On the evening of May 15th San Mateo Rotarians gathered at the Peninsula Golf & Country Club with Rotary International President Gordon McInally, numerous dignitaries, and one another to celebrate the Rotary Club of San Mateo's Centennial. Rotarians enjoyed a festive cocktail hour with everyone eventually managing to wend their way over to RI President Gordon to welcome him to San Mateo - complete with kilt and bagpipes!
Following cocktails Rotarians processed into the dining room for a sumptuous feast, camaraderie, and a program featuring RI President Gordon's after dinner comments, highlighted by his challenge to San Mateo Rotarians to envision our second century and by his charming account of a conversation with his 5-year-old granddaughter who wanted to know what he does when he travels around the world to greet Rotarians (aka "all the lovely people").
Definitely an event for the ages! A most appreciative shout-out to Tony Villanueva, Mitch Postel, and the Centennial Dinner Committee who orchestrated the entire evening after planning for over a year. All their hard work definitely paid off in a most memorable evening!
Here's to the next 100 years!
Rotarians enjoyed the ambiance of the Grand Ballroom at the Peninsula Golf & Country Club. The Centennial Committee decorated the tables with beautiful centerpieces boasting yellow & white flowers accompanied by festive Rotary Wheels. Each Rotarian had a special Rotary cookie and paperweight to take home as mementoes of the event. Truly a beautiful setting for a special occasion!
Kitty, Rod, and Joan enjoyed greeting attendees with great gusto. They made sure everyone who arrived had a name tag & an assigned table. The perfect presidential trio!
Vic Carboni's jazz ensemble caught the festive spirit and provided upbeat
music for the cocktail hour.
Bernie & Bill had one of the most important jobs of the evening - selling drink tickets! They took their role quite seriously, managing to get everyone who wanted tickets served expeditiously. From their smiles, it looks as though the drink ticket supply met the demand!
Mmes. Winks & Villanueva had the best perch in the house as they enjoyed each other's company while graciously greeting everyone moving from the lobby to the bar.
Peter's Thought-of-the-Day honored RI President Gordon's Scotch heritage and the mission of Rotary by sharing wise words from Robert Louis Stevenson, "Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap, but by the seeds that you sow." Peter observed SM Rotary has been planting seeds for a better future for over 100 years and will continue that mission.
President John welcomed everyone and thanked the Centennial Committee for all its hard work over the past year in making sure every detail was taken care of in preparing for the Gala Dinner.
President Gordon received a warm welcome from both those at the podium and those in the audience. In his after dinner remarks he asked SM Rotarians how we'll build on our first century to continue our tradition of community involvement, global impact, and Service Above Self.
Thanks to Tony's leadership, the Centennial Gala was a rousing success. He masterfully organized various committees to handle all facets of the evening and dealt with unexpected developments with great good humor and exceptional aplomb. It's not every day the RI President comes to dinner!
Attendees found not only plate settings, glassware & a gourmet meal awaiting as they arrived at their tables, but also a beautifully designed program, specially decorated Centennial Cookie, and hefty marble paperweight. Thanks to everyone for a memorable evening. Now it's onto our Second Century of Service!
This Week's Meeting - Scholarship Luncheon
Be sure to join us this Tuesday for our annual Scholarship Luncheon where we'll honor this year's scholarship recipients. It will be crowded so arrive early or you may find yourself parking across the street!
