Windmill for April 26th
"Better Late Than Never" Overheard From Ernie Wolfe
Hear Ye! Hear Ye! All members in good standing of the Westwood Village Rotary Club.
The old editor. Sir Ernie Wolfe laid low by the dastardly pneumonia bug. His royal ness, in a drug-induced haze has asked me to help him construct this tome. Poor Ernie, he must have been delirious. The fever, you know.
Anyway Sir Wolfe is doing much better now. He is home and feeling much better. No more skinny dipping at night.o.k. Ernie (?)
Now for the details...
The pledge to the flag was led by Dr. Eric “under God” Loberg. He didn’t miss a word. The song, “America,” was conducted by Sir Lenny Friedman. Well done but out of tune we were. Ray Zickfield led the invocation.
This week was the April Birthday time. The birthday victims were Elliott Turner (me), Sheri DeWane, Clark McQuay, Ray Lockfield and Dick Robinson. Honestly, we don’t look any older. Sheri Won “Most Attractive” among the group. Way to go Sheri!
Guests of the Rotarians were Chris Bradford’s sister—I didn’t get her name. Sorry Chris. Sharon Bradford, Chris’s wife, also was visiting.
Now for the speaker…Michael Ford, a member of L.A. 5, President and C.E.O. of the Los Angeles Regional Ford Bank came to educate us about his organization. Their mission statement is to mobilize resources and to fight hunger in our community.
He informed us that 10% of people in Los Angeles face daily decisions of whether to buy medical supplies, food, or to pay rent.
Volunteers play a critical role everyday at the food bank. More than 4,000 people volunteered this time in 2006. The L.A. Food Bank distributed over 4 million pounds of fresh produce in 2006, a 25% increase from 2005. The L. A. Business journal ranks Food Bank as the 5th most efficient charity among all charities in Los Angeles County.
Their phone number, if you want to volunteer is (323)-234-3030.
In keeping with the day’s theme, the Rotarians had a bake sale to raise money for an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico. They raised $140 by auctioning zucchini, bread, and raspberry drop cookies, chocolate drops, and chocolate dipped macaroons. Makes you hungry just thinking about it.
We had a visit from Christy Kleiver, daughter of Lillian Kliever, who attended the RYLA weekend held annually in the San Bernardino Mountains. She had glowing reports of the experience and took away new friendships and new leadership skills which will endure throughout her life. It is one more event we support that makes a difference in a person’s life.
Recently I heard this story and I’d like to share:
A man walks into the street and manages to get a taxi just going by. He gets into the taxi, and the cabbie says, “Perfect timing you are just like Frank”
Passenger: Who?
Cabbie: “Frank Feldman, He’s a guy who did everything right-all the time. Like my coming along when you needed a cab, things happened like that to Frank Feldman all the time.”
Passenger:” There are always a few clouds over everybody.”
Cabbie: “Not Frank Feldman. He was a terrific athlete. He could have won the Grand-Slam in tennis. He could golf with the pros. He sang like an opera baritone and danced like a Broadway star and you should have heard him play the piano. He was an amazing guy.”
Passenger: “Sounds like he was something really special”
Cabbie: “There’s more….He had a memory like a computer. Could remember everybody’s birthday. He knew all about wine, which foods to order and which fork to eat them with. He could fix anything. Not like me. I change a fuse, and the whole street blacks out. But Frank Feldman, he could do everything right.”
Passenger:” Wow, some guy then”
Cabbie: “He always knew the quickest way to go in traffic and avoid traffic jams. Not like me, I always seem to get stuck in them. But Frank, he never made a mistake.”
Passenger: “MMM, there’s not many like him around.”
Cabbie: “And he really new how to treat a women and make her feel good. He would never answer her back even if she was in the wrong; and his clothing was always immaculate, shoes highly polished too—he was the perfect man! He never made a mistake. No one could ever measure up to Frank Feldman.”
Passenger: “An amazing fellow. How did you meet him?”
Cabbie: “Well, I never actually met Frank.”
Passenger: “Then how do you know so much about him?”
Cabbie: “I married his widow.”
Very touching, don’t you think?
Enjoy.
—Ye Semi-old Editor, Elliott Turner
