April 26, 2006 WEEKLY PROGRAMS WEEKLY ASSIGNMENTS INTROS INVOCATION PLEDGE GREETERS. Volume May Hydrogen Fuel Cells and you - Adrian Moore

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1 CECIL MARTIN, President, G reeters Lori Malkin and Joe Nunez were busy folks on this drizzly, gray morning pressing flesh with all BBRC members and guests fortunate enough to attend a meeting of the greatest Rotary club in the world. Lori, in fact, met incomers at the elevator doors, placed them in hammerlocks until the startled folks dug deeply, yet painlessly, Greeters Joe Nunez & Lori Malkin into their pocketbooks and wallets to pay for raffle tickets. Dr. Joe, DDS (aka, Molar Miner), looked on in amazement contemplating the use of Lori s unorthodox, yet effective, methods in his practice to replace the more expensive desensitizer, novocaine. Because of her unprecedented success raising funds, President Cecil Martin ordained Lori as Permanent Greeter. Don Ray s guest, Mickie Hawley, isn t complaining as her $5 investment netted her a cool $74, about twice the normal award. Newly goateed Ross McClintock led the congregation in prayer followed by David Lari who directed the pledge to the flag. After Song-Mistress/Secretary Carol Smith conducted the BBRC choir in God Bless America, she announce that pianist, Kiwanian, Rotarian-wannabe Wendell Kinney was celebrating Volume 37 April 26, 2006 Think Globally, Act Locally Neil Walker Editor Website: his 88 th birthday on this very day. An interesting note about Wendell -- he penned BBRC s own Rotary song The Rotary Way which has made its way to many Rotary events. President-Elect Larry Mueller stood and exhibited a trait that we members will begin enduring on July 1 st when he inherits the reins from Cecil. In a protracted, painful analogy explaining the similarities between a voided check and having no visiting Rotarians, we caught a true glimpse of what the next Rotary year holds in store. The good news, Larry, no members were observed bolting for the exits during your monologue. Other visitors: hubby Henry Smith with Becky The-Energizer-Bunny Smith; Jonathon Lopez visiting a second time as Cecil s guest; Lynne Hall (former Rotarian and BC retiree) came with President-Elect-Nominee Ed Knudson; Anne Fonseca hosted CSUB Professor Geri Mohler for her second meeting with us. Kay Pitts introduced her guest, Amber Chiang. New Generations Director Mike Stepanovich proudly introduced Foothill High School Interact President, David Gonzales who introduced fellow students Candace Gonzales and Sofia Reyes. Candace and Sophia spoke about their attendance at the recent Rotary RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) camp where future leaders L to R - David Gonzales, Candace Gonzales, Mike Stepanovich, Sofie Reyes are molded. President Cecil heaped praise on (Continued on page 2) WEEKLY PROGRAMS 3 May Hydrogen Fuel Cells and you - Adrian Moore 10 May Walkable Community Developments - Bruce Freeman 17 May Status of Childcare in our county - Brooke Antonioni (OFFSITE) 24 May International Projects in Queretaro - Carla Grabert DATE WEEKLY GREETERS ASSIGNMENTS INVOCATION PLEDGE INTROS 3 May Nelson/Nunez Nuriddin O'Doherty O'Donnell 10 May Pavletich/PInson Paggi Pasek Patterson 17 May Quarnberg/Ray Pitts Redmond Ricker IMPORTANT UPCOMING EVENTS May 9-6:30 p.m. - Diners Club event. Sorella Italiano Ristorante May 13 - Wine Tasting Tour to Paso Robles. Sign up with Carl Leech or Mike Daniel May 20 - District Assembly, California State University Bakersfield May 22- Valley Fever Golf Tournament - Bakersfield Country Club Jun 11 thru 14 - RI International Convention in Malmo, Sweden and Copenhagen, Denmark. Get details and registration information at June 22 - (Thursday night) Demotion Party for Prez. Cecil. Bell Tower Club. Oct. 13 thru 15 - District Conference, Fess Parker's DoubleTree Resort & Spa, Santa Barbara 24 May Saba/Rossi Sabin C. Scott D. Scott

2 Page 2 (Continued from page 1) Mike Stepanovich s steadfast weekly leadership donated to the Foothill Interacters on behalf of our club. While we re on the subject of Mike Stepanovich, earlier in the meeting Past President Michael O Doherty asked Mike S. to join him at the podium. O D publicly admitted to a faux pas that occurred in the waning days of his presidency. He apologized to Mike S. for inadvertently omitting his military-esque director s award which should have been presented at O D s demotion party held at Cox Park (aka, Tim and Susanna s backyard). Past President Paul Cooper graciously thanked his fellow Rotarians for helping him adjust into his new 2-yr old career by giving him business. This was a heartfelt and sincere acknowledgement, yet the Fine Marshals antennae shot skyward sensing that PJC was wandering deeply and unforgivingly into large fine territory. Mary Jo Pasek gave an emotional announcement of what to expect at the upcoming Relay For Life. Mary Jo (along with several other BBRC members such as Sandy Foster and Cherryl Biggar) is a very key Mary Jo Pasek reason for the large Kern County contribution to finding a cure for cancer. Past President Mike Daniel reminded members about the May 13 th wine trip to Paso Robles. There are still a few openings. Past President Carl Leech asked for participation in the upcoming Valley Fever Golf Tournament (see flyers on back pages). A Tee Sponsorship is only $50 and can be billed to your club account. This is a terrific and easy way to become part of the team that will soon be able to prevent Valley Fever. Talk to our own thespian Doug Burns to learn more about the wonderful plays being produced at Bakersfield College by the Drama Department. Don t miss the upcoming Execution of Justice. Ed O Donnell, with flair and daring, flaunted his good fortune in front of the entire audience. Recall that Ed and Shirley will be cruising the Bahamas thanks to their luck at the last Evening In New Orleans. Fortunately for Ed, Cecil did not have enough time in the program today for the Fine Marshals to do their thing. But since you have now rubbed everyone s nose in it, nobody would like to be in your shoes when you return from your expensive, free, decadent, ocean-going vacation. It would serve you well to stay away from the all-night-all-you-can-eat on-board buffets because you will need to be fleet-of-foot to avoid the certain future pain to be inflicted by Jerry, Howie, Ken and Bobby. Steve Teglia traded in his rookie Red Badge for his Blue Badge. His roster was fully signed except for two wayward members who surely will be recognized at the next meeting. The accompanying picture shows the badge swap between Steve and Prez Cec. Welcome to Blue Badge Country, Steve. The Board has announced that it has regretfully accepted the resignation of Past President, Harley Pinson. We wish Harley the best of luck in his future endeavors. THE PROGRAM K ay Pitts introduced Michael W. Cooper, our program speaker and brother to BBRC s PP Paul Cooper. Mike was born and raised in Bakersfield. He attended local schools and graduated from CSU Bakersfield. He works as an insurance broker with Clifford and Bradford Insurance Agency. He has a beautiful wife, Bette, who is a registered nurse and a wonderful daughter, Katie. Mike has been involved with the Valley Fever Vaccine Michael Cooper Project since its inception in Mike presented a video followed by a very informative presentation. Some great questions and input came from the audience. Although Valley Fever is found throughout the nation, the lion s share of the work finding a vaccine has fallen squarely on the shoulders of Bakersfield. Most of the financial support to date has come from Rotary. Mike s current civic contributions: Member and Past President, Rotary Club of Bakersfield East President, Valley Fever Americas Foundation Chairman, Valley Fever Vaccine Project of the Americas, A Rotary District 5240 Project President and Board Member, The Plank Foundation FACTS ABOUT VALLEY FEVER: 1 If you live in an endemic area, you may have had Valley Fever without even knowing it. In some endemic areas, it is estimated that as much as half of the population has been infected. Persons whose activities put them in much contact with the soil appear to have a somewhat greater risk. Once infected, persons of African, Filipino and some other Asian ancestries seem to be at a greater risk of contracting the more serious, or disseminated, form of the disease. The young, the old, and those with lowered immune systems are also in the high risk group. While men are at greater risk than women, pregnant women are especially vulnerable, particularly in the third trimester. Usually, diagnosis is made on the basis of one or more of the following three tests: recovery of the Cocci organisms from sputum or some other body fluid; blood tests that reflect the body's reaction to the presence of the fungus; and skin tests. These tests are quite reliable, but they may fluctuate according to the stage of the disease. Chest X-rays reveal some of the abnormalities associated with Cocci, but the shadows are difficult to distinguish from those of tuberculosis or some other lung disease. Patients suffering from the flu-like symptoms of Cocci will probably be sent to bed by the doctor. Since most cases are mild and self-limiting, there is no consensus on how aggressively it should be treated. However, once serious symptoms appear - including pneumonia and labored breathing - treatment should be prompt. Unfortunately, all four antifungal drugs in use are disagreeable and often toxic. Although it is the "gold standard" of treatment, Amphotericin B is the worst, according to patients, especially to those who have to have it injected beneath the base of their skull for meningitis. Its side effects include nausea, fever and kidney damage. Oral drugs include ketoconazole and more recently, fluconazole and itraconazole. In severe cases, where the fungus has permanently damaged lung or bone tissue, surgery may be needed. Since the drugs serve only to suppress the fungus, not to kill it, those who develop a severe case of Valley Fever may require treatment for (Continued on page 3)

3 (Continued from page 2) years. The cost of this disease in personal and economic terms is enormous. In its serious form, Valley Fever devastates its victims and their families. Employers feel the burden in lost work days, weeks and even months. Workers Compensation claims drain even more resources. Because many cases of Cocci are unreported, the figures are skewed. However, it's estimated that there are 7,500 new cases of Cocci annually in the U.S.A. alone. This translates to a cost that may exceed $60 million a year. Production of an effective vaccine, with public and private support, is the only way we can eliminate the personal and financial burden of this disease. As Valley Fever continues to take its toll, costs far exceed that of developing a vaccine. Preliminary research indicates that an effective vaccine could be developed within the next seven years at a cost of approximately $6 million. We need your support. If you would like additional information or can provide financial assistance, please contact either address below, or fill out our support form at And don t forget about the Golf Tournament. Valley Fever Americas Foundation PO Box 2752 Bakersfield, California A Bobby Bryant Full-To-The-Brim Cup of Coffee When you ask him to pour, he doesn t stop.

4 Volume 37 Page 4 WHO IS THIS FUTURE ROTARIAN? My mom does my hair... why do you ask?! (Answer to last week s mystery: Carla Grabert)

5 Egads! Future Rotarian twins!! JB NW WHERE TO MAKE UP Meeting Day Rotary Club Meeting Place Time Monday Bakersfield South Holiday Inn Select Noon Monday Inyokern Homestead Restaurant 6:30 a.m. Monday Wasco Valley Rose Golf Course Noon 1st & 3rd Mondays Bakersfield College Rotaract B.C. Executive Board Room 6:00 p.m. Tuesday Bakersfield North Holiday Inn Select Noon Tuesday Foothill High Interact Club Foothill High 7:15 a.m. Wednesday Bakersfield West Stockdale Country Club Noon Wednesday China Lake Heritage Inn Noon Wednesday Shafter Minner Air Field Cafe 6:30 a.m. Wednesday Bakersfield Breakfast The Petroleum Club 6:45 a.m. Wednesday Taft Jo's Restaurant Noon Wednesday Interact Bakersfield High School 2:40 p.m. Thursday Bakersfield Downtown Bakersfield Art Museum Noon Thursday Tehachapi Kelcy's Restaurant Noon Thursday Delano Mary s Heavenly Bites Noon Dream Castle Café & Bakery Thursday Frazier Mountain Communities 7:00 a.m. (Frazier Park) Thursday Kern River Valley Ewings (Kernville) 7:00 p.m. Friday Bakersfield East Veteran's Hall Noon BBRC PAST PRESIDENTS Michael O Doherty Neil Walker Harley Pinson Susan Eaton Don Trybul / Mike Daniel Paul Cooper Mike Daniel Ray Geigle Bonnie Crawford Carl Leech John Tait Greg Smith John Vasinda Bill Jones Glenn Ray Mike Kirkwood / Howie Wass Howie Wass Craig Holland Anil Mehta Bob Bryant Sid Chapin Jerry Starr John McWhorter BBRC Board of Directors BBRC Committee Chairs Bakersfield Breakfast Rotary Club P.O. Box 2568 Bakersfield, California editor: nwalker1@bak.rr.com President Cecil Martin Vice President Michael O'Doherty President Elect - Larry Mueller Secretary - Carol Smith Treasurer Denise Knudson Club Service Cheryl Scott International Service Shaun Kelly Fund Raising Jim Bell New Generations - Mike Stepanovich Membership Harry Bryant Vocational Service John Guerard Community Service DeAnn Straub Sergeant-At-Arms Chris Rogers Fellowship Carl Leech, Mike Daniel Fireside Chats Jerry Starr Rotary Information Howie Wass Club Bulletin / Web Editor - Neil Walker Programs Kay Pitts Club Awards Vincent Fong Music Carol Smith Publicity Becky Smith Family of Rotary - Sister Judy Morasci Foundation President Larry Mueller President Elect Nominee Ed Knudson

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