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John Miron
"RI Convention 2008"
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Craft Talks
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Happy Thanksgiving
No Meeting
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Holiday Party
Spouses Day
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Next Week...
November 1
John Miron, Chairman of the Host Organizing Committee of the 2008 Rotary International Convention
Coming Up...
November 15
"Craft Talks"
November 22
"Thanksgiving Day"
Happy Thanksgiving
No Meeting
December 6
Dr. Richard Y. Lam
December13
Holiday Party - Spouses Day
December 20
Dark - No Meeting
December 27
Dark - No Meeting
Announcements
November 13
"Yearling Gathering"
6pm - 9pm
Peggy Bloomfield's Home
1262 Corsica Drive
Pacific Palisades
November 14
"Rotary Auxiliary Meeting"
The Auxiliary will have a 12:00 pm meeting/luncheon at SALLY BRANT'S house. BOB and DIANE THOM will reminisce about their experiences with John Wayne. Please RSVP to MARGIE DOWNIE. Attendees are asked to bring children's books for the book drive.
December 6
Christmas Shopping Spree With Underprivileged Children
Meet at 6:00 pm at the Salvation Army Relocation Center at Sepulveda and Wilshire. Contact MIKE YOUSEM for details and to let him know you will be coming.
December 11
Auxiliary Holiday Party
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This Week...
I am substituting for the incomparable ERNIE WOLFE, so fasten your seat belts and away we go.
KEVIN KOMATSU led the Pledge. Maestro LENNY FRIEDMAN led a very enthusiastic but somewhat flat rendition of "You're a Grand Old Flag." (There seems to be a dearth of tenors in the august WVRC.) LEE DUNAYER presented the invocation, stressing that in these times, like times past, calamity brings danger. Before the invocation, LEE recognized PP HOMER NEWMAN who had back surgery recently.
President CHRIS BRADFORD then asked for the introduction of guests. PEGGY BLOOMFIELD introduced Aly Shoji who works in Development for Women's Health at UCLA. PP STEVE SCHERER introduced LORIN RUTTENBERG who has been a prior guest and is interested in becoming a member of the WVRC. PP PETER MORE introduced Bob Trimborn who is the speaker of the day; Bob is a member of the Santa Monica Rotary Club.
President CHRIS BRADFORD then asked STEVE PETTISE to speak briefly about his recent trip to Central Europe. Bob said that he had visited the Prague International Rotary Club and met with the Dean of the Business School which has an affiliation with the University of Pittsburgh. CHRIS then presented the WVRC with a flag from the PIRC.
MIKE YOUSEM reminded Rotarians of the Christmas Shopping Trip which is to take place on Thursday, December 6th. Participants are to meet at the Salvation Army Relocation Center on Sepulveda and Wilshire at 6:00 pm. Some 30 children will be treated to dinner and then be given $40 for shopping at Big Lots. Each child will have a chaperon. Importantly, Rotarians who are interested in taking part of this terrific project should contact MIKE and let him know you are coming. Spouse are encouraged to come.
CHRIS reminded people that at 12:00 pm on Tuesday, November 14 the Auxiliary will have a meeting/luncheon at Sally Brant's home. Bob and Diane Thom will reminisce about their experiences with the legendary John Wayne. It promises to be a fascinatng event. We all have enjoyed Duke's movies over the years. Please contact MARGIE DOWNIE if you plan to come.
November birthdays were noted; they were:
| SUSAN ALLEN |
11/4 |
Detroit |
| STEVE LORE |
11/4 |
Los Angeles |
| PP TOM LENEHEN |
11/6 |
Evanston |
| MIKE YOUSEM |
11/6 |
Omaha |
| REV. JOHN WOODALL |
11/13 |
Los Angeles |
| HENRIETTA KNAPP |
11/16 |
Santa Ana |
| LEE DUNAYER |
11/21 |
Los Angeles |
| PP RON WANGLIN |
11/23 |
Los Angeles |
| AL BELLANCA |
11/27 |
Buffalo |
| PP DON NELSON |
11/28 |
San Diego |
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And what would a meeting be without ELLIOTT TURNER telling a story? It was funny but will not be retold in this missive.
CHRIS then discussed a restaurant review of dining outdoors at the Hotel Bel-Air which was in the Los Angeles Times Food Section of October 24. In summary, the Hotel earned a rating of a half a star which was one of the lowest in recent memory.
PP PETER MORE then introduced the speaker for the day who was BOB TRIMBORN, Airport Director at Santa Monica Airport ("SMA"). Bob started early in aviation and by age 17 had earned his pilot's license. Prior to coming to the SMA, he was Airport Manager of the Hawthorne Municipal Airport and the Reno General Aviation Airport. In 1996, he became Airport Director of the SMA. He was President of the Southwestern Chapter of Airport Executives in 1998-1999. He lives in the community of Thousand Oaks.
Bob started off his presentation by saying that this is the second time he has spoken to the WVRC. He noted that on 9/11, all of our lives were changed forever, particularly with respect to aviation. Indeed, as an Airport Director, his charge includes aviation security; vigilance is the objective. He discussed the differences between LAX, which is a public airport, and the SMA, which is a general aviation airport. He emphasized that dealing with aviation is different than dealing with other modes of transportation.
Security at the SMA is taken very seriously and Bob feels that the airport is doing an outstanding job addressing all of the related issues.
California has 250 public airports, 291 general aviation airports, 31 commercial airports, and 4 special use airports. The geographical size of airports can vary considerably. There are 66,000 licensed pilots in California who generate 3,000,000 hours of flying.
Bob said that dealing with security is a unique experience and that the evolution of general aviation over the last 50 years has been pronounced.
Bob defined general aviation as the handling of all types of aviation excluding scheduled flights and military flights. As a general aviation airport, the SMA has to be flexible and safe; however, it does not have to have the degree of security of LAX nor is it like a military airport. The SMA is patrolled 24/7.
The SMA was founded in 1917 by the Army Air Force and has changed radically over the years. McDonnell Douglas had a large impact in its development; it left in 1970, at which time the SMA became a general aviation airport. The size of the SMA is 237 acres and the volume of its landings and takeoffs is large. The SMA is used by government officals including the President of the United States and the Governor of California. When used as such, security has to be increased.
After 9/11, security changed. Enclosed gates were added requiring key cards, and a high density fence was constructed. Parking is restricted from 3 am to 5 am. The SMA keeps close track of what goes on. However, SMA representatives do not meet each incoming plane. The police force patrolling the grounds knows everyone and can easily ascertain if someone should not be there.
Jurisdictional issues regarding security come up; this means that the SMA has to work closely with the FAA on such matters.
Bob then presented some historical and recent pictures of the SMA. He noted that a 1942 DC Douglas aircraft is being restored and an announcement will be made concerning it in December.
At the conclusion of the presentation, the floor was thrown open to questions. LEE DUNAYER asked about the difference in security between the SMA and other airports. Bob felt that other California airports were less secure than the SMA. PP STEVE SCHERER asked about the expected longevity of the SMA. Bob said he couldn't predict what would happen since a number factors are involved including the loss of commercial air service that would result from a closing, neighborhood concerns, the continuing evolution of aviation in general, and the position of the City of Santa Monica. He noted that the last agreement with the City was effected in 1984 and that such agreement expires in 2015.
At the conclusion the presentation, CHRIS said that the next speaker on 11/8 would be JOHN MIRON who is the Chairman of the Host Organizing Committee of the 2008 RI Convention.
Chris closed with a thought for the day: Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.
