President Bob Hermann, Jr. (Information Technology: Administration | Retired) called the meeting to order at 12:15 PM and welcomed everyone attending in person or on Zoom. In honor of Valentine's Day, Hershey's kisses were available next to each table setting.
Visiting Rotarians and Guests
Today's Visiting Rotarians were Mary-Caroline Hammerer from the Rotary Club of Braunschweig Henry the Lion in Germany; Peter Hammerer from the Rotary Club of Braunschweig in Germany; Mary Johnson from the Rotary Club of Folsom Lake; Mairy Droese from the Rotary Club of Orangevale; and Bob Doerr, Bobba Venkatadri, and Jerry Winges from the Rotary Club of Burlingame Hillsborough. Joining Mairy was her partner, Richard Droese. Other guests were Holly Huebel, Fiorela Martinez, Patrick Shannon, and Eric Thongrak. Our speaker was MacKenzie Chung Fegan. Welcome to all!
Exchanging Flags with Visiting Rotarians
President Bob exchanged Rotary flags with Visiting Rotarians Mary-Caroline Hammerer, Peter Hammerer, and Mary Johnson.
Mary-Caroline Hammerer, President Bob Hermann, Peter Hammerer, and Mary Johnson
Rotary Youth Exchange Program
Vice President of Youth Development Todd St Vrain (Education: Administration | University of Melbourne) discussed the Rotary Youth Exchange (RYE) Program. Participants in the Program spend a year abroad during high school or during the gap year between high school and college. Another possibility is a summer abroad through a family exchange. Costs for the participants include airfare, insurance, and spending money.
The Rotary Club of San Francisco currently sponsors Lowell High School graduate — Dahlia Myers. Dahlia is spending her gap year in Germany. The Host Club is the Rotary Club of Braunschweig.
The Host Rotary Club is responsible for finding host families who provide room and board; the hosts receive a small stipend to help with expenses. The Program is currently seeking Rotarians who can serve as host families. Additional information about the Program can be found at https://studyabroadscholarships.org. You are also encouraged to contact Rotary District 5150 Youth Exchange Chair Marc Friedman for information.
Black History Month
Rick Harrell (Arts Therapy | Heroes' Voices) read A Brave and Startling Truth, an inspiring poem by Maya Angelou, to celebrate Black History Month.
Rick Harrell and Maya Angelou
Super Bowl Party and Squares
President Bob thanked Jo Patrick and Jim Patrick (Retail: Office Supplies | Patrick & Co.) for hosting our annual Super Bowl Party. We raised $16,000 for The Rotary Foundation and the San Francisco Rotary Foundation. See full story here.
Glaucoma Research Foundation Gala
President Bob congratulated Club Secretary Nancy Graydon (Development | Glaucoma Research Foundation) on a great Gala that raised $300,000 for glaucoma research. He also thanked Nancy Graydon, Tom Brunner (Nonprofit Management | Glaucoma Research Foundation), and the Glaucoma Research Foundation for the three tables filled by members and guests of the Rotary Club of San Francisco.
Upcoming Events
- Check the Club's calendar for upcoming meetings and events.
- Sign up for the District Assembly on March 22, 2025.
- Save the date of April 26, 2025 for our Bike Build.
Guest Speaker
Speakers' Committee Chair Larry Booth (Engineering: Mechanical | Frank M. Booth, Inc.) introduced today's speaker — MacKenzie Chung Fegan, the San Francisco Chronicle's lead restaurant critic. Larry added that he had followed MacKenzie for many years. MacKenzie grew up in San Francisco restaurants. Her grandparents opened and ran Henry's Hunan Restaurant formerly on Kearny Street and now on Natoma Street.Instead of the traditional talk that we receive at Club luncheons, MacKenzie preferred to answer questions. Here are some of the questions asked and answered:
Q: What are your thoughts on tipping?
A: It is an antiquated practice unique to America.
Q: Are we looking to have growth in restaurants?
A: Margins for restaurants are thin, but we have hope.
Q: What are some good restaurants in Marin?
A: I have not found many, but Madcap in San Anselmo and Lou’s Takeaway in San Rafael are worth trying.
Q: What changes are you seeing?
A: The food culture is beginning to rebound.
Q: Has online ordering been helpful?
A: This has helped restaurants to plan better.
President Bob thanked MacKenzie Chung Fegan and announced that 100 children would be inoculated against polio in her name.
Updates from President Bob
- President Bob talked about his visits to other Rotary clubs in the District 5150 to raise awareness and funding for RYLA.
- April 2025 marks the 50th anniversary of when the government of Saigon surrendered to North Vietnamese forces and ended the Vietnam War. President Bob talked about the conversations that are going on about this anniversary.
Rotary Club of Burlingame Hillsborough Global Grant
Jerry Winges who has been a Rotarian for 32 years in the Rotary Club of Burlingame Hillsborough talked about his club's Global Grant projects to digitize education in tribal schools in India. To date, there have been three projects: first in 2021-2022 in Unguturu, A.P, India; the next in 2023-2024 in Vissannapeta, NTR Dt., A.P, India; and the current one in 2024-2025 in Andhra Pradesh, India. The following is the mission of each project:
The Rotary Club of San Francisco donated $4,000 in support of the current project in Andhra Pradesh, India. This slide says it all as to why we supported this project:
Pictured are President Bob Hermann along with Bobba Venkatadri, Bob Doerr, and Jerry Winges from the Rotary Club of Burlingame Hillsborough.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:30 PM.
Meeting Volunteers
President Bob thanked today's meeting volunteers: Cecile Chiquette (Accounting | Retired) for serving as volunteer coordinator; President-Elect Frank Yoke III (Development | Serra Residential Center, Inc.) for serving as scribe; Jim Patrick for serving as photographer; Vice President of Membership Margaret Miley (Hospitality: Hotels | Retired) for managing the microphone; Kirt Burdick of the Academy of Art University for managing the audio-visual equipment during our in-person meeting; Robin Azevedo (Retail: Mattresses | Retired, McRoskey Mattress Company) and Clifford Phillips (The Arc San Francisco) for serving as greeters; and Vice President of Club Service Ozan Yasavur (Engineering: Mechanical | Bioforcetech Corporation) and Vice President of Development Maureen O’Shea (Governmental Relations | Retired) for doing check-in at the Hotel Nikko.