FEBRUARY Branch 175 Vol. 18 Issue 2

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FEBRUARY 2012 http://175.sirinc2.org/ Branch 175 Vol. 18 Issue 2 My fellow SIR. I thank you for a great turnout in January. Sir Ron McLain reports that in January our membership is up to 132.

I am sure that you all recognize that we are part of something special and should be proud to be part of it.

swapping stories with a friend is better. LITTLE SIR Wow, it seems that the months have started to move really quick, now. This year, February tried to slow us down a bit by adding an extra day.

Legend has it, that in the early part of 46BC, Augustus Caesar didn t like the fact that Julius Caesar s month (July) had 31 days and his month (August) had only 30, so he stole a day from February

We celebrate President s Day and I sincerely hope you didn t forget your bride on Valentine s Day. Thought for the day. Politicians and diapers have one thing in common.

1 FEBRUARY Branch 175 Vol. 18 Issue 2 My fellow SIR. I thank you for a great turnout in January. Sir Ron McLain reports that in January our membership is up to 132. I look out over the group during the meeting and see a first class group with the energy for a full fun year. I am sure that you all recognize that we are part of something special and should be proud to be part of it. BIG SIR Marin Vallejo So, my fellow roosters, if you feel as I do and enjoy the wonderful fellowship and speakers, bring your friends to share it with. Remember, staying home is no fun.swapping stories with a friend is better. LITTLE SIR Wow, it seems that the months have started to move really quick, now. This year, February tried to slow us down a bit by adding an extra day.an addition that us old guys can really appreciate. Have you ever wondered why February only has 28 or occasionally 29 days? Legend has it, that in the early part of 46BC, Augustus Caesar didn t like the fact that Julius Caesar s month (July) had 31 days and his month (August) had only 30, so he stole a day from February to make August have 31. Now you know or maybe not. In any event, lots of good things happen this month. We celebrate President s Day and I sincerely hope you didn t forget your bride on Valentine s Day. Thought for the day. Politicians and diapers have one thing in common. They both should be changed regularly, and for the same reason. Our speaker this month will be Cathy Sharbaugh, an expert in senior health care as well as senior legal needs a topic that should certainly be of interest as we continue our aging process. She is a graduate of the San Joaquin College of Law and has lived in Fresno for over 35 years. Bring a guest! Menu: Lunch: 11:45 Pork or Chicken **Board Meeting: 11:00 ** Board Meetings are a must for officers and directors. Activity chairmen are expected. Visitors are welcome Catherine Sharbaugh Attorney at Law Cathy s practice focuses on Elder Law; centered on seniors and their legal needs, capacity issues, conservatorships, estate planning and probate. She graduated from San Joaquin College of Law in 1993 with a Juris Doctorate degree and took the California Bar Exam that summer.

Sierra SIR Echo Pg 2 Installation of Additional Officers &

right, behind podium) installing four SIR Branch 175 Officers and

Being installed (from left to right) are: Big Sir Marin Vallejo,

time Mike was speaking, his 94 year old grandmother was playing

Through golf they learn the core values in life plus learning the

There s about 4,500 kids participating in this program, Mike said.

to Mike Firpo (pictured right) Thanks for the memories Here, take

of leadership (gavel and Branch 175 Charter Certificate) to 2012

Photo Album containing a collection of pictures from each of the

2 Sierra SIR Echo Pg 2 Installation of Additional Officers & Directors Sir Doug Hansen, new area 29 SIR Governor (pictured right, behind podium) installing four SIR Branch 175 Officers and Directors who were unable to make the December Lunch installation. Being installed (from left to right) are: Big Sir Marin Vallejo, Director Sir George Pisching, Treasurer Sir Bob Bakman, and Director Sir DC Contreras. Mr. Mike Firpo, Executive Director, The First Tee, Fresno At the very time Mike was speaking, his 94 year old grandmother was playing golf with some of her lady friends, at Airways!! He comes from a long line of golfers. He told us that The First Tee was all about the kids. Through golf they learn the core values in life plus learning the game of golf. There s about 4,500 kids participating in this program, Mike said. Little Sir presenting SIR Branch 175 Certificate of Appreciation to Mike Firpo (pictured right) Thanks for the memories Here, take this new guy Outgoing 2011 Big Sir Ron McClain presents symbols of leadership (gavel and Branch 175 Charter Certificate) to 2012 Big Sir Marin Vallejo as new area 29 Governor Sir Doug Hansen looks on in background (far left). Sir Tim Finley, (pictured left) Branch Photographer presents Photo Album containing a collection of pictures from each of the 12 SIR Meetings in 2011 to outgoing 2011 Big Sir Ron McClain (pictured third from left) as a gesture of thanks and appreciation for a job well done. Observing are Area 29 Governor Doug Hansen (second from left) and 2012 Big Sir Marin Vallejo (far right)

3 Sierra SIR Echo Pg 3 A picture s worth a thousand words (or two pictures in this case) A new man at the helm! Sir Ron McClain, immediate past Big Sir without taking a break in service is now our Branch Membership Chairman. Ron takes over for Sir Dean Clark after Dean served 17 years as the membership chairman. Thanks Ron. We salute you and give you a great big ole branch 175 cock-a-doodle-do from the barnyard. Sir Harry Karle collecting lunch money seated in background. Do you see it? Is that the finger of., no it can t be can it? It s almost like Sir Dean Clark is being given permission to sit down and relax after 17 years as Membership Chairman. Dean now has his cake and can eat it, too (see cake below served by Pardini s at the January Lunch). Seated with Dean are Past Big Sir Wayne Lochner and Sir Ken Fischer. What s that? Fresno State s new football coach Tim DeRuyter may be our luncheon speaker in March? There s a very good chance, says Little Sir. I m in contact with the FSU people. We ll know more about it soon. says Charlie. Editor s Corner 2011 State SIR President Bob Mannell in his final message written in the Fall 2011 SIR Happenings, reviewed what we (state-wide SIR) tried to accomplish in 2011 and noted some successes and talked briefly about an area where we were not quite so successful. We were asked to Be A Friend - Bring A Friend to help SIR grow and prosper. Another very positive and important trend in 2011 was the overall increase in activities available to members. Many branches started new activities on their own, while some have combined with other branches to sponsor joint activities that neither would be able to support independently. It is this working together among branches that will allow us to continue to offer more and more varied activities to our members and allow us to increase the interest of potential new members. One area that has been a bit of a disappointment, President Mannell continued, is the lack of participation in the leadership roles throughout SIR. He again asked all of us to consider sharing our experience and expertise to help SIR remain a healthy and vital organization. Without volunteers, there is no SIR. Editor s Comment: What can YOU do - pick an area and Go For It!

Sierra SIR Echo Pg 4 GOLF by Sir Stan Nappe Feb 28 Pheasant Run Mar 13 Madera Muni Mar 28 Eagle Springs January 10, we started the 2012 golf season with our first tournament at Riverside.

Tied for 3rd place was: Sirs Mike Castle, Ron McClain, Tom Lean and. Flight #2 was won by Sir Gene Parker with Sirs Wayne Schwartz and Bob Dickson tied for 3rd place.

Flight #2 was won by Sirs and Rich Grigsby. They also won four skins. Sir Jerry Long won 2nd plus two skins. Sir Ron Pistacchio won one skin.

A few bits of golf wisdom from Sir Art Daly: 1. The only sure way to get a par is to leave a four foot birdie putt two inches from the hole. 2. Don t play with anyone who would question a seven. 3.

Winners were: Men Gene Parker 246-4589 433-0646 BRIDGE by Sir Bob Cleveland Couples Bridge for February was played at the home of Sir Russ and Tess Mott on the 8th.

Rayburn 4690 pts Helga Livingstone 3510 pts Don Livingstone 1940 pts Ginny Cleveland 3440 pts LIBRARIAN: Sir Dennis Murane TRAVEL by Sir Richard Beers The library needs your donations.

PLEASE, any books that members have out and have currently read, please return them to give other members the opportunity to read them.

4 Sierra SIR Echo Pg 4 GOLF by Sir Stan Nappe Feb 28 Pheasant Run Mar 13 Madera Muni Mar 28 Eagle Springs January 10, we started the 2012 golf season with our first tournament at Riverside. We played a two-man shamble. Sir Jerry Long was the winner of flight #1 and he was CTP (closest-to-the-pin) on hole #5. This earned him top money honors for the tournament. Tied for 3rd place was: Sirs Mike Castle, Ron McClain, Tom Lean and. Flight #2 was won by Sir Gene Parker with Sirs Wayne Schwartz and Bob Dickson tied for 3rd place. Flight #3 was won by Sir Fred Ketcham. Sir Ron Pistacchio was third. January 28th we played at Riverbend. The format was a two-man best ball. Flight #1, Sirs Mike Castle and Tom Lean won 3rd place. Flight #2 was won by Sirs and Rich Grigsby. They also won four skins. Sir Jerry Long won 2nd plus two skins. Sir Ron Pistacchio won one skin. Flight #3 had Sirs Ron McClain and Wayne Schwartz winning fourth plus two skins. On February 14, we played at Airways. Those results will be in the March Echo. A few bits of golf wisdom from Sir Art Daly: 1. The only sure way to get a par is to leave a four foot birdie putt two inches from the hole. 2. Don t play with anyone who would question a seven. 3. The most important shot in golf is the next one. Winners were: Men Gene Parker BRIDGE by Sir Bob Cleveland Couples Bridge for February was played at the home of Sir Russ and Tess Mott on the 8th. Women Russ Mott 5280 pts Tess Mott 3810 pts D. Rayburn 4690 pts Helga Livingstone 3510 pts Don Livingstone 1940 pts Ginny Cleveland 3440 pts LIBRARIAN: Sir Dennis Murane TRAVEL by Sir Richard Beers The library needs your donations. Without new material, our library can not grow. The new addition list for this month is small. PLEASE, any books that members have out and have currently read, please return them to give other members the opportunity to read them. As I indicated at the January meeting, if you are interested in a particular book not currently in the library, let me know. I will attempt to locate the book or books and if possible secure the book(s) for the library. Just a reminder for those of you interested in the Portugal?Azores & Madeiras trip in August, the deadline for deposits is the first week of March. Great trip, roundtrip from Fresno. Check it out. We are always looking for new trips to present to our Fresno/Clovis SIR. I am planning to coordinate an acceptance of a tour with Grand Circle Travel for a Danube River Cruise from Budapest, Hungary to Constanta, Romania on the Black Sea. The date will be in late March/early April We have a while to think about this great trip and more complete details will be forthcoming. I have traveled extensively on the river boats of Europe, and I can assure you that they are an exciting experience. The Eastern Europe to Black Sea cruise has been recently coordinated with exciting shore excursions throughout our journey of Eastern Europe. This is a great opportunity to discover new vistas. - - WOODWORKING by Sir George Pisching No meeting this month. Meetings resume in March. In March, we will play on the 14th at 1:00 at the home of Sir Don and Helga Livingstone.

Sierra SIR Echo Pg 5 FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS from Sir Richard Scheidt by Sir Paul Dehn Frank Breuning Grant Sharp Louis Giorgetti January s Book Club meeting was honored to have our new Big Sir Marin

Merle commented that he was partly through a book that he would submit next meeting.

It is a compilation of Sherlock Holmes themed writings by various authors. Bob shared The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (the movie tie-in edition) by Stieg Larsson.

It is the captivating story of friendship between two adolescent boys. The story is set in early World War II in a New England boarding school.

5 Sierra SIR Echo Pg 5 FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS from Sir Richard Scheidt by Sir Paul Dehn Frank Breuning Grant Sharp Louis Giorgetti January s Book Club meeting was honored to have our new Big Sir Marin Vallejo sit in on our meeting. Also, in attendance were Sirs: Bob Edwards, Don Milliken, Merle Knapp, Dennis Murane, Tim Finley, and myself. Merle commented that he was partly through a book that he would submit next meeting. He went on to note that it took place in Paris in the 1830 s, a time period when Paris was a center for creative activity. Tom reviewed, A Study in Sherlock. It is a compilation of Sherlock Holmes themed writings by various authors. Bob shared The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (the movie tie-in edition) by Stieg Larsson. This report led to a lively conversation about how far movies stray from the books upon which they re based. Don enjoyed A Separate Peace by John Knowles. It is the captivating story of friendship between two adolescent boys. The story is set in early World War II in a New England boarding school. Dennis shared Locked On, a Tom Clancy book coauthored by Mark Greanley. This newest book has Jack Ryan Sr. Coming out of retirement to run for president of the US to help the country through its darkest hour. I really enjoyed Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand. It is the life story of Louie Zamperini, an Olympic class long distance runner, a B24 crewman during WWII who is shot down over the Pacific and survives constant brutality as a Japanese POW. Look guys, you may be reading a great book yourself. Simply pop by the Book Club and share it with us. We meet at the Pardini Café next door at 9:30 prior to the main meeting. Free lunch winner from the January Birthday list was: Sir Bob Edwards Free lunch winner from the January lunch tickets was: Sir Bill Ripley Sirs: Sid Marks DC Contreras Jerry Stoltenberg BOWLING by Sir Merle Knapp Come, join us in the SIR Bowling League which meets at 9:30 AM every Friday at the AMF Sierra Lanes (Blackstone and Sierra). Just show up or call Sir Merle Knapp at Branch 175 Winners (handicap scores) Date Name Hi Game Hi Series Jan 6 Mike Castle Jan 13 Merle Knapp Jan 20 Merle Knapp Jan 27 Merle Knapp Tom Harlan * Listed only for top three scores in SIR League Play *******DEADLINE for the March Echo is Thursday, March 8*******

6 SIR Branch # N. Green Meadows Lane Fresno, CA SIR BRANCH # OFFICERS Big SIR Marin Vallejo Little SIR Treasurer Robert Bakman Asst. Treas. Andy Provost Secretary Merle Knapp DIRECTORS Open Gary Beacom Gene Parker Fred Ketcham Russ Mott George Pisching DC Contreras ACTIVITIES Book Club Paul Dehn Bowling Merle Knapp Bridge Bob Cleveland Golf Stan Nappe Golf Co-chair Tom Lean Golf Co-chair Mike Castle Travel Richard Beers Woodwkng George Pisching BARN-YARD ACTIVITIES Attendance Ron McClain Bulletin-ECHO Jerry Long Chaplain Database Ed Richard Scheidt Hardware Jerry Stoltenberg Historian Merle Knapp Librarian Dennis Murane Membership Ron McClain Photographer Tim Finley Special Events Fred Ketcham Sunshine Don Luft Telephone Ray Born SONS IN RETIREMENT 2012 STATE OFFICERS President James Stedman (925) Vice President Richard Dettmer (530) Secretary Eckart Sellinger (415) Treasurer Michael Berry (707) Director, Region 8 Ed Dorn (559) Governor, Area 29 Douglas Hansen (559) Non-Responsibility Declaration All travel events and other activities sponsored by Sons in Retirement, Incorporated, or its Branches are for the convenience and pleasure of the members and their guests who desire to participate. Sons in Retirement, Incorporated, and its Branches, do not assume any responsibility for the well being or safety of the participants or passengers, or their property or any damages whatsoever, in any manner pertaining to said travel activities. Where the travel literature is prepared by a travel agency, the following words shall be added to the above wording: Any other disclosures or non-responsibility provisions contained herein shall not in any way incur any liability attaching to Sons in Retirement, Incorporated, or any Branch thereof. Visit our SIR Branch 175 website at: Sir Happenings is the State Bulletin:

LARRY POWELL SPEAKER AT SEPTEMBER LUNCH

SEPTEMBER 2011 http://175.sirinc2.org/ Branch 175 Vol. 17 Issue 9 LARRY POWELL SPEAKER AT SEPTEMBER LUNCH M r. L a r r y P o w e l l, Superintendent of Fresno County Schools, runs 325 schools in 35 districts