Pulse for the week of February 13, 2023

Giuliano Kornberg joined Rotary in 2019, brought to the club by former member Alice Sauro. Giuliano grew up in Minnesota and lived there until he went to Stanford. With an undergraduate degree in Percussion and a Master’s in Music Science and Technology in hand, he got his first full-time job from that the same Alice Sauro as a fundraiser for the Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera. Giuliano continued to grow professionally and was appointed be Executive Director of the Philharmonic and Opera in 2022. Rumor has it that he is one of the, if not THE youngest, persons in the US to run a professional orchestra. According to Giuliano, the hardest part of being the leader is that, while he used to have one boss, he now has hundreds—because he answers to the audience, the musicians, the union, the donors and the community. The rewarding part has been seeing first-hand how much classical music impacts lives, and having the chance to work with people like Sandy Smoley, who has been involved with ‘the Phil’ for twice as long as Giuliano has been alive! Giuliano is engaged to Laine Himmelman, to whom he will be married in June. He met Laine a few years after moving to Sacramento, when he was helping a friend open the Fizz Bar in DOCO. The crowd was larger than planned and Giuliano became the de facto bouncer. Three very attractive women tried to enter and Giuliano welcomed them. The owner quickly realized that Giuliano was not cut out for bouncer duties, stepped in and drew the line. In an act of grace, Giuliano offered the women champagne before telling them they had to leave. Only one took him up on the offer: Laine. They ran into each other a month later and he feared she might have bad feelings about his bouncer career, but she didn’t hold it against him, and they’ve been together ever since. Last summer, he proposed at the Bogle winery in 100-degree heat, with several of her friends hiding and ready to jump out and celebrate the newly engaged couple. Two days later, they were on a plane to Belgium for the Electronic Dance Music Festival, Tomorrowland. For astute listeners – that is NOT classical music. Giuliano’s main hobbies are travelling, playing tennis, and attending music festivals or concerts. He also loves going to the beach and swimming in the ocean, reading, and visiting family back in Minnesota. Fun Fact – Giuliano was almost born in a sushi bar! His parents were eating sushi on February 26, 1993, after which his mom immediately went into labor. She gave birth on the 27^th and  – true story – sushi is his favorite food!

Chair of the Day Past-President Diane Mizell pointed out that Kitty O’Neal has been a fixture in Sacramento media – both radio and TV – for 38 years. Noting that we were celebrating Valentine’s Day, she shared that for 33 of those years, Kitty has been married to restaurateur and executive chef Kurt Spataro. And because Kitty has graced the dais on prior occasions, Diane encouraged a warm Rotary re-welcome!

kitty shared many observations about her life and her roots. She grew up in a military family, noting with pride that all from her family who’d served now have their rest at Arlington National Cemetery. She shared that among her grandfather’s claims to fame was that he was Charles Lindbergh’s flight instructor. That claim has a bit of tarnish, as Mr. Lindbergh’s politics have come increasingly to light, but it’s still a brush with history. Further along in his military career, her grandfather was the Commander of Rhein Main Air Base (today, Frankfurt, Germany’s main airport) and during that time his daughter was asked out by a young Lt. O’Neal. She declined. Later Lt. O’Neal was called to the Commander’s office. The Commander instructed Lt. O’Neal that he’d be taking the Commander’s daughter to a military ball. She made him work for it, but Lt. O’Neal eventually struck a marital bargain. Kitty shared other stories – including how she met her husband, while she was singing with a touring band. Her band had gigs in Medford, Oregon and, while there, she asked around if anyone wanted to go check out the nearby Ashland Shakespeare Festival. Kurt was the only one to say yes. Over time, Kitty said yes, too! They now live happily together with five cats. Kitty also related that she had a favorite first cousin who lived in Virginia, but wanted to move to California. Kitty went back to accompany her on the trip, which was a memorable experience. After they arrived, she wanted to introduce her cousin to connect her in town. She suggested that her colleague Tom Sullivan (the radio finance guy) invite her cousin out, to which he replied, “I don’t do ‘charity dates.’” Kitty told him it was his loss. Then Kitty had her cousin come by the studio and, when Tom saw her cousin, he sent a text asking to be introduced. Tom and Kitty’s cousin have now been married more than 20 years! Kitty then shared several photos of her years covering the Oscars in Los Angeles, with a focus on her dresses, some designed by a well-known designer, some designed and made by Kitty herself. It was a St. Valentine’s Day love-fest with Kitty and the club thanked her warmly for her presentation.

After thanking Kitty, President Linda called on Sergeant-at-Arms Käthe Nathan, who announced that there will be no meeting next week in observance of President’s Day, but that on February 28^th, we will feature a special presentation by SR-71 pilot Brian Shul. Past President WALTER DAHL offered a closing thought, and President Linda concluded the meeting at 1:30 p.m.

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