F-greensheet For March 6, 2008

PROMISE YOURSELF Optimist Club of Coronado Post Office Box 180251 Coronado, CA 92178-0251 March 6, 2008 “You can fool some of the people all of the time, and those are the people you need to concentrate on.” —Robert Strauss

Meetings at 7AM on Thurs at Coronado Yacht Club In his book Friendship: An Expose’ Joseph Epstein writes about a friend suffering a long and difficult illness. Visits had become painful reminders of how rough and humbling aging can be. And then he died. He is gone, dead, and I shall not again bump into him on the street. Each of us considered the other a friend; I think we respected and liked each other a lot; but neither thought of the other as a best friend or a particularly close friend. Yet, considered selfishly, his death diminishes me, depopulates my life, is a brick removed from the edifice of my past. The metaphor of an edifice—from a cozy bungalow to a high-rise—for a lifetime’s worth of friendships and acquaintances has a certain appeal. It helps to understand friendship as something one builds up and one stands by and watches being dismantled, by illness, alienation, and death, brick by brick—that is if one is lucky enough to be reasonably long-lived and not oneself one of the early removed bricks. “We must either outlive our friends you know”, remarked Samuel Johnson, “or our friends must outlive us; and I see no man who would hesitate about the choice.” And yet there is a pleasure in recalling dead friends, especially if they had been winning.” Mal Jolley was certainly a winning brick. Those who remember him won’t soon forget his huge, busy presence at Sports Fiesta time. I used to ride out in the school district truck to pick up the traffic cones, barriers, and what not in Lakeside. Mal enjoyed driving the big truck, skillfully passing through all the gears while telling stories of pulling big machines out of places where his young marines had stranded them. Weren’t the Triathlon briefings that Mal and Bob Weaver put on entertaining Optimist theater? Always first to volunteer, he and Melissa were on hand for all our events. He had a garage famous for every carpentry tool known to the Yankee craftsman. And it was full of Sports Fiesta truck like that huge candycane pole that he used to mark the end of the beach run. A fine Marine, a great Optimist, a brick. As most of you know, Mal passed away on Tuesday. His daughter still receives mail at 231 H. You could send condolences to the family at that address. We will let you know of the plans for services. We go on with Paul Dudley and Jack Davis collecting money and returning smiles. Ben Harris was on hand with his wife Rachel to celebrate their anniversary with the famous Optimist breakfast. Bob McCrary gave us a continuation of his extension course on leap year and a prayer of thanks for all our special days. Dick Beh started the pledge. Dick Madouse told us to look for the Optimist team manning the boards for the School Foundation Telethon next week. Watch Channel 4 all week. The board of directors meets Tuesday, March 11, to spend more of your money. John McKechnie is not only a good guy; he is a hero. At least that is what the paper said. He and Barbara saved George Bruce’s son after a bicycle accident. And today he did an induction of a new member. Dick Rasmussen finally stopped being Bill McClure’s guest and got his own badge. Oh, wait. They couldn’t find the badge. Dick said he has lived here a dozen years, just retired, and wanted something to do to keep busy. Bill McClure can show Dick how to stay busy with the Optimists. Harshberger showed up on the front page of the Sacramento Bee and the Minneapolis Star Tribune. He also led in a terrible HBTY to Charlie Ahern this morning. Bob should have been fined for bad songstering. And we marked the 8th anniversary of Leslie Crawford, the 24th of Dave Martell, and the 9th of Ledge Hakes. Todd Shallon, VP and General Manager of the Del, came to tell us why it is the place to eat cheese, chocolate and crackers with a nice glass of wine. He told us what is going on at our grand destination hotel. It was all very interesting. We learned that the hotel has 688 rooms in the main building and that 150 million buck has been used so far for all the remodeling. Todd showed us an R rated photo of the new spa, but told the guys not to get their hopes up. In this regard we received the news from his spouse that Jack Larison is a centerfold in Sports Illustrated this week. That’s not the swimsuit edition I hope. Next week Clint Coneway will introduce Tom Trimble who is Director of Navy Simulators Training. That is the surface stuff—the real stuff. Super tankers and the like. He will tell us why you don’t have to go to sea to become a surface warfare officer. “Stick close to your desks and never go to sea, and you all may be rulers of the Queen’s Navee!”