Events

Stan Bunger is an American broadcast journalist who was the morning co-anchor at KCBS in San Francisco for more than 20 years. Bunger is a 1973 graduate of Leigh High School and received his B.A. in Broadcast and Electronic Communications from San Francisco State University. He was inducted to the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame in 2010 and to the San Francisco State University Alumni Hall of Fame in 2011. 

Join us while he tells stories from his new book, "Mornings with Madden". ​Despite his international fame, there was a side of football legend known only to those who listened to San Francisco morning radio. San Francisco is where John Madden grew up, lived, & died and where, for decades he found joy in a daily chat with his hometown radio station. It was a chance to unwind, tell stories, and impart his own brand of wit and wisdom. In "Mornings With Madden, Stan - who was on the other side of that radio mic - illuminates this larger-than-life figure, drawing upon memories of more than fifteen years of daily broadcasts. 

Join us as Los Gatos Mayor, Mary Badame, gives us a town update! Mary was elected to the town council in 2020 and became our mayor in 2023. In addition to her mayoral duties, Mary has been a local insurance agency owner for over 35 years. She also enjoys spending time with her daughter, son-in-law, and young grandchildren.

Dan Gordon, CEO of Gordon Biersch Brewing Company, has earned a reputation as one of America's leading brewing engineers.

Dan was the first American in more than 40 years to graduate from the prestigious 5-year brewing engineering program at the world-renowned Technical University of Munich in West Germany.  Dan, who was born in San Jose in 1960, entered the program after earning an economics degree from the University of California at Berkeley in 1982.  

After completing the world's most advanced brewing program, Gordon returned to California and joined forces with restaurateur Dean Biersch to take advantage of a new state law allowing "brewery" restaurants.  In 1988, the partners opened their first Gordon Biersch brewery restaurant in Palo Alto. Now, Dan directs the operations at his state-of-the art canning and bottling San Jose brewery, the 15^th largest brewing company in the country.

Believing in the power of art to heal, Antonia Dapena-Tretter, who received her Master’s degree in art history from the University of Toronto, is the Art Curator for Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford. In this role, she oversees all acquisitions, installations, and conservation for a robust permanent collection of art. She will speak to us about how the hospital’s art collection, which includes sculptures, painting, and interactive exhibits, promotes well-being and fosters a sense of belonging for young patients and their families.

Margaret Smith is a long-time resident of Los Gatos and owner of Domus, the iconic kitchen and home accessories store that re-opened in downtown Los Gatos in Fall of 2023. Prior to Domus, Margaret was a business attorney with her own law practice in Los Altos, California.  She is the recipient of a number of business awards, both local and national. Margaret was selected as the Business Person of the Year by the Los Gatos Chamber, the Woman Business Owner of the Year by the San Jose Business Journal, and was inducted into the Women’s Hall of Fame as the result of her leadership as the National President of the National Association of Women Business Owners, an organization representing the 10 million women- owned businesses in the United States. Margaret is credited with negotiating the first Women’s Entrepreneur Loan Fund with Wells Fargo Bank which established a $1 Billion loan fund for US women entrepreneurs. Within a few short years, the loan fund grew and, as of 2022, the Fund had loaned over $59 Billion to women-owned businesses.  Margaret is a graduate of George Washington University and received her law degree from Santa Clara University. She is the proud grandmother of four grandchildren who all attended Los Gatos schools. She is also a Los Gatos Rotarian!
 

Our featured guest speaker will be longtime Los Gatos resident and Local Historian, Alan Feinberg. Alan is the founder of the LOST Gatos Project - a campaign to remember and preserve our unique town history before it’s “lost” forever. He is also the developer of the free mobile app “Discover LOST Gatos” which offers self-guided walking tours of our historic downtown with content that has been carefully researched for historical accuracy. Alan also writes a monthly history feature for the Los Gatan. He will join us to share some of his favorite stories about our town’s amazing history.

It is an enduring mystery whether Frank Morris, and brothers John and Clarence Anglin, escaped from Alcatraz prison in 1962. It is widely believed that they succumbed to the waters of San Francisco Bay, though no trace of the men has ever been found―only their makeshift raft. Our guest speaker, Mike Lynch co-authored a book with the escapees' nephew, Ken Widner, in which they present compelling evidence that Morris and the Anglin uncles did in fact survive. Join us for this account of a fascinating slice of Bay Area history.

Join our CrabFest Committee to learn about all things CrabFest coming up on Saturday, February 1st. This is our club's biggest fundraiser of the year and we hope that the 2025 event will be the biggest ever! At this club meeting, we will be bringing some of the items in the fabulous auction that you can win that day! You'll learn about the CrabFest event night schedule, registering to bid, using the auction "win-it-now" option and even "otto bidding". Don't miss it!

Dr. Jennifer Zumarraga, MD., is the Medical Director, Adolescent Psychiatry, Scrivner Center for Mental Health & Addiction Services at El Camino Health. She has a decade of experience in working with children of all ages with mental health issues. She started out in research at the National Institute of Mental Health working with youth with ADHD. She continued her training at the University of Rochester and the University of Southern California. Dr. Zumarraga was involved in the formation of the ASPIRE program for teens at El Camino Health in response to the glaring shortage of services for adolescents with anxiety and mood disorders and the lack of resources for their families. 

The ASPIRE Program at El Camino Health has been transforming lives in the Los Gatos community since 2010 by providing specialized care for middle schoolers, teens, and young adults facing depression, anxiety, substance use disorders, and other mental health conditions. This presentation will explore the impact of mental health conditions on our youth and how innovative treatment programs can be a critical resource.  

Dr. Zumarraga will be joined by Sam Kotmel who is an ASPIRE graduate. The program changed Sam's life and taught her vital skills that she uses on a daily basis. She has a bachelors degree from Otis College of Art and Design and is currently applying to go back to school to pursue a degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. 

In this in-meeting service project, we will make birthday cards for seniors who are clients of Peninsula Volunteers, Inc. (PVI). PVI's mission is to enable seniors to age in place by empowering them to lead independent lives, engage with their communities, and continue to get the most out of life. Joining us from PVI will be Stephanie Stephanie Figeira, Director of Nutrition Services. She has over 12 years of experience in holistic nutrition and is committed to helping seniors achieve healthy longevity through mindful eating and wellness practices. 

Each year, Rotary District 5170 sponsors a high school speech contest. Participating contestants will speak on a predetermined Rotary theme. Each Club holds a contest and judges select the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place finishers. The Club 1st place finisher advances to the Area contest. The winner of the Area contest goes on to compete in the Regional speech contest.  The top two finishers in the Regional advance to the District Final Speech Contest. Join us for the Los Gatos club-level contest on Tuesday, February 25th! 

Local resident, Caroline Cocciardi, the author of Leonardo’s Knots, will introduce us to a facet of Leonardo da Vinci that you have not seen before.  Caroline will explain how da Vinci used mathematically-inspired knots throughout his work containing hidden messages that appear in his most famous pieces including The Mona Lisa and The Last Supper.

Every Spring, along with Los Gatos Morning and San Jose Rotary, we sponsor the Enterprise Leadership Conference bringing together nearly 100 high school juniors from over 20 Silicon Valley schools to learn how to become the entrepreneurs and leaders of tomorrow! This is a three-day event at the beautiful Asilomar Conference Center in Pacific Grove where students break into teams led by Rotarian mentors to develop an idea for a business. Throughout the conference, they are introduced to the concepts of Marketing, Finance, Research, and Human Resources as they develop their Business Plans. On the final day of the event, all of the teams present their plans before a panel of judges in a spirited but friendly competition. Join us at our March 18^th meeting when the winning team from the 2025 ELC presents their pitch to our club!

Join us for an inside look at minor league baseball with San Jose Giants President, Ben Taylor, who will be interviewed by Los Gatos Rotarian, Mike Norcia.

Matt Braker has served as a prosecutor with the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office for over 25 years, bringing justice and compassion to some of the county's most challenging cases. As the head of the Homicide Unit, he oversees all homicide prosecutions, the Cold Case Unit, and Officer-Involved Shootings.

A two-time recipient of the prestigious Napolean J. Menard Trial Advocacy Award, Matt was most recently honored in 2017 for successfully prosecuting three jail guards in the high-profile murder case of mentally ill inmate Michael Tyree.

Matt earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Washington and graduated from Santa Clara University School of Law in 1992. He and his wife, Cyd, reside in San Jose and are proud parents of two grown sons, Bill and Max.

Beyond the courtroom, Matt has been an engaged and passionate member of the Rotary Club of San Jose since 2015 and will proudly assume the role of Club President this July.

Join us for a captivating presentation by Matt Braker as he takes us inside the world of cold case investigations. He'll highlight the story of a 1974 Palo Alto murder and the groundbreaking forensic techniques that finally brought justice decades later.

Matt will also discuss the formation of the Cold Case Unit within the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office, sharing insights on the unit's successes and how modern technology is transforming the way old cases are solved. Don't miss this compelling and thought-provoking talk!

Ewell Sterner is founder and Executive Director of Hunger at home In San Jose which got its start in 2008 in San Diego and moved to Silicon Valley in 2015. Ewell, a single dad of 4 kids, was with his 8 year old volunteering at a food bank when Casidy turned to his dad and said “Why are so many people hungry and homeless? We must do more” And they did!. Ewell started Hunger at Home which distributes food to hungry and homeless through an amazing network and at last count had donated close to 13 million meals locally. Where does that food come from and how does it get to the people in need? Wait until you hear!

Dr. Herbert Lin is a Fellow in Cyber Policy and Security at the Stanford University Hoover Institution and senior research scholar for cyber policy and security at the Center for International Security and Cooperation also at Stanford. He has previously served on Obama’s Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity and on the House Armed Services Committee during the Reagan Administration. He will discuss the landscape of digital security as a national security issue, addressing both offensive operations in cyberspace and information/influence operations.