Volume XIX
Number 22

Tuesday
Apr. 22, 2003

COMPETITION AND CAMARADERIE - PLAY BOCCE
By Tony Albright

The bocce ball courts are packed in St. Helena's Crane Park, whether it's with competition or camaraderie. Generally it is a mixture of both that brings our local vintner, contractor, lawyer, and yes, Rotary member out to play.

Tony Albright

The game is played with teams of four, two or one player per team. The equipment consists of a set of eight large bocce balls and one small one known as an "object ball", "pallina" or "jack". The basic object is to throw the pallina toward the end of a long (grass, packed dirt, or fine gravel) court and then each team member will attempt to throw his or her bocce ball closest to the pallina.

Even though this is a relatively simple game in structure there is strategy and technique at play here. Not to mention it's fun. There are teams that are more focused on the competitive nature of the game and others who are interested in taking time to do some drinking, snacking, and enjoying friendly conversation. Whatever your interest you can find a group to suit your interests. Often Rotarians bring goodies to the courts, which they share with others.

There are two main groups in St. Helena who organize the courts and the games. The St. Helena Bocce Club, and the Napa Valley Bocce Federation (NVBF). Rich Shurtz heads up the summer Rotary program and Kathy Parrett is involved with the spring program (which runs until May 18th). You can contact them for further information.

Rich Shurtz     Kathy Parrett

The bocce games being played in St. Helena are as colorful as our members above. If you are interested in playing or watching just bend one of their ears.

Rotary Meeting Notes -- April 8, 2003
Alzheimer's – Death in Slow Motion
By Wendell Laidley

Jeff Epps Club President 2002-2003 Alston Hayne

A full house faced President Jeff as he introduced three visiting Rotarians, Steve Fox from Santa Rosa, Herb Salinger from Calistoga and James Buskirk from Napa Noon. Guests introduced by members included Lisa Toller (Team-in-Training Marathoner, by husband Joel Toller), Bonnie Schoch (hiker, biker and general outdoorswoman, by Frank Toller), Laurie White (Executive Director of the Alzheimer's Assn. of Northern California, by her brother Rob Andreae) and Teresa Engelstadt (Co-owner of Venue on Main Street, by Steve Fox).

The Welcome Singers and Birthdays were followed by the induction of three new members. Alston Hayne welcomed them with a word on the importance of small town community clubs to the strength of America, as so well exemplified by our own St. Helena Rotary and its membership of doers. As a widely traveled veteran of the US Foreign Service, Alston has heard this message time and again from admiring foreigners and it was a powerful reminder of our good fortune in this land of opportunity.

And our New Members are ...

Diane Bylund   Tony Albright

Diane Bylund [classification Innkeeper] (introduced by Rex Stults) Diane and her architect husband moved to St. Helena 25 years ago and have since raised two sons aged 20 and 23. Diane works as a Criminal Defense lawyer in Solano County and they own the Bylund House B&B in St. Helena.

Tony Albright [classification Printing & Design] (introduced by proud Dad Al Albright) Tony is almost a St. Helena native, having moved here with teacher Dad at age 2. Tony's profession is graphic design and he recently purchased Doran's Printing from Tim Doran with business partner Bret McLaughlin.

Jeff Whitehead

Jeff Whitehead [classification Property Management] (introduced by Andy Bartlett) Jeff moved to St. Helena about a year ago into a home next door to Andy. He manages the Inn at Southbridge and recently married Julie Redden a year to the day after they met on vacation in Mexico. Julie has two boys aged 10 & 12.

President Jeff then introduced Lisa Toller who told us of Team-in-Training and her planned marathon run for their leukemia fund-raiser. Leukemia is the #1 killer of children aged one to fourteen, and the fourth major killer of cancer patients in the US. But survival has greatly increased thanks to research successes, and now 80% of children with acute leukemia survive compared to only 4% in 1960. Since 1988 Team-in-Training has raised $350 million.

Announcements

Jim Wright acknowledged the golf tournament he thought he signed up for was actually a search for Junior Achievement Advisors. Hendrik Smeding volunteered but Jim is still looking for a third.

Andy Bartlett asked for hosts for Anne-Lise and quickly got all he needed. President Jeff Epps announced the birth of Lisa Marie Anderson's daughter Olivia. Rex Stults invited members to the annual Chamber Easter Easter Egg Hunt at Crane Park.

Visitor Herb Salinger form Calistoga won the Raffle but not the white ball, followed by Joice Beatty and Tim Coon.

Bell Ringers

President Jeff announced his daughter is expecting her third child and gave $100.

Craig Anderson told a hushed audience that after his stepdaughter's two failed kidney transplants, Craig himself has been approved as a donor. He gave $50 but added he would give all he had if that would make the operation succeed.

Mike Thomas recounted his Saturday hike over the Palisades with a thirty something crowd and his sprained ankle from a fall half way through the 12-mile trail. But he made it to the end, and offered $18 for the 18 free throws missed by Kansas in the NCAA finals, which Andy Bartlett topped up to $20 for the hiking story.

(Continued ...)

April 8, 2003 Meeting Notes Continued ...

Andy Bartlett

Fine Master Andy Bartlett then called upon the lawyers in the crowd to stand and there was a great groan as what seemed like half the audience tried to stand simultaneously. Andy indulged his statistical analysis skills to tell us that the overall ratio of lawyers to real people in California and in St. Helena is about 1 for 200 people, but in our club is one in 15.8 (including those who have gone on to other careers and prefer to call themselves something other than lawyers). Andy proceeded to needle the well-fed lawyers and then asked Charles Bell to choose one of the standing lawyers to act on his behalf and he instantly chose Diane Bylund because he knew the least about her. For speaking out of turn, Frank Toller was summarily fined $20 for disrespect.

Guest Speaker

Eleanor Cooney Author, Death in Slow Motion

Drew Sparks introduced her friend Eleanor Cooney, author of four books, to speak about her latest, Death in Slow Motion, a chronicle of her mother's painful descent into the grip of Alzheimer's disease, and the author's attempts to care for her. Cooney described how she moved her mother west from Connecticut to Mendocino County to live with her and her husband Mitch. She recounted their roller-coaster experience with emotions from guilt through self-doubt, anguish and anger.

The author then read three powerful segments from her "unsentimental and highly unladylike story" that had everyone on the edge of their seats. For those with knowledge of Alzheimer's it was riveting, and perhaps for those without such knowledge it was incomprehensible. But however it was received it was gripping and beautifully written and told.

Cooney offered two pieces of advice. The first was for people who might try to provide care for sufferers, that they accept the reality that the behavior of an Alzheimer's patient is not bound by the inner limits imposed by unaffected people, so a patient can suddenly turn into a raging two year old with the strength of an adult. Then in a moment of lucidity she can become a whimpering senior pleading not to be left alone. Cooney's advice was to lower our expectations of ourselves that we might somehow be able to care for a person with this disease where with another disease we would seek medical help. She warned everyone to avoid trying it and assured us that knowledgeable professionals best look after the patient, as she has now found for her mother in Vacaville.

The other advice we can all use was to tell our loved ones now while we are lucid, to do what they must if we fall victim to this awful disease. She implored us to persuade our potential caregivers that they have neither the responsibility nor the talent to look after an Alzheimer's patient. So this reporter, whose mother lay nine full years in a hospital bed with Alzheimer's after she last recognized him, will now act on that advice and do all he can to have his potential caregivers follow the author's advice and own actions.

President Jeff adjourned the meeting, members went their separate ways, and Eleanor Cooney went to visit her mother in Vacaville.
 

VISITING CALISTOGA ROTARY MEETING -- APRIL 10TH
By Tony Albright

Whether with friends or family the idea of visiting is to visit, to see, associate with, catch up. I am a little green as I've just been accepted as a new member but I would welcome all of you to get out and take some time to see some of our other clubs.

That's exactly what I did last week.

Rex Stults

The Calistoga Meeting started at 12:15. The Members filtered in and took their seats around round tables. Drinks were provided at the tables and the food (fajitas) was dished out at a window. The conversation was lively. Rex Stults was guest speaking about Leadership Napa Valley. Similar formalities and festivities were experienced and I enjoyed visiting and feeling welcome.

I've heard of make-up meetings. The idea behind them is great, visit other clubs and you're not penalized for missing a meeting at home. It might be nice however to go to these other clubs "just because". You will find that there are similarities: "Service before self", raffles drawn, penalties taken, food and friendship. Aside from meeting new faces, it was great to see the happiness, concern, help, and friendship mirrored between the Calistoga and St. Helena clubs.

As I stated, I'm still a little green so forgive me for my naiveté if many of you are already accustomed to visiting.

VINTAGE HALL
ST. HELENA HIGH SCHOOL
By Father Mac

Our April 15th meeting was made uniquely interesting by the fact it was held in the newly restored Vintage Hall. The building is resplendent in all her restored glory. Steve Bratt, who oversees all buildings and grounds for the School District, gave us a big picture look of what the building was, and what has been done to it.

Vintage Hall

Rose Camp

Our meeting formally began with new member Rose Camp being installed by Alston Hayne and Chuck Meibeyer. Ron Camp , Rose's father, donated $100 to her Paul Harris Fund.

Elaine John announced the tax-deductible contribution to the Rotary Foundation.

The program was also quite interesting. The Rotary Group Study Exchange-Vietnam gave a report on their tour thus far in the US, highlighted by the Golden Gate Bridge. Each of five speakers spoke of their professional lives, their personal stories and a bit about Vietnam. All were involved with water usage, either in the field of conservation or industry, like fishing. They were here to study water usage and environmental issues in the US and sight see.

Rotary Group Study Exchange-Vietnam

YOUTH EXCHANGE PROGRAM AND
INTERACT CLUB
By Andy Bartlett

Youth Exchange Program

Anne-Lise will be giving her presentation on April 29th. She can barely believe that eight months have gone by. She still has the District Conference and the Western Safari to spend with her exchange friends.

Raphael Cruz will be heading for France in the fall. Still waiting to find out which ville he will be in. Raphael is a very dedicated baseball player; but I don't remember seeing any baseball diamonds while in France. Any members know of baseball in France?

Our new incoming student will be Karianne Blanck from Oslo, Norway. In addition to being a top student, she is a basketball star. We have a good team coming up next year for the Lady Saints so she should have a ball, no pun intended.

Interact Club

The school year is winding down and Interact is looking at their last project for the year, probably a clothing drive for the students at Project Rotary Amigo in Comala, Mexico where they have sponsored Zaida Ochoa Corona, a 16 year old, for books, tuition , school uniforms, supplies and a hot meal per day.

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