June 5, 2002
This Week’s Bulletin Was Written By Tom Sayer.
THIS WEEK’s MEETING
Melissa opened the meeting with a special thanks to all the women in attendance who gave up their prime slots in line for the Nordstrom half yearly sale. She then offered directions for the quickest paths to both Horton Plaza and Fashion Valley. With that important business taken care of, Bill Poiriet led us in the pledge. Then, Leah Swearingen whipped out a framed cover of a 20-year old TV Guide depicting our speaker, Laura Buxton, on assignment at a charity art auction. This, along with a recital of Rick King’s adoption of Albert Schweitzer’s version of Rotary’s Service Above Self motto, served as our invocation. Jim Mulvaney then tried to lead us in what could only be described as the world’s most horribly sung attempt at, “76 Trombones in the Orchestra!”
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Ø Melissa announced that the next Board meeting will be moved up one week to this coming Monday, June 10th so as to avoid doubling up with the Demotion Party on June 18th.
Ø On June 21-23 San Diego Rotary is hosting 50 exchange students who have spent the last 9 months with Rotary families. These students are coming from the Mid-West and are on a tour of the western U.S. with stops in Arizona, Nevada, and California, etc. We are looking for host families these students beginning on Friday June 21 at 5 pm. As a host you would keep the student until Sunday morning at 10 am. All the students speak English as they have studied here for the past 9 months. Take them out to dinner, enjoy a relaxing day at home, or do whatever. Its a great way to meet youth exchange students from around the world and help Rotary in the process. For more information call Chuck Pretto (619)523-2700 ext. 325 this year's Chairperson or e‑mail him at cpretto@kobeys.com.
Ø Joe Ciokon announced that years’ Stand Down will take place on the weekend of July 12th. Also, tonight and on June 6th, the Heroes of the Battle of Midway will be honored aboard the USS Constellation.
Ø Mike W. announced that we will be awarding four (4) $750.00 scholarships for San Diego High School Students that we have honored this year. The presentation will be June 13th - call Mike if you’d like to attend.
Ø The 2002 artwork benefiting the Children of Chernobyl is now on display on their website. Log onto www.cofcsd.org for more information.
ProPOSED New Member
The following individual has been proposed as a new member and will be inducted under the classifications listed below unless written objection is received by our Club Secretary within ten days of the date of this Bulletin:
Ø Proposed
Member: Rosalie A. Kramm
Employer: Kramm Associates, Inc.
Proposed Classification: Court
Reporter
Proposer: Melissa Blackburn, Mike
Jones
SGT. FRANK
Frank has been on a 2-week cruise and was too tired or something like that to come up with any fines. Poor Frank. I’m sure he’ll be better next week!
THIS WEEK’S SPEAKER
A
twenty year veteran of San Diego's television broadcasting community, Laura
Buxton is one of the region's most versatile and recognizable personalities.
Laura came to San Diego in 1980 where she was hired by KCST (now KNSD) as news
co-anchor then host and writer/producer of Weekend Magazine. For the last three
years at the station she was co-anchor of both the five and eleven o'clock
news. In 1988 Laura went to KGTV, where she signed as co-host and segment
producer of Inside San Diego, a daily one-hour live news, talk and information
program until it went off the air in 1993.
It was August of 1993 when Laura came to KUSI. Station owner Mike McKinnon thought it was time San Diego had a two-hour local morning newscast to compete head-to-head with the "Big Guys"-the Today Show, Good Morning America and the CBS Morning News. On January 5, 1994, the KUSI Morning News went on the air. Since then it has extended to three-and-a-half hours and is consistently top rated-a fixture on the local news scene that offers a unique blend of live news, entertainment, weather and sports with a decidedly candid, informal approach.
Laura's ancestry, background and experiences fully prepared her for successful and colorful television-journalism career. She was born in Washington, D.C. to a Marine Corps combat pilot. At six years she moved to Lafayette, Louisiana-the heart of the culturally rich Cajun country. In school she enthusiastically embraced music, via the flute and violin. She was invited to join the international cast of "Up With People" that resulted in three years of traveling and performing throughout the U.S. and around the world. In addition, she took a full college curriculum on the road through a joint program with the University of Hartford. After leaving "Up With People" she attended Middle Tennessee State University where she was recognized with national honors.
Journalism was a natural. Laura's paternal grandfather was Frank W. Buxton; Pulitzer Prize winning editor for what was then The Boston Herald. Their ongoing correspondence over the years inspired a career in journalism.
Laura works closely with the Muscular Dystrophy Association and The March of Dimes. She was named San Diego Magazine's "People to Watch," recipient of The San Diego Business Journal's "Women Who Mean Business Award," recognized for her work by the YMCA, and named "Woman of the Year" by Irish Congress of San Diego. Women's International Center presented the Living Legacy Award 2000 to Laura Buxton, a woman for all seasons and all times.
Laura entertained us this morning by countering Leah’s Albert Schweitzer quote with one from Hunter S. Thompson (she keeps it in her purse) describing journalists as cruel, shallow and back stabbing. We heard the harrowing tale of her recent automobile accident while she “buried the lead” by forgetting complete the story of her dog’s escape and eventual rescue. She had only kindly sarcastic comments for her former partner, Stan Miller, with whom she shares a similar family background to which she attributes the “spark” in their working relationship. We all hope Laura completes her self-imposed and well-deserved sabbatical and returns to the local airwaves soon!
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