Coming Up
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April 5th
Bill Gittens will present a program on Senior Inc which is a community project dedicated to creating a new senior center for Santa Rosa.
(Reporter: Chuck B..)

April 12th
Vince Mestrovich a detective with the Sonoma County Sheriff's department will discuss identity theft.
(Reporter: Gary L.)

April 19th
Jeri Arnold will present our Student Media Contest.
(Reporter: Ann A.)

April 26th
Our exchange student Sarah Castellain will talk about her home in France as well as her experiences here in Santa Rosa. We will also have 2 other Rotary exchange girls, Suvi from Finland and Kim from Switzerland, speak briefly before Sarah. This will be a very special meeting because Sarah's parents will be visiting from France and getting to meet our Rotarians. Her father, Jacques, started and was president of the Rotary club in Bethune.
(Reporter: Chris R.)

May 3rd
Our new Santa Rosa Police Chief, Ed Flint, will speak on the challenges he sees in our city and how he plans to address them.
(Reporter: Richard S.)

May 10th
Jeri Arnold will present our Student Speech Contest
(Reporter: Tom L.)

May 17th
TBD
(Reporter: Roger O.)

May 24th
Tom Robinson from the Open Space District will talk about our county's commitment to open space preservation
(Reporter: Roger O.)

Chuck Baker managed to introduce the 9 visiting Rotarians from Santa Rosa, Santa Rosa Sunrise, Santa Rosa East and Sebastopol.

Announcements

Thank you’s for service to the king: Bulletin Editor Jim Valinoti subbed as photographer Bob Harris, Ed Burr set-up and tear-down, Terry Gallazo ticket sales, and the visiting bulletin scribe: Ron Street.

District Conference – Santa Rosa, CA June 17-20. *Ted Wilmsen from Santa Rosa Rotary, District Sgt at Arms is looking for 4 volunteers from our club to help at the conference. Volunteers receive a “spiffy” vest for the club.

(David gave us one of his best GQ poses for this photo -J Ed)

Thanks, David!

John Meislahn – April 2nd – Fireside: 2800 Cleveland – Dave Mc Donald’s new digs. 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

King Louie – May 8th - Santa Rosa Rotary SHRIMP FEED – Tickets available at $40.00

(Mike reverently referred to Scott as a “Mustang Officer”...mmmm us Army grunts didn’t truck wit no horsin’ around when we were in the boonies, hasta be a jarhead thing.J -Ed)

A major accomplishment none the less. Also, a major quote: “It’s all Marigo’s fault!” (Duck and cover, Scott - Marigo was an Army guy, too.J)

Barbara Larson was born in Nebraska, moved to Colorado, then to Santa Rosa at age 9 and living the life. Has two daughters and three grandchildren. She is with North Coast Bank and, when she completes the next six months of schooling, will become a commercial loan officer.

He currently owns 3 Porsches and is active in Concours and racing events with his 4 sons. See pictures here. Gary’s specialty is hill climbing - speeding through 10 mph curves at 60 and 70 mph.

In 1949, following World War II, the Panamerican Highway was completed from the Guatemalan border of Mexico all the way to Alaska. To commemorate it’s opening, the Mexican government created the La Carrera Panamericana auto race in 1950, and invited manufacturers from around the world to compete. The turnout was incredibly diverse. Well-known American manufacturers included Studebaker and Hudson, as well as lesser-known marques such as Ford, Cadillac and Lincoln. However, the dangers and hazards of this treacherous circuit claimed a dozen lives. In 1954, automakers withdrew because of the liabilities and losses, and for the next 34 years the race was relegated to the history books. But the legend of the race never lost its appeal, and even became the namesake of one of Porsche’s premier models.

Gary drives a European “road runner” a 1964 Porsche GTS. Porsche only made 200 of these racecars. This one has been built to 2 Liters with 280 foot-pounds of torque. Easy to get with $350,000 to $500,000. Enough torque to climb straight up the Empire State Building in fifth gear (just in case you are bored some Saturday afternoon).

The race encompasses approximately 2,000 miles over a 7-day period at breakneck speeds. It is an event of great national pride and has been called a 2,000-mile street festival for the people of Mexico and the hundreds of thousands of international fans who attend this highly publicized race every year. Drivers and crew stay overnight in picturesque towns and colonial cities along the way. Hospitality dinners take place at receptions in elegant 5-star hotels with lively entertainment and gourmet cuisine.

There are few guardrails on this highway, and navigating a Mexican roadway at high speeds that doubles as a racetrack is a challenge even for the best of drivers. Imagine trying to stay on course so as not to drive off a mountain, all the while anticipating stray animals, and some humans, crossing the road in front of you while racing through villages at 75 mph or racing at speeds up to 180 mph. Gary’s previous best was finishing 31st of 100. However, this year he placed 13th of 100. If you ask, Gary might show you the article The Press Democrat ran on November 6, 2003, about his race. It even has photos.