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The FOGHORN
ROTARY CLUB OF HALF MOON BAY
April 7, 2022
Sunshine Committee Birthday Celebrations
Focus on Rose Serdy, Dave Cresson and Joe Brennan
Article by Steve Wilson
Photos by EJ Dieterle
We had a very full meeting thanks to the Sunshine Committee. We celebrated birthdays for three of our active, longtime Rotarians (Rose Serdy, Dave Cresson and Pres. Joe), with notes of their life journeys to follow.
1. Rose: Rose did hers interview-style, with Joe doing the interviewing. Not a "local" by birth, Rose grew up in the Pittsburg-McKeesport region of PA. She met Mike while working at Gimbel's in Pittsburg. Shortly thereafter, Rose moved to SoCal and so did Mike. She worked days and went to school at night. Rose and Mike were married in 1967. She became a flight attendant for Continental. Job changes and transfers took them to among other p[laces Denver and then back to San Bruno, where she met Millie Golder and contrary to first impulse became a Realtor in 1976. Along the way, Rose became familiar with the Coastside and fell in love with it, moving here soon thereafter--and thankfully she has stayed. Among Rose's many impactful community volunteer undertakings, Coastside Hope stands out, and Rose has played a major role in shepherding that organization through periods of crisis and growth to its current position as probably the most impactful social service organization on the Coastside. Son Nate has joined her in her real estate practice.
2. Dave: Dave has lived a very full professional and Rotary life, and his resume would go on forever. Raised in Princeton, NJ and also educated in the East, Dave's early years were full of sports, cars and outdoor adventure. Early in his professional career, he worked for the late George Gallup, then for NYC ad agencies. He came to San Francisco in the late '60's and by the early '70s had started his own research company with offices in the Ferry Building. Along the way, he fell in love with the Coast, moving his home first to Moss Beach. Dave married Sheila and raised a large family. Sheila was equally a part of Dave's Rotary activities and enjoyed honorary membership in our club. Dave's Rotary life began in 1985, and he immersed himself in the "delivery side" of Rotary, traveling extensively for RI to spread the message in places like Mexico, the Philippines, China and the Ukraine. We share Dave's sadness that a country with huge potential within the Rotary family is faced with large-scale destruction. (Editor's Note: See Dave's script of his talk in the PHOTO GALLERY section below.)
3. Pres. Joe: Joe Brennan gave us a fascinating visual tour of his life almost of which has been here on the Coast. Perhaps more so than any other Rotarian, Joe has been places and had adventures that all of us would envy, going to the far corners of the earth and doing things as forward-looking as leading a medical mission to China. Joe's wife Jan was a career tugboat skipper. With kids grown and gone, they have shared their property with among other things a donkey and a burro. Joe has been as active in our HMB Odd Fellows chapter as he has been in Rotary. We wish Joe many more years of live adventure.
Club Meeting - April 7, 2022
Pledge of Allegiance - Paul led this week.
Inspirational Thought -
Guests - Our guests this meeting were Larkin Evans and for the second time both Linda Craven and Barb Neilsen. Keep coming back!
Club Business There was a discussion about how we handle lunch with opinions continuing to be divided. The box lunches, while appreciated, have not been entirely satisfactory, and we will bring our own lunches for the remainder of April while figuring out the future.
Announcements
Relay for life is set for July 17 at Terranova High. Rose announced that luminarias will be made at her home on June 25 between noon and 3:00 to honor those who lost their lives in the battle. A fundraising event will be held June 9 at Lawyer's Title, Renee to provide more details.
Gardening for Seniors was done last weekend at Canada Cove with a number of Rotarians participating.
Warren announced that the coming weekend, April 9, is Rotary Day of Action, with this District offering a number of available projects at Coyote Point. Registration fee includes lunch.
May 5 is Coastside Gives, with Rotarians encouraged to support the Club's foundation.
Happy Crappy News - On the Soapbox
Bill Johnston shared the happy news that he and Austin were married in Bonny Doon the preceding Saturday. Many happy years together, Bill!
Finally, Warren bestowed next year's Rotary flag on the club.
MARBLE GAME - too bad Warren!
PHOTO GALLERY
SHOP TALK TIME IS A CHANCE TO SHARE A PERSONAL PROFILE - -
TALK A LITTLE ABOUT OURSELVES.
BIRTHDAYS ARE ALSO A GOOD TIME TO REVIEW SOME HISTORY,
CURRENT EVENTS AND MAYBE EVEN A LITTLE ON OUR PAST.
SO SHOP TALKS AND BIRTHDAYS! COOL. !
THAT CAN BE FUN. AND SOME OF IT ALITTLE SERIOUS
THANKS FOR LETTING ME DO A LITTLE REFLECTING.
THIS COULD START WITH THE CORE TOPIC
WHICH IS … MY FAMILY, FRIENDS AND COMMUNITY.
AND THEN A LITTLE ABOUT WORK AND PLAY.
BUT EVEN BEFORE THAT, - - THE BEGINNING MAY .
BE A GOOD PLACE TO MENTION AN OVERALL POINT OF VIEW.
I GUESS EVERYONE HAS SOME KIND OF OVERALL POINT OF VIEW.
MINE CLOSELY RESEMBLES SOMETHING I GOT FROM ROTARY
ITS NOT EXACTLY UNIQUE, BUT ROTARY SAID IT SO WELL WITH ITS “4 WAY TEST .” IT IS THE SCOND POINT OF THE THE 4 WAY TEST:
IT SIMPLY SAYS THAT WHATEVER WE ARE ABOUT TO SAY OR DO,
TO ASK YOURSELF IF THAT IS
FAIR TO ALL CONSERNED.
OF COURSE, THAT IDEA DIDN’T EXACTLY ORIGINATE IN ROTARY,
BUT IT IS A GOOD CONCEPT
AND I DO TRY TO FOLLOW IT, EVEN THOUGH I FAIL SOMETIMES
SO WITH THAT AS A LITTLE BACKDROP,
LET’S DO THE SHOP TALK…
I STARTED BY GROWING UP NEAR PHILADELPHIA AND IN PRINCETON (THE NEW JERSEY PRINCETON NOT OUR COASTSIDE PRINCETON).
THEN WENT TO COLLEGES AND GOT SOME DEGREES. ALONG THE WAY, I PLAYED SPORTS, BUILT HOT RODS AND MOTORCYCLES.
ACTUALLY, I TRIED LOTS OF HOBBIES THAT I GOT FAIRLY INTENSE ABOUT - - FROM ELECTRONICS TO PHOTOGRAPHY.
AND, IN FACT, I STAYED WITH PHYSICAL STUFF FOR MY WHOLE LIFE.
EARLIER ON, IT WAS PLAYING AND COACHING SOCCER AND FOOTBALL, SOFTBALL IN ADULT LEAGUES AND FREE DIVING FOR ABALONE,
I GOT PRETTY GOOD AT RUNNING WHITE WATER RIVERS IN RAFTS AND SWIMMING THEM TOO.
I’VE HIKED A LOT AND I AM STILL DOING SOME OF THAT - -
BUT THE MOUNTAINS I WALK NOW ARE A LITTLE MORE CIVILIZED THAN EARLIER ONES.
ALL NONSENSE - - BUT GREAT FUN.
NOWADAYS, I GUESS I WOULD INCLUDE STUDYING LOCAL AND CALIFORNIA HISTORY AS BEING A HOBBY.
MY MAIN ADULT JOBS WERE …
- I STARTED IN PRINCETON WITH DR GALLUP AND OTHERS.
- THEN I MOVED UP TO NYC AROUND THE MADISON AVENUE SCENE, WITH AD AGENCIES AND ADVERTISERS.
- IN THE LATE SIXTIES I WENT OFF TO SAN FRANCISCO TO WORK FOR THE BIGGEST AGRICULTURAL MARKETING ORGANIZATION IN CALIFORNIA (CCG).
- IN THE EARLY 1970S I STARTED A MEDIUM SIZED RESEARCH COMPANY THAT BECAME REASONABLY SUCCESSFUL WORKING WITH LARGE NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL CLIENTS STUDYING MANAGEMENT, MARKETING, ADVERTISING AND BEHAVIORAL RESEARCH.
TTHAT CALIFORNIA MOVE…
THAT WAS THE CAREER MOVE THAT ACTUALLY TURNED OUT TO BE ONE OF THE (TWO) BEST LIFE-MOVES OF ANYTHING I EVER DID.
I FELL MADLY IN LOVE WITH NORTHERN CALIFORNIA, SAN FRANCISCO - -
AS A FINANCIAL CENTER - -
BUT IT WAS THE STILL UNDISCOVERED COASTSIDE THAT IS SO SPECIAL.
AT THE TIME,,, I WAS TRYING TO GET CLOSE TO THE OCEAN.
I IMMEDIATELY STUMBLED ONTO MOSS BEACH. WHAT A PLACE TO LIVE… AND IT WAS ONLY A PRETTY SHORT COMMUTE INTO THE CITY.
I WORKED IN THE WORLD TRADE CENTER, IN THE FERRY BUILDING.
MOSS BEACH! SPECTACULAR. RURAL.
YET WITHIN PERHAPS ONLY TWENTY MILES OF MY OFFICE.
THE COASTISE!
FABULOUS OCEAN. BEACHES. OPEN SPACE, REDWOODS AND COURSING COASTAL STREAMS. OH MY GOD, I’M NOT SURE THERE IS SUCH A GREAT Y BLEND OF YEAR AROUND WEATHER AND REAL COUNTRY LIVING.
ALL SO CLOSE TO BIG CITY LIFE. UNBELIEVABLE. PERHAPS YOU AGREE?
SO THAT HAPPY NOTE BRINGS ME BACK TO THE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION AND THE IMPORTANCE IN LIFE OF …
FAMILY FRIENDS AND COMMUNITY
WE ARE ALL BUILT TO NEED AND TO LOVE FAMILY.
SHEILA, MY WIFE, LOVED LIFE… AND SHE LOVED ROTARY.
AND I THINK THE CLUB FELT HER LOVE - -
AND THE CLUB MADE HER AN HONORARY ROTARIAN. SHE LIKED THAT A LOT!
WE RAISED FOUR SONS AND WERE BLESSED WITH TEN GRANDCHILDREN – NOW THEY RANGE IN AGE FROM PRE-TEENS INTO THEIR TWENTIES.
I LOST SHEILA FEW MONTHS AGO.
I CAN CERTAINLY TELL YOU THAT I HAVE KNOWN THE AMAZING HAPPINESS OF HAVING A WONDERFUL WIFE.
NOW IT’S THE CHILDREN AND ALL THAT KEEP ME GOING.
IT WAS IN 1985 THAT I DISCOVERED ROTARY. THAT CHANGED MY LIFE TOO.
CAPABLE LEADERS OF BUSINESS AND PROFESSIONS
PROFESSIONAL PEOPLE WILLING TO VOLUNTEER TO USE THEIR SPECIAL STRENGTHS TO DIRECTLY SERVE THEIR COMMUNITY.
AND TO SERVE THE WORLD!
INTERNATIONAL SERVICE.
ROTARIANS SERVE BY SHARING MONEY.
THEY ARE ALSO WILLIING AND ABLE TO SERVE WITH EFFORT.
USING THE SPECIALS SKLLS THAT BUSINESS LEADERS AND PROFESSIONAL PEOPLE HAVE. PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT SKILLS.
AFTER MORE THAN THIRTY YEARS IN THIS ORGANIZATION, I CAN EASILY JOIN OTHERS WHO CLAIM THAT THEIR EFFORT FOR ROTARY BROUGHT GREATER PERSONAL RETURNS TO THEM. BENEFITS THAT OUTWEIGHED WHATEVER TIME AND ENERGY WAS DONATED.
HERE ARE A FEW OF THE IMPORTANT BENEFITS I HAVE RECEIVED THROUGH ROTARY:
- FIRST: FRIENDS: MANY OF MY CLOSEST AND
KINDEST FRIENDS ARE ROTARIANS.
- I HAVE LEARNED IMMENSELY FROM ROTARY.
- I WAS ASKED TO BE A SPECIAL ADVISOR TO WORK WITH
R.I. DIRECTORS AND R.I. PRESIDENTS. WHAT A COMPLIMENT!
- THE BIGGEST GIFT WAS TO HAVE FOUND MYSELF BEING A DELIVERY BOY FOR ROTARY SERVICE.
AID, SUPPORT AND COUNSEL AROUND THE WORLD. DELIVERING THE HUMANITARIAN GIFTS OF THINGS LIKE MEDICINE, SHELTER, CLEAN WATER AND VACCINES TECHNOLOGY … AND SO MUCH MORE.
ALL OF THAT HUMANITARIAN EFFORT OFFERED FREELY BY US. BY YOU, ME AND OUR FELLOW ROTARIANS -
PERSONALLY, AMONG THE HIGHLIGHTS OF IN MY ROTARY EXPERIENCE WAS BEING ABLE TO HELP INTERNATIONALLY ON THAT DELIVERY SIDE
THERE IS NOTHING LIKE ACTUALLY WORKING WITH… SEEING SMILING THE SMILES AND FEELING THE HUGGS OF THE RECIPIENTS.
THE REAL PEOPLE WITH THEIR AND DIFFERENT CULTURES SERVED
AS IF THEY WERE OUR OWN BROTHERS AND SISTERS. THAT’S ROTARY SPIRIT. YOUR GENEROUS SPIRIT.
PLEASE ALLOW ME TO NAME JUST A FEW PLACES THAT ROTARY BUSINESS TOOK ME:
MY SHORT LIST OF JOY WOULD INCLUDE ...
MEXICO, PHILIPPINES, VENEZUELA, CHINA,
BUT NONE OF THEM COULD EQUAL MY MEMORIES OF THREE SEPARATE ANNUAL VISITS TO UKRAINE.
AND NOW, OF COURSE, WE KNOW THAT UKRAINE TOPS THE NEWS. LIKE ALMOST EVERYBODY IN THE WORLD --- I AM HEARTBROKEN.
MY VISITS WERE LESS THAN A DECADE AFTER THEIR WONDEROUS EMERGENCEFROM BENEATH THE YOKE OF THE SOVIET UNION.
TODAY MY MEMORIES OF OPTIMISM ARE DISPLACED BY DAILY REPORTS OF THE DEVASTATION HAPPENING THERE.
I HOPE YOU CAN FEEL A SMALL PERSONAL PART OF MY SADNESS WHEN YOU SEE VIDEO OF THOSE PLACES THAT HOSTED ME FOR ROTARY SERVICE
SO FEW YEARS AGO. THEIR COUNTRY WAS OPENING UP LIKE A SPRING BLOOM.
BIG CITIES LIKE LIVIV, KEEV AND KHARKIV AS WELL AS CRIMEA (ALUSHTA). AND MANY SMALL TOWNS TOO.
TODAY SOME OCCUPIED BY HOSILES. ALL HAVE BEEN ATTACKED.
AND SOME HAVE BEEN OBLITERATED.
THE UKRAINIAN SPIRIT IS INCREDIBLE. I THINK THEY WILL ENDURE.
AND RECOVER. ONE WAY OR ANOTHER
AS YOU KNOW, I HAVE PRETTY MUCH STEPPED AWAY AND RETIRED.
BUT ROTARY HAS MY HEART.
ROTARIANS DON’T RUN THE WORLD, BUT ROTARY DOES TOUCH MOST OF THE WORLD.
AND WE – ESPECIALLY YOU… NOW AND HERE–
ARE TOUCHING THE WORLD AND THE COASTSIDE WITH ROTARY SPIRIT.
ON THIS DAY OF THINKING ABOUT BIRTHDAYS AND CELEBRATION - -
LET ME TELL YOU… I LOVE ROTARY.
AND I LOVE YOU… FRIENDS
AND… THE ROTARY CLUB OF HALF MOON BAY.