Sailing Science Center News

December 2019

Vol. 3, No. 4

Welcome to the December issue of the Sailing Science Center News! Our theme this month is Traveling Partners. Here at SSC, we often consider how far we've come as an organization and the journey we have ahead. This month, we'd also like to reflect on the people who have joined us along the way to make this journey more rewarding, more fulfilling, and ultimately, more successful.

Continue reading for more updates from SSC!

The kind of people you are looking for are probably making huge contributions and setting records somewhere. They're probably deliriously happy and much loved by the people they work with. Go after that type. Go after proven competence.

– Peter Drucker

Volunteer Spotlight - Lee Rousey

Lee Rousey breaks the pattern of SSC volunteers coming from the Social Sailing program on Treasure Island. I met Lee at the Office Depot store in Alameda while computer shopping. I was so taken by his dedication to customer service that when I returned for the computer he ordered I pitched him on joining our team. At just 25, Lee is already the general manager of his store. He is a hard worker, is naturally personable and is on the Office Depot management fast track.

Right away you will notice Lee’s distinctive use of Yes Sir and Yes Ma’am. Lee says this comes from his upbringing in Georgetown, Texas, where his mother stressed manners and respect. This is just one place where Lee is going to raise the bar for all of us. Lee grew up on a 15-acre goat ranch where he and his younger brother learned all aspects of goat ranching. In high school Lee was a member of the football team, the track & field team and the basketball team, where he was team captain. He says sports helped him develop as a leader and team player. Further insight into Lee’s mindset is revealed by the Marianne Williamson quote tattooed on his arm:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate; our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.

Lee has a passion for numbers, which led him to a degree in Actuarial Science from the University of Nebraska. After graduation Lee briefly ran a lawncare business with his brother before returning to school at Texas State University, San Marcos, where he earned his MBA. He joined Office Depot in November 2015, and by July 2017 was a store manager. He says he is always the youngest person in the room when he goes to meetings of other store managers.

When he’s not working Lee likes weightlifting, skydiving, SCUBA diving, skiing, snowboarding, watersports, wakeboarding, waterskiing and hiking. Sailing is conspicuously absent from this list, but we will correct that soon enough! In addition to numbers, Lee is passionate about meeting and working with people to help them grow and develop, as demonstrated by the 10 hours a week he spends tutoring. Lee’s designated role of overseeing volunteer engagement on the SSC team meshes perfectly with this. We are thrilled to have you on the team, Lee. Welcome aboard!

November Volunteer Event - Envelope Addressing Party

L to R: Leonora Fleming, Victoria Marcus, Jessica Wilbur, Lee Rousey

Our November Volunteer Event was a low-key envelope addressing party. Five members of our ranks met in the SSC office on Treasure Island and addressed 340 envelopes over a period of two days. Volunteers included Morgan Davidson, Leonora Fleming, Victoria Marcus, Jessica Wilbur and Lee Rousey. Next month you will learn what all those envelopes were for!

Volunteer for the SSC!

We are all travelers in the wilderness of the world & the best we can find in our travels is an honest friend.

– Robert Louis Stevenson

In the News

Letter to TIDA & TIDG

On November 13 we presented a letter to TIDA & TIDG (Treasure Island Development Authority & Treasure Island Development Group) to go on record with our interest in leasing Hangar 3 as home to the Sailing Science Center. Click here to view the video (our presentation begins at 07:14). This was done at the monthly TIDA meeting, which, in November, was held "on-island" at the Treasure Island Gym.

In the end, what you do isn’t going to be nearly as interesting or important as who you do it with.

– John Green

Social Media Corner

It's now easier than ever to support the Sailing Science Center. We've added a Donate button to our Facebook page , and are asking our supporters to consider giving generously and abundantly – future generations of sailors will thank you for pioneering a new access point to the world of sailing, in San Francisco Bay and beyond.

If you aren't able to give at this time, please invite 5-10 friends with a one-line message explaining why they should "Like" our page. Get creative! Or feel free to borrow this line:

"Hey [name], this group is building a museum dedicated to sailing science on Treasure Island (right in the middle of SF Bay). Wouldn't that be amazing?"

Small Stuff

Exhibit Development

Our most exciting news this month is that we are well into the construction of our first exhibit and that it will be completed by December 12. The work is being done by Danny Beesley, of Idea Builder Labs in the FabLab at the College of Alameda.

Next month's issue of the Sailing Science Center News will have coverage of the exhibit development, its debut, and what it's designed to teach.

Move the Needle!

These are things YOU can do to move the SSC vision forward:

Volunteer
Donate
Share the SSC Newsletter with your friends
Sign our Endorsement Letter
"Like" us on your favorite social media platform

Make a difference. Move the needle!

Leadership Corner - Traveling Partners

Last month we looked at goals and how the value in goals is often derived more from the challenges during the journey to attain them than from the attainment itself. This month we look at another aspect of the journey, which is the traveling partners we choose along the way.