While lined up for the deliciously tender and tasty Prime Rib luncheon Wednesday noon, I learned that our old friend and former Fullerton Rotarian Bob McNutt had been killed in a plane crash up in Big Bear. At the time of his death, Bob was president and CEO of Conveyor Technology Inc., a company he founded in 1981. He was also President-Elect of the Big Bear Rotary Club which he joined shortly after “retiring” to Big Bear Valley from Fullerton. Some of you may remember Bob’s Craft Talk. Even though he was a highly successful entrepreneur and CEO of his own company with a number of important hi-tech patents to his name, he spent most of his craft talk recounting his eighteen months in the U.S. Navy Submarine Service --- something he clearly regarded as a high point of his life. His death is a great loss to Rotary and the Big Bear community. Our prayers and thoughts go out to his wife, Susan, and his many friends and family. Bob's Memorial Service is scheduled for this coming Monday, November 20, 2006 at 11:00 am at the Big Bear Performing Arts Center, 39707 Big Bear Blvd. Rotarians may wish to contribute to a memorial fund in his honor in either the Big Bear or the Fullerton Rotary Club foundations.
The photo above appeared in the BIG BEAR GRIZZLY of November 16, 2006 accompanying the news of Bob’s death.

President Terri Grassi called the meeting to order, and introduced John Braun of the Newest Nine who led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Mike Oates led off the Invocation with a moment of remembrance for Bob McNutt and former Fullerton South Rotarian Ron Sweeney who passed away last week. He then reminded us all of our many blessings for which we can be grateful.

Howard Wood started off the singing with another “oldie but goodie” --- the once popular Meet Me in Saint Louis (“… meet me at the fair.”) Someone remarked that none of us could hold a candle to Judy Garland’s rendition of that famous song from the movie of the same name. We did recapture our singing enthusiasm when we then embarked on the familiar Rotary anthem, Smile (“and the world smiles with you”).

Talking to Howard earlier, I asked him if his song book contained the words to our Fullerton Welcome Song. He got out his R.I. song book and could not find it because, of course, it was the book for all of Rotary, worldwide. The Welcome Song always used to be sung after the introduction of visitors and guests, welcoming them to the meeting. It fell into disuse some years ago, for reasons nobody understands. (You’ll have to ask whomever was President that year why it was discontinued.) The words go like this:

The tune is the very familiar Navy song, “Anchors Aweigh.” (If you don’t know the tune, ask Lt. Cmdr. Buck Catlin, USN Ret.)

Of course, now that the order of events is different, it might be difficult to squeeze another song into the meeting. Before President Joyce Capelle’s meeting rearrangement last year we had our opening songs at 12:00 noon before the buffet line opened; then, after we’d eaten and the business part of the meeting started at 12:30, we were ready to sing again, to help us stay awake after a big lunch. (Maybe after we return to the more spacious new Elks Lodge---whenever it’s finished?)

George Giokaris introduced visitors and guests (without benefit of song.) They included: George’s own guest Ed Atkinson who is Principal of Sunny Hills High School; Bill McGarvey’s guest, his son Bill McGarvey III; (Who knew our Bill was a “Junior”?) Bill Mathy’s guest, former member Debra Koff, who was welcomed back by old friends. Another former member, now being welcomed back in an Honorary capacity is Rev. Jon West, former pastor of Morningside Presbyterian Church. “Welcome to Rotary and Fullerton!”

Following the introduction of Visitors and Guests was a whole lot of announcements: Coming Events and that sort of thing.

The coming event coming soonest is the Friday Night Free Movie at the Christian Life Center on 404 West Wilshire, this Friday, November 17th. The film will be Miracle on 34th Street, that great classic starring Edmund Gwen as Kris Kringle and an absolutely adorable Natalie Wood as a little girl who wants very much to believe in Santa Claus. Then, on December 15th, there will be yet another Friday Night Free Movie: the animated fantasy, Polar Express starring the voice of Tom Hanks. Both movies screen at 7:00 pm. Your host, Rev. Greg Hickman, promises FREE POPCORN!

The next big Coming Event is the Rotary Sock Hop. This, as you might have guessed is a Walter Barnes idea to raise money for Boys & Girls Clubs, the Holiday Toy Giveaway, and the R.I. Service Project to aid India’s deaf children. It also sounds like a whole lotta’ fun. All you hep cats get in the groove and dance to your favorites from the ‘50s when you sported pegged pants and a duck tail, and your girlfriend wore a poodle skirt! All the music played will be on genuine, antique 45-RPM phonograph records (no CDs allowed). Our DJ will be none other than “Golden Oldies” maven and record collector extraordinaire, our own Fred Johnson, who has some genuine surprises up his sleeve. The event will be held on Fred’s own turf, the Boys & Girls Club of Fullerton at 348 W. Commonwealth, right next door to St. Mary’s Church. There will also be a guest appearance by “The Preëminents.”

Still other upcoming events include a tour by the CSUF girls’ basketball team. But you have to go out of town to see them play because, well, they’re on tour! Which is why Maryalyce Jeremiah wasn’t here in her tracksuit and whistle to make the announcement herself. They play UCLA on Thursday, November 30th.

The upcoming January Benefit Concert will feature the outstanding tenor, DAVIS GAINES, who performed the title role in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera more than 2,000 times, for over five million people, during his run on Broadway, in Los Angeles and San Francisco. See Winston Creel for tickets.

The beneficiaries of the concert were Boys & Girls Club, St. Jude, Florence Critenden, and the FCLO.

Mike Oates, in a less serious mood this time, took up the duties of Fine Master—excuse me “Recognition Official”. (“Fine” is too punitive, and “Master” is too sexist.)

He recognized Theresa Harvey, Terri Grassi, and Jim Williams for their performances in the play Christmas Express staged at Wilshire Auditorium by Fullerton Sunrise Rotary. (This play had the distinction of being the only show in the country to feature a white actor in a “blackface” comedy role since some time the 1950s.)

Greg Hickman was fined for advertising his Free Movie, Maryalyce Jeremiah was recognized for being the “Winningest Coach” (basketball, presumably), and Nate Kvetny was asked about his trip to China.

Jim Blake and Leroy Fulton had Birthdays; Dick Mathewson, Bill Heaton and Mike La all celebrated their wives’ birthdays; and Tom Meyer and his wife had an anniversary. Congratulations, all!

There were a bunch of recognitions of college alma mater sporting events. Football: Southern Mississippi 31—Tulane 3; Hope 26—Wisconsin Lutheran 7; Columbia 21—Cornell 14; Defiance 20—Bluffton 6; Purdue 42—Illinois 31; Illinois state 42—Indiana State 20; Nebraska 28—Texas A&M 27. Basketball: Cornell 76—SUNY Stonybrook 72. Only MIT had a perfect season with no losses (or wins!)

Mike wound up with the story about the farmer and his alligator.

The RAFFLE was won by Griff Duncan who held winning ticket #495828. He drew for the Joker but uncovered the Two of Spades instead for a Consolation Prize.

The honor of introducing our Speaker of the day fell to “Prezelect” Tom Meyer, who did just that.

Don Means is a Vice-president of Chevron Land & Development company, an operating subsidiary of the Chevron (BIG OIL!) Corporation. Chevron Land prepares surplus properties, i.e., the land above exhausted oil wells, for re-development and sale. This global company headquartered in Brea oversees projects in the United States, Nigeria, and South Africa. His topic today was the West Coyote Hills project in the far northwest corner of Fullerton.

The project will be to create an interlocking set of master-planned residential neighborhoods in the hills north of Rosecrans Avenue, between Euclid Avenue and Beach Boulevard. The houses will be mostly single family homes of varying size with a small townhouse development as well. There will also be a commercial center. A large portion of the area will be green belt, including a dedicated nature park. Before the land is completely ready for grading and improvements, the old oil wells have to be sealed up first. They expect it will take about five years to complete the project.

Don has also worked on similar projects in creating the master-planned communities of West Hills in La Habra, Hillsborough in La Mirada, and the Seacliff community in Huntington Beach.