April 22, 2021
Westwood Village Rotary Club
Coming up on April 29th: Coach Al Scates
Retired UCLA volleyball coach, Al Scates, has won a record setting 19 NCAA volleyball championships. This is the most championships of any men's NCAA sports programs. His winning record percentage of .812 is one of the best ever in collegiate history. He was the only coach to guide his teams to three successive titles three times, including four straight from 1981-84. He was named coach of the year 5 times. A special program where Al will be interviewed by former player, Tom Stillwell.


Westwood Virtual Rotary Club Meeting for April 22, 2021
As is her custom, President Nancy promptly started our meeting with the ringing of the bell at 12:30, introducing Jim Crane to lead us in the pledge of allegiance. Chris Bradford followed from his outpost in Kansas City, reminding us that to understand an issue fully you must be able to argue both sides. Chris quoted John Stuart Mill’s essay on Liberty (first published in 1859):

 “He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them. But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion... Nor is it enough that he should hear the opinions of adversaries from his own teachers, presented as they state them, and accompanied by what they offer as refutations. He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them...he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.”

Our song-meister, Ed Gauld, then led us in an old favorite, You are my Sunshine. (How old, you ask? The song was first performed by Oliver Hood at a Veterans of Foreign Wars convention in 1933.)

President Nancy announced that today is Gail Smith’s birthday (likely carrying with the announcement some “special recognition” in the form of a fine). Other announcements included Earth Day celebrations, including the announcement of a webinar this coming Saturday, April 23, by the Environmental Sustainability Rotary Action Group. Also this coming Saturday is the RYLA virtual event, to which our club is sending two students from the Salvation Army Transitional Village and two students from University High School. Two other District 5280 virtual events were also highlighted - the District Breakfast (on May 4) and the District Conference (on May 14). President Nancy was particularly intrigued by the Friday night “virtual pub crawl.”

Attending our meeting were our Assistant Governor, Michael Lushing, and two special guests - Benjamin Fisher (sponsored by Roozbeh) and Roxanne Denis (sponsored by Mark).
Our speaker today was PDG Cozette Vergari, and her entire excellent and thought-provoking presentation may be seen on YouTubeVimeo, and Rumble. (Y.O.E. was taught many years ago, as a yearling, that the Windmill was never designed to be a reiteration of the program of the day - members should come to our meetings for that.) Cozette’s topic was one with which she has become very familiar - human trafficking. Did you know that there is a Rotarian Action Group Against Slavery? Or a Global Slavery Index? How about an organization called the Polaris Project (named for the North Star, which people held in slavery in the United States used as a guide to navigate their way to freedom), or another organization called Coalition Against Slave Trafficking? Cozette was instrumental in the recent establishment of a “cause-based” Rotary e-club - D5280 Rotarians Fighting Human Trafficking - and in the creation of an online resource for Rotarians to collaborate with law enforcement agencies, elected officials and non-profit organizations in assisting victims of human trafficking (composed of both sex trafficking and labor trafficking). You are invited to use these links when viewing our meeting online to amplify the message given to us by our superb speaker, Cozette Vergari.

Y.O.E. (Ye Old Editor), Ron Lyster

WVRC 2020/2021 Leadership Team
President: Nancy McCready
Treasurer: Terry M. White
Youth/Vocational Service: Phil Gabriel
Director/Peace: PP Marsha Hunt
Foundation: PP Steve Day
Global Scholarships: PP Chris Bradford
Webmaster: PP Ron Lyster
Director/Merchant Minute: PP Mark Rogo
District Governor: Bette Hall
Immediate Past President: Diane Good
Secretary: PP Diane Good
Community Service: Aaron Donahue
International Service: Nevin Senkan
Program Chair: PP Tom Barron
Membership: PP Mike Newman
Director/Social Media: PP Aly Shoji
Windmill Editor: P Nancy McCready
Assistant District Governor: Michael Lushing