September 15th, 2017

If You Build It They Will Come
 
Rotary meetings in many ways are a field of dreams. The corn parts and star players of the past filter in to share their wit and wisdom with the younger members of the tribe. The fellowship and service are warm and deeply satisfying. There is an old adage that goes “if the people lead the leaders will follow”. Meetings have started later and later leaving little time for important club business as the speakers create a force out at the top of the hour.
 
 
 
The meeting should start at noon with the pledge and the invocation. Lunch begins and the meeting should start in full at twelve-thirty. Of late we have been trickling in and the pledge and invocation come at a quarter past or later and then we begin announcements at a quarter to one. On any given day we could easily fill twenty minutes with announcements and I don’t know that it has ever been any shorter than fifteen minutes. This leaves little to no time for confessions and preempts fining. This hurts the club. First it deprives the club of revenue and second it is a waste of time (and to be frank it is  disrespectful) for a member to prep for the meeting in an effort to meet their obligation and make the time interesting only to get a retired when the runners do not advance.
 
It is totally within our power to arrive five, ten, fifteen minutes early to visit with one another and start on time. We can easily start on time and get around the bases in an hour and a half allowing everyone in the lineup to take a swing. And at the end of the day baseball, like Rotary, builds respect and sportsmanship. Let’s remember what the rules of the game are there for.
 
Thus endeth the sermon.
 
Alex Kim took the field and asked those in attendance to join him in the flag salute. Suzanne Scar led the invocation, admonishing us to reflect on the better angels of our nature and take stock.
 
The snack bar offered the usual suspects flanked by kielbasa and sauerkraut. Chocolate cookies and fruit batted clean up. Who doesn’t love a good chocolate chip cookie.
 
The irresistible force and the immovable object joined to greet those entering the ball park. I leave it to you to attribute those qualities to Frank Finck and the nattily dressed Alan West.
 
Bob Roddick, sergeant at arms and umpire, ensured we were ready to play. Roger Phelps, an eye man, made it possible for the hearing impaired to see what was going on with his appreciated sound system. Oh the irony.
 
There were no free agents on the market and all rotarians in attendance were signed with the home team.
 
Special return guests in the bleachers were Christine Golden and Andy Kantwell.
David Brubaker, Ojai’s answer to Barry White, used mellifluous and dulcet tones to coax interest in coming programs. 
 
Fred Fauvre gave an update on the PEP award.
 
 
 
 
Randy Roth asked for and received five volunteers to participate in the school reading program.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mike weaver announced the international committee would be meeting at Ojai’s house of pancakes (same bat time, same bat channel).
 
David Brubaker reminded everyone there was shredding day at the bank 9- 12. 
 
Bob Davis made the mistake of asking about the combined club beach party and was scolded for his trouble. Apparently it was invitation only and they were handed out on a clip board three weeks ago. I wish I could tell you more, but like Bob I missed the meeting three weeks ago and the details were never clearly shared.
 
Terese invited everyone to attend the ground breaking ceremony for The Artesian, a new assisted living facility. It will be held at 1130 am Thursday, September 21 at 203 East El Roblar Drive.
 
 
 
Alan Jacobs, by way of a lawyerly question, brought attention to the plight of the shutout fine master. The gracious guest speaker, Richard Murad, said he would be able to accommodate some time so Alan could get through confessions and fining. Alan judiciously cut the baby in half and had Jack Jacobs and Colin Jones share amazing anecdotes from situations encountered in their professional lives. Jack was in a pickle, caught between a couple each confiding in him, but asking for his discretion with the other. They had each put money away on the side in order to leave the other. Jack filed the tax documents for their undisclosed accounts in accordance with federal law and then never heard from either of them again.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Colin, one of god’s more joyful creatures, had to get a physical as a strapping young pipe fitter. He was told he would be dropping his shorts. He assumed he would be getting some grizzled albeit bored union provided physician. He entered the examination room to fine a “really attractive” young female doctor. She asked him to remove his shirt, however, his brain did not hear shirt and his trousers hit the deck. The young doctor simply said,”Colin, your shirt would have been sufficient.” Thank you Alan for a good round of getting to know you.
 
Richard Murad took the plate. An accomplished businessman who made his fortune in cosmetics has sought a simpler life, like many a pilgrim, in the Ojai Valley. He has invested considerable time and resource trying to bring his own field of dreams to Rose Valley at Rancho Grande. It is really an amazing and altruistic project that would bring teams into camp for a week at a time to play and train. 
 
Unfortunately he has run into the Byzantine process of developing land in Ventura county and we learned as much about Ventura County fire code as we did about the proposed activities. Richard was warm and welcoming asking for questions and explaining his answers in great detail. We wish him every success in bringing it to fruition.
 
And with that another game was in the books. See you next time, sports fans.
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