Rotarians are welcome at the District Golf Tournament, on the Dunes Course at La Quinta Country Club Thursday, April 29, at a very special $99. Rush your check (made out to "Rotary District 5300") to the district office, 1963 South Myrtle Avenue, Monrovia, CA 91016. Bob Jugan can answer your questions: 323-726-0556.

Friday the 30^th starts something wonderful. The District Conference mixes success reports with great fun. James Andrews of Cookeville, Tennessee, is RI president Jim Lacy’s personal representative to give a report on the state of Rotary today and to give examples of successful Rotary projects to "Follow your Rotary Dream." Clubs across Southern California and Nevada will have displays of their own successes. Above all, the District Conference is a joyful time to celebrate so many accomplishments under the gracious and inspiring leadership of our current district governor Lee Mothershead.

Still haven’t signed up? There’s still time, but hurry! Palm Springs is an easy drive from most club territories, and you owe yourself – and Rotary – this chance to learn more of Rotary while having a grand time.

Claudine and Jim Lacy have sent greetings to District Conference participants and appreciation to Governor Lee. He adds, "I hope your Rotary Dream includes ways to improve the lives of our children. All of Rotary’s greatest and grandest acts have focused on helping our children. We must strive to create a world where all children are safe – well nourished – have access to quality education – and are cared for and loved.

Reading is the key, and many clubs throughout District 5300 have been involved in outstanding literacy projects. Displays will be introduced during the Community Service Plenary session at the District Conference, May 1^st at 10:15 a.m. Across the district, clubs have been helping children and adults with this step to success.

San Marino is one of California’s prettier residential towns, noted for its stately homes, shady yards, the magnificent Huntington Library, Art Collections, and Botanic Gardens – and of course home to an active group of Rotarians. Fifty years ago this month, San Marino was the center of an intense effort to rescue a sweet little three year old girl who had fallen down a forgotten well. Two young reporters from Los Angeles’ new and enterprising ‘television Los Angeles,’ KTLA, brought experimental mobile equipment to San Marino and covered the breaking story. This was the first live telecast of a news event outside a studio.

All that weekend, Southern California watched something ‘live’ – and the nation came together through primitive relays. Clustered around the scant television sets, a growing community of viewers watched on-the-scene reporting. A united people heard from reporters Stan Chambers and Bill Welsh, prayed with the rescue workers, and grieved with San Marino and the Fiscus family when the rescue failed and Kathy’s body was brought from the well about six p.m. on Sunday, April 11, 1949.

Decades later, mention of ‘San Marino’ to strangers in other states and nations still brings occasional recall of the rescue attempts from memories of those astounded viewers. The ‘global village’ concept of today’s instant news began with KTLA’s home-built remote broadcast unit set up that weekend in San Marino.

Fifty years later, president Paul Crowley and San Marino Rotarians host a gathering at the well site, dedicating a plaque to Kathy, to the rescuers, and to the news-reporting crew who worked through that memorable weekend. Stan Chambers, active as always with KTLA, will be the featured speaker.

Rotarians in the West San Gabriel Valley area are welcome to join the informal commemoration on Sunday, April 11, 1999, at 5:00 p.m. There is no charge.

The well’s location is now the upper sports field of San Marino High School, entered from Robles Avenue 1 ½ blocks east of Sierra Madre Blvd., north of Huntington Drive and two miles south of the 210 Freeway.

A PRLS leadership training seminar was held at the University of Nevada in Las Vegas on January 23, drawing twenty-two hardy souls from southern Nevada and from Alhambra, Montebello, and Rancho del Chino in California for a Saturday morning session on "The Art of Public Speaking." Chris Medina, director of the speech and debate teams at both the University of La Verne and at San Marino High School, led everyone through "stand-up" training sessions and team competitions.

Each team put together and presented a typical if abbreviated Rotary meeting. The winning team was headed by M. C. Sylvia Campbell from Las Vegas North, with team members Eldon Hardy from her club, Christina Williams from South Pasadena, Leo Romo of Chino Valley, and Bryon Lee from Montebello.

Celebrations this month! It’s also Rotarian Magazine Month across Rotary International. I can think of at least a dozen projects this year that should have been in our international magazine – but weren’t submitted. Look through the stories that did get printed, and you will know as I do that our district shines above them all. Perhaps you will take some pictures, polish a story, and submit information on your club’s outstanding project for the magazine! Meanwhile, The Rotarian keeps us focused on the objects of Rotary, and gives us some ideas that can be modified for our home communities. Feel free to adapt any ideas from the magazine or on our Quality Rotary Program lists.

Everybody likes credit for a job well done, and our club presidents are not exceptions. All club presidents would like to have projects finished in ‘their’ year, but some projects by their very nature take more than a year to reach fruition. Who gets the credit? I say the club gets the credit, regardless of who was president. Don’t be afraid to undertake projects which will last more than a year, if your members are committed to doing so. As a courtesy, the president-elect should be consulted, but don’t let a good and worthy project go to waste simply because it might take too long. If it starts one year and doesn’t get finished until two more years have passed, it may be a far better project for having seasoned and aged!

We celebrate the successes of this Rotary year in April – but we still have May and June in the year! Bring to a close the year-long projects which you started earlier. Submit them for recognition next year, if you aren’t ready this month. Sometimes we lose sight of the fact that we undertake these projects to help those less fortunate than us, not to win district contests. The real ‘winners’ are those we help. Staying focused on such goals has made this district one of the best in the world at balanced programs.

Last year’s President’s Representative from R.I., Al Frumkin, told me he doesn’t usually recommend organizing district conferences along the lines of Avenues of Service – they prove deadly dull that way. But he said our conference in Irvine changed his mind. He couldn’t believe that people came to and stayed at plenary sessions until he experienced the quality of the presentations and began to sense the quality of the Rotarians behind those presentations. After he had attended a couple of sessions he realized this is an unusual district. At the Saturday night Governor’s Ball, he said he was supposed to talk with me during the conference, but he would call me instead because he was having too much fun to stop. Al comes from a high-achieving district, so such praise is not easily won.

There is still time to get your Quality Rotary Program reports to your group representative of Assistant Governor. Remember the prize committee has to read and evaluate all these reports, so pity them and get the reports in early!

Come to the District Assembly April 10 – with committee chairs, too. Assembly is the place to learn directions and rules for Rotary reports, registrations, and awards. RYLA, PETS, and our other meetings would run more smoothly if all members knew and followed the directions, and that’s what our assemblies cover.

And come to our great District Conference – Steve Garrett and his committee have put together the best ever. Come and be truly amazed at your accomplishments! Most Rotarians don’t realize just how much good our clubs are doing. The Conference brings all our district to you.

You’ll be gratified to see what we’re doing across the district – and proud to be a part of Rotary and this great District 5300.