Guests today included – Today’s

speaker, Dr. Jim Messenger

MORAGA representing Rotacare, Kerry Hillis
friend of Hubert Ma (Kerry is interested

ROTARY in Rotary), three members of the Rotary

Club of Tranent, Scotland, Bill Eames,
Honorary Moraga Rotarian, Campolindo
NEWSLETTER students and this year’s Camp Royal
attendees – Sutter Armistead and
Namracha Aksulanat who came to
July 27th, 2021 speak about their camp experiences,
and our good friend Kevin Reneau who
dropped by to share lunch with us.
(Kevin is in the area for 60 days to get
Next Meeting: their Moraga house ready to sell and he
hopes to attend at least one Cal
Tuesday, August 3rd @ 12 Football Game…)
Noon at La Finestra Kevin, Tony, Gary, Angelo and Doug D.
Restaurant were sharing golf stories which led this
month’s newsletter editor to insert this
Program: Pat Mori, The joke.
Children’s Interview Center
Greeter: Linda May
Zoom connection information for next week’s
meeting will be distributed early next week

Upcoming Speakers:
Aug 10 – Sandee Wiedemann with
.
Shepard’s Gate
Aug 17 – Alan Purves – Scotch Whisky
Aug 31 – Hays Englehart – Adventures on
Route 66
Sep 7 – Adam Nielsen from the
Department of Fish and Game

We met at La Finestra Restaurant

where chef/owner/Rotarian Jeff Assadi
served a delicious buffet with a ceasar
salad, tomato/mozzarella/basil with a
balsamic sauce, rigatoni, chicken
saltimbocca, and an assortment of
desserts.
Speaking of golfers – check out these
two twins:
Tony Schoemehl and Gary Irwin must have won those
shirts in the same golf match. Watch out these guys play
for clothing.
President Brian South rang the bell
and launched the meeting.
Greeter/Invocator, Alka Mulakaluri
joined us today via zoom from Seattle.
Alka asked us to consider how our
presence impacts others. We all make
up the spiritual environment of all the
people we interact with each day. Then
Alka led us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Rich Render reminded us that this is
our 2021/2022 Club President’s first
meeting and President Brian the
Second says, “Don’t bully the new
president!”
Angelo Costanza took the podium and
spoke about this year’s Camp Royal
campers - Namracha Aksulanat and
Sutter Armistead. Both are top
students at Campolindo High School
and attended this year’s camp via a
four-day online experience. Both
enjoyed the experience – Sutter found
lecturer, Jeremy Bates engaging and
Namracha was intrigued with the
concept put forth in one lecture, “When
you feel scared, let the fear wash
through you.” She said, “Let your fear
help you. When you let it wash through
you it will help you do a better job.”
Namracha Aksalanat on the left and Sutter Armistead on
the right
Angelo told us that in 1981 the Moraga
Rotary board as a result of a District
Convention in Redding, CA - adopted
the idea of sending a local student to
Camp Royal. In 1982 one male student
from Campolindo High School was sent.
After that, two students were sent each
year. For 39 years we have never
missed a year. Angelo does a great job
with this program each and every year.
~~Birthdays & Anniversaries~~
Rich Render had a birthday. It was the
“Big 70”. Rich and Peg celebrated at the
Royal Siam restaurant where Rich is,
“The Number One customer.” And his
boss is taking him to lunch tomorrow at
Bonehead’s BQ in Lafayette. The club
sang Happy Birthday to Rich…
Mark Hoogs and Joseph Schneider
both had birthdays, but we will have to
catch them in the future since they
weren’t with us today.
 President Brian noted that yesterday
was Yelena Mucovich’s birthday, and
the club wishes her a happy B day too.
Lad Lynch and Leslie had an
anniversary and Brian asked Lad to tell
us how they met. Lad replied, “It was in
1961. I went to the San Francisco
Calvary Presbyterian Church one
Sunday. There was an attractive girl in a
purple dress whom I’d never seen
before. After the service I saw her again
at the social hour and I made a beeline
for the purple dress. In conversation,
she said she knew no one here at the
church. After a few minutes she
excused herself to do an errand. I
followed her to the parking lot. She had
no car. She had come by bus. I offered
to drive and then take her home. We
made a date, and in a year, we were
married. That was 59 years ago.” A
beautiful story. The club wishes Lad &
Leslie many more wonderful
anniversaries.
President Brian said “Susie and I had
an anniversary. We’ve been married for
20 years.
~~Happy Bucks~~
Gary Irwin had $5 Happy Bucks
because the “old President” led us to
achieving the Outstanding Club of the
Year Award. The last time we won was
when we built the All Access Playground
at the Commons.
Evie Michon had $5 Happy Bucks for
the success of the Rotary Polio Plus
Campaign which raised over half a
million dollars for the eradication of polio.
Bill Eames threw in $5 Happy Bucks
because he travelled all the way from
Rossmoor to Moraga for this meeting
today.
Debbie Roessler had $5 Happy Bucks
for a recent backyard party for Louise
Schopke. Sadly, Louise is moving to
Chicago and our club is sad to see her
move so far away. Please come back
often to visit us, Louise!
“President Brian, the Second” had $5
Happy Bucks for our special Scottish
friends in the Tranent Club who sent
Brian a beautiful card for the interactions
our clubs have had together. Brian
designated Tranent our “Sister Club.”
Jim Campbell told the club he and Linda
just bought a place in Half Moon Bay.
They will be spending several days a
month there.
Debbie Koo gave $10 Happy Bucks; $5
for the wonderful Demotion Dinner last
week and $5 for the $2,500 Goma
Volcano Relief funds the club sent. The
money arrived and the Goma-Tumaini
Rotary Club used it to provide water jerry
cans and rice for the refugees.
~~Announcements~~
President Brian gave an update on the
status of the donation pour club sent to
India for Covid Relief. You will recall our
donation was $2,500 as part of the
overall District 5160 donation of
approximately $34,000. A portion of the
donated money was received by Rotary
District 3070 in Northern India and was
used to establish 7 locations for oxygen
concentrators. The district containing the
city of Nagur, India also received donated
funds and they are devoting their portion
to combating the black fungus that
follows the Covid Delta variant in
attacking the lungs of survivors.
Brian presented a 5-stone Paul Harris
Award Pin to Lad Lynch. This is an
awesome achievement indicating that
Lad has given $7,000 to the Rotary
Foundation. As you all know, money
given to the Foundation is available to
support charitable projects undertaken by
local clubs worldwide.
There was left over wine from the
Moraga Rotary Demotion Dinner. Tony
Schoemehl has it for sale at $10 a
bottle.
TGIF- Last Friday of the Month
the Rotary Social for July will be at Roger
& Jan Gregory’s home (138 Whitethorne
Drive, Moraga) at 6 pm Friday, July 30th
and for August the event will be at Bill
Eames’ home in Rossmoor (1901
Lakeshire, Walnut Creek) at 6 pm on
Friday, August 27th. Please bring your
favorite wine and an appetizer to share.
These events are always fun.
Brian announced it’s time to replenish
the prize fund for the weekly Encore
Game. $10 to the Treasurer please –
which gets you into the pool of eligible
participants. This week’s game was for a
$20 prize – but more on this later at the
end of the meeting. We always end our
meetings with an Encore Game.
~~Rotary Minute~~
Recall that President Brian threatened us
with this Rotary Minute idea. As a way to
get to know more about individual
members Brian will ask a member at
random about how they joined Rotary.
This week was the first such minute and
Gary Irwin was selected. Gary said in
1952 he was visiting his grandparents in
Kansas and he learned his grandfather
was a Rotarian. He decided this sounds
pretty cool and someday he would like to
be one too! So, in 1988 he joined Moraga
Rotary. When asked what his most
outstanding memory of Rotary was, Gary
responded, “The building of the All
Access Playground at the Moraga
Commons.” He said, “It is great to see
the kids and parents there daily enjoying
the facility. It is always busy!”
~~Program~~
Debbie Roessler, Moraga Rotary
Program Director par excellence,
introduced today’s speaker – Dr. James
Messenger. Dr. Jim has been all over
the place doing his occupational
medicine job and he is a member of
Benicia Rotary. He grew up in Los
Angeles, did the Army, graduated from
UCLA and has been in occupational
medicine and family medicine to the point
where he reached retirement a few years
ago. He felt unmoored in retirement, so
he joined Rotary and volunteered for
Rotacare. (He has written 32 papers and
2 books) Before you could say one, two,
three he was the Medical Director of
Rotacare Concord. (He also does
docent/volunteer work at various
museums.)
This unit is part of the overall Rotacare
Bay Area which runs 15 clinics around
the Bay Area and is a 501(c3)
organization. Rotacare Concord is one
element of the 15. The Concord unit
focuses on mobile clinic care. Yes, they
work out of a large van! They have
volunteer doctors, nurses, nurse Future greeter/invocators:
practitioners and just plain-volunteers. 8-03 Linda May
They take care of anyone who comes to 8/10 Jim Campbell
them. During the pandemic they were 8/17 John Erickson
challenged to care for folks stuck in the 8/24 MarySue Erickson
United States. Many of these people had 8/31 Roger Gregory
full health care coverage in their native
countries, but they were here and For the new Rotary Year our leaders are:
couldn’t leave. Rotacare hunkered down President Brian South
and handled them. As an example, these
President Elect TBD
folks couldn’t access their prescription
medications. Rotacare renewed their Secretary Jennifer Brophy
medications for an entire year since the
extent of the pandemic lock-down was Executive Secretary Evie Michon
unknown at the time.
Treasurer Debbie Koo

Many people want to donate medical Program Chair Debbie Roessler

items to Rotacare but they have to turn
them down because the equipment isn’t Community Tony Schoemehl
compatible with the Rotacare systems. Service Chair
Money works better as a donation. There International Debbie Koo & Dianne
is always a need for money. Service Chairs Wilson
Foundation Chair John Erickson
Debbie Roessler asked what volunteers Youth Services Rich Render
without medical qualifications can do? Dr. Chair
Jim replied, “…help with filling out forms, Public Relations Chair Gary Irwin
enter blood pressure and temperature
records, smile, and make people Fund Raising Chair Frank May
comfortable…”
Membership Chairs Roger Gregory &
Hubert Ma
Dr, Jim stayed after lunch to deal with Advisors to the Board Cliff Dochterman,
any further questions. MarySue Erickson,
Linda May &
~~Encore Game~~ Jim Campbell
District Governor 5160 Kathy Suvia
For this week’s game President Brian President, Shekar Mahta
asked our visiting past member, Kevin Rotary
Reneau to select an ace and keep it out International
of view. The prize was $20. The random This month’s Newsletter Editor – “The Rajah” Gregory
selector chose Jim Campbell as the
lucky guesser… and Jim guessed, “The
ace of clubs.” No, the correct suit was
hearts. The ace of hearts. Sorry Jim.
Better luck next time.