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Wednesday, June 23, 2004
Volume 63, Issue 48 Rota-Scribe: Buck Catlin

The SAGA of a MARINE CORPS "BRAT" (*)
Craft Talk by CRAIG WALKER
Fascinating early life chronicles of the son of a Marine helicopter pilot killed in action in Vietnam, and his growing into a manhood-family oriented career as did the generation of the 60's-70's. (*) For you non-military types "brat" is an endearing term common to the children of all Services. More under PROGRAM.

Following a BOB RADDE-led PLEDGE, the Rotary quintet of JIM YOUNG, BILL PELOQUIN, LEROY FULTON, BOB SAVAGE, and HOWARD WOOD, appropriately cheered on the winning CSUF "TITANS" baseball team in their NCAA Championship quest.

City Father-Councilman DICK JONES got the program off with to a laugher about a man who took his wife off to a bacchanalian anniversary soiree when she said she wished she were 6 again. After a day blowing the wad on a very rich cuisine and dessert un imaginable he asked if her wants were satisfied. "No, dammit!" she cried. "I said 'Dress SIZE SIX', not age SIX YEARS".

The "Thought for the Day"? Husbands and wives do not always communicate.

GUESTS:

Dick Boyle - plenipotentiary member from Greater Rotary.

Sharon Quirk, Candidate for Fullerton City Council -- guest of MINARD DUNCAN.

DAVE BATES, Club Member in Absentia--NATE KVETNY

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Our traveling Rotarians DICK DAYBELL and BILL KINCAID, like Roman conquerors, displayed shields brought back from their collective visits to No. Carolina, Australia, Germany, Australia and points West.

PROSPECTIVE ROTARY PROGRAMS: AL TETREAULT, Program Chairman, announced the line-up for the coming six months.

See any errors? Call AL 526-5501. (Don't ask for "PARTS DEPARTMENT").

DEMOTION NIGHT: 6:00PM WED JUNE 30th FOUR POINTS INN - Fullerton. No more cancellations. It'll cost you.

ROTARIANS OF THE WEEK: PREZ MATHY unloaded a spate of clocks on the RECOGNITION Masters by designating six recipients: BILL MCKAMY, WALLY BARTELT, JIM BLACKBURN, DICK BOYLE, FRED JOHNSON, and ART LEVINE for their services this year.

ART took the mike:
He challenged this week honorees with some arcane questions about the signing of the Declaration of Independence. (Unless you had read the biography "John Adams", by David McCulllough, the $10 prize was all you could hope to win.)

Bill's Days are numbered!!!Time is Running Out for Bill.
Join us June 30 - Demotion Night.
Bill's Days are numbered!!!Four Points Sheraton.
On Raymond @ 91 Fwy
6pm No Host Cocktails

RAFFLE:

WALLY BARTELT with ticket No. 2376 got the $10.

THE PROGRAM:

CRAIG WALKER'S "CRAFT TALK".

Craig was the son of a Marine helicopter pilot who lost his life in a CH-53 Super Stallion crash in Vietnam. True to Marine Corps motto "Semper Fi", members of his crew saw to it that the Walker kids sustained a family life by being surrogate Dads. His mother later married and the new family raised four plus three kids. He grew up in many cities mostly in So. California. Although good in baseball, he found out soon that"good" in JHS wasn't "that good" in HS, so he switched to swimming and excelled. From HS he got an alternate appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy with Class of 1985. The principal appointee entered the Academy but flunked out proving that academic grades aren't the best predictors of who will be a leader. (Craig would be a CAPT, USN, now). After a try at NROTC for a shot at Naval Aviation he wound up at UCI where after an undergraduate foray in Sigma Chi he graduated and moved into a successful career in finance (portfolio management). His wife, Leese, left a higher paying job to start off at $5.00/hour in a Temecula broadcast station and zoomed to a highly successful career in broadcasting.

Obviously, a dynamic, personality plus couple. Who knows?

Craig would have been a great Navy "Blue Angel", and with a charismatic wife might someday have become DCNO Air had the Navy taken a chance on a promising alternate.

SIDEBAR: RON SODERQUIST wishes to report that the Needlework Guild" has put to excellent use the $500 Community Investment Award received from our Club.

This provided a large bolt of flannel cloth to make baby blankets, and many other items of children's clothing so essential. Rotary's generosity is much appreciated.

SEE YOU AT DEMOTION NIGHT NEXT WEDNESDAY AT FOUR POINTS INN.

"The Fullerton Railway Plaza Association expresses sincere appreciation for the $500 award in suppport of its Sixth Annual Railroad Safety Poster Contest. This grant assisted in the FRPA with the associated printing costs which are important in promulgating the contest to the 13,000 K-6 grates in the Fullerton School District. The collective value of prizes for the eight finalists was over $3400. We are grateful to the Rotary Club of Fullerton or its support. Richard L. Hopping, O.D. Executive Vice President. "