Not only are third-graders who received the gift of 400 dictionaries courtesy of the San Mateo and Foster City clubs learning to use the books, they're learning to write thank-you notes, as the examples above attest.

Congratulations to Mike Peterson and his ever-expanding band of volunteers for labeling the books and presenting them in person to hundreds of school kids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Angel Riley and Dick Bennett have reserved 20 seats for Rotarians who would like to attend the live version of 'Mama Mia' Friday, May 17 at the Hillbarn Theater. Ducats — in antiquity they called tickets 'ducats' and I am antique — are $24 each an include a wine and cheese reception. See either Angel or Dick for tickets.

 

"WHEN DAFFODILS BEGIN TO PEER,
WITH HEIGH! THE DOXY OVER THE DALE,
WHY, THEN COMES IN THE SWEET O’ THE YEAR" — The Winter's Tale

Anne Campbell was witness to the Mojave's doxies in this year's 'superbloom,' a true winter's tale as it snowed the evening she photographed the magnificent desert bloom. Anne, returned from vacation, anticipated the sweet o' the year, President Bruce the sweetening of the pot more in mind. Since she's already a PC member, it only cost her $50.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"CELEBRATE your incoming Club Presidents
"NEW educational topics requested by local Rotarians!
"MOTIVATE new AND experienced Rotarians!
"BUILD a plan for a dynamic 2019-2020 Rotary year!
"Breakfast snacks and lunch included and prepared by
RC of Foster City— “The Club That Cooks!”

The March 16 District Learning and Leadership Development Assembly will be held at Redwood High School in Larkspur. Signup information is available on the calendar on the District website or by contacting Tony Villanueva.

 

President BB showed off the club's latest honor, the Mayor's Award presented at the San Mateo Area Chamber of Commerce's Annual Business Awards. It was an impressive disk of shiny metal adhered to a board mount. He said it will be displayed in the hall, the "prettiest hubcap I've ever seen."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gisela Zebroski is the amalgam of a sparkling personality, historical knowledge and first-hand experience of World War II. She and her family escaped Latvia ahead of the invading Russians only to eventually find themselves oppressed and virtually imprisoned in the Russian sector of Berlin after the war ended.

Her topic was the Berlin Airlift and her first-hand experiences as a Latvian refugee, a topic that gave host Walt McCullough a tough moment at the microphone as he remembered that his own family hosted a refugee family from Latvia in the aftermath of the war.

 

 

Her perspective was that Berlin, divided into four zones after the war as spoils to the victorious allies, which at that time included the Russians, was the flash point where Harry Truman on the American side and Joseph Stalin on the Russian side could have ignited World War III.

Stalin blockaded East Berlin, trying to provoke the West to make any kind of hostile gesture, which the Soviets would take as a pretext to mobilize the millions of troops they had in Germany. Meanwhile, the U.S. had repatriated nearly its entire army.

She quoted estimates that Stalin could have run all the way to the English Channel in 48 hours if he'd been given the pretext, which is what he planned.

 

In the middle of that was Gisela's family. Along with the rest of the population of East Berlin, they were facing the end of their food supply in 40 days after Stalin slammed the door shut.

The result was the Berlin Airlift, a herculean endeavor few appreciated for the obstacles it overcame. In the beginning the Americans had no airplanes, no pilots and no airfields. The food supply chain would have to stretch across the Continent, the Atlantic and across America as far as Montana. Flights to East Berlin were restricted to a 20-mile-wide corridor and were harassed by hundreds of Soviet fighters. But, it happened.

"That's how American people are," she said. "They just do it."

It helped that Truman told Stalin if his fighters interfered in any way with the airlift he would drop an atomic bomb on Moscow.

In the end the airlift involved 57,000 people supporting 278,000 flights that flew aggregate 10 million miles in nine months to deliver 4.3 million tons of goods to 2.3 million people.

Among the pilots was Lt. Hal Halverson. Lt. Halverson had seen starving children share his gift of two sticks of chewing gum and promised he'd drop more from his bomber the next day. He rigged up bundles of sweets on tiny parachutes and did, in fact, make his delivery, waggling his wings to let the kids know it was him.

Among the recipients on the ground: Gisela Zebroski.

 

Juan Raigoza had real news of the day. 

Martin Harband  is a new grandfather. He tried to name his granddaughter 'Martin,' but cooler heads prevailed. 

T Jack Foster led the Happy Birthday song.

Anyone belonging to this footwear please report to the podium and reclaim a sense of fashion.