The Pulse for the Week of February 3rd, 2026

It was a speed meeting at ye olde Rotary Club this week, as President Kerry expedited all business in a shortened one-hour meeting, due to some local politicos gathering next door.

Wasting no time, Prez Kerry thanked the meeting crew – greeters Bruce Hester and The Gabriels (Gendron and de la Torre), wine reception hostess-with-the-mostest, Nancy Smith-Fagan, and a couple of Johns (Swentowsky and Wood) on photographer and Pulse reporter.

A photo of people at an event sitting at round tables

Next up was newer member, Aaron Provencal, who furnished us with the Thought for the Day (health is our resource for service), and then up stepped Sarge-at-Arms, Sarah Hodge, with the guest intros.

The birthday kids this week were Mary deLeo, James Rhodes-Dreyer and Len Simpson, and then President Kerry beckoned forth Meeting Sponsor Brad Schmidt, who donated his three minutes to Alexis Padilla of the American Cancer Society of Sacramento. Alexis encouraged club members to consider becoming volunteer drivers to help cancer patients make their appointments.

If you’d like to be awesome like Brad and sponsor a meeting, where you can use your $350-and-3 to promote your business, or donate your time to a favorite charity – contact Josh Pelz and he’ll set you up (the one donation you can make that benefits both you and the Club).

Dennis Cook was the Rotarian that we got to know better this week, courtesy of Jim Henderson. See Dennis for the details, but long story short: Don’t ask Dennis to ship your dog long distance.

Caregrams were offered this week to Steve Huffman, whose wife, Sally, is facing appreciable health challenges. Steve is in heavy caregiver mode, and I’m sure would appreciate an e-mail or card from his fellow Rotarians.

Meeting Announcements

Hiking Club – PP Jim Leet has another Rotary walk planned, this time a “Mural Walk” in the heart of Sacramento. The walk is on March 8th (9:30 a.m. to Noon), and will cover 2.5 miles or 24 murals, depending upon how you count your steps.

Rotary After Dark – in lieu of a lunch meeting on February 24th, we’ll gather socially at 5:30pm at Bike Dog in East Sacramento (1210 66th Street), announced organizer Megan Laurie.

Jean Runyon Award – Maggie Hopkins advises that nominations are open for this year’s Jean Runyon Award, with nominations due by February 21. Jean Runyon was the first female member of our club, and we have an annual award to recognize a current Rotarian that is imbued with Jean’s spirit of service [President Elect-Nominee Jamie Furlong being last year’s recipient).

Golf 4 Kids 2026! – President-Elect Paul Keefer advised that this year’s Golf 4 Kids will be at an 18-hole course, and Pickle Ball will also be offered for those who like hitting a ball that you don’t have to chase into the woods. The event is tentatively set for May, with details to follow.

Speaking of Paul, he was a notable tither during the money portion of the meeting, celebrating the blessed event of his adult son getting off of his car insurance (Paul’s wallet did appear noticeably fatter). Also noteworthy was Tom Bacon, who won another chili cookoff with his now-patented “Dark Side of the Spoon” chili masterpiece (so named by his son Willie, who clearly is destined for a career in marketing).

After the revenue-raising, Prez Kerry beckoned forth Tim Comstock, who introduced his longtime friend and our guest speaker, Adan Romo. Adan is a Sacramento resident and world renowned artist, and in his youth he was a Rotary Ambassador Scholar, learning the sculpting trade in Italy thanks to Rotary.

You’ll find some of Adan’s sculptures in Capitol Park at the Firefighter’s Memorial, in Folsom on the Johnny Cash Trail, and in his midtown studio (Romo Studios), where Adan invites you to visit.

a man and a woman standing next to each other while the woman is holding a certificate/award — President Kerry Wood and Andy McKay

President Kerry won’t be available for next week’s meeting, but we have the legend, Past President John Frisch, ready to dust off his presidential shtick and bring the entertainment as only he can, so plan to attend (and don’t forget to RSVP!). Our lunch speaker will be Gregg Lukenbill, developer, civic leader, and head of the Sacramento Historical Society. Gregg will share insights on Sacramento’s evolution, the impact of bringing the Sacramento Kings to town (he was central), the development of ARCO Arena, and the misunderstood importance of John Sutter in our city’s history. The meeting begins promptly at 12:10 PM.

Click here to check out or club calendar and RSVP.