Welcome to the Sunrise Spirit –
the Weekly Newsletter of The Rotary Club of Arcata Sunrise
We hope that you will attend one of our lively Friday meetings,
whether or not you are interested in joining Rotary.
We meet (almost) every Friday at 7 am in the Plaza View Room
of Arcata’s historic Jacoby Storehouse.
For more information and for the meeting links, please visit the RCAS Website.
Rotary Vision
Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create
lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.
The RCAS Calendar
RISE: “Rotary Involvement Strengthens Everyone“
- November 17 – The return of in-person Taste of the Holidays! All hands on deck at the Arcata Community Center!
- January 26 – RCAS Fellowship at the Cal Poly Jacks Basketball game
- February 19 – RCAS Charter Celebration!
- March 31 & April 1 – District Training Assembly
- May 4-7 – District Conference at Konocti Harbor Resort
- May 27-31 – Rotary International Convention in Melbourne, Australia
For Openers
President Vanessa thanked the folks who helped make the Cross-Country Championships a success – Scott Heller and Romi Hitchcock Tinseth, and Fearless Leader Rebecca Crow! (Vanessa noted that Rebecca’s husband Abe provided a very welcome assist.)
As of Friday, 341 tickets had been sold for Taste of the Holidays. If you still have outstanding money and/or tickets, please get them in soon, so we can have an accurate accounting of our sales. Also, please send your $20 contribution for the raffle items.
Howard Stauffer talked about our project in Cambodia, helping to supply the Cambodia Academy’s new kitchen. The school, which provides education for children from financially-challenged families in the area – is replacing its outdated kitchen. While Rotary rules prohibit us from using matching funds for construction, we are providing furniture and kitchen equipment. After his presentation, President Vanessa presented Howard with a pin honoring him as a Paul Harris Fellow Plus 5! Thank you Howard!!
Former District Governor (and current Sunriser) Terri Clark waxed nostalgic about the 2002 visit of a Group Study Team from Vietnam. The trip had to be specially sanctioned by Rotary International, and it was a great success. She distributed some caps commemorating the visit.
For a while at least, Bob Judevine was the Newest Rotarian in the World, as we welcomed him to our Club. Bob has worn a lot of hats since arriving in Humboldt County in 1987, including owning and operating Bon Boniere Ice Cream (yum!) from 1995-2002. He now manages the Arcata branch of Redwood Capital Bank. Welcome, Bob!!
Eureka’s Red Light District
Historian Lynette Mullen was our Featured Speaker. She discussed her research into the early days of Eureka and the many “bawdy houses” that existed in what we now know as Old Town Eureka.
Lynette said that during the pandemic, she was working from home, and she was intrigued when looking at photos of old buildings. She began researching their histories, and found that many of them in the Old Town area had served as brothels from the mid-19th century through the turn of the century and even beyond.
Her research led her to the “Volcano Theory of Sexuality”, which posited that without sexual outlets, men’s libidos would lead them to commit violent acts. This was used as an excuse for men to visit prostitutes.
Lynette shared several news stories of the ebb and flow of public opinion regarding prostitution in our area, and she discussed how the issue affected Ferndale and Arcata.
Lynette publishes “Lynette’s NorCal History Blog”, which she describes as “totally random” historical information about our local area. It can be found at lynette707.wordpress.com, and it is definitely worth a look.
In Closing