The Rooster Crows...

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1 The Rooster Crows..... A Monthly Newsletter of SIR YOSEMITE BRANCH 179 November 2016 NOVEMBER MEETING Wednesday, November 9, Noon at Pardini s 2257 W. Shaw Avenue in Fresno Our November Speaker will be the Honorable Brian Alvarez, Fresno County Superior Court Judge Board Meeting Preceding the Regular meeting at 10:15 a.m. MORE ABOUT OUR SPEAKER FOR NOVEMBER Arranged by SIRs Leo Avedikian and Bob McLaughlin The Honorable Brian Alvarez, Fresno County Superior Court Judge, will be our speaker in November. He was appointed to the Superior Court by Governor Schwarzenegger in He currently presides over a felony criminal law calendar and he has presided over limited and general civil matters. He currently serves on the Appellate Division of the Fresno County Superior Court. Judge Alvarez co-created the Veteran s Treatment Court and its mentoring program, for former military service members involved in the criminal justice system. He also serves on the Fresno County Law Library s Board of Trustees, and chairs the Judicial Education Committee. Judge Alvarez is a Fresno native and graduate of Fresno High School and Fresno State University. After graduating from Fresno State, he was re-activated into active duty in the United States Air Force for Operation Desert Storm. Upon returning to Fresno, Judge Alvarez worked for the Bureau of Investigations at the Fresno County District Attorney s Office. He graduated from San Joaquin College of Law during that time and was admitted to practice in He was also a member of the California Air National Guard in Fresno during that time and was assigned to assist in the Judge Advocate General s Office. In 1995 Judge Alvarez started his legal career as a Fresno County Deputy District Attorney. In 1998 Judge Alvarez was designated the Air National Guard 144 th Fighter Wing s Public Affairs Officer. After September 11, 2001, he was again re-activated into active duty in the Air Force and was stationed in Washington, D.C. When he returned to Fresno Judge Alvarez was hired by the California Attorney General s Office as a Deputy Attorney General. He was appointed a Supervising Deputy Attorney General in 2008, where he created and trained a litigation team of Deputy Attorneys General, tasked with prosecuting District Attorney conflict and recusal cases. He has argued numerous cases before state and federal courts of appeal and the California Supreme Court. Judge Alvarez was certified as a specialist in appellate law by the State Bar of California, Board of Legal Specialization. Judge Alvarez is married to the former Teresa Arteaga, a retired law enforcement officer. They have two daughters, Jessica, age 24 and Daniella, age 12, In his spare time, Judge Alvarez enjoys spending time with his family, bicycling, long-distance running, snow-skiing, reading and travelling.

2 A MESSAGE FROM BIG SIR STEVE SMITH Hello gentlemen. I would like to give a big welcome to our newest Membership Chairman, Jim Turnmire. We still need a Little Sir. If anyone is interested, please contact Dick Nordstrom. Our November speaker will be Fresno County Superior Court Judge Brian Alvarez. We also have some great activities. Be sure to check out the list in the Newsletter and contact the appropriate SIR Leader. Bring a guest to a meeting and let s welcome the new SIR s by inviting them to activities and making them feel welcome. Thanks guys and see you in November. IMPORTANT REMINDER TWO MEETINGS IN DECEMBER Our Annual Christmas Brunch is scheduled for Sunday, December 11 at 11:00 A.M. at Fort Washington Country Club. Please remember that EVERY MEMBER is invited and encouraged to attend, whether you bring your wife, significant other of come solo, please plan to attend. This is our big gala of the year and we would like to see all of you there. The cost is $30.00 per person for a beautiful buffet brunch with a carving station and omelette station. Complimentary champagne and mimosas are served before brunch, a good reason to arrive a little early. The meal will be followed by the comforting piano renditions of Susan Spadier, who I m sure will give us the opportunity to sing along to get us in the Christmas spirit. This event will give us a time to relax with friends and enjoy a much needed respite after the long, challenging election season. Your checks for the Brunch are now being accepted by Jim Turnmire. They should be made payable to SIR Branch 179 for $30.00 per person. You can give them to Jim at the November meeting or mail them to him at: Jim Turnmire, 1349 E. El Paso, Fresno, CA Secondly, our regular December Meeting is scheduled for December 14, just three days after the Brunch. And once again, it would be geat to see every member in attendance. This meeting will be highlighted by our speaker, the Fresno County District Attorney, Lisa Smittcamp. This is an opportunity seldom presented, to be able to see, hear and question our District Attorney up close and personal. We will not want to miss this opportunity and give our Branch a boost by turning out in big numbers. THE SUNSHINE REPORT From Chairman Richard Ewell It is with sorrow that we must announce that SIR Al Sevener recently passed away. SIR Bob McCloskey, that stalwart pool and poker player, is currently having mobility problems and it has become difficult for him to move around.

3 THIS MONTH S FEATURED SIR This month s featured SIR is the hard working Dick Nordstrom. And like the past members profiled in this column, Dick has been a very active member of SIR Chapter 179 for six years. In just his second year as a member Dick was our LITTLE SIR and in his third year he was our BIG SIR. For the past three years he has served as our Treasurer. Dick was born in Topeka, Kansas. At the age of 7 his family moved to Newton, Kansas where he completed elementary and high school. Like many of us, Dick had a variety of jobs during his youth. His first job, washing windows, came at the ripe old age of 12 years. Other jobs he held were as a Caddy and Grounds Keeper at the local Country Club; a Soda Jerk in the Drug Store (remember when drug stores had soda fountains?); a Laborer on a highway repair gang, and working in a men s clothing store. Dick served for 2 years in the U.S. Navy Supply Corps aboard the USS Carter Hall, LSD with jaunts to Hawaii, Okinawa and Enewetok. Prior to embarking on a career in academics, Dick was a Ford Dealer. After making the decision to get into the academic world, he did so whole heartedly. He got his Bachelor s Degree in Business from the University of Kansas. He then went on to get his MBA at Wichita State University and continued on to get his PhD in Business from the University of Arkansas. While there, he served as a Graduate Assistant. Dick s first teaching job was in Macomb, Illinois. He also managed a hobby store, The Culinarian, selling gourmet cookware at Western Illinois University. Dick retired as a Professor of Marketing at Craig School of Business at California State University Fresno. While there, he had the Forensic Business Analyses consulting firm. In his consulting capacity, he was an expert witness in many cases, 104 of which went to trial. He served on the Board of the American Business Hall of Fame for 15 years. He has written over 100 articles which have been published in peer review journals. He has contributed 11 case studies to the Harvard Case Clearing House. One of those was in the top 25 requested cases in the year published. Dick has written three books and contributed chapters to two other books. Dick has been in Fresno for 35 years. Other places he has lived include Topeka, Newton and Wichita, Kansas; Fayetteville, Arkansas; and Macomb, Illinois. Dick has been married for 58 years to his beautiful wife Margaret. They have a son, Neal, and a daughter, Pam. Their children have presented them with four granddaughters ranging in age from 18 to 28. Dick lists his other interests and hobbies as cooking, golf, fishing, gambling, reading, writing and stamp collecting. That is certainly enough to keep any mortal man busy. YUK, YUK, YUK When I see lovers names carved on a tree, I don t think it s sweet; I just think it s surprising how many people bring a knife on a date. One politician to another: haven t done anything. I don t know what people have against us, we My dog used to chase people on a bike a lot. It got so bad I finally had to take his bike away. I d like to buy a new boomerang please. And can you tell me how to throw away the old one?

4 BRANCH ACTIVITIES GOLF: Contratulations are in order for our Branch Golf Group, consisting of Dennis Soliday, Joe Russo, Brian Ohde, Ken Myers, Andy Bender and Marshall Garth. They took first place in the Four-Way Tournament, competing against the other three Fresno SIR Branches. And Dennis Soliday won our Branch 179 Championship, posting the low net score out of 46 golfers. Dennis cautioned that he may have to miss the October meeting because either his big trophy or his expanded head might not fit through the door. Fortunately, he was able to get both through the door. Following is the golf schedule for November. 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov 1 at Madera CC; 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov 15 at Madera Muni; 9:00 a.m. on Tuesday, Nov 29 at Airways. The Chairman for all three events is Scott Barcus, , ruthless2@neptc.com. If you are interested in golf please call Chairman Dennis Soliday at DATE NITE: The third Wednesday of each month, a number of your fellow SIR s treat their wives or significant others to dinner at different restaurants as selected by the participants. We attempt to try out different restaurants each month, but some can be repeated. In October we enjoyed the cuisine offered at The Elephant Bar & Restaurant in Northeast Fresno. The location for the November dinner had not been announced at press time. If you are interested in expanding your circle of different restaurants and enjoying good fellowship at the same time, give Chairman Manny Contino a call at POKER: The poker group usually plays once a month. The next game is tentatively scheduled for November 30 at the Gambling Emporium of SIR Ed Dorn. If a friendly low stakes game of chance with ample jokes and conversation thrown in appeals to you, contact the Chairman Richard Ewell at POOL: The pool players meet at 10:00 a.m. each Tuesday morning for brunch at Yosemite Falls Restaurant at Shaw and Blackstone. After brunch, they head to The Rack pool room just down the street for a few hotly contested games of pool, with camaraderie the primary pursuit. The next game will be on November 1. If interested in joining the group, call Chairman Richard Ewell at ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES: If there is an activity you would like to see the Branch become involved in, contact BIG SIR Steve Smith at , or contact any Officer or Board Member to discuss it. ATTA BOY JIM. Our thanks go to our immediate past BIG SIR Jim Turnmire for taking over the job of Membership Chairman. Jim has also taken on the task of organizing our Christmas Brunch in December at Fort Washington. This month s Yogi-ism: I really didn t say everything I said.

5 Your Branch Leadership for 2016 BIG SIR, Steve Smith Treasurer, Richard Nordstrom Secretary, Bo Boehringer LITTLE SIR, (Your Name Could Appear Here) Assistant Treasurer, Andy Bender Assistant Secretary, Bob Henry Directors Jim Turnmire Doug Hansen Richard Ewell Wayne Goss Dwayne Keyes Dennis Soliday Committee Chairs Directory Chairman, Richard Nordstrom Membership Chairman, Jim Turnmire Attendance Chairman, Ed Diaz Travel Chairman, Andy Bender Golf Chairman, Dennis Soliday Date Nite Chairman, Manny Contino Poker Chairman, Richard Ewell Pool Chairman, Richard Ewell SIR Items Chairman, Richard LaRue SIR Promotions Chairman, Andy Bender Newsletter Editor Bob Henry Book Tenders Brian Ohde Ken Myers And others as may be recruited Callers Coordinator Dennis Soliday, Steve Smith, Vern Janzen, Andy Bender, Manny Contino, Wayne Goss, Brian Ohde, Dwayne Keyes, Mike Wlaschin, Harold Yick Lunch Check-in Ed Diaz, Jerry (Lash) LaRue, Richard Nordstrom, Andy Bender, Brian Ohde