parksRotary Club of Altadena parksOFF THE ROTARY WHEEL SS AN AWARD-WINNING NEWSLETTER March 25, 2010 ThisThis WWeekeek THE Jeff Holder onstruction by Ed Jasnow CREW Independent C for President David Smith Producer and Entertainment People of Influence guess I’m at the age where I look back this the thought that if you want to do Industry Consultant on my life and think of the people who something, do it now because you don’t Program Host: IIhave had an influence on me in terms know how much time you’ll have to do it of thinking and doing things. I’d like to later. And, that’s what I do. I don’t put off Paul Sirois share a couple of those people with you. anything. If I want to do something, go The first was a man named Everett somewhere, whatever, I do it. I’m not sav- Jeff Holder is an independent pro- Besse. Everett was the first contract ne- ing anything for later because I don’t ducer and entertainment industry gotiator I met when I first went to work at know if I’ll have a later. consultant with a background as Di- NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. He The second person of influence for me rector of Children’s Programming for was a fantastic negotiator, holding the was a man named Carl Staton. He was ABC Network TV, VP of Hanna contractors late into the night until he got the hardest working man I had ever met. Barbera, VP of SONY Wonder what he wanted. He’s also the only man I I worked with him at the Department of (children’s line). He has a vast knowl- know who did exactly what he said he the Navy. He was a bear of a man - six edge of kids’ programming and dis- was going to do when he retired. Everett feet two and 350 pounds. We were work- tribution. said he was going to play golf for the rest ing on the latest sea-to-air missile, and the The rapid changes in visual media of his life. He saved his money assiduously, work schedule was brutal. We would work and social media networks are driv- never going anywhere or doing anything until midnight, 2:00 a.m., one time around ing programmers to find new ways so he could retire and play golf forever. the clock - never went home. But, while I of attracting kids. Holder is ManagIng When Everett finally announced he was would collapse into my bed when I got Editor of MOVIEGUIDE which re- going to retire, we gave him a party on home, he would sit down at his kitchen views the latest movies, tv shows, and his last day of work, a Friday, and the next table and work some more. He had a wife DVDs, and he knows the directions day, Saturday, his first day of retirement, Please turn to Crew, p.3 they are taking. Everett Besse got on the golf course. On Come and hear how our kids and the 10th green, Everett had a heart at- grandkids are being impacted by this GreetersGreeters tack and dropped dead. But, he’d done powerful influence, sometimes in- March 25 exactly what he’d said he would do: he structive and beneficial like Sesame Julius Johnson played golf the rest of his life. What he Street (for which Holder was liaison April 01 didn’t know was that the rest of his life with Children’s Television Network), Sterling Louviere was two hours and twenty minutes. but often very detrimental. Bring a April 08 As a young man, this incident had a guest. McCurry profound affect on me. I took away from hairmen’hairmen’ssssss DEBUT Runway Show$ CCCCCornerorner & LA Fashion Gala CCCCC by Mike Noll, Youth Contests & Awards Chair Fashion Institute Rotary as our very own Zambian fash- tition, came to the USA to become ac- of Design & Mer- ion design student Kapasa Musonda, who quainted with American culture and way chandising (FIDM) earned one of the only 10 coveted Fash- of doing business. proudly presented ion Design Advanced Study the DEBUT 2010 Run- scholarships, absolutely way Show March 11- thrilled the audience with her 13, 2010. The only sensational styles. Though she only show like it on the West Coast, DEBUT started on the dozen outfits last July, annually attracts more than 10,000 people Kapasa’s Rolling Dunes of the Sahara over 3 days and features designs by gradu- collection had been years in the making. ating students in FIDM’s Fashion Design Youth IT Project & and Theatre Costume Design Advanced Citizens’ Exchange Study Programs as well as work from the After a successful World Bank/Rotary Interior Design, Digital Media, and Textile pilot project in Uganda, Ray Carlson (Al- Design Students. tadena) and Tony Bloome (Washington It was a proud moment for Altadena DC) in 2005 submitted a grant proposal to Sparks is published 48 weeks a year and is the US Department of State to teach the official publication of the Rotary Club of youth in Zambia about Information & Altadena. The deadline for submission of ar- Communication Technology, HIV AIDS ticles is Friday at 6p to current editor email, fax, or delivery. awareness, and Entrepreneurship skills Rotary Club of Altadena - #7183 with a Citizens Exchange component. Chartered: February 14, 1949 P.O. Box 414, Altadena, CA 91003 Awarded to Altadena Rotary Charities, www.altadenarotary.com this $130,000 grant would change the lives Meets: Thursday, 12:10p Altadena Town & Country Club of many across the globe. Americans, 2290 Country Club Drive • Altadena, CA some of them Rotarians, traveled to Zam- 626-794-7163 Rotary Int. Pres. ............................. John Kenny bia to assist in implementing the pro- Dist 5300 Gov. ................... Thomas B. Novotny gram. In turn, Zambian youth, the cho- Officers sen winners from a business plan compe- David Smith, Pres. ............... Bus. 626-398-2010 Please turn to Corner p. 3 Brian Hayes, Pres. Elec....... Bus. 626-398-6300 John Frykenberg, VPres. Cell: 323-810-0651 Jim Gorton, Sec. ................... Bus. 626-793-6215 March Programs Congratulations Mike Noll, Trea. ........................... Bus. 683-0515 Program Chair, Paul Sirois Birthdays Directors Mar 25 - Jeff Holder - Children’s TV Pro- Sue Applegate • Craig Cox • Jim Gorton Birthdays gramming Brian Hayes • Ed Jasnow 03/13 - Regina Bette Tom McCurry • Mike Zoeller Chairmen April Programs 03/14 - Emily Aiken (Wilkes) Brian Hayes ............................... Administration Program Chair, Theo Clarke 3/15 - David Smith Craig Cox ........................................ Foundation. 3/15 Trish Robinson Tom McCurry .............................. Public Affairs Apr 01 - Alex Matsumura, Craft Talk Brian Hayes/Ron Morris ............... Publicity Apr 08 - Sheriff Steve McLean, new Cap- 3/24 - Ed Soza Jacque Foreman ................ Sparks/Website tain at the Altadena Sheriff Station 3/26 - Ed Guth Mike Zoeller .......................... Service Projects Ed Jasnow ................................. Community. Apr 15 - RYLA - This year’s and last year’s 3/31 - Anne Eskijian Hal Yorke .................................. International participants tell about their experience Mike Noll ............... Youth Contests/Awards Apr 22 - Voices of Blair IB School for the Tony HIll ............ Vocational/Youth Projects Performing Arts Anniversaries John Guerrini................................ Membership Apr 29 - Stephanie Bettman (country west- 03/01 - Etta & Tom McCurry Editor, Design & Typesetting ........... Foreman Graphics ern violinist/singer) and her group 03/30 - Noriko Suzuki & Dennis Mehringer Photography ..................................... Jacque Foreman 2 Sparks - Altadena Rotary Club Newsletter Corner Continued from p. 2 204 youth in all went through the Youth completion of her 1-year program, Mofya Chairing Style competition. IT Project, coordinated by the Rotary Club was on her way home on that ill-fated The audience was treated to a musi- of Lusaka — the capital of Zambia. MetroLink train that crashed in cal tribute to Judy Garland and Liza Among them was an eager yet soft-spo- Chatsworth on September 12, 2008, result- Minnelli, complete with singers and danc- ken 17-year old high school student ing in extensive burns and some brain ers. The dazzling costumes for each num- Kapasa Musonda whose business plan was damage. Racheal has made a remarkable ber were designed by one of the six, very “self designed and tailored clothing with recovery and is now living with her sister talented Advanced Theatre Costume a mixed culture vibe, Le’ Kay Fashion De- in Minneapolis while continuing her Design students. sign fuses fashion from different parts of therapy. A second special challenge, sponsored Africa with an influence from the Western After her summer break in Zambia, by Guess?, Inc., had the fashion students Style.” Hers was one of the top three busi- Kapasa returned a few weeks after design and create an outfit out of denim ness plans submitted, and I made it a point Racheal’s accident, which really shook and/or leather. Kapasa made pants out to meet her personally during my visit to her emotionally, for the two had become blue denim, plus a blouse and leather Zambia in February 2007. close friends. Even more determined than jacket. The winner of this challenge, an- Kapasa was one of 8 Zambian youth ever, Kapasa pressed on with her studies nounced Saturday evening, was Brittany who participated in the Citizens Exchange and prepared for the competition that Vu, who won a designer position with G program. Accompanied by Rotarian Ghazi would secure her position in the 3rd Year By Guess and who would personally get Hussein (RC Lusaka) in July 2007, the 4 Fashion Design Advanced Study Program. the opportunity to oversee her design men and 4 women visited Washington, DC The rest is history. through production, marketing and to the for one week and Los Angeles for the On the Runway catalog/retail/online stores.