Crow’s Call for November 4, 2021 by Tom Port
President Terry, recently back from Baja, opened with the Rotary theme: “Serve to Change Lives”. Our club theme is: “Reconnecting - Back Together Again”. R.I. President is Shekhar Mehta.
Greeter Dennis Harvey Presented the Flag Salute and Thought for the Day: “People from various backgrounds conversing and sharing at the District Conference were an inspiration.”
Announcements:
Online Auction: Norbert says the Online Auction is live. Be sure to take advantage of it.
Veteran’s Day Lunch is postponed.
San Ramon Citizen Of the Year: Vanessa Berestain will be honored at a dinner December 2.
Weekly Meeting: We hope to return to them in January, but speakers are needed.
Rotary International Foundation : Please get your donations in.
Fashion Show Spring Fund Raiser – Gallagher.
Interact:
Trinity Center Winter Clothing Drive. October 13 to November 5th. Seeking gently used , high quality winter clothes including jackets, hats, gloves, socks, sweat pants, sweaters, sweatshirts and etc.
Drop of at 121 Fulham, San Ramon anytime. It is not too late.
District 5160 Kickoff Nov 14, 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM . Winters Park. Games ,Raffle, lunch, meeting new Interactors, etc. (Cost $25) Contact: interact5150.org
CCC Food Drive Volunteer drivers? Date November 13 and 20th///9:00 am to 12: 00 pm.
Day 1: Distribute bags to Cal High neighborhoods.
Day 2: Pick up donations from homes.
Boomers Fund Raiser November 12. Go-Karts, Laser tag, mini-golf, etc. Interact gets $5.00 per ticket.
Warriors Night December 3, 7 p.m. Suns v. Warriors. First 100 will get entry to pre-
game court side shoot around. First 15 tickets (18 or older) will get entry to half time fan
tunnel.
Check with interact5160.org to learn how to get tickets.
Card Making for Cancer Patients. Nov. 14. Virtual card making event that will go toward
the organization. Send a smile today!
Trinity Center Sandwich Making. November 18th, 3:30 to 5:00 p.m. Monthly event with
two board members and four volunteers making sandwiches going toward the homeless.
PROGRAM:
Terry Koehne gave an eye-witness, first hand account of the ski tram accident at Squaw Valley in 1978. As a thirteen-year-old beginning skier on his first ski trip, he and his cousins had the misfortune of taking the tram to the summit at the end of a day’s skiing. Due to an impending storm it was announced that all persons remaining at the summit and not skiing down had to immediately board the tram car for the last run of the day. After descending beyond the first tower the tram began swaying dangerously in wind gusts of 80 mile per hour or more. Suddenly, a cable supporting the car came loose from the pulleys above it and the car fell toward the mountain side 200 feet below. Fortunately for the passengers, the tram car was stopped by the support cables before hitting the mountainside. However, it was then forced back up in the air due to the stretch of the cable, and as it did so the cable cut through the center of the car completely tearing open the roof and killing two persons instantly (a second died of her injuries). This left Terry and a cousin, as well as the remaining 40 some people in the car, exposed to the high winds and freezing cold. Meanwhile the screams of the occupants, the carnage inside the car and fierce wind gusts were terrifying, but a lady who stood behind Terry and his cousin did her best to keep them warm.
Rescue efforts began almost immediately, but Terry and the others were in the car, swaying in the wind for four hours before being let down to the slope below on a “t”-bar. (By that time the car had dropped to about 100 feet above the mountain) Then they all had to walk some half mile to board a second gondola to be lowered down to the main lodge. All-in-all he escaped with only minor injuries and frost bite from which he recovered fully. But the memory is still so vivid Terry sometime seemed to have difficulty relating the story.
Raffle: Sorry, this part of my notes are missing but I recall the Progressive was not won so we can all try again next time.
