We lost a couple of good ones

JIM DE BOOM

With the passing of developer Jack Mullan and Rotarian Jim Sirkin,

the Orange Coast has lost a couple of real contributors to the

community.

I knew Jack from his involvement in the Orange County Coast Assn.,

where he was not only a past president, but also the longest serving

member with 55-plus years of membership in the group. Jack attended

the Sept. 24 luncheon meeting at Newport Dunes, went home and died in

his sleep that night, according to his wife Beverly.

“The week before, Jack celebrated his 80th birthday with family

and friends and that’s all he could talk about. We consider that to

be his memorial service,” she said.

“He was a good friend and neighbor for many years,” said Marian

Bergeson.

“I regret that I was not able to attend the last OCCA meeting and

have a rousing conversation with Jack, as I did many times,” said

Laguna Beach Council member Wayne Baglin.

“Jack’s enthusiasm was part of the glue that held the organization

together. His stories and his friendship will be missed,” added Peer

Swan of the Irvine Ranch Water District and current OCCA president.

In addition to USC alumni and Republican Party activities, Jack

was also active in the P-38 Foundation at March Air Force Base. He

was proud to be a contributor to an hour-long cable TV program on the

P-38 that ran last year. Hanging on the wall in my office is No. 17

out of 500 prints of a charcoal drawing of “Ethan,” a.k.a. John

Wayne, which Jack had commissioned.

Jim Sirkin, a Newport Balboa Rotarian, died after a lengthy battle

with cancer last week. Jim, who had been a Rotarian since 1985,

served as club treasurer and club president in 1999-2000. Jim was the

only known Democrat in the club as we used to kid each other. But

politics aside, Jim was a doer in the community -- helping to sort

Reading by 9 books, serving as a field judge at the City Track

meeting and delivering trees on Arbor Day to local schools. Jim was

club president when fellow Rotarian Raj Desai sought support for

Project Deaf India.

“Rotary replaced organized religion for Jim,” said his partner of

many years, Markee Frischle. Frischle said that Jim was proud of the

clean-water project the club sponsored during the year he was

president. They helped a small village in India, where the water

carried so many diseases that the residents felt they had been cursed

by God, Frischle said.

Rotarian Roger Gilbert said Sirkin’s memorial celebration will be

held today, the same day of the memorial service for Dan Dunham, the

former Rotarian who sponsored Jim into the Rotary Club. Both were too

young. All three will be missed. Condolences to the families.

HELPING CHILDREN - PROJECT L.O.O.K.

On Oct. 2, a group of Lions from District 4-L4, including the

District Governor Barbara Hayward, traveled to Tecate, Mexico, for

their annual international service project of giving eye examinations

and glasses to children.

Working in conjunction with the local Tecate Lions Club, 195

children received visual examinations and 89 needed prescription

glasses. Their glasses are being made in California and then will be

taken back to Tecate in November.

Project L.O.O.K. Chairman Joan Parks of the Harbor Mesa Lions was

among the 18 volunteers who did the examinations, which included five

optometrists and three opticians. She said that all the volunteers

feel this project is a rewarding, hands-on service, and the results

are obvious when the children reap the benefits.

The volunteers travel to Tecate at their own expense, but are

treated to home-cooked food by the Tecate Lions Club. The glasses are

donated from various sources.

For further information about Project L.O.O.K, contact Joan at

(949) 548-2440.

WORTH REPEATING

From the Thought for Today, provided by Greg Kelley of the Newport

Mesa Irvine Interfaith Council: “Just remember, the attitude that you

wake up with determines the kind of day you will have.”

-- KRYSTA OBERG

Want to get more involved in your community? Visit a service club

this coming week. Most will buy your first guest meal and all will

welcome your interest in learning more about their club. Listed below

are this week’s service club meetings and websites. Get involved.

Give back to your community!

SERVICE CLUB MEETINGS THIS WEEK

TUESDAY

7:30 a.m.: The 47-member Newport Beach Sunrise Rotary Club meets

at Five Crowns Restaurant to hear a craft talk by Richard Shinn and a

discussion of Proposition L by Tom Billings. (https://www.newportbeach

sunriserotary.org).

6 p.m.: The Costa Mesa Newport Harbor Lions Club meets at the

Costa Mesa Golf and Country Club (https://www.cmnhlions.com).

WEDNESDAY

7:30 a.m.: The South Coast Metro Rotary Club will meet at the

Holiday Inn, and the Newport Harbor Kiwanis Club will meet at the

University Athletic Club.

Noon: The Exchange Club of the Orange Coast meets at the Bahia

Corinthian Yacht Club for a program on Project Cuddle.

6 p.m.: The 50-member Rotary Club of Newport-Balboa meets at the

Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club for a program by Monica Smith, corporate

sales manager for the Newport Beach Conference and Visitor’s Bureau,

will talk about the bureau (https://www.newportbalboa.org).

THURSDAY

7 a.m.: The 20-plus member Costa Mesa-Orange Coast Breakfast Lions

Club will meet at Mimi’s Cafe to hear club member Richard Baughman

speaking on “The Plains Indians from the 1700s to the 1900s”

(https://www.cmoclions.org).

Noon: The 50-member Costa Mesa Kiwanis Club will meet at the

Holiday Inn for a program on financial planning

(https://www.kiwanis.org/club/

costamesa); the 50-member Newport Beach-Corona del Mar Kiwanis

Club meets at the Bahia Corinthian Yacht Club to hear Ray Golden of

Southern California Edison speak about the San Onofre Nuclear

Generating Station; the 85-member Exchange Club of Newport Harbor

meets at the Nautical Museum to hear Dr. Abrams on “Animal Assisted

Therapy” (https://www.nhexchange

club.com); the Rotary Club of Newport Irvine meets at the Radisson

Hotel to hear Don Silberman of the Optics Institute of Southern

California (https://www.nirotary.org).

* COMMUNITY & CLUBS is published Saturdays in the Daily Pilot.

Send your service club’s meeting information by fax to (714) 921-8655

or by e-mail to jdeboom@aol.com.