and Jim Shore, a guest of todays speaker,
MORAGA ROTARY
NEWSLETTER
October 17th, 2017
Next Celebration: Oct. 24, 2017
Luncheon meeting
Soda Center, Orinda Room at
Saint Marys College
Program: Dr Jackie Steele
Greeter/Invocator Marv Ellenberg
October 31 District Governor Visit
November 7 Ron Haas Manager Moraga Country
Club
* November 14 Bobbie Preston No One Left Behind
November 21 Open
November 28 - Chip Herman Orinda Car Show
December 5 - Mari Pareno, Executive Director Xenopha
ZT Training Center and Toys For Tots
* Dinner meeting
President Dianne Wilson called the
meeting to order with a clear ring of the
water glass (we were in Haggerty Hall
without our usual regalia/Rotary Bell, etc.).
Roger Gregory gave an invocation
involving the prayer used at Philmont Boy
Scout, High Adventure Camp in New
Mexico and followed with the Pledge of
Allegiance to the Flag.
Our guests today included Bill Olds,
Director of Corporate & Foundation
Relations at Saint Marys College (note Bill
is a Rotarian who attended meetings in San
Mateo and San Francisco at different times
in his professional career. We let Bill know
he is welcome to join our fantastic Club on
Tuesdays. Bill is originally from Livermore)
Loto Rickman.
Our server was Justina and lunch was an
assortment of delicious sandwiches and
pumpkin pie/pecan deserts.
~RECOGNITIONS~
Michele Robbins won the October Fine
Free Hat with $65 and celebrated her
recent trip to Malawi in association with her
womens microfund initiative. She thanked
the Club for a $1,000 donation.
Dave Kruegel donated $75 Happy Bucks
for a recent trip to Eastern Europe, Finland
and Russia, his wifes recent successful
surgery and assistance given him by Bank
of America to thwart recent check thief
activity.
Peter Metzger celebrated a trip to Hawaii.
Brian South celebrated a birthday and told
us of his dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings with
his daughters, a dinner with his parents and
a dinner prepared by his kids. Fun times!
Brian also noted that some of the Moraga
police officers did duty associated with the
Napa/Sonoma wildfires and some of the
Moraga Orinda Fire Department personnel
were still involved.
Roger Gregory had a birthday, the Big 70!
He and Jan celebrated with a few Rotary
friends with a charity dinner at the
Blackhawk Auto/Western Museum. Since
he didnt win the October Fine Free Hat, he
kicked in $70 in Happies for the birthday
and dinner fun.
Ron Mucovich had $3 Happy Bucks
because a friends home in Santa Rosa
escaped the wildfires, Northwestern beat
Maryland and CAL beat Washington State
in football.
Gary Irwin had a Happy $5 Bucks because
a former Moraga Rotary Exchange Student
(more on this below) stopped by to visit.
Angelo Costanza had a High Five for the
CAL win over Washington State and the fun
time he had on the Rossmoor Golf Course
as a part of the Lafayette Rotary Golf
Tournament.
Al Simonsen had $2 Happy Bucks for his
recent successful angiogram (all OK for Al!)
and the CAL win.
Our speaker, Loto Rickman contributed $2
Happy Bucks because her sisters home in
Santa Rosa was safe.
~ANNOUNCEMENTS~
President Dianne reminded the members
that there was a Moraga Rotary Board
meeting that evening at 5:30pm at Moraga
Royale. All Board members were asked to
attend and Dianne stressed that the Board
meetings were open to all members.
Cliff Dochterman submitted the following
for inclusion in the newsletter At our
Tuesday evening Rotary Board meeting a
decision was made to send $4000 from the
Club's Emergency Contingency Fund to the
victims of the Napa and Sonoma County
Wildfires! These funds will be supervised
by Rotarians and all funds will be used to
assist the most needy fire victims. Any
members who wish to contribute tax-
deductible checks for those who have lost
everything, we will add to the Club's
donation. Make your check payable to
"Moraga Rotary Foundation" and indicate
for fire victims. Send to the Club 's P.O.
Box 122, Moraga, CA 94556. This is a way
we can assist those who have lost so much
in the many wild fires in the Napa and Santa
Rosa areas. Please do it as soon as
possible. The need is great.
Gary Irwin gave us the following note
Flor Huart, the Moraga Rotary Exchange
Student for 2006-2007, made a quick visit
to Moraga while on a business trip from
London and spent Saturday night with
Mark & Karen Orwig, with whom she lived
while here. She also visited with Cliff
Dochterman, and had Sunday lunch with
Gary & Carol Irwin, who previously hosted
her when the Orwigs were elsewhere. It
was wonderful to reconnect with Flor, who
made many friends at Campolindo HS, at
Rotary, and in the community. Flor speaks
excellent English (with British slang) and is
a good conversationalist.
After leaving Moraga about 11 years ago,
she returned to Argentina and later
graduated from university with a degree in
entertainment business management. After
a couple of years working in Buenos Aires,
she took a business development job in
London with the computer gaming
company GameLoft, owned by a French
company. Her current responsibility is to
convince portable phone manufacturers to
include her games on the phones as
sold. There is a possibility that she will
need to relocate to the companys Paris
office. She is really enjoying working and
traveling in Europe, and she reports that
she has been going out for a few months
with a very nice European gentleman.
Pictures of progress at the All Abilities
Playground. The cement is poured October
17th, 2017 !
~DANGER AT THE GROCERY~
Ron Mucovich told us a story with two
possible endings. Cliff Dochterman was
selected to try to discern the true ending.
The story involved Rons early business
career (49 years ago). This was when he
was working at a mom & pop grocery store
in the Fruitvale District of Oakland. Ron
had gone to a shed behind the store to
load inventory on a cart. When he came
out he saw two well-dressed men run to a
gold Cadillac and drive away quickly. Ron
thought something was not right so he
wrote down the Caddies license number.
When he came back into the store he
found the owner and the butcher agitated
and they told him the store was just
robbed. Ron said he saw the two men and
wrote down the license number of the
getaway car. They told Ron to call the
police and give them the license number.
A short while later a policeman came into
the store and sadly told them there had
been a shootout and a policeman and one
of the robbers were both wounded. One
bad guy got away but was caught a short
while later. (Thats ending number one.)
The robbers stopped to change clothes at
a gas station and they had a second
getaway car parked outside. The Cadillac
had been stolen. When they came out the
police were there with guns drawn and
caught them. (Thats ending number
two.)
Cliff said ending number one was true and
Ron confirmed that was correct. So Cliff
won the tray of delicious Cowboy Cookies.
 ~PROGRAM~
President Dianne introduced our speaker,
Loto Rickman and her guest, Jim Shore.
Loto and Dianne have worked together at
Moraga Royale for the past 13 years. Loto
assists in the running of the facility and
Dianne says that when she retires Loto will
take over Directorship of Moraga Royale.
Jim Shore is a good friend of Loto and
very knowledgeable about Samoa. He
assisted Loto on questions about island
customs and geography. Loto said, You
can take the girl out of Samoa but you
cant take Samoa out of the girl. Lotos dad is a high chief and as such, he
Samoa is a land of flowers and all Samoan is authorized to wear tattoos extending
people wear them, even the guys. from a bit above his waist down to his
Contrary to popular belief, when a ankles.
Samoan woman wears a flower it doesnt
indicate marriage status.

Lotos Dad on left, sister, Mother, and brother

The extent of tattoos indicates the status

Lotos daughter Gabriella
of the person in the tribe. For instance,
There are two islands Upolu and Savali. young men wear no tattoos but as they
They are located about 2300 miles take on successive responsibilities in the
Southwest of Hawaii. Population is about village they become authorized to wear
200,000 and the typical village has 500 to more and more tattoos.
600 individuals. Kids play all over the
place. There are no snakes but lots of
mosquitos.

Those arent knee-length exercise shorts. Those are leg
tattoos.
Most Samoan architecture is open
because both temperature and humidity
are high. Open sides to the buildings
keeps them cool.
Typical Samoan house
The kitchen/cooking area is outside under
a roof so cooking is a smoky affair. Young
men do all the cooking until they marry, at
which point the new wife assumes the
cooking duties. Cooking is done on the
barbeque or with the food next to hot rocks
and then covered with leaves. The diet
focuses on fish, chicken, taro, breadfruit
and occasionally pork.
Samoan market mangoes, onions, breadfruit
Washing is done at a communal swimming
pool but kids dont get to hang out in the
pool. You get in, wash with soap, then get
out. Too many chores for the kids to do to
let them hang out at the pool. Some
houses have an outdoor shower facility
with no sides. Both sexes bath at night.
Men wear shorts and women wear a
sarong-like wrap. Surprisingly, Samoans
dont swim. The beaches are for the
tourists. Loto says she came to the US not
knowing how to swim. There are too
many chores for the kids to ever learn to
swim or spend time at any beach.
When Samoans die they are buried in the
ground in front of the house. Only
foreigners or people who have no family
are buried in cemeteries. Land is never
sold in Samoa. It is handed down so the
custom of burying on the family land
developed. The Scottish author, Robert
Louis Stevenson is buried in Samoa on
the island of Upolu. He loved the South
Pacific and particularly Samoa. When he
died, the people carried him up to the
mountaintop of Mt. Vaea where he was
buried. The people loved the great
Tusitala (the Story-teller).
Robert Louis Stevenson asked this be
inscribed on his tomb:
Under the wide and starry sky,
Dig the grave and let me die,
And I laid me down with a will.
This be the verse you grave for me:
Here he lies where he longed to be;
Home is the sailor, home from sea,
And the hunter home from the hill.

98% of Samoans are Christian so there

are a lot of churches. On Sunday you go
to church, feast and sleep. No stores are
open on Sunday. You shop on Saturday
and worship/rest on Sunday.

Typical village church
All agreed that Lotos introduction of the
Samoan people was a fine way to celebrate
our weekly meeting. To cap the talk Loto
danced a typical island dance. Very graceful!
Calendar of Future Events
November 18th - Rotary Day at GG Field
December 14th - Holiday Party at Moraga CC
February 7 Fab Five Club Meeting Rossmoor
February 13 Joint Meeting with Chamber
March 10, 2018 - A Nite at the Races
Greeter/Invocators:
10/24 = Marv Ellenberg
10/31 = Roger Gregory
11/07 = Michele Robbins
11/14 = Debbie Roessler
11/21 = Angelo Costanza
Future Speakers:
October 24 Dr Jackie Steele
October 31 District Governors Visit
November 7 Ron Haas - Manager MCC
November14 Bobbie Preston-No One Left Behind
November 21 Open
November 28 Chip Herman Orinda Car Show
December 5 Mari Pareno ExDir Xenopha
ZTraining Ctr and Toys for Tots
December 14 Club Christmas Party @ MCC
January 2 Open
January 9 Prof Susan Skelton Geneology
January 16 Open
January 23 Mike Matoso Athletic Dir St. Marys
January 30 Open
Newsletter Editor:
October Roger Gregory
MORAGA ROTARY BOARD OF DIRECTORS
President Dianne Wilson
President-elect Ron Mucovich
Past President Kevin Reneau
Co-Secretary Vickie Devlin
Co-Secretary Evie Michon
Treasurer Lad Lynch
Foundation Chair John Erickson
Youth Service Chair Rich Render
Public Relations Gary Irwin
Newsletter Editor Frank May
Community Service Chair Tony Schoemehl
Co-Chair, International Services Barbara Bruner
Co-Chair, International Services Linda May
Co-Chair, Membership Mike McCluer
Co-Chair, Membership Debbie Koo
Director at Large Mary Sue
Erickson
Director at Large Roger Gregory
Director at Large Debbie Roessler
Advisor to the Board Jim Campbell
Advisor to the Board Cliff Dochterman

District Governor 5160 Gary Vilhauer

President, Rotary International Ian Riseley