September 19, 2011 Spokesman

Posted by Sue Greenfeld 
on Sep 19, 2011
 

President Brandon Honcoop started the meeting at 6:35 p.m. Jim Going led the Pledge of Allegiance and President Honcoop thanked John Pruitt and Doug Carter for desk duties, Dave Aubrey for greeting, and Sue Greenfeld for scribing. Ernie Norehad provided an inspiration moment.

Introductions of Visitors

Visiting Rotarians were Steve Lerian, Art manager, from San Luis Obispo-DeTolosa Club, Cheryl Gunderson, Commercial Banking, from the Bellevue Club, and Dr. Cyndy Fitzgerald, Dean, LIOS of Saybrook College, from the California Scott Valley Club. Guests included Scott Espiritu, an Attorney and a guest of Chuck Brockway.

Announcements:

President Honcoop thanked all those who participated in the Rotary Golf Tournament on September 12, 2011 at Echo Falls Golf Club.

Pat Dye thanked Rotarians who assisted in the Shoe Project at Fred Meyer. They are Megan Nakanichi, Vicky Cooley, Joanne Primavera, Kathy Kehrli, Jerry Campo, Elizabeth and Chris Rusnak and Sue Greenfeld. Pat Dye also presented President Honcoop with a 2010-2011 Literacy Award that was given to our Club for the outstanding John Muir Reading Buddies Project.

Pat Dye also commented on the upcoming October 7th Rotary Coat Project at John Muir Elementary School.

Jerry Campo announced the October 22nd Bunco Party at Steve Shinstrom’s home.   Theme this year will be NEON

Brian Tucker announced the District 5030 trip on October 15 and 16 to Ethiopia. He is requesting gently-used soccer balls be given to him in the next three weeks so that the balls will go to Ethiopia and Uganda.

Patti Smith mentioned the upcoming Fall Candidates Forum Night. Please let her know if you will be bringing guests.

Rich Bergdahl stated that we should keep John Overleese in our hearts and our prayers. John has hospice home care, but e-mails to John are welcome.

Induction of New Members

Membership Chair Rich Bergdahl gave a brief historical overview of the Kirkland Rotary Club stating that we were chartered from the Seattle Four Club in 1937, and as the sponsors were coming from Seattle, the “Eastside” Club of Kirkland-Bellevue became an evening club, one of the few. Kirkland and Bellevue then became separate clubs. The new members are Scott Becker, Commercial Banking (Sponsor Chuck Brockway, Mentor Terry Cole), Anne Hamilton, Microsoft (Sponsor Bill Woods, Mentor Shellie Gehring), and Chris Morgan, Finance (Sponsor Bill Woods, Mentor Rick Walter).

Introduction of Speaker

Patti Smith introduced Pat O’Day, a famous and well-known disc jockey of the Pacific Northwest who appeared on and later managed KJR-am radio during the 1960’s and 1970s. Pat O’Day now heads a real estate firm on San Juan Island. He has three sons and one daughter.

Speaker Pat O’Day

Pat O’Day began his presentation when in the late 1950s and early 1960s, he decided to become a disc jockey instead of following his father into the ministry.  He loved “rock and roll” and cajoled the audience with many stories of his experiences with Jimi Hendricks, Led Zeppelin and the Three Dog Night. A company Concerts West he founded developed into the largest concert promotion firm in the U.S With his partners, he helped to create the sound system which has been used by Elton John, the Eagles, Chicago and Neil Diamond. One of his stories involved a Three Dog Night concert in Dallas at the Texas Fairgrounds when the local producer insisted on using their own pyrotechnical person. This turned out to be a disaster with fireworks exploding at all the inappropriate times and setting the Fairgrounds into lots of little fires.

Another story Pat O’Day spoke of was about Lan Roberts whom he had hired. Lan believed in UFOs and the newspaper “Saucer Intelligence.” There was a prediction of an UFO landing in Issaquah and not wanting to disappoint the crowd of people and cars gathered, Pat O’Day hired a parachutist dressed all in black to descend with a light and then to disappear. Some people (especially Lan) really believed it was an UFO, and did not want to believe it was just a parachutist in black.

Pat O’Day concluded his talk with thanks to the Schick Shadel Hospital for their drug and alcohol treatments. He admitted that he had used their services and now is a spokesperson for the hospital and its good work. After the meeting, Pat O’Day was available to autograph his book It Was All Just Rock-n-Roll II: A Return to the Center of the Radio & Concert Universe in which he describes various experiences from Jimi Hendricks to Elvis Presley. In 1998 a plaque of Pat O’Day was added to the permanent disc jockey exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Joker Pool:  Rick Walter stated the Joker Pool has between $500 to $600. Joanne Primavera pulled the eight of diamonds and so did not win the Joker Pool.

Meeting adjourned 7:45 p.m.   Scribe for a night Sue Greenfeld