E-MEETING: Emperor Norton

Enjoy lunch wherever you are while you join us online to hear today’s speaker.

Joseph Amster in his alter-ego as Norton I, Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico, will talk about the original Emperor Norton — the man and the myth, his rise and fortune, how he lost everything and became the Emperor of the United States and Protector of Mexico, and how San Francisco embraced his Imperial reign

Joseph Amster is a tour guide, journalist, historian, California native, and resident of San Francisco on and off since the ‘70s. Born in Southern California, he first visited San Francisco as a seven-year-old in 1962. Falling in love with the City, he returned to study theater arts at San Francisco State University. During that time, he worked as a cook at San Francisco’s legendary Salmagundi restaurant. As a journalist, he served as editor of the Orange County Blade and IN Los Angeles magazines He has also had stories published in the Alyson Publications books My First Time, Vol. 1 and The Day We Met. He currently serves as a board member of the San Francisco History Association, Noble Grand Recorder of the Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus Yerba Buena Chapter 1, and is a co-founder of the Emperor Norton Legacy League. 

With the rise of the Internet, Joseph found journalism jobs few and far between. In 2011, he and husband Rick Shelton founded Time Machine Tours. Because of their backgrounds in the performing arts, they decided to offer historical walking tours as characters from San Francisco history. Emperor Norton’s Fantastic San Francisco Time Machine launched in July 2011 to rave reviews. He also offers an Emperor Norton waterfront tour, made possible by a generous grant from the San Francisco History Association. Joseph combined his love of history with his culinary background to offer San Francisco Food Safari, a shopping tour of North Beach in 2012 and a Mission District tour titled There’s More to the Mission than Burritos in 2013. He is currently working on a book entitled Created in California: The Golden State’s Gifts to Gastronomy and can often be spotted about town in character as San Francisco’s beloved Emperor Norton.

In addition to our speaker, Rotary District 5150 leaders will present prestigious awards to some of our members. Don't miss this chance to honor our winning members!

This is a regular membership meeting of The Rotary Club of San Francisco, open to all Rotarians, visiting Rotarians, prospective members, and guests. The meeting is free, but you must register by 11 AM on Tuesday, June 16, 2020. Connection information will be provided only to those who register by the above deadline. For technical support, please contact Secretary Dora Dye before 10:30 AM on June 16, 2020.

Meeting Schedule:

12:00 Noon: Log in or dial in

12:15 PM: Meeting begins

1:30 PM: Meeting adjourns