Toastmaster – Distict39 – Club1055258
Tracy Leadership Club Recap
Toastmasters Meeting May 20, 2014, Room 203 City Hall
Members present were: Binh Nguyen, Chris Foley, Connie Vieira, Judy Castellon, LaVonne Catron, Lucy Kaye, Maureen Bastedenbeck, Rocki Chaparro, Rowena Donaldson, Sam Wong and Terry Donaldson. Guests were: Lynda Mendoza, Juana Fonseca and Lilia Vazquez.
Our new Sergeant at Arms, Lucy Kaye, gave a tribute to our flag and our country and reflected on the plight of the woman in Sudan before asking us to join her for the Pledge of Allegiance. President Chris Foley welcomed us to “National Public Works Week”!! He introduced the guests and presented Judy Castellon, who was presiding as Toastmaster of the Day.
Judy recounted her luncheon experience: For her Birthday last week, her co-workers in the Tracy Police Department took her to lunch at Mandarin Villa. Just after the food was served, the officers received a call and left her alone at the table! There she sat, contemplating having to pay the entire bill after they abandoned her! They finally returned after apprehending three “alleged” perpetrators of a house invasion.
Connie Vieira, a management analyst with Public Works, gave a very engaging and informative speech about the Public Works in Tracy. She talked about the first thing she does when she wakes up. Like most of us, she flushes the toilet and turns on the water to wash her hands and face. The only time we think about the role that Public Works plays in those two steps is when they don’t work. She took us on a trip through her day – on the road, on the sidewalk, at a stop light, to a park, etc.
Connie introduced us to the myriad departments of public works which included signs, street lights, sports fields, parks, water features at parks, landscaping, 2 airports, Tracer buses, recycling, solid waste management, street sweepers, and more!! She announced that 648 street lights along the main thoroughfares will have new LED lights soon!! She concluded her speech by encouraging us to appreciate all that Public Works does behind the scenes to make Tracy run smoothly and look great.
The Table Topic Master was Chris Foley. He explained that even while vacationing, he is inspecting how other cities use signs and mark their roadways. Three examples of historical Public Works were cited: The Egyptian Pyramids, The Great Wall of China and The Erie Canal.
“Service” was the word of the day and Chris pointed out that the Police vehicles have “Service and Integrity” written on them. Terry Donaldson spoke about wanting Greg Frisbee to return to entertain at the Grand Theatre. Rowena Donaldson explained why she would prefer being a Policeman over a Fireman. LaVonne Catron told us that Yellowstone is her favorite National Park. Binh Nguyen answered that his “ideal park design” wouldn’t be a park, per se, but bike paths in a natural setting.
Rocki Chaparro evaluated Connie’s presentation. Always poised and prepared, Rocki did a great job! (This is a difficult role when the speaker that one is trying to evaluate has years of confidence propelling him or her!)
Sam Wong was Timer / Vote Counter and announced Terry Donaldson as winner of Table Topics. Binh Nguyen was Grammarian and said our crutch words of the day were AND and SO. They did great jobs, as usual.
Judy Castellon wrapped up the meeting, telling us about how to contact the City of Tracy to report problems, submit complaints and provide compliments. Visit www.ci.tracy.ca.us and look at “Government Outreach.” Judy reminded us that there will not be a meeting next Tuesday because of the Memorial Day Weekend and the last week of school in Tracy. We will resume on June 3, 2014. She turned the meeting back to Chris Foley. It was adjourned at 12:57PM.
Respectfully submitted,
Terry Donaldson, General Evaluator, May 20, 2014
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