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Rotary began with a ring of the bell and a commemorative Pledge of Allegiance in honor of Carl Wiuff, and we followed with a request by President Maureen Merrill that we share a moment of silence in honor of Carl’s passing just before Christmas. //www.youtube.com/embed/Pjc-EI_TrQQ?feature=emb_logo
Please visit the following link for a tribute to Carl Wiuff: https://windsorrotary.co/tribute-to-carl-wiuff/
Photos by Sue Nelson, words by Tom Boylan.
Fleet-footed Jose Diego introduced Barbara McChesney with Dancing with the Stars and Stripes.
Renee Hyde introduced Lauren Antoni, the Culinary instructor at Sonoma State University.
Ken Moulton introduced Vittoria, our Exchange daughter from Italy, and the latest to fall into the “CAL Fan” category.
Ed Turner took the microphone to share some moments to remember his friendship of 24 years with Carl Wiuff. He suggested his friendship with Carl was akin to reading a novel where each chapter introduces you to something new.
We learned that Carl was not so much an avid exercise nut, but was keen on grabbing the free coffee at the health club. Once done with his workout, he would head around the corner to enjoy a cup of coffee with his friend Ed at Airport Business Center and whatever treats that might be on hand.
We also learned that regardless of whether Ed was in the office, Carl made his regular route from the coffee to the treats. He became a regular with the staff, and warm reception was always given.
It was Carl that suggested the Club get behind a project to give the children of Windsor a place to play; the Windsor Skate Park is here today due to the leadership and direction of Carl.
Once the park was in place, Carl worked with Ed to create the “Carl & Ed Fund,” which is the Windsor Rotary Community Foundation, the John Lewis Endowment Fund. Today, we are at over $500K in the fund, and it is allowing the Club to fund projects without disturbing the fund’s reserve.
Cancer poses painful treatments for anyone, and in Carl’s case, Cancer treatments took their toll. We were fortunate to have had him with us at the Christmas party this year. Shortly after that party, he passed.
Ed invited others to speak of their long-time friend, and Susan Cole shared the story of a “2001 A Skate Odyssey.” Her enthusiasm at the early meetings to build a skate park allowed her to share the idea to buy 500 T-Shirts with the new slogan emblazoned across the shirt. Carl looked at Susan and said she was out of her mind because we would wind up with 400 shirts leftover. The order changed to 50 shirts, but in the process of selling those shirts, she met Greg French, who wound up donating $10K after buying two shirts for his family.
Michael Juric was Carl’s sponsor in the Club. He shared a story of the Pre-President’s Training and how Michael shared stories of Carl’s leadership with incoming presidents and that Carl’s legacy lives on in the stories Michael shared with the future leaders on how to be a great leader, like Carl Wiuff.
Pam Moulton shared that his impact crossed cultures, and Carl made an impression that won’t be lost.
The Club was shown a pictorial testimony prepared by Sue Nelson depicting Carl’s years with his friends in Rotary. Pictures are worth a thousand words, and we watched a book of memories. Rest in Peace, our friend.
Our own Jose Diaz is a contestant in this year’s Dancing with the Stars and Stripes on Saturday, April 25th. The ballroom dance contest raises funds for Veteran’s Resource Center, a Veteran’s support network based in Santa Rosa that provides a variety of services from counseling to housing and more.
Jose shared his reason for joining the program. He has several friends who are Veterans, and several of his friends are heading off to become members of the military. Rachel is his professional dance partner, and together they will be asking for donations toward their efforts. His goal is to raise $5000, and we can do more than buying the ticket, look for opportunities to dine and donate at Charlie’s and other places.
Barbara McChesney gave us more of the program and offered that Jose is the youngest participant in the history of the contest. Dancingwiththestarsandstripes.org will provide you with more info on the event. We were given a demonstration of the dance where Maureen stepped in as a surrogate Rachel. La Bamba filled the room, and amazingly many sang along. Some fancy footwork to be sure was provided by Jose.
Vittoria was recognized for attending a bowl game at Levi Stadium, Cal against Illinois. Maureen asked for a cheer, and we heard her say, “Go Bears!” Ken was happy.
Michael Juric is celebrating his birthday today, and Steve Klick is giving up the past year and welcoming a New Year next Saturday. In memory of Carl, Steve donated to the Carl & Ed Fund.
Upcoming programs include an introduction by Rich Mucci to Syndrome X, a metabolic disease that is an epidemic throughout the country. It sounds like a good program for January 14th. Windsor Town Council member Esther Lumes is due the following week, and His Honor Judge Andy Wick will close out the month. Good meetings all.
George Johnson is currently in an assisted living facility dealing with health problems. If you would like to send him a note, contact his wife Alicia Johnson at 9600 Montez Ct., Windsor, CA 95492.
Renee Hyde is jump-starting the Membership Campaign. A new program is a group of three; she and Maureen have plotted to have Inviters, Process Folks, and Mentors become organized.
We broke into groups and made a commitment to participate in bringing new members into the Windsor Rotary Club. If you missed the meeting, ask someone how you can participate, or better yet, ask Renee.