The Windmill

WESTWOOD VILLAGE ROTARY CLUB

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 The Westwood Village Rotary meeting was held at UCLA’s Hillel.

President Benjamin called the meeting together at 12:31 PM and we started with a

moment of silence for the victims of the tragic shooting that occurred

In Minneapolis yesterday.

Our greeter was Janet Schwartz, and the pledge was led by Jim Crane.

Then thought for the day was by PP Tom Barron who noted that our new RI

President described a major focus for RI this year will be on literacy education.

We then heard President Benjamin welcome back John O’Keefe who had surgery. John

reminded us to wear hats and use sunscreen to avoid skin cancer.

We were then led by PP Ron Lyster in a rousing song honoring laborers- “I’ll be

Working on the Railroad”.

Guests were introduced including Vanessa Zamarripa, a champion UCLA

Gymnast and PP Mark Rogo’s shadow for a few more weeks, David Kames from Germany.

 We were reminded to send in our raffle tickets for the Foundation Celebration and were made

aware that there are still seats available at the WVRC table on the ship Iowa on November 1^st. 

The Foundation Celebration is also looking for “experiences” to auction at the event.

President Benjamin then introduced today’s speaker Jonathon Brocks. He made a career change

after his grandfather passed away and he started a company that produced

Legacy videos. These videos are designed to tell the stories of a family’s

History and to hand down information to future generations including grandchildren and other descendants.

He demonstrated how these stories are made showing video clips from movies

As well as an actual section from a video based on the story of Adam Rames.

Jonathon then took questions from the audience. Tom Barron asked about how he handles changes in video camera technology

and Jonathon explained that he tries to transfer old technology to digital media.

John O’Keefe noted an idea from a book by David Brooks and asked about

capturing good stories so Jonathon stressed the importance of showing good

rapport among family members. 

PP Chris Gaynor asked about how to handle complex family histories and Jonathon said he looks for golden nuggets.

Mr. Brocks finished his talk and closed the meeting after President Benjamin thanked him and presented him with a gift.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

• September 20th is Dodger Night in support of Rotary's youth club. Come support the Rotaract & Interact Clubs while enjoying a nigh of baseball. The game starts at 6:10pm and tickets are available on the District website.

• November 1st will be this year's Rotary Foundation Celebration. It will be held on the Battleship Iowa and the Westwood Village Club has two tables. Don't be left out of this wonderful event, sign up now with PP Mark Rogo or PP Diane Good.

FUTURE MEETINGS

• Sept. 4th at Hillel - Louise Smith, Program Manager for the Digitial Repository on digitalizing your family archive.

• Sept. 11th at Hillel – Katy Yaroslavsky, Councilwoman for LA’s Fifth District. Elected in 2022, she chairs the City Council’s Budget & Finance Committee, serves as Vice-Chair of Energy & Environment, and sits on several other key committees.

• Sept. 18th at Hillel – Tom Johnstone of the Westchester Rotary Club will speak on Youth Protection, a Rotary International requirement for working with young people. He’ll discuss how members, partners, and volunteers can help safeguard youth and prevent abuse in all Rotary programs.

• Sept. 25 at Hillel – Steve Aaron, UCLA Professor Emeritus and President & CEO of the Autry Museum of the American West, will share insights from his recent project Can We All Get Along: An Alternative History of the American Frontier.

WVRC 2025/2026 Leadership Team