Saratoga News

Saratoga Sampler

Mary Ann Cook

Rotarians plan visit to Italian sister city

IN THE ARCH OF THE BOOT: It's quite a trip to southern Italy that's in the works for a fortunate 32 people, mainly Saratogans. The 16-day trip starts Sept. 25, and its genesis was as a Rotarian sister-city trip.

Florense di San Giovani in Fiore, in the mountains in the arch of the boot of Italy, was declared a Saratoga sister city some two years ago, thanks to the efforts of Saratoga Rotarian Joe Martire, who is from Florense di SG of F.

Rotarians decided a trip to this sister city and other points in southern Italy was in order and signed up with Grand European Tours in Oregon, whose package includes a bus, a guide--the works. Fran and Don Miller and Norm DeMico, wine buyer for Paul Masson, are the Rotarians in charge.

DeMico helped with the planning, since he has friends and relatives in the area. The group will hit Rome, Pompeii, Sorrento, Capri and Taromina and Palermo in Sicily and take a boat trip to Naples. Some of the tour group will add a few days in Florence.

Some 13 Rotarians will split off to Florence and rejoin the group later in Sicily. The unhurried pace Grand European provided appealed to the tour planners, what with three or four days in one place. Now all they need worry about is Mt. Etna, which has been active lately, reports Don.

MYOELECTRIC LIMBS: In other Rotarian news, Fran Miller is also the one to call at 867-1241 for participation in the golf tournament at Pasatiempo Sept. 14. The event will raise funds for the Myoelectric Limb Bank at the Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford.

Saratoga's Inner Wheel is the spousal support group for Rotary, and is the sponsor for this, its first fundraising effort. The Myoelectric Limb Bank is the organization's national cause. Children outgrow artificial limbs every six to nine months, so a limb bank is desperately needed.

The bank refits limbs to the individual child and provides training in its use. The cost of each refit and training is $5,000. Myo means muscle, and the prostheses are activated by the child's muscles via a power chip. The Packard clinic is the first and only one in the country, though a second is planned for Connecticut.

The benefit tournament costs $250 and includes a golf clinic at 10 a.m., as well as lunch, golf cart, tournament at 1 p.m. and dinner. For those who don't want to golf, there are tennis, board games, bridge and dinner. That cost is $75; for dinner only, $50. Clinic and dinner is $125. Up to half of all fees are tax-deductible. If you put together a foursome, the price is reduced to $850.

LOGS WATER, NOT WATERLOGGED: Eric James Terrill, son of John and Dorothy Terrill of Saratoga, recently earned his doctoral degree in oceanography from the University of California, San Diego and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

His thesis was titled "Acoustic Measurements of Air Entrainment by Breaking Waves" and his research has taken him to such far-flung waterways as Woods Hole, Mass.; Florida; the Caribbean; Australia and Hawaii. He and his wife, Nicole, live in Solano Beach, and he is a research scientist for Scripps and a Saratoga grad of '88.

INTERGENERATIONAL INTERACTION: Here are five Saratoga High students who serve as helping hands and eyes to the seniors living at the Meadows Retirement Inn in Los Gatos. These youngsters write letters and read aloud to the retired residents.

They also help with lunch, offer computer assistance or work on projects with their older friends. The five are Collins Anderson, Allison Donohue, John F. Elgart II, Jane Hamel and Christina Hilfiker.

MIKADO: The Hakone Foundation will sponsor a concert performance of The Mikado Sept. 27, from 5 to 8 p.m. The Gilbert and Sullivan concert will begin at 6, followed by a light supper. Cooper-Garrod wines will be served beginning at 4 p.m.

Japanese kimonos, obis and artifacts are on display in the lower house and available for purchase. Shigeki Matsue, president of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Northern California, is honorary chair of the event.

In other Hakone news, a watercolor workshop with Mike Bailey will be held Sept. 11 and 12, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. It's $45 for one day or $75 for both days. Four Saturday classes in Sumi-e with Mariko Suzuki will start Sept. 19. Classes run from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. and cost $65 for the series or $20 per class. Tea ceremony demonstrations are held the first Thursday of the month at 1, 2 and 3 p.m. Reservations are required. Friday morning classes in the tea ceremony start Sept 18, and continue to Nov. 6. Call 867-3438.

LET'S LOOK AT ART: The San Jose Museum of Art program called "Let's Look at Art" needs volunteers to go to local schools. A new docent class starts Sept. 14. Call Val DeLang at 271-6840 if this combination of art and children appeals to you. The docent training is daily for a few weeks; then docents donate several hours a month to bring an appreciation of art to area schoolchildren.

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