Rotagram for Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Opening: Ring bell. “Welcome to the Rotary Club of Fullerton”

Opening Commenary:
This week we celebrate President’s Day, honoring especially the birthday of the father of our country. According to legend, a sergeant in the Revolutionary War once directed his men to fell some trees and construct a much-needed bridge. As the soldiers struggled mightily with the task, an imposing-looking man rode up and, observing their work, said to the sergeant, “You don’t have enough men for the job, do you?” “No,” the sergeant replied. “We need some help.”

The man, looking down from his saddle, asked, “Why don’t you help your men?” “Me?” he responded in a huff. “Why, I am a sergeant!”

The man got down from his horse and worked with the soldiers until the bridge was completed. Then, mounting his horse, he said to the sergeant, “Sergeant, the next time you have a job to put through, and too few men to do it, you had better send for the Commander-in- Chief, and I will come again.”

The man, so the legend goes, was General George Washington.

This remarkable leader left a singular imprint on our nation. His picture is on postage stamps, coins, and dollar bills. His name is on cities, roads, lakes, mountains, and schools all over the country. And a 555-foot monument in his honor stands majestically at the center of the nation’s capital, which also happens to bear the name Washington.

But more important than all of this is the imprint he left on the lives of the people who knew him—and, indirectly, onevery American ever since. He was deeply respected for his unique combination of ability and humility. And in turn, he showed deep respect for others—especially those who stood by his side and fought for freedom in perilous conditions. The idea that General Washington would stop to help men build a bridge is perfectly believable because that’s the kind of person he was. The poetic words written for his eulogy in 1799 are just as true today as they were then: he was “first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen.”

Patriotic moment: Theresa Harvey

Invocation: Zoot Velasco

Introduction of guests President (until we meet in person)

Club news:

• This month is Rotary Peace Month for Rotary International. We are currently looking for qualified young adults interested in promoting world peace. Rotary offers fully paid Peace Fellowships each year.

• Our only fund raiser this year, Fullerton’s Schools Got Talent, is set up for April 24. It will be a virtual event, so it will be safe for all. We need volunteers to help Christian and Zoot, and we need sponsors, and those willing to go out and get sponsors.
• Zoot Velasco is a featured storyteller this Saturday at the Long Beach Post’s second virtual story telling event. I will put the link in the chat for everyone.

• Rick Crane is gearing up for the 30th Annual Jim Thompson Track and Field City Championship, scheduled for Saturday, March 27th at Fullerton Union High School. (Ask Rick to speak – sign up list for next few meetings)

• Other announcements….

• Club members that deserve special recognition for Service Above Self: Christian Esteban organizing our club’s only fundraiser this year, Fullerton’s Schools Got Talent. Together with Dan Ouweleen, they have gotten every high school in the district on board, and are facilitating an event that the kids themselves are putting on. (round of applause)

Finemaster – Beware the rapier wit of our Finemaster today, he will use it to separate you from your hard-earned dollars. I give you the one and only Brett Ackerman

• Fined by Brett for having been administered Covid 19 vaccination.

i. (all fined $5) Judy Atwell, (extra $2 for not looking 65 years oldDan Kiernan, Dick Matthewson, Joe Arnold, Thad Sanford, Bob Jahncke, Bob Muschek, Jim Williams, Mike Cochran, Bill Hite, Frank Kawase, Jim Vanderburg, Joe Lins), Dan Ouweleen, John Phelps)

• Matt Howells no fine for giving correct answer. What are ashes made from for ash Wednesday. Palms from Palm Sunday the year prior. Ricky Bianes fined $2 just because.

• Farrell Hirsch, how did Palm Sunday come into being? After Jesus returned from the Desert after 40 days and 40 nights. Farrell fined $3 for not knowing the correct answer to the question.

• Daniel Stewart, how many days prior to easter is Ash Wednesday. $4 for answering incorrectly. (Daniel guessed 4 days, Answer is 46 days prior to Easter.)

• John Phelps gets fined for having a beautiful wife.

• Scott Dowds fined $2 for turning camera off and ghosting the group.

• Brett Ackerman self-fined $15 for celebrating his 15 year anniversary. Congrats to Brett.

8. For our program today, we are fortunate to have Chris Epting, who will be speaking to us today about Tommy Lasorda

• Introduction by Farrell Hirsch

o I am a lifetime baseball fan. And I grew up in New York watching the Mets play the Yankees. And, and I am and I come from a family that's three generations steeped in baseball. So despite the fact I have no actual talent for it, I do have a love for it. So I am thrilled that we get to put this out there. And for those of you who don't know, Chris has spoken to our group quite a few times on a lot of different baseball topics. My favorite has been this sort of mythical game. There was sort of a pickup game between Walter Johnson and Babe Ruth here in Fullerton some time ago. Every time I hear Chris speak, I learn more about something I love. So ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Chris Epting.

• Presentation by speaker

o I'll unmute myself thank you very much for all and thank you for all for having me back again. I really appreciate it. Appreciate you acknowledging Ash Wednesday I have my ashes that I got this morning. So thank you for that very brief note on the the game that Farrell just mentioned. Regarding Babe Ruth actually Babe Ruth stayed in Fullerton was Halloween day 1924 The game was played over in Brea some of you might remember that's where Walter Johnson actually grew up back when it was called O Linda and he was near the end of his career and as kind of a favor to the community he stage an exhibition game to raise money for the Elks club or lions. And, and Babe Ruth managed one team and Walter Johnson managed another and they played this very mythical game. And I've written about it. In fact, I've written a lot of different books about history and travel, and such, but some have a local focus. One is called “Baseball in Orange County” which covers all kinds of people. People think it started with the angels. But it really goes back to the 1800s when oil companies would have teams and that's really where baseball began. And so I recounted a lot of those stories that ended a book called “Roadside Baseball”, which was a cross country tour of baseball sites and places where history brushed up against. That's the sort of history I like, I like history that happens on sidewalks, and in pastures and in places that are marked. You might walk by every day and not know something took place right there. I pick those spots to write about, but today it's a little bit different topic about Tommy Lasorda, who was a Fullerton resident since about 1961 or ‘62 or so. People didn't realize you he lived here in Fullerton in the same house? I got to know Tommy in about 1976 which is when we all got to know Tommy. I didn't know him personally but baseball fan or not the world got to know Tommy when he took over the managerial reins of the LA Dodgers. He'd been a scout for the team and before that a third base coach. Walter Alston kind of weaned him as the next in line. I got to know him because his persona was so forceful and so interesting and so colorful, I think we all felt like we knew him. There were certain managers back then, who were bigger than life. And I can remember going to games when guys like Tommy Lasorda, & Billy Martin was another one, who when you went to a game, and you saw them, they were as famous and as recognizable as any of the players. I think from the moment he stepped foot on that stage, at the helm of the Dodgers, he was the right guy at the right time for the right job. He was a no nonsense, very blue-collar guy, from Norristown, Pennsylvania, very scrappy, very energetic, very colorful guy who attracted a lot of attention. What was unique about Tommy, I think, was that the common fan could identify with him because he looked like them and he spoke like them. Being in LA, Hollywood wanted to be close to that action so you have Lasorda, who on the one hand, would be mixing it up with parking attendants and bad boys, but in the next moment he would turn around and be with Dean & Martin Frank Sinatra, and it was just as comfortable a situation for him. It always seemed like he could get along with anybody. I had a very interesting, and I think, unique experience in the last two and a half to three years or so because I met his daughter. She was a friend of John Oates (of Hall & Oates). (John and I wrote a book together about his life.) At one of his events John said to me, you're a big baseball guy. Why don’t you meet a friend of mine tonight? So I said sure. Later John said, it's Laura Lasorda, Tommy Lasorda’ daughter. So later we met, and we totally got along and had a nice conversation. Then over the course of maybe a couple of months, she followed up with me, and she said, listen, I have kind of a weird request. You’re a writer and I see you like to write about baseball. There been a few books my Dad about my dad but I think there might be an opportunity to do one last project about him. Laura said you are not far from him would you consider meeting with my Dad regularly, say weekly at his home? At that time to me Tommy Lasorda was up there with surpassing even Babe Ruth who was baseballs ultimate ambassador. Tommy to me was really in international figure who the pope could call just as easily as the President could call so this was a little daunting to me. Laura said let’s try it for a couple of weeks and see how things go. Laura said that her Dad could be a little judgmental and if I tell him I want to send a writer over he might put up a barrier and be more closed off. So I went there the first day and we had a really nice talk. I didn't do much other than ask him a couple of questions. He had a lot of books in their house and baseball books. And I asked him to show me where he was in certain books, and it was nice. Later he says hey, you know, why don't you come back next week? I said sure. So I go back the next week, and, and it felt good after that. I'm half Italian and he's of course full Italian so the third time we met I called ahead and offered to bring lunch. He had a good appetite and I would bring things like peppers recipe I made for the first time ever at home and I brought that over. And that was like taking the thorn out of the lion's paw that was really, I think, the definitive moment when I walked in with that tray his eyes lit up. And we bonded over lunch. So I was going there every couple weeks, I mean, literally for the last couple of years, recording conversations. Their house, they live in a very modest house in Fullerton, they’ve lived in the same house for all these year. When I would go there, whenever I'd pull up into the driveway, I would think to myself, wow, this is where he came home after all famous Dodger games you might have ever watched, whether it was Gibson's home run or whatever this is where he came that night. When I would think about that it was to me a very surreal thing because it’s a very modest little neighborhood. And so I would go there, and we would just talk and I would record things, and he pull out pictures, and he'd show me pull out a box of something on the garage where he had all this crazy amounts of, you know, personal effects from the game and, and his wife who's still alive, she's 90. And inside of a month of going there I knew that she was really the reason, the backbone behind his success and I think he would have told you that too. But it's one thing for him to tell you that, it's another thing to witness and observe the force that she is in that household. I don't think a lot of people know about her patience and understanding. His daughter Laura recounted that there were times in the 70s, where if dad lost a close game, or there was some controversy, he would come home and he would not be happy and he’d get into bed grumbling. And there's one person he would get up and answer a phone for and it would be Frank Sinatra, who would be second guessing and in some cases, arguing the details of that game. I mean, which is so so good, culturally. And I just came to realize that this guy, it forget forgetting conflict for a second, his whole goal was to make every moment a teaching moment for somebody, and a moment to inspire somebody. And you know, it was almost comical the amount of people that would come and go at their house, it was always like a knock at the door. It might be the nuns who he had started getting season tickets for 30 years earlier, who would have baked for him and they would come in and out. Or it might be the neighbor who had a ball needed sign for a friend, and he would come out. It might be Eric Karros, who was coming. It was a constant revolving door. And to me that became kind of historic thing was the number of people he's affected and touched who still had access to him who could still just show up and it was okay. His phone never stopped ringing it might be the head of the hall of fame might be Vin Scully who he’d have lunch with there was always this sense of coming and going. I have to say I really believe that the that the quarantine took him early because he couldn't go see baseball, there was no baseball. And one thing I noticed with Tommy was that he did a lot of the road trips, believe it or not, right up until the last season that he loved going to the ballpark. He was energizing for him to go watch baseball. And to be part of the game. Spring Training was his favorite time of the year. And I remember we were all going to spring training together last year and when the call came in that there wasn't going to be a spring training his heart sank because he knew he was basically stuck at home and that, you know, this was the first year he would have had that since the 1940s. To put it in perspective, this was a guy who had a baseball season since the late 1940’s every year, whether it was in Cuba, or California or wherever it happened to be. If you didn’t know, he was a player, he came up as a pitcher in the Dodgers organization (not a very good pitcher) but as a minor leaguer, he held a record for a couple of years where he struck out 25 batters and he got the game winning hit in the game. If I mentioned a that game, while I was with him, everything would stop. He pulled me to the couch, pull out the article scrapbook about that game. If allowed he would talk about that game every day of his life. He was so proud of everything. He remembered every pitch of that game. He would recount, “it's the bottom of third I got this son of a bitch on a three in one count”, and he was 91 years old. But the things that he chose to remember were very near and dear to him and really mattered to him. So I was having a ball there. I really was. He started slowing down a little bit last year, like I said earlier, I think being stuck at home, hurt him, but he would still go out and speak at schools right up until the last time you could do that. During the World Series last year I got a call from a friend that he was a friend of a friend who someone's mother was dying of cancer, a lifelong Dodger fan stage for, you know, really tragic case. And this friend said to me, do you think there's any way Tommy Lasorda could sign a ball to her that she wants to make it through the series, that's her goal is to just live a week or two to get through there. And I said, I'll be honest with you ever said he can't write. He doesn't write anymore his hand. He got he can't do he lost that function to really do it. In the last year of his life, I said, but you know what, let me I get it, I get the urgency. So I was thinking, and I called his daughter, and I said, Look, I said this, I haven't really, you know, profound call from somebody. This one wants to get to the World Series. And do you think maybe we came over with would you dad, would he videotape something for her? Because Yeah, let's just call him go over there. And I sat with him and I laid it out. And he goes, Well, yeah. So he recorded this thing was messaged to her that evidently, when she saw it, she didn't know it was for her. Like, I think she thought it was sort of a generic thing that people just share, until she heard him saying her name doors few times. And she's still alive today. She's but so again, when he had a moment, I think any opportunity when he knew that the power if he his presence and personality would help somebody, he did it. If you were at a game with him at Dodger Stadium, which I was have the very good fortune and deep honor to be at many with, he would sit up in the in the owners booth. Typically, if he wasn't down in his box, CD, one of the other. But if we were up in the booth, if he had to go say walk down to another booth, if somebody wanted to see him, if I went with him, that walk down the hall, you had a built in an extra half an hour, because he would stop for every anybody who saw him. And he's one of the most recognizable personalities on the planet, he would stop No matter if it made him late. He gave them the moment, he gave them the photo, he gave them the look, he gave them something, you know, and I got tired. Looking at him do this, because it was exhausting the amount of energy he would spend the last game we were ever up. We're down in his box right by the Dodger dog. And it's pregame. And we're just sitting there and he's sort of staring out, he just looks a wistful look on his face. And I said, what do you what do you think and Tommy, like, what's I see something, you know what's going on? He goes, you know, your fans over? He says, because I'm, I'm pretty old. You know, I said, I know how old you are. He says, When I go, I want to be buried under the pitchers. And I said, uh, I said, Well, if anybody can pull that string, it's probably you know, because yeah, talk to I think I need to be you think I can you think it, let me do that. So I don't know what state law is. But again, if anybody can pull it off, it would be you. But I just I remembered that because when he passed away is that he was he's laid to rest in Whittier. They have a family plot there, where they're where their son is passed when the 80s timing Jr. But his daughter and I were talking and she goes, you know, and she goes, I want to do something I want to do something special for for daddy, she goes, I want to take him back to Dodger Stadium one last time. But But she was I really don't think we'd let it be No, because she had been told that there's obviously legal issues with taking a casket to certain places. And plus Dodger Stadium was being used them for COVID testing and all that. So what's going to involve all kinds of logistics, but she got it together. And she goes, we'll announce it after we're there. But we're going to go and it's going to be just maybe 30 or 40 of us. And, and he can he'll be won't be buried at the man but we're going to bring him to the mound. And there'll be some players and coaches there and we're all just going to kind of sneak in and and have a memorial that that he deserves. And I said amazing, you know, so we went we went that morning to the funeral and there were a lot of players and I think it was about 40 people or so and they wheeled him out to the mound and I have a cup Can I share my screen out A couple of pictures I took that's okay. I'll show you in a sec. But it was was really I'm a I'm a I'm a baseball stadium free. I love and I collect seats at all stadiums to me, I'm a practicing Catholic, but stadiums are my real church every night. I'm not not higher than Catholicism, but baseball ballparks to me really are religious cathedrals. That's just how I feel about them and to being an empty one, to me is always like, it's divine. This was particularly sad on the one hand, but it was joyful because it was Tommy Lasorda, and you think of his presence. And to watch grown men get up and speak at the pitcher's mound about in the way they did. Was was just incredible. And, you know, there was a sort of was, I mean, he managed nine rookies of the year, this was a guy who raised players like his kids, and a bunch of them were there that day, and including our care. So I got to know really pretty well through going to the house a lot. He spoke very beautifully that day. But what really, but what I was getting is that when the sermon was over, was time to go to the funeral, which was maybe 35 minutes away or so. But with traffic, you don't know. It's, and it's like, mid days, we're thinking it's gonna take a while, but the police on duty their day got us in the parking lot, Dodger Stadium, and they said, Okay, here's how this is gonna work. You're all gonna line your cars up, and you're gonna follow us. This guy's got the lead car, these two motorcycles, and we're wondering what's going on what they were doing. They had arranged essentially a presidential escort to Whittier, whereby all freeways were closed down. And so we rode, and I've never been in something like that, where you're part of that procession. And it was so incredible, because when we got on the the harbor freeway, I mean, it's LA, it's so It's surreal. There's not a car on it. But as we drove at all the exits that they had sealed off, all the cops were saluting. And that's when it hit me what this guy really was that he was, he was like presidential, I mean, he was so recognized and so respected and just so beloved, as much as you get to know him. There was something about that motorcade that was I was weeping as because it was like a flooding of that little guy, I would go see that funny, irascible guy who ate whatever he wanted and just was, you know, so full of fire sitting in his little table there in his in his dining room, that this is all for him, so that they can shut down a city like this, so that his procession won't be interrupted. And I just there was something about that. That was that was really, really breathtaking for me. I have a couple of pictures. Obviously. This is this is Tommy and all of his glory. This is the assorted that that we all know and love. That's him as a pitcher. That's Ebbets Field. That's the early 1950s. He pitched one game. He tied tied Major League record for three wild pitches in one inning and got the yank. But he may not have been a pitcher, but he was certainly very good at managing pitchers. This is the sausage in the aforementioned sausage and peppers. And that's me and Tommy in his house. That's what it was like, a crowded little space full of lots of baseball stuff up here. And just a comfortable casual table where we would sit, we would just joke. This is Tommy's table, you know where we're anything and everything is possible. And this was the day out there, Dodger Stadium, this is when the hearse pulled up. And we have number of guys here. Mickey Hatcher, Mike Xhosa. Eric Harris. Who else is there? I'm trying to see. Chan ho Park is in there someplace. Bobby Valentine. But they took the casket and they are walking it to the mound. Oh, by the way, this is when I mentioned the game. This is often how it would be up in the suite. This is Joe Tommy's wife. And that was just how he would hang out typically at Dodger Stadium. But this this was really the moment for me when that casket was sitting there on the pitcher's mound. And everybody would come up and speak and kind of say their pieces. It was you really got a sense of the legacy he left how he took these grown men who were very most of all were very young, when they entered his his stead and hearing them speak from the heart with no media with no crowd just amongst themselves and this tight circle of a couple of dozen people was was very poignant and very powerful. And I seeing that casket even right Now, I flashback to that day sitting with him and him saying, You know what? I got to be on that pitcher's mound and there was something, there was sort of poetic justice there just just watching this event take place. So, again, I just wanted to show you share a couple of images, they're getting to the end of things here. So where do we go now? He passed away, and I still was open the screen here. You know, we'd had a plan his daughter and I to host a museum exhibit in Fullerton, which was to have started in about two months now, obviously, because of COVID. museum shut down. For all was kind enough to reach out and hopefully maybe help facilitate kind of a b version of the museum. They've been talking to us now. And supposedly, they are going to be able to host what Laura and I have been curating. And like I said, in Tommy's garages, there was a lot of stuff, he would always say, Why the hell are you going in there again? And I would say, look, what you got this as a thing with the, like, what's this hat up here? It's it's Dodger hat, you know what the hell's a difference? I would take it, I would say, but this is the hat you were wearing when Kirk Gibson hit the home run, like, that's what this hat is, oh, it's just the hat just to have. So there's stuff like that in there. Um, and so Laura and I are currently going through everything, and also taking care of her mom, which is awesome. Because obviously, when you've been together, married 65 years, something like that. This is a big one for her. And she's not been well, since he passed away infection between us. She just got to the hospital a couple of days ago. She's okay. And she had a pacemaker. Put in, replaced. So she's had some health issues, but, but it's tough. You know, you're with somebody for that long, and you build that kind of life and legacy together. But so the two things are what I'm doing from a book standpoint, from a story standpoint, is listening to everything we did. But I think now it's gonna be more about other people's stories about him. That was my big takeaway from from the time spent with him is that he's told his story. We know his story. But the people that come forth, there's a there's a security guard at Dodger Stadium, for instance, who I talked to, and he said, You know what? He goes, Tommy would sickie be the last one to leave when he was when he was managing, he'd leave two o'clock in the morning, because he'd be in there answering fan mail, reading fan mail, sending people stuff, he says, but you know what, I couldn't go home till he left, I locked up the gate. He goes, but there's, there wasn't one night, that he didn't pack me a dinner and bring it out to me, or bring something for my kids, or bring my flowers for my wife for making me late. Because this is kind of every single night came out with something for me. So those are the kinds of stories that I think are really indicative of the legacy of what represents Tommy most accurately, you know, there, there was a gal one day who came to the house, and she came in and they obviously knew each other really well. She's probably in her 40s. And she was telling, I said, Who are you like, What's your deal. And she was, well, I was a little girl who didn't, I got cut from a softball team. And my heart was broken. And I met Tommy at a game and he gave me a talk. And she brought me in the dugout, today, she's the women's softball coach at University of Alabama, you know, she, she credits him with his, like an eight year old, giving her the spirit and fight to go on. And they always stayed in touch. So I mean, those are the stories to me, that are that are really something along with players and things what I guess my next thing is to look at the story from that standpoint. And then also get back to curating this life with the things in there to make the connection between Fullerton and lasorda is because that's a rich legacy unto itself. They've been there 60 years. And so we're going to tie that story together and make it you know, powerful. And when that happens, we're looking at now in July, I believe, for having this up. Maybe there's something we can do with your rotary to benefit your club, or have you involved, I don't know what that would look like. But if there's something that we would like to suggest, it's right now everything's kind of up for grabs, in terms of what it looks like and how it works. So I think I'm in time now if you had a couple of questions, I'd be happy to answer them. And I hope that at least sheds a little bit light on what my experience was like with the great Tommy Lasorda.

o Question: Chris, I had a question. Um, what would it be? Did Tommy and Joe have any children? And if they did, it's kind of an interesting dynamic, because you brought so many other people up. So how did they? How was that interaction and how did they feel like it stood out to me when all these players are carrying the casket normally, that's the family. So how did that mixture work?

o Answer: Well, there were two kids, one who passed away as a Tommy Jr. and then Laura, who's probably in early 60s. And she arranged that I mean, Laura, I said to her one day at her house, it's like you're seeing a wedding. There was so many guys that Want to be pallbearers both through Memorial and the funeral that she had organized where it's like, okay, these guys can take him from centerfield to third base, then we're going to shift and get another 12 on bill take them to the pitcher's mound. So she was very integral. That's one thing I learned the Dodgers, it's a cliche, there is a family, there's an absolute family spirit where everyone looks after each other. I mean, for instance, in his house, and it's a little house, it has one little add on a little bit. And Tommy couldn't put a light bulb and he was the first to tell you, mechanically could do nothing. He says to me, this little room was sitting right now he goes, the players built it, I said, I want a little room. Because in in the seven late 70s, after games, a bunch of them would come down guys who knew how to build, they built this. And he goes he was it would be the middle of the night, I would have neighbors complaining that there was hammering going on. And but that's just how they did it. That was the extension to the extended family. So for Laura, it just made sense to do it this way she wanted that. That buffer, I think to help her deal because it reminded her of what she grew up with. I mean, she grew up within Dodger tab within Dodger blue within all those legends. And it's very, they're very true to form today. And they're very loyal. They're very dedicated, and there's a ton of love that they share amongst each other.

o Question: Chris, when are you going to be publishing your book on Tommy? And can we have you back to publicize that for us?

o Answer: Well, absolutely. I'm not sure yet. Like I said, this kind of his passing made me rethink where it was going. And, you know, I I've been thinking about it a lot. So I've talked to a couple of publishers about it. I'm not in a terrible rush for that one. I have a couple of things ahead of it. But I'll certainly let you know. And I appreciate that. And like I said, it's a Fullerton story in a lot of ways. This is where these kids grew up. This is where like I said, I can't stress enough. This is where he came. Every night after every game. That's what he ended up you win the World Series. He's back in Fullerton, you know, and I think that's it's very important Orange County story. And in terms of local legacy, there aren't many more famous and timeless sorta, that have raised their families here and been such a part of things.

o Question: Chris, we have a past member who is no longer with us would love to hear this today. He was known as lefty Vern Andrews, and he probably knew Tommy kind of the same age. And he was famous in his own right. You mentioned the strikeout record of Tommy's Verne and minor ball. I think some of you guys might know better than I but I believe he struck out 27 or 26 in a row. Oh, my God. Vern would have loved this. Oh, that's incredible. I'm sorry, he's not here to take part in our chat today.

o Question: Chris, how did Tommy decide to make Fullerton is home?

o Response: Good question. Do you know I wondered about that, too. It was recommended to them by a friend who said you know what, if you're coming to California, it's a nice little community. It's sort of out of the fray. It's not Los Angeles. It's very affordable. That was a huge thing for them. And they had a friend who lived nearby. And so it was really on a personal recommendation. And and they had to find a place fast. And there was a place on the street. He bought it. And that was it.

o Question: Chris is is that home? Sort of between Brookhurst just off the 91? Yeah. I looked it up online. That's interesting. You're right. It's really modest. Yeah, surprisingly, they've known their neighbors forever. And their neighbors Don't make a fuss the neighbors, I would say have sort of, over the years formed kind of, of a protective shell. Like you do when you've got a neighbor like that. Yeah. What uh, you know, have their back and make sure they're comfortable there and, and he reciprocated but by being, you know, a part of the neighborhood, the whole family did. Yeah, that's really cool. And one other thing if you've been Roma cucina, are you aware of that restaurant? I've gone there a lot. And I love that place. It's got all kinds of photos of, you know, people Italians, and it's really cool. I you know, I'm sorry, I don't I don't know much about Thomas or I didn't know the name, actually. I mean, I know that name. Definitely. But I don't really follow baseball but, but really interesting talk, but I'm curious. Now when I go in there sometimes I'm gonna have to look and see if he's there. Well, there was a place the Continental room. I don't know if that's still there. But what they did was called the oldest drinking establishment in Fullerton open and they took there was a place called Little Joe's at a time place up by Dodger Stadium. They took Tommy's table and moved it down and put it in there as well. acquired from the game so that I know that artifact is there. But yeah, like I said, you mentioned being a big baseball fan. That's the thing about the sword. Everybody knows the name. Yeah, he, he, he spoke to inspiration, motivation, and a positive outlook on life. So Well, basically, to me, he had very little to do with baseball, he was really more about pushing people. And, you know, encouraging people to never give up to always do their best. This is the basic building blocks of success. Of course, he didn't come from a lot and he didn't have the talent to make it yet he still knew how to teach and how to motivate that was really a skill, alleviate one other image when I was there on his birthday in September 93. In the den, whoever runs Fox Sports, whatever they were showing a documentary about was sorta, and he would never miss it, this amount about him. He watched it every time. It was like, it was uncanny. But he loved watching these things. And I was in there and I was watching it and they're showing the Kirk Gibson you know, 1988 famous walk off home run, and I'm sitting at night at my had my phone, he was about 10 feet to my left eating birthday cake with his granddaughter, daughter and wife. And I just I put my video camera on my phone because it showed Gibson's home run. And here's the sort of bounding out of the dugout, bursting across the field, never looking more joyous or triumphant or happy. And I started videotaping that. And then I just moved over. And here he is having cake with the three most important people in his life. And I thought, this is it. These are the bookends of life. This is it right here. That's those are as much as baseball is to him. And you see it, what's happening at that table. That's his real passion, those three women. That was it, for him, that was every waking moment was about their happiness, you know, them laughing everything. And to me, it was such a poignant moment to be experiencing this. And I have this little second eight second video clip that I cherish because it just shows this, I thought, wow, this is really this. This is life in in almost a snapshot, you know, where you see everything, how it really began for a lot of people and how it's, you know, going to end soon, but but not without joy and purpose and connection, and all those things that we want. So, yeah, lots of moments like that, in that house where you can't get on baseball fan, so you gotta understand, I'm in there acting like it's normal. But inside, it's not inside. I'm dying every time I never got used to it. Because Because it's timeless sorta. And baseball meant nothing makes me feel like a little kid like baseball. You know? Anyway, I could go on about it. I'd love to. But we'll get the exhibit going. And we'll all be in touch. And, again, have you all out for that and maybe even work together on a portion of it. But thank you for having me. I hope this was interesting. And, you know, gave you a little insight into this really special guy and family. It was wonderful, Chris, a round of applause, please. Thank you so very much. What strikes me as I was listening to you, Chris is Tommy must have been a Rotarian. Because his life exemplifies service above self 100%.

• Speaker’s gift
Chris was presented with a can of mixed nuts and a tote bag.

I have two quotes to close our meeting today. They are both from George Washington, and were written as a “Manual of Civility and Decent Behavior when he was 14 years old.

• “Every action done in company ought to be with some sign of respect to those that are present.

• “Let your conversation be without malice or envy, for tis a sign of a tractable and commendable nature; and in all causes of passion, admit Reason to govern.”

With that, my friends, “Go out and be good people and great Rotarians!”

The meeting is adjourned. Ring bell