In case you missed us July 31st!
By Frank Vranesic
President Eileen Hupp called the meeting of 29 Rotarions and guests to order at 12 noon.
Allen Bond led us in the Pledge of Allegiance
Kath Anderson delivered our inspirational message and led us in "God Bless America" for our patriotic song.
GUESTS
· We welcomed Wes Sholes, guest of Rick Mendoza and a friend of Rick's for 50 years.
· Jake Pieroni attended as a guest of David Rowe, Jake is David's nephew
ANNOUNCEMENTS
· Carmenza Adams will be inducted as our newest member at the August 7th meeting.
· President Eileen reminded us that the weekly publication of LA ROTACIO'N has resumed and that members will be asked to take a turn in preparing the meeting minutes for the newsletter.
· DISTRICT BREAKFAST will be held on August 4th at 7:30 (Zoom opens) / 8:00 (program begins)
o Speaker Craig Needham will share the inspirational story of his mother, who was diagnosed with polio at the age of 29 and lived in an iron lung for 13 years.
o More information here: https://rotary5280.org/event/virtual-district-breakfast-1/.
o Advance registration required. Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_BL0zrkUqSnG0IgBaenELSw
· Rick Mendoza is cataloging and publishing Rotary photos. Please send your photo memories of Rotary to Rick.
SPEAKERS
We were fortunate to have two speakers today. Tony Tripp presented an impromptu craft talk while our scheduled speaker, Nigel Quiroz from The Innocence Project in New York, set up the link to join us.
· Tony Tripp Craft Talk.
o Tony spoke about his background growing up in San Pedro and his involvement with the Boys and Girls Club and Rotary.
o Tony was interested in music and considered a professional music career before he found the Boys and Girls Club.
o Tony began at the Boys and Girls club teaching music in the early 2000's.
o Tony went back to school in 2007 to study Non Profit management and decided to make this his life's work.
o In 2014 Tony became the Executive director of the Boys and Girls club of the City of Orange. That club later became an independent organization.
o While in Orange, Tony served as President of the Rotary Club of Orange twice.
o Tony returned to San Pedro and the Boys and Girls Club recently, which led him to our Rotary Club.
· Nigel Quiroz from The Innocence Project
o Nigel was introduced by David Rowe who read us his biography and introduced us to The Innocence Project.
o The Innocence Project was founded in 1992 to free wrongfully convicted people through DNA testing and reform the system to reveal and prevent future wrongful convictions.
o Nigel is an attorney working as a policy analyst for The Innocence Project.
o Nigel presented a powerful slide show detailing the background and progress of the Innocence Project.
o The project has exonerated 367 wrongfully convicted persons in 37 states.
o Causes of Wrongful Convictions include Eyewitness Misidentification, Misapplication of Forensic Science, False Confessions or Admissions, Incentivized Informants, Inadequate Representation and Prosecutorial Misconduct
o The presentation recording is available at this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/xZFFLpOq5nJLaJ3C-mrQUO0dGNzlaaa8gHAWr_AFzEkCk8xoea7KgYU0CLtKeWTJ
· Huwe Burton was wrongfully convicted person who was freed by the project. Huwe shared his story with us and took questions from the members.
o Huwe was a 16 yr old student in the Bronx. In his words, the story began on a day like any other. He came home from school to find that his mother had been murdered in her bedroom. He was interrogated a few days later by the police without counsel or parents present. They coerced a confession from him. Huwe spent 30 years in prison and on parole until he was exonerated. The actual perpetrator was a tenant in his parents building who was questioned and released at the time of the murder. He was subsequently murdered in a domestic dispute and has never been charged with the murder of Huwe's mother.
NEXT WEEK
Our speaker next week will be Leslie Wickman - rocket scientist, engineering consultant, author, and inspirational speaker. From a career at Lockheed Martin, to NASA projects - such as the International Space Station, to teaching at Azusa Pacific University, she's done it all. Leslie is also a research scientist focusing on the technical and policy aspects of national aerospace and defense issues. A highly popular Ted Talk celebrity, Leslie explores the interface between science and theology. Oh, and in her spare time, she's a competitive athlete! Don't miss this lively and thought-provoking speaker!
RAFFLE WINNER
Norton Donner will receive his choice of red or white wine (within the club's budget, of course), or a gift card from Good Stuff or Starbucks.