Heeere's Tom ......

ALL SMILES: PDG Tom, Secretary Jan and President Bernie

You'd think, wouldn't you, that the most recent past district governor would be allowed to rest upon his laurels for a while. But oh no, PDG Tom Novotny, just shy of two months retired from his hectic round of supervising District 5300, was called to the podium at our club's meeting Tuesday, Aug. 24.

On the agenda was the critical matter of presenting Tom with his insignia and certificate of membership in the Paul Harris Society.

And who signed the certificate? Why, it was none other than the-then disrict governor, Tom Novotny. What wonderful things are those stamps that can forge signatures so splendidly.

The Paul Harris Society recognizes those Rotarians who pledge at least a $1,000 annual contribution to the Rotary Foundation.

Mike Sexton helmed the camera for this shot. More photographs from our weekly club meetings always available on the club photos page of our website: http://www.lasvegaswestrotary.org/

Just as cheerful as he always was, Brett goes home

Homeward bound at last

Surprise! Brett Grant was released from Southern Hills Hospital in Las Vegas on Monday afternoon, just over a week after he was admitted there.

Brett will continue his rehabilitation and recuperation from his home,

This is a remarkable and happy development for Brett, who has fought bravely and strongly against complications from a cancer operation at the City of Hope Hospital in Los Angeles for more than two months.

The picture was taken by Ken Cox, who ferried Brett home from the hospital.

All members of the Rotary Club of Las Vegas West send their good wishes to Brett and his family with the hope that it won'be too long before his recuperation allows him to come back to see us soon.

What Tom did on his summer vacation

No prizes for guessing what Tom Lott did on his summer vacation. What he did is what he does on any good day.

What he did was what Mark Twain called "a good walk, spoiled." What Winston Churchill said was a pursuit "whose aim is to hit a very small ball into a even smaller hole, with weapons singularly ill-designed for the purpose."

Tom played golf. That is the sport A.A. Milne called "the best game in the world at which to be bad."

We are not saying Tom is bad at golf, of course. That's for his golfing buddies to determine.

Anyway, doesn't the real truth of golf spring from the joy one gets from it?

Following is a selection of pictures of Tom's recent golfing vacation in Idaho. Don't he and Mary appear to be joyful?

The great man takes a swing.

Mary and Tom toast each other as they prepare to feast.

Does this not appear to be an island golf course?

The master, out squatting in his field.

A phone call from Brett
Members usually get fined if their phones ring during a club meeting -- but when Bill Pierce's phone rang Tuesday, he got a cheer instead.

On the other end was Brett Grant, making a cheerful call to club members from his rehab room in Las Vegas. That's right, Las Vegas.

Brett came home to Vegas from the City of Hope hospital in Los Angeles last Friday.

He is now under the care of his Las Vegas oncologist and wife Kathy says he is progressing but is still weak.

She thanks everyone for their prayers and support during this trying time.

Kathy says Brett is checking his Facebook account and she encourages people to leave him messages on his wall.

When Brett called the club Tuesday, Bill put the phone on loudspeaker so everyone could hear the weak, but irrepressible voice of our much loved and absent member.

More to the point, Brett could hear the rousing cheer he was given by assembled members.

Let's hope it won't be long before he hears the rousing cheer we will give him when he walks back in through the doors of the Rotary Club of Las Vegas West.

Something's fishy here

Don't ask about the one that got away

Ok, so what did YOU do on your vacation? At least two of our members fled the Silver State for places with more water and supplied us photographic evidence.

Ken Cox flew off to Alaska to wrestle with salmon. That's him, right, the alive-looking one with the hat.

Ted Baker hightailed it to Hawaii with the kids. He spent his time photographing sea turtles and sunsets instead of bikinied babes on the beach. He was with the kids, remember.

Thanks, guys. Now, where are the photographs for the trips the rest of you took? We know you went somewhere. You weren't at our meetings.

Such a pretty smile

It's great to see him smiling at last. The indomitable Brett Grant manages one of his characteristic impish grins for the camera as he continues his medical fight.

Brett, one of the brightest lights of our Rotary club, and most sorely missed by all, has been battling complications from a cancer operation for more than a month at the City of Hope hospital in Los Angeles.

At first, we kept people up to date on Brett's condition through postings on this blog, mostly lifted from his family's notes on the hospital's Care Pages website.

But now Brett has recovered enough that he's able to write about his own condition on his beloved Facebook. Today he reports: New record today, 291 steps, 5 trips around the lobby. Last Wednesday I took 2 steps!

By the way, the Facebook posting is by doctors' orders. Brett's physicians think texting and other uses of his cell phone help him with his motor skills.

Wish his doctors would prescribe posting to this blog. We could do with generating some more interest.

Our new mates from Down Under

One of the great joys of becoming the most fabulous Rotary club in the known world is that we are talked about everywhere and are a club of choice for visitors from across the globe.

Our It's Vegas, Baby Internet-based raffle clearly is the better mousetrap that has caused the world to beat a path to our door.

Latest visitors drawn to our door are the super Aussie-friendly Brian and June Bragg, both members of the Wetherill Park Rotary Club in the western Sydney suburbs.

Brian is immediate past president of the club, who fled Australia the minute his year was over.

In the picture, Brian and Las Vegas West President Bernie Hunt swap banners. Our club president envies Brian for achieving his title of past president and for lighting out for the territory as soon as he could. Bernie has only 46 weeks to go, but hey, who's counting?

June is treasurer of Wetherill Park and both are Paul Harris Fellows.

Among our other guests who dropped in to say g'day to Brian and June was PDG Roy York of the Las Vegas Fremont Rotary Club. Roy has visited the land Down Under several times, including with Rotary groups. If reincation is true, he hopes to come back as an Australian.

Brian says he and June left Sydney the day after he handed over to a new president. They've spent the last six weeks wandering in western Canada and Alaska, then dropping into Las Vegas for a week to check out the delights of Sin City. They're visiting the Grand Canyon and then heading on for a week or so with friends in California before heading home.

The Wetherill Park club is similar to the Rotary Club of Las Vegas West. It was chartered in 1993 and is situated in the western suburbs of a big city. It focuses its energies on aid to local schoolchildren.

We are even roughly about the same size, though Wetherill Park is a wee bit larger, at 35 members. But our membership drive this year is set to propel us past them. Brian is membership chair of his club, so it's an international Olympics of membership, then.

Our man in Ohio

Wandering Las Vegas West Rotarian Phil Hoffman swaps banners with Jody Levitt. president of the Rotary Club of Canton, Phil's hometown. Canton also is the hometown of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Phil attended the club's meeting Friday, Aug. 7.

Wandering Las Vegas West Rotarian Phil Hoffman swaps banners with Jody Levitt. president of the Rotary Club of Canton, Phil's hometown. Canton also is the hometown of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Phil attended the club's meeting Friday, Aug. 7. 

Our hero: Looking forward to going home

Homecoming nears for Brett
Kathy Grant reports again
Brett was able to stand up today and he is in a wheelchair sitting up straight.

Medically he is almost ready to come home, but he needs to be stronger before he is transferred to rehab in Vegas.

Please pray that his physical strength improves so he can come home.

I am returning home on Friday. Brett's parents are coming to California.

Thank you to all of you for your prayers and cards.

Thank you especially to the Bullocks who have all but officially adopted Dominic and Zachary.

Meanwhile, another voice is heard

We know Brett is almost back to normal after his withering experience because he is back on Facebook. Fans of this sometimes useful social network can find the man displaying his vivacious wit there once again.

He's also responding as he can to text messages sent to his phone. Doctors have asked him to text as a medical tool -- they believe it will help with his coordination.

At the same time, though, they don't want to overwhelm him. Right now, he's probably getting just enough text time to keep him busy.

Ed. note: Dunno who shot this wonderful photograph or we'd have given a credit line. Thanks to the anonymous artiste.