Volume XXI
Number 21

Tuesday
Nov. 1, 2005

Coming Programs Every Tuesday Nov 1 Copia (Meeting Location) Coming Events Nov 19 District 5130 South Foundation Celebration Friedman Event Center Santa Rosa, CA April 1, '06 District Assembly Ukiah, CA May 19-21, '06 District Conference Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa Kelseyville, CA Birthdays Nov 10 Willis Blakewell Nov 12 Chuck Meibeyer Nov 13 Ron Sculatti Nov 24 Jim Wright Nov 28 Doug Ernst Wedding Anniversaries Nov 5 Bob Gregory (Adie) Nov 30 Joel Toller (Lisa Anthony) Club Anniversaries Nov 1, 1971 Wendell Dinwiddie Nov 1, 1972 Richard Shurtz Nov 1, 1984 Mark Terrell Nov 2, 2004 Lydia Wilson Nov 4, 2003 Polly Keegan Nov 12, 1991 Margo Kennedy Nov 21, 1995 Craig Anderson Nov 25, 2003 Loren Gardner Nov 25, 2003 Jim Haslip Nov 25, 2003 Norman Mitroff

Rotary Dedicates
Centennial Park
By Doug Ernst
(Reprinted from the article in the St. Helena Star, October 27, 2005)

October 22, 2005 – The St. Helena Rotary Club dedicated a Vintage Hall Park and memorial last Saturday, in honor of Don Heydlauff, our Rotarian who envisioned the Winter Ball and started several Rotarians on a path toward community service.

Rotary Dedicates Centennial Park ... Continued

DON HEYDLAUFF   RICHARD SHURTZ   ROB ANDREAE   PHIL TOOHEY

Mr. Heydlauff, who died in 2003, would have been proud. "Dad would really be stoked today – he always wanted to be the center of attention," said his son, Wade Heydlauff, to a crowd of more than 100 who turned out for the dedication ceremony.

Richard Shurtz, a Rotarian and one of the major contributors toward the park, agreed. "Don would have been up there giving a long speech." Rob Andreae, one of the Rotarians who Don welcomed into the club, said the good-natured Heydlauff would have punctuated his speech with lots of jokes. Jeff Epps, who along with Andreae headed up the committee to produce Rotarian Centennial Park by attracting donations of cash and services, choked up with emotion when his turn came to speak. "We were really close at the end of his life," Epps said after the ceremony. "It's really hard to talk about Don. He was the first person who welcomed me to St. Helena. The Winter Ball was his vision. He told us to 'think big'. It was Don who had the vision, who went to the Trinchero Family for help, who facilitated the Winter Ball and ran it for three years. It was his intelligence that brought in Helaine Katz, a San Francisco fund-raiser. And today, the Winter Ball is the most fun fund-raiser in the Napa Valley.

Phil Toohey spoke to the crowd about what the park will represent to the community in the years to come. "Kids are going to graduate high school here. Here is where they will take their first steps toward their dreams. Here they will feel the small-town kinship – the 'other' in the words 'each other'. The kids will be growing like those trees in the park. That's what community service is," Toohey said.

Wade Heydlauff said his father "had an impact on the community. Dad got so much enjoyment out of Rotary. Tuesday was his day."

Rotary Dedicates Centennial Park ... Continued

Stu Smith, Scoutmaster for Troup 1, which conducted the flag-raising ceremony during the dedication, thanked Rotary for setting an example for the Scouts. "The Boy Scouts teach leadership and commitment to the community and Rotary is a good example of that". The Scout hoisted two flags, an American flag flown over the U.S. Capitol on the anniversary of Don Heydlauff's death, and a California flag flown over the State Capitol on the day that the lives of Stephen McCullagh and Ryan Collins were lost on a camping trip this summer. Smith used the occasion to announce that the Scouts were creating a new "Spirit of Eagle" award, to be given posthumously to Ryan Collins and Steve McCullagh.

The Rotary Club was also recognized as an example for young people during a St. Helena High School Student body rally at Lyman Park last Friday, following the homecoming parade. Former Rotary President Kathleen Patterson was thanked "for all that Rotary does for the Saints."

Attendees at the dedication included Rep. Mike Thompson, Superintendent Allan Gordon, school board president Monty Reedy and the St. Helena Chamber Singers. Special recognition was given to major donors and three landscape professionals – Jonathan Plant, Maurice Helmer and Arthur Goulard – who donated time and service to the project.

"This is awesome," Wade Heydlauff added. "We thank everybody involved for honoring my father and my family in such a big way. This is bigger than anything I could have thought of."

Rotary Dedicates Centennial Park ... Continued

Welcome All
By Steve Ebersole
 

BILL WORD Club President 2005-2006

October 18, 2005. Isn't fall a wonderful time of year in the Napa Valley? The vines are turning, the mountains are green and the smell of crush is in the air. A kind thought of strength goes out to all engaged in the crush this season. Many people in the wine industry work 12 to 16 hour days during this critical phase of wine making. For those Rotarians not so overwhelmed we join together for lunch, fellowship and the planning of projects. One gearing up is the Rotary Ball or Winter Ball, and is today's topic. One project gearing down is the Centennial project at Vintage Hall.

We opened with a pledge, a thought and a prayer to set our hearts and minds together.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

All new members are encouraged to check the Rotary web site for current information especially assignments for set-up and tear-down of the regular meetings.

Sara Cakebread leads the St. Helena Girl Scouts and brought three of them to join us for lunch today. This was particularly exciting for me because one of the scouts was my daughter attending her first Rotary meeting. She didn't know that it was a lunch meeting and found out on the ride to Rotary. This was definitely good news. Sara introduced each of the girls and had them share with the group about the activities they participated in at the Tucker Farm Center just north of St. Helena. The Girl Scout's sponsored event was put together to collect canned food to send to New Orleans and other Katrina affected areas. But it also attracted many prospective new joiners to Girls Scouts. 60 girls and 24 adults enjoyed a wide array of games and crafts. When all was said and done 15 new recruits were added to their ranks!

WILLIS BLAKEWELL

Much appreciation and praise went out to Rutherford Hill Winery and Willis Blakewell who is in charge of winery operations there. The winery hosted a dinner event for Rotary.

Rob Andreae gave the latest and greatest regarding the Centennial Project at Vintage Hall with formal ribbon cutting scheduled for this Saturday at 2 pm with reception to follow. All are invited and encouraged to attend as next Tuesday's meeting will be dark. 

MIKE SMITH   BOB GREGORY   JONATHAN BRIANO   KATHY ZELAZNY

RAFFLE

1^st prize goes to Mike Smith . Mike, you're a right place, right time kind of a guy. See ya in Vegas. 2^nd prize is claimed by Tim Doran, and 3^rd, but not least, goes to Laura Bourret.

BELL RINGERS

Bob Gregory – for son married, for 3 robberies on his vacation to France (did you mean burglaries?) for becoming a grandpa by daughter soon, for still fitting in uniform after all these years (according to Frank Sottile) and finally for being written up in Bon Appetite magazine! You've been saving up for a while it seems.

Jonathan Briano – for the first to pop – for sister having the family's first baby – taking a lot of pressure off Jonathan. You owe her big time Jonathan.

FINE MASTER

Dick Osborn, Rob Andreae and Tim Doran were asked for $20 each: What is the origin of the word Napa? Wappo = Plenty

Kathy Zelazny, Lydia Wilson and Phil Toohey were asked for $20 each: How many wineries here in 1960? 25

Gene Armstead, Rich Shurtz and Roger Adams were asked for $20 each: What crop percentage Napa contributes to CA? 5%

Chuck Meibeyer, Willis Blakewell and Paul Krsek were asked for $20 each: What grape is most produced? Pinot

Welcome All ... Continued

PROGRAM: WINTER BALL

If "Service Above Self" is Rotary's moniker then Winter Ball is what defines St. Helena Rotary, according to Toni Heydlauff. It was a one time event at first, but so much inertia was created and remained afterwards that it blossomed into our signature event. "Make it fun and the money will come," said Don Heydlauff. Toni admonishes to never stray from that guiding principle.

Under the direction of co-chairs Polly Keegan and Kelly Crane, Rotary Ball promises to be all it was last year and more. With the theme, "Come to Morocco", Rotary Ball will bring some new highlights such as black tie or costume, camels, special lighting to mimic north Africa's amber sunlight, snake charmers, fortune tellers, belly dancers, Moroccan music, veiled dancing, fancy table cloths, sumptuous fabrics, and elegance and mystery to excite the senses.

POLLY KEEGAN KELLY CRANE

In order to pull it off we need everyone's help, including yours. Please look at the Winter Ball organization chart displayed at the front to see who is in charge of the area of greatest interest to you. You possess skills and abilities that are needed to make it all happen. Consider yourself invited and welcomed to join a team to make this year's Winter Ball the best ever.

BOARD MEETING DISCOURSE
October 20, 2005
By Donn Black

NORMAN MITROFF

In brief, at its meeting of October 20, 2005 your Board of Directors discoursed as follows: 

Treasurer Norm Mitroff reported that there was nothing unusual to report. Dues are mostly current. Bills are mostly paid. Secretary Carol Sobczak said that average Club meeting attendance for the year stands at about 65%. Seventy percent of members are at 60% attendance or better.

New Business: Vince Van Dyke's request for a leave of absence for 60 days, October 18 through December 16, was approved.  

Funding Requests: District 5130's request for help sending two Boy Scouts to the World Boy Scout Centennial Jamboree in 2007 was approved. One Scout would be sent from each Rotary District and one would come from a third-world country. Acorn Soupe, approved as budgeted. Summer Search, approved. Girls on the Run, Napa Valley is a program for girls in grades 3 to 8 to help increase their self-image and help them in setting and reaching goals. The Board agreed that more information is needed and the request was tabled. Swim Day, approved. Rotoplast approved, a portion of needed funds comes from the Fund in Need.
 

AVENUES OF SERVICE REPORTS

STEVE YOST   JIM HASLIP

Club Service (Steve Yost, absent): President Bill reported a fabulous pot-luck at Rutherford Hill, with special thanks to Willis who donated the venue and wine and to Steve Yost for organizing the event and to Lydia and Bev who helped. Some forty people attended. Another Texas Hold-em is in the works.

Community Service (Jim Haslip): In the Organ Donor Program, the club's baseline donor number is 33, but through Charlotte's efforts, the Club will have at least 50 more. (See www.donatelife.org.) The Farmer's Market has just two Fridays to go. 170 dictionaries will soon be distributed to 3rd graders.

Centennial Project: Jeff Epps reported on the Centennial Project and outlined the dedication program scheduled for October 22.

International Service (Jake Scheideman): Nicaragua Project Fundraiser (Latin Lobster Feed) was highly successful in raising funds for many new homes. The Nicaraguans Jake brought to Napa Valley attended three meetings of three different clubs and returned home with new energy to keep building! Kathleen Patterson presented photos of the Jalisco (Mexico) Project that we funded last year for lockers.
 

Youth Service (Roger Adams). This year's two RYLA students will present at Rotary on November 8.
 

COMMITTEE REPORTS

CHUCK MEIBEYER   POLLY KEEGAN

Membership (Chuck Meibeyer): Motion to approve Stephanie Johnson of Wells Fargo Bank for membership approved. President Bill and Chairman Chuck reported that there are several membership and attendance requirement issues the board needs to review. A long discussion ensued on needed revisions to the new member process, new member orientation and attendance requirements. President Bill will appoint a committee to elaborate and formalize the decisions taken.

Winter Ball '06 Co-Chair Polly Keegan presented for Board review the WB Steering Committee's revised auction donor form, and a new form created to solicit sponsorships to underwrite expenses. Also, she said, the Committee proposes establishing an honorary Winter Ball Committee with a celebrity chair. Suggestions approved.

NEXT BOARD MEETING, NOON, THURSDAY,  NOVEMBER 17 AT CARNEGIE BUILDING.