FEBRUARY 2012 http://175.sirinc2.org/ Branch 175 Vol. 18 Issue 2

BIG SIR Marin Vallejo

LITTLE SIR Charlie Pepper

Catherine Sharbaugh Attorney at Law

Cathy’s practice focuses on Elder Law; centered on seniors and their legal needs, capacity issues, conservatorships, estate planning and probate. She graduated from San Joaquin College of Law in 1993 with a Juris Doctorate degree and took the California Bar Exam that summer.

**“Board Meetings are a must for officers and directors. Activity chairmen are expected. Visitors

are welcome”

Wow, it seems that the months have started to move really quick, now. This year, February tried to slow us down a bit by adding an extra day….an addition that us old guys can really appreciate. Have you ever wondered why February only has 28 or occasionally 29 days? Legend has it, that in the early part of 46BC, Augustus Caesar didn’t like the fact that Julius Caesar’s month (July) had 31 days and his month (August) had

only 30, so he “stole” a day from February to make August have 31. Now you know or maybe not. In any event, lots of good things happen this month. We celebrate “President’s Day” and I sincerely hope you didn’t forget your bride on “Valentine’s Day”. Thought for the day. “Politicians and diapers have one thing in common. They both should be changed regularly, and for the same reason. Our speaker this month will be Cathy Sharbaugh, an expert in senior health care as well as senior legal needs— a topic that should certainly be of interest as we continue our aging process. She is a graduate of the San Joaquin College of Law and has lived in Fresno for over 35 years. Bring a guest!

My fellow SIR. I thank you for a great turnout in January. Sir Ron McLain reports that in January our membership is up to 132. I look out over the group during the meeting and see a first class group with the energy for a full fun year. I am sure that you all recognize that we are part of something special and should be proud to be part of it.

So, my fellow roosters, if you feel as I do and enjoy the wonderful fellowship and speakers, bring your friends to share it with. Remember, staying home is no fun….swapping stories with a friend is better.

Menu: Lunch: 11:45 Pork or Chicken **Board Meeting: 11:00

Sierra SIR Echo Pg 2

Mr. Mike Firpo, Executive

Director, The First Tee, Fresno

Sir Doug Hansen, new area 29 SIR Governor (pictured right, behind podium) installing four SIR Branch 175 Officers and Directors who were unable to make the December Lunch installation. Being installed (from left to right) are: Big Sir Marin Vallejo, Director Sir George Pisching, Treasurer Sir Bob Bakman, and Director Sir DC Contreras.

Installation of Additional Officers & Directors

Little Sir Charlie Pepper presenting SIR Branch 175 “Certificate of Appreciation” to Mike Firpo (pictured right)

Here, take this “new guy”

Outgoing 2011 Big Sir Ron McClain presents symbols of leadership (gavel and Branch 175 Charter Certificate) to 2012 Big Sir Marin Vallejo as new area 29 Governor Sir Doug Hansen looks on in background (far left).

“Thanks for the memories”

Sir Tim Finley, (pictured left) Branch Photogra-pher presents Photo Album containing a collec-tion of pictures from each of the 12 SIR Meetings in 2011 to outgoing 2011 Big Sir Ron McClain (pictured third from left) as a gesture of thanks and appreciation for a job well done. Observing are Area 29 Governor Doug Hansen (second from left) and 2012 Big Sir Marin Vallejo (far right)

At the very time Mike was speaking, his 94 year old grandmother was playing golf with some of her lady friends, at Airways!! He comes from a long line of golf-ers. He told us that The First Tee was “all about the kids”. Through golf they learn the core values in life plus learning the game of golf. “There’s about 4,500 kids participating in this program,” Mike said.

Sierra SIR Echo Pg 3

“A picture’s worth a thousand words” (or two pictures in this case)

A new man at the helm! Sir Ron McClain, immediate past Big Sir without taking a break in service is now our Branch Membership Chairman. Ron takes over for Sir Dean Clark after Dean served 17 years as the mem-bership chairman. Thanks Ron. We salute you and give you a great big ole branch 175 cock-a-doodle-do from the barnyard. Sir Harry Karle collecting lunch money seated in background.

Do you see it? Is that the finger of ……., no it can’t be can it? It’s almost like Sir Dean Clark is being given permission to sit down and relax after 17 years as Membership Chair-man. Dean now has his cake and can eat it, too (see cake below served by Pardini’s at the January Lunch). Seated with Dean are Past Big Sir Wayne Lochner and Sir Ken Fischer.

What’s that? Fresno State’s new football coach Tim DeRuyter may be our luncheon speaker in March? What’s that? Fresno State’s new football coach Tim DeRuyter may be our luncheon speaker in March? What’s that? Fresno State’s new football coach Tim DeRuyter may be our luncheon speaker in March? What’s that? Fresno State’s new football coach Tim DeRuyter may be our luncheon speaker in March? “There’s a very good chance,” says Little Sir Charlie Pepper. “I’m in contact with the FSU people. We’ll “There’s a very good chance,” says Little Sir Charlie Pepper. “I’m in contact with the FSU people. We’ll “There’s a very good chance,” says Little Sir Charlie Pepper. “I’m in contact with the FSU people. We’ll “There’s a very good chance,” says Little Sir Charlie Pepper. “I’m in contact with the FSU people. We’ll know more about it soon.” says Charlie. know more about it soon.” says Charlie. know more about it soon.” says Charlie. know more about it soon.” says Charlie.

Editor’s Corner 2011 State SIR President Bob Mannell in his final message written in the Fall 2011 SIR Happenings, reviewed what we (state-wide SIR) tried to accomplish in 2011 and noted some successes and talked briefly about an area where we were not quite so successful. We were asked to Be A Friend - Bring A Friend to help SIR grow and prosper. Another very positive and important trend in 2011 was the overall increase in activities available to members. Many branches started new activities on their own, while some have combined with other branches to sponsor joint activities that neither would be able to support independently. It is this working together among branches that will allow us to continue to offer more and more varied activities to our members and allow us to increase the interest of potential new members. One area that has been a bit of a disappointment, President Mannell continued, is the lack of participation in the leadership roles throughout SIR. He again asked all of us to consider sharing our experience and expertise to help SIR remain a healthy and vital organization. Without volunteers, there is no SIR. Editor’s Comment: What can YOU do - pick an area and Go For It!

Sierra SIR Echo Pg 4

TRAVEL by Sir Richard Beers

LIBRARIAN: Sir Dennis Murane

BRIDGE by Sir Bob Cleveland

GOLF by Sir Stan Nappe

WOODWORKING by Sir George Pisching

Winners were: Men Women Russ Mott 5280 pts Tess Mott 3810 pts D. Rayburn 4690 pts Helga Livingstone 3510 pts Don Livingstone 1940 pts Ginny Cleveland 3440 pts In March, we will play on the 14th at 1:00 at the home of Sir Don and Helga Livingstone.

No meeting this month. Meetings resume in March.

January 10, we started the 2012 golf season with our first tournament at Riverside. We played a two-man shamble. Sir Jerry Long was the winner of flight #1 and he was CTP (closest-to-the-pin) on hole #5. This earned him top money honors for the tournament. Tied for 3rd place was: Sirs Mike Castle, Ron McClain, Tom Lean and Charlie Pepper. Flight #2 was won by Sir Gene Parker with Sirs Wayne Schwartz and Bob Dickson tied for 3rd place. Flight #3 was won by Sir Fred Ketcham. Sir Ron Pistacchio was third. January 28th we played at Riverbend. The format was a two-man best ball. Flight #1, Sirs Mike Castle and Tom Lean won 3rd place. Flight #2 was won by Sirs Charlie Pepper and Rich Grigsby. They also won four skins. Sir Jerry Long won 2nd plus two skins. Sir Ron Pistacchio won one skin. Flight #3 had Sirs Ron McClain and Wayne Schwartz winning fourth plus two skins. On February 14, we played at Airways. Those results will be in the March Echo. A few bits of golf wisdom from Sir Art Daly: 1. The only sure way to get a par is to leave a four foot birdie putt two inches from the hole. 2. Don’t play with anyone who would question a seven. 3. The most important shot in golf is the next one. ———————————————————————

Feb 28 Pheasant Run Gene Parker 246-4589 Mar 13 Madera Muni Charlie Pepper 433-0646 Mar 28 Eagle Springs Charlie Pepper

Just a reminder for those of you interested in the Portu-gal?Azores & Madeiras trip in August, the deadline for deposits is the first week of March. Great trip, round-trip from Fresno. Check it out. We are always looking for new trips to present to our Fresno/Clovis SIR. I am planning to coordinate an acceptance of a tour with Grand Circle Travel for a Danube River Cruise from Budapest, Hungary to Constanta, Romania on the Black Sea. The date will be in late March/early April 2013. We have a while to think about this great trip and more complete details will be forthcoming. I have traveled extensively on the river boats of Europe, and I can assure you that they are an exciting experience. The Eastern Europe to Black Sea cruise has been recently coordinated with exciting shore excursions throughout our journey of Eastern Europe. This is a great opportunity to discover new vistas. ——————————————————————--

The library needs your dona-tions. Without new material, our library can not grow. The new addition list for this month is small.

PLEASE, any books that members have out and have currently read, please return them to give other members the opportunity to read them. As I indicated at the January meeting, if you are interested in a particular book not currently in the library, let me know. I will attempt to locate the book or books and if possible secure the book(s) for the library. —————————————————————

Couples Bridge for February was played at the home of Sir Russ and Tess Mott on the 8th.

Sierra SIR Echo Pg 5

FEBRUARY BIRTHDAYS from Sir Richard Scheidt

BOWLING by Sir Merle Knapp

Frank Breuning Louis Giorgetti Grant Sharp Charlie Pepper

Free lunch winner from the January Birthday list was: Sir Bob Edwards

Free lunch winner from the January lunch tickets was: Sir Bill Ripley

Come, join us in the SIR Bowling League which meets at 9:30 AM every Friday at the AMF Sierra Lanes (Blackstone and Sierra). Just show up or call Sir Merle Knapp at 439-3638.

Branch 175 Winners (handicap scores)

Date Name Hi Game Hi Series Jan 6 Mike Castle 248 643 Jan 13 Merle Knapp 236 —- Jan 20 Merle Knapp 225 —- Jan 27 Merle Knapp —- 594 Tom Harlan 238 —-

* Listed only for top three scores in SIR League Play

*******DEADLINE for the March Echo is Thursday, March 8*******

Sirs: Sid Marks

DC Contreras Jerry Stoltenberg

by Sir Paul Dehn

January’s Book Club meeting was honored to have our new Big Sir Marin Vallejo sit in on our meet-ing. Also, in attendance were Sirs: Bob Edwards, Don Milliken, Merle Knapp, Dennis Murane, Tim Finley, and myself. Merle commented that he was partly through a book that he would submit next meeting. He went on to note that it took place in Paris in the 1830’s, a time period when Paris was a center for creative activity. Tom reviewed, “A Study in Sherlock.” It is a compilation of Sherlock Holmes themed writ-ings by various authors. Bob shared “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” (the movie tie-in edition) by Stieg Larsson. This report led to a lively con-versation about how far movies stray from the books upon which they’re based. Don enjoyed “A Separate Peace” by John Knowles. It is the captivating story of friendship between two adolescent boys. The story is set in early World War II in a New England boarding school. Dennis shared “Locked On,” a Tom Clancy book co-authored by Mark Greanley. This newest book has Jack Ryan Sr. Coming out of retirement to run for president of the US to help the country through its darkest hour. I really enjoyed “Unbroken” by Laura Hillenbrand. It is the life story of Louie Zamperini, an Olympic class long distance runner, a B24 crewman during WWII who is shot down over the Pacific and survives constant brutality as a Japanese POW. “Look guys, you may be reading a great book your-self. Simply pop by the Book Club and share it with us.” We meet at the Pardini Café next door at 9:30 prior to the main meeting.”

SIR Branch #175 9260 N. Green Meadows Lane Fresno, CA 93720

SIR BRANCH # 175 2012 OFFICERS Big SIR Marin Vallejo 275-4622 Little SIR Charlie Pepper 433-0646 Treasurer Robert Bakman 434-1975 Asst. Treas. Andy Provost 439-3295 Secretary Merle Knapp 439-3658 DIRECTORS Open Gary Beacom 2012 434-4007 Gene Parker 2012 246-4589 Fred Ketcham 2013 225-4041 Russ Mott 2013 441-1115 George Pisching 2014 275-0199 DC Contreras 2014 222-9540 ACTIVITIES Book Club Paul Dehn 292-2225 Bowling Merle Knapp 439-3658 Bridge Bob Cleveland 435-5773 Golf Stan Nappe 435-6703 Golf Co-chair Tom Lean 9407084 Golf Co-chair Mike Castle 323-6832 Travel Richard Beers 431-3728 Woodwkng George Pisching 275-0199 BARN-YARD ACTIVITIES Attendance Ron McClain 292-1919 Bulletin-ECHO Jerry Long 287-4023 Chaplain Database Ed Richard Scheidt 435-2536 Hardware Jerry Stoltenberg 289-9287 Historian Merle Knapp 439-3658 Librarian Dennis Murane 276-1866 Membership Ron McClain 292-1919 Photographer Tim Finley 299-5210 Special Events Fred Ketcham 225-4041 Sunshine Don Luft 297-8510 Telephone Ray Born 438-5804

SONS IN RETIREMENT 2012 STATE OFFICERS

President James Stedman (925) 932-1636 Vice President Richard Dettmer (530) 755-4118 Secretary Eckart Sellinger (415) 602-7176 Treasurer Michael Berry (707) 837-1792 Director, Region 8 Ed Dorn (559) 433-0670 Governor, Area 29 Douglas Hansen (559) 222-0497

Non-Responsibility Declaration All travel events and other activities sponsored by Sons in Retirement, Incorporated, or its Branches are for the convenience and pleasure of the members and their guests who desire to participate. Sons in Retirement, Incorporated, and its Branches, do not assume any re-sponsibility for the well being or safety of the participants or passengers, or their property or any damages whatso-ever, in any manner pertaining to said travel activities. Where the travel literature is prepared by a travel agency, the following words shall be added to the above wording: “Any other ‘disclosures’ or non-responsibility provisions contained herein shall not in any way incur any liability attaching to Sons in Retirement, Incorporated, or any Branch thereof.”

“Sir Happenings” is the State Bulletin: www.sirinc.org

Visit our SIR Branch 175 website at:

http://175.sirinc2.org/