Dear Fellow Rotarians,
Though I was saddened to miss our meeting last week, but I’m told it was a solid showing with lots of highlights to go-around. Past President, Jim Stretchberry, led the time and had the honor of giving Paul Harris Awards to distinguished members, Jim Armstrong and Steve Milam. They’ve both served our club faithfully for many years, and their awards are indicative of their commitment to Rotary in both time and treasure.
We had the opportunity to induct our newest member, Dan Aldrich III (aka Big D). My dad has been a longtime Rotarian up in Santa Cruz and is the reason I became a member of Rotary once I settled in Santa Barbara. Now that he’s here as well, I’m thankful that he’s joined our club during my presidential year, and look forward to his contributions going forward. In addition, Chris Hastert gave an informative and encouraging presentation about the future of our local airport. As someone who travels more frequently than I’d prefer, I can attest to the ease of our airport in comparison to those I get to frequent around the world, and hope we’re able to maintain both its intimacy and access in the years ahead.
Speaking of the world, and specifically the recent tragedy in Nepal, our club generously raised around $1300 on the spot to be sent to Shelterbox to assist with the recovery efforts. The generosity of our club continues to impress. I hope everyone had a wonderful Labor Day weekend, and hope to see you on September 17th for our next lunch meeting.
Dan Aldrich
Club President
Rotary Club of Santa Barbara