THE GALILEO OBSERBVER

As we enter our third year of publication of The Observer, we look forward to many accomplishments and increased membership in GAA.

Membership has grown steadily; we now have 245 members. Our operating budget shows a modest but steady increase, and new events are on the horizon.

Soon we will have our first ever alumni page in The Pendulum. The Pendulum will be mailed to all donating members of GAA. We hope it fills the gap for those who do not have access to a computer to read this monthly e-newsletter. GAA will continue to support The Pendulum throughout the school year.

In addition, GAA looks forward to several musical fundraising events, participation in the Sports Hall of Fame Dinner, Spring Festival, Song & Yell Contest, and Columbus Day Parade.

Sometime in the near future you will see Galileo alumni volunteers answering phones during a KQED-TV pledge campaign.

The Joan Lucchesi Ertola Scholarship Award is supported by GAA as well as funded by the Ertola Family. Its first recipient/s will be chosen this year.

GAA will seek new ways and new ventures to bring our alumni, young and old, together in camaraderie and good times.

Once again, we ask for your support and membership donations to help us reach these goals.

May this year be filled with joy, good health, and fond memories of bygone days at Galileo.

GAA needs more active participation from its members. We are seeking alumni willing to serve on the Board of Directors or committees and welcome everyone who has attended Galileo. If you are interested, please contact Jim Dresser at president@galileoalumni.org.

At a recent luncheon at Caesar’s Restaurant in San Francisco, wide smiles were seen on the faces of Mario Lombardi, Pete Pompei, and Nick Valeri. The 2004-05 Galileo Lions had just won the San Francisco AAA basketball championship. The last time the Lions won this honor was in 1950-51. Mario, Pete, and Nick were on the starting five, along with Don Bragg and Jerry Tamelier.

Don’t forget the Galileo Sports Hall of Fame dinner on May 21 at the Italian Athletic Club. These inductees will be honored: Dick Bechelli ’51, Mike De Luca ’65, Kevin Fong ’77, Ernie "Babe" Gammino (posthumously) ’46, Vince Gomez ’52, Coach Dave Longacre, Joe Martino ’50, Frank Pavich ’51, Pete Pompei ’51, Peter San Filippo ’73, Ron Sligar ’51, Nick Valeri ’51, and Joanne Wiltshire ’55. For more details, go to http://galileoalumni.org/events-future.html#Sports.

Those of you who receive The Lions’ Pride have seen repeated references to the March Board Meeting minutes not being available on the GAA website. To clarify the obvious, no meeting was held in March, so there are no minutes to post.

Galileo alumni are heading to Reno May 4-6 to renew old friendships and create new ones. Although this is not a GAA-sponsored event, it has been endorsed by GAA. Hopefully, you are one of the 360 who signed up to attend.

Ed Belasco ’50 is presenting “Guys and Dolls” May 13 – June 5 at Del Valle Theatre in Walnut Creek, CA. While GAA is not organizing a group for this latest production, we urge you to attend what always is a great show put on by talented young people. For more information or to order tickets, see http://www.belascotheatrecompany.com/belasco/.

Many GAA Board members have experienced illness, surgery, or personal tragedy in the past two months. Hopefully, this is behind us and we will be back to full strength in May. We invite all alumni to attend our next meeting on May 12, 6:30 PM, at Galileo Academy of Science and Technology.

Ed. Note: Others on the championship basketball team of 1950-51 were Ralph Yakushi,

Seating is limited, so send your contact information, check, and choice of entrée now. The deadline for reservations is May 10, 2005.

Mail to: Galileo High School
Attention: Galileo Sports Hall of Fame
1150 Francisco Street
San Francisco, CA 94109

Don’t miss this gala event. Here’s an opportunity to get together with classmates and friends and honor the new inductees:

Dick Bechelli 1951
Mike De Luca 1965
Kevin Fong 1977
Ernie “Babe” Gammino (posthumously)1946
Vince Gomez 1952
Dave Longacre Coach
Joe Martino 1950
Frank Pavich 1951
Pete Pompei 1951
Peter San Filippo 1973
Ron Sligar 1951
Nick Valeri 1951
Joanne Wiltshire 1955

Free parking will be available at St. Peter & Paul’s on a first come, first served basis.

In recent weeks the Galileo Academy and Principal Margaret Chiu have been honored with several awards. Galileo received the Distinguished School Award by the California Department of Education. The award was based on the standardized test score achievement. This was the second such award for Galileo, having previously won in 1996. Margaret Chiu credits the turnaround to the cooperation of all of her staff working together to improve the students’ achievement. Earlier, Margaret received the California School Master of the Year Award, the only Galileo Principal to do so since the school began in 1921. Congratulations, Galileo and Principal Chiu!

Note: In April, a visit to Galileo was made by the committee of the Western Accreditation for Schools and Colleges (WASC). At the luncheon, GAA was represented by Vice President Bernard Valdez and the Sports Hall of Fame was represented by Ron Ertola.

Two crews entered the race this year, with Celestial Dragon A being the more competitive boat and B being the less competitive boat. Galileo A placed fourth in Division C, while Galileo B placed fourth in Division D. We also participated in the gender races.

Even though we didn’t bring any medals home, we had a great time racing and the team made a drastic improvement from last year. We lost by less than a second in the final race.

In terms of expenses, the club has spent $550 for two boats to enter the race. The T-shirts were about $600-700, but the club asked every member to pay $7 to purchase at T-shirt. We also held a barbecue on race day, and the cost for that was about $150-200.

We are also planning to get a gift for our coach and our steer person, for they have volunteered their valuable time to train us. The budget for that is about $100.

Once again, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Alumni Association for the donation it made to our club. We greatly appreciate it.

Editor’s Note: Amos Fung is the newly-elected President of the Dragon Boat Club for 2005-06.

Phil Pallete’s (Class of 1938) book on basketball great, Hank Luisetti, The Game Changer: How Hank Luisetti Revolutionized America’s Great Indoor Game, has been published. He describes how a young Gregory Peck, who attended Cal, sat watching a game with Stanford where Luisetti went flat on his back. Lloyd Leith, former coach at Mission High School, and Pacific Coast Conference referee, whistled to stop the game. The author lives near Madison Square Garden in New York City and is currently working on a mystery novel that takes place in 1936 San Francisco. For more information about the Luisetti book, go to www.authorhouse.com, or contact Phil at ppallette@nyc.rr.com.

Vince Gomez (1952) recently celebrated his 70^th birthday at Washington Square Bar & Grill, where he plays bass every other Thursday. On hand to toast Vince and flip through 1950s yearbooks were Ed DeMartini, Leon and Cathey, John and Peggy Orofino (she was a student at Galileo, he taught history at Galileo from 1980 to 1988), and your Editor. We all reminisced while listening to the jazz sounds of Vince and his piano-playing partner, Dick Fregulia.

ON THE MOVE: Harvey Tepfer, from Lake Forest, CA, to Murphy, TX, a suburb of Dallas, to be near his daughter and grandchildren. Harvey says a wave of Californians are moving to Texas. How come?

Earlier this year, a contingent of Galileans attended the Ed Belasco Company’s presentation of The Wiz in Walnut Creek. Many went to dinner later at Petar’s in Lafayette. As always, the performance was outstanding. Next up is Guys and Dolls, starting on May 15^th. Highly recommended.

Speaking of performances, Nina Clima writes that she played Grandma Angelina Gucci in the show, Gino & Gina’s Wedding” recently at the San Francisco Italian Athletic Club. There was a lot of audience participation during the wedding and almost everyone got up to dance. It was a sellout both nights. Nina’s girlfriend, Elena Mauro Granelli’s (Gal alumna) son Mike sang one of the songs and was great, a surprise to his Mom and Dad. Tina Canepa (Gal alum Antone Canepa’s daughter) produced the show.

Life imitating Art: In the October, 2004 issue of this newsletter, I touted the film Sideways. Since then it has won numerous awards including the Screen Actors Guild Actor for best cast. In the February 17, 2005 issue of The Wall Street Journal, in a front page article, mention is made of the fact that movie fans as well as wine aficionados have inundated Santa Barbara County (where the film takes place), its restaurants, bars and wineries. Tourists are pouring in and repeating some of the lines uttered in the film. It will be no time at all before the otherwise little known wineries will run out of product to pour.

Parrot Fever: The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill is highly recommended It is currently having a run at the Embarcadero Center Cinema. Go see it and feel good.

Lookalike: I thought it was Pete Pompei (1951) when I saw a billboard ad for El Cucuy de la manana, 93.3 on the radio dial.

American Idol: This season’s finale is nearing, and it is a no-brainer. The two finalists should be Carrie Underwood and Bo Bice, with Carrie becoming the American Idol for 2005. Last year’s runner-up, Diana deGarmo, will be appearing at the Alameda County Fair in July. The show is free with Fair admission.

Thought for today: Tell me and I forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand. –Chinese Proverb

We are proud to have resurrected it after 55 years, and Vince will be writing it periodically in this newsletter. We hope you enjoy his commentary.

I have not written a column for The Pendulum since my senior year at Galileo. When Sisvan Der Harootunian, my Pendulum editor from those days, contacted me to resurrect the column about sports, music, and San Francisco for the alumni newsletter, I was flattered but hesitant. I wondered what subjects would be of interest to our faithful older Lions. Two American pop male vocalists, who have shared those years since our high school days, came to mind. They are Tony Bennett and Johnny Mathis. Both have connections to San Francisco in one way or another. Bennett, aside from his signature hit, I Left My Heart in San Francisco, is a good friend of two Galileo alums, Ed Belasco and Dino Natali. Mathis is a Washington High School graduate, class of 1953, and was a basketball teammate on the “Lou’s Corner” championship North Beach-Salesian League team of 1952. On that team were Galileo alums Ernie Russo, Doug Hom and myself.

I recall that Bennett’s first hits while we were in high school included Because of You, I Won’t Cry Anymore, and Cold, Cold Heart. These songs, among others, led to his tremendous popularity before the 1962 recording that associates him forever with our city. Born Anthony Dominic Benedetto in Astoria, Queens, New York in 1926, he began performing at the age of seven and studied voice on the G. I. Bill after his discharge from the Army in 1946. It was comedian Bob Hope who changed his name to Tony Bennett in 1948. After testing his act in different saloons in New York, his breakthrough hit was The Boulevard of Broken Dreams on Columbia Records. The following years brought commercial success but failures in his domestic life, and the advent of rock and roll in the late 50s caused his career to decline. Only after the popularity of I Left My Heart in San Francisco did the club engagements and concerts begin to bring him new fans. Since that time he has maintained a rigorous schedule, singing 200 dates a year worldwide. Just as recently as the 90s, MTV exposed him to a younger generation that had never heard of him or his songs. Only this past October he appeared with his longtime accompanists, the Ralph Sharon Trio, at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View. The concert, a benefit for a private school, featured Neil Young and Paul McCartney as well as Tony. The highlight of that show was when Bennett and McCartney sang one number together. Another facet of Bennett’s creative passion is manifested in his paintings. He has done portraits of famous musician friends, and his oils grace art galleries worldwide. A nickname for Bennett is Mr. Cool (a jazz term that typifies excellence), and he lives up to that name.

Johnny Royce Mathis was born in 1935 in Gilmer, Texas, the fourth of seven children of Clem and Mildred Mathis. The family moved to San Francisco a few years later, and he was given piano and voice lessons from the age of thirteen. I first met Johnny when we played basketball at the old St. Dominic’s gym in the Fillmore District around 1951. He was a high jumper in track and field as well as a great rebounder for his height (5’ 7”) in basketball. It was only later that I found out he was a talented singer as well. My former wife was his piano accompanist during school assemblies at Washington High School, and the three of us would drive around the city singing away in her Dad’s Model A Ford. Before long Johnny was at San Francisco State, and his skill as a high jumper caught the attention of the U. S. Olympic committee. He was invited to try out for the team in 1956. At the same time he was discovered singing at a nightclub on Broadway Street (Ann’s 440). The club owner brought him to the attention of George Avakian, a Columbia Records executive, who offered Johnny a contract to record for the label in New York. His first recordings were jazz oriented and failed to make an impression on the record charts. Under the guidance of musical producer/conductor Mitch Miller, lush ballads such as It’s Not For Me To Say, Chances Are, Wonderful, Wonderful, and Misty started him on the road to superstardom and album sales in the millions. An interesting coincidence is that Mitch Miller also had selected many of Tony Bennett’s early hits on Columbia Records. Today Johnny is still much in demand as a concert and nightclub performer, playing almost one hundred shows each year from Las Vegas to appearances with symphony orchestras. When he is not performing he can be found at the nearest golf course or in his kitchen cooking up gourmet meals.

These two veteran performers have large groups of fans worldwide and a huge discography that spans over 50 years. In spite of their own unique style and sound, they both sing with impeccable intonation, a great sense of rhythm, possessing tremendous range and breath control, along with their wonderful approach to the lyrics of each song. They have worked with some of the best musicians, arrangers and composers in the country, including Count Basie, Leonard Bernstein, Bill Evans, Henry Mancini, Cole Porter, Bart Howard, Herbie Hancock, Ralph Burns and Stan Getz, to name a few. Two recent DVDs you should add to your collection are “Tony Bennett’s New York” and “Live by Request: Johnny Mathis”. During the course of the year both usually have engagements in Tahoe, Reno and Las Vegas. I’m sure there will be a song in each show that will remind you of someone, somewhere or of a time from the past five decades since our days at Galileo. Till my next column . . . . .

Editor’s Note: Tony Bennett has also teamed with k. d. lang in concert and on records and drops in occasionally at his favorite restaurant, Fior d’Italia. Frank Sinatra called him the greatest singer.

Vince Gomez, himself an accomplished musician and teacher, appears every other Thursday at Washington Square Bar & Grill in North Beach, where he plays cool jazz along with his piano-playing partner, Dick Fregulia, and summers at the Stinson Beach Grill.

San Francisco Generations, Inc. produces the Second Annual San Francisco Native Jamboree to bring together native Sons and Daughters of San Francisco to celebrate their roots.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - The Second Annual San Francisco Native Jamboree will be held at the United Irish Cultural Center at 2700 45th Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94116 on Friday, September 16, 2005, from 6 pm to 11 pm. The day has been proclaimed Native San Francisco Day by the Mayor’s office.

What is the San Francisco Native Jamboree? It’s a fabulous party filled with laughter to bring together native San Franciscans who share a common bond of being born or raised in the most beautiful city in the world! There are many San Francisco celebrations, but we realized that there were none devoted to those born or raised in the City by the Bay.

“Because of the huge success of the 2004 Jamboree, we are planning a larger and exciting celebration this year,” stated second generation San Franciscan, Linda Molinari Mansouria, CFO of San Francisco Generations, Inc. and President of Make It Happen, LLC and The Meetings Academy. “This year’s party theme is not only intended to bring together native San Franciscans to have fun and share experiences of growing up in San Francisco, reminisce about their hangouts of the past, or talk about the colorful people in our city’s history, but to give back to the community as well.”

“We collaborated on this event because of our love for our City by the Bay,” said Debra Mugnani Monroe, CEO of San Francisco Generations and President, Monroe Personnel Service LLC and second generation San Franciscan and one of the event organizers. “We are adding to the celebration by giving two outstanding awards during the 2005 Jamboree Celebration.”

The first award, “San Francisco Classic” will be presented to provide specific recognition for a newly designed San Francisco architectural landmark. The award winner this year is home to the SF Giants – SBC Park.

The second award, “Hall of Fame” will be presented to someone who has made a difference in our community by either improving the quality of life in the city or bringing national or world attention to the City of San Francisco. The honoree this year is Herb Caen. The 2005 Volunteer Committee, along with the Event Producers, judged the award winners.

To support our community, the San Francisco Native Jamboree endorses San Francisco Conservation Corps. Their mission of helping San Francisco’s young people by providing education, training, and marketable job skills while addressing community needs through service work has touched our volunteers and a portion of our net profit will be donated to this particular non-profit.

Food will be served by the United Irish Cultural Center, dancing to the Jazzaholics, sponsored by Associated Entertainment, photos by Doorstep Photography, and surprise entertainment throughout the evening. The price is $50.00 for advanced tickets. For more information, visit our Website at www.sfnativejamboree.com.

The event is produced by San Francisco Generations Inc and sponsored by Make It Happen LLC, an event, meeting, and incentive travel company located in San Francisco for 10 years, and Monroe Personnel Service LLC and Temptime, a temporary and regular office support staffing agency located in San Francisco for the last 18 years.

Four students are being considered to receive awards. Scholarship funds will be distributed in $1,000 increments. If $3,500 is received before June, 2005, three $1,000 awards will be distributed and $500 will be carried over to the June, 2006 graduation.

Interested persons are invited to make tax deductible contributions to the Fund by mailing checks to Galileo Academy, 1150 Francisco Street, San Francisco 94109.

William A. Wieland became the third Principal of Galileo in the Fall of 1940.
He was born in Alameda, attended high school in Oakland and upon
graduation, enrolled at the University of California. While at the
University he participated in track and was also on the first soccer
squad. After graduation from college, Mr. Weiland worked for the
Oakland Tribune for several months and then
turned to teaching.

He was a teacher for three years and then World War I broke out. He
enlisted in the infantry and went overseas with the American
Expeditionary Force. During the ensuing years he advanced to the rank
of First Lieutenant. During his time at Galileo, he was also a captain
in the Army Reserves.

After the Armistice he stayed in France and took post-graduate courses
at the University of Paris for a term. He then traveled through six
different European countries, teaching physical education as part of
the rehabilitation program of Europe. Along the way he learned to
speak Italian and French fluently and had some knowledge of German and
Serbian.

When Mr. Wieland returned to America he soon became the head of the
Social Studies Department at Mission High School. In 1936 he was
transferred to George Washington High School where he served as
vice-principal until his appointment as Principal of Galileo High
School.

During the summer Mr. Wieland conducted a boys' camp on the Feather
River. He was an ardent camper and a lover of all water sports. He
was known to play third base in the faculty versus seniors baseball
games.

Principal Wieland began his time at Galileo with the words, "The
immediate task at hand is to bring back to Galileo a strong school
spirit and sense of responsibility." He was also adamant that everyone
keep the buildings and grounds in good order. On the academic side of
the school, he wanted to maintain high scholastic standards for those
going to college, but at the same time provide a practical course which
would train students to take part in the work of national defense.
Whenever Principal Wieland had prominent visitors, the first place he
took them was to the shops, particularly the machine shop. The machine
shop was always spic and span with every tool and lathe in order.

For seven years before he came to Galileo, the school facility was
shared between two schools. Principal Wieland vowed to oppose any
further sharing of the Galileo High School facility.

In January 1942 Principal Wieland supervised the birth of the Junior
Fire Warden Association for Civilian Defense at Galileo High School.
The purpose of the Junior Fire Wardens was to watch for fires caused by
incendiary bombs and to put them out. Another important duty was to
stop unnecessary talk that may have caused people to believe in the wrong
information, and also to keep people from giving such information that
may have aided the enemy. In 1943 Principal Weiland called upon all loyal
Galileans and faculty to enroll in the High School Victory Corps and to
assist in other defense activities. Mr. Wieland served as principal of
Galileo High School until 1944.

Note: This biography was contributed by Bettie Grinnell, Secretary to the Principal.

Great newsletter and congratulations to all the newly-elected officers. How wonderful of the Ron Ertola Family to set up the Joan Lucchesi Ertola Scholarship Fund for a deserving Galileo student. Good to hear positive news such as this. Anstell Daini Ricossa (Fall, 1948)

OCTOBER, 2004: Mariaelena Barbosa (1994), Cynthia Behar (1994), Chu Deng (1994), Rosemarie Campana Dufresne (1954), Helen Emery Giambruni (1945), Vincent P. LaRocca (1950), Mario Lombardi (1950), Chanhthi Ly (1994), Rose Garcia Melcher(1955), John Monfredini (1945), Carmel Cannizzaro Richard (1954), Ronald J. Rieossa (1946), Albert P. Solini (1955), Dr. Frank Tom (1968), Gloria Campisi Tornay (1948), Sean Tripi (1994), Alan Troung (1994), Stephanie Wong (1994), Victor Wong (1994), Beverly DeLosa Thomey (1952), Anna H. Lee (1974).

NOVEMBER, 2004: Kathleen O’leary Brown (1949), Oscar Colin (1956), Lou Ferrari (1953), Robert Mazeres (1948), Vincent E. Rigoni (1949) (renewal), Karen A. Haines Tschannen (1955).

DECEMBER, 2004: Lynette Tyrell Bargeney (1974), Joseph Clima (1957), Sisvan Der Harootunian (1951) (renewal), Doris Repetto DeRoss (1951), Debbie Kinsley Dittman (1950) (renewal), Jim Dresser (1951) (renewal), Juanita Wilson Gipaya (1974), Vincent Gomez (1952), Kathy George Guerrero (1960) (renewal), Loretta Wilcher Hammond (1974), Marilyn B. Maxwell Herrera (1966), Jean Lee (1974), John Lee (1967), Herb Ng (1975), Kenneth C. Pyle (1957), Joy Hebenstreit/LeBlanc Lorenz (1960).

JANUARY, 2005: Jenny Lee Chan (1994), Joseph Manabat (1994), Jasmine Xu (1994), Priscilla Hau Yata (1994).

MARCH, 2005: Joe & Pola Martino (1950), Charlene Fancher Mori (1966), Gilbert L. Solomon (1945).

GALILEO ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Financial Statement
April 1, 2005 – April 30, 2005

BALANCE FORWARD		$6,507.82
INCOME
Membership donations (New members)	25.00
TOTAL INCOME		$25.00
EXPENSES	-0-
TOTAL EXPENSES		-0-
BALANCE		$6,532.82

GALILEO ACADEMY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
ALUMNI ASSOCIATION

Bylaws

ARTICLE I

Section 1: The name of this organization shall be the Galileo Academy of Science and Technology Alumni Association of San Francisco. It will be referred to as the GAA (Galileo Alumni Association).

Section 2: The mission of this Association shall be to organize alumni into a cohesive unit to benefit all members of the high school community: alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends.

ARTICLE II

Section 1: Membership shall be open to all alumni of Galileo Academy of Science and Technology and the former Galileo High School of San Francisco. It is also open to all teachers and staff who have worked at Galileo. Any person who has shown substantial interest in the welfare of Galileo may, at the discretion of the Board of Directors, be designated an honorary member.

Section 2: The membership of any person can be terminated by expulsion or suspension of that member by the Board of Directors upon a determination by the Board that the continued membership is not in the best interests of the Association. A notice shall be sent to the member by mail at least fifteen (15) days before the proposed effective date of the suspension or expulsion setting forth the reasons for the action. The member shall be given an opportunity to be heard either orally or in writing, not fewer than five (5) days before the effective date of the proposed suspension or expulsion.

Section 3: An annual donation of $25.00 is requested from all members to defray operating costs and to support the GAA and school activities.

ARTICLE III

Section 1: An annual meeting of the general membership shall be held in January at Galileo Academy. Notification of the general meeting shall be announced on the GAA web site and in a GAA mailing.

Section 2: These bylaws and/or revision to these bylaws shall be ratified by a majority vote of the GAA membership present at the annual meeting.

Section 1: Subject to the limitation of these bylaws, the affairs of the Association shall be managed by and under the direction of the Board of Directors. The Board may appoint and prescribe duties of appropriate staff in carrying out its functions.

Section 2: The administration and general direction of the Association shall be vested in a Board of Directors consisting of fifteen directors at large who shall be elected from its membership. The offices of President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer will be selected from the the fifteen elected Directors. During the first year, members of the Board shall serve according to their interest and willingness to participate. This Board shall serve for a period of one year during the establishment of the Association. After the initial year, Board members may continue to serve without a formal election unless other members wish to be considered. Beginning with the year 2006, nominees for Board members may be made to the nominating committee in September. As a prerequisite to nomination, a prospective Board member will be an active member of the association.

If there are new nominees, a written ballot will be prepared to select the Board members who will hold these positions for the following two years. This ballot will be voted at the November meeting of 2006 by the membership present at that meeting. The newly elected Board members will take their seats in January of the subsequent year.

Section 3: Regular meetings of the Board shall generally be held on the second (2nd) Thursday of the month.

Section 4: Special meetings of the Board may be called by or at the request of the President or five Directors. The location of such meetings will be determined at that time. Notice of special meetings shall be given at least two (2) days prior, either personally or by telephone, email or fax. Email and fax notifications shall be verified as received. A four-day (4) notice will be required when using first-class mail.

Section 5: Eight (8) Directors or a majority of the Directors holding office at any point in time shall constitute a quorum. The Directors may continue to transact business during a meeting at which a quorum is not present; however, actions requiring a quorum will be deferred. Any action approved by a majority of the required quorum for that meeting will be deemed approved by the Board of Directors.

Section 6: Any action required or permitted to be taken by the Board may be taken without a meeting if all members of the Board are individually polled by telephone or email. Such action shall have the same force and effect as a vote taken at a formal meeting. Such action will be noted in the following month’s minutes.

Section 7: Any vacancy occurring on the Board of Directors shall be filled by action of a majority of the remaining directors. A director elected to fill a vacancy shall hold the term of office of his or her predecessor.

ARTICLE IV

Section 1: The officers of the Association shall be President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

Section 2: Beginning in 2004, the officers of the Association shall be nominated at the September Board meeting and elected by the Directors at the October Board meeting. New offices may be created and filled by a majority vote of the Board, and vacancies may be filled at any meeting of the Board of Directors. Elected officers will hold their positions for two years. Officers may run for the office again if they choose. Beginning with the 2006 election process, a Nominating Committee composed of two Directors will be appointed by the President in June. Their charge will be to contact interested Board Directors for each of the office positions. Ballots will be distributed to Board members only. Absentee ballots will be accepted prior to the election date. The newly elected officers will be installed in January of the following year.

Section 3: Subject to the rights, if any, of any officer elected or appointed by the Board, he or she may be removed with cause by the Board of Directors, whenever in its judgment, the best interests of the Association would be served thereby.

Section 4: Any officer may resign at any time by giving written notice to the Association. A resignation shall take effect on the date specified in that notice. Any resignation is without prejudice to the rights, if any, of the Association under any contract to which the officer is a party.

Section 5: The President shall, if present, preside at all meetings of the Association. He or she shall have general supervision, direction and control of the business of the Association. The Vice President shall assume the responsibilities of President in the President’s absence or incapacity.

Section 6: The Secretary shall be responsible for the proper recording of proceedings of meetings of the Association. The Secretary shall automatically become Treasurer if there is a vacancy or if the Treasurer is unable to perform his or her duties.

Section 7: The Treasurer shall be responsible for the Association’s funds and financial records. The Treasurer shall collect and report, or supervise the collection and reporting, of all income and expenditures, shall establish proper accounting procedures for the handling of the Association’s funds, and shall be responsible for the keeping of the funds in such banks as approved by the board. The Treasurer shall report on the financial condition of the Association at meetings of the Board. At the end of each fiscal year, the Treasurer shall prepare an annual report, which shall, if required by the Board, be reviewed by a certified pubic accountant. At the expiration of the Treasurer’s term of office, or upon removal, the Treasurer shall immediately deliver to the person designated by the President, all books, money and other property in his or her charge.

ARTICLE V

Section 1: The Executive Committee shall be comprised of the President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary. The President shall be its chairperson and it shall meet at the President’s call. A quorum shall be three members of the committee.

In the interim between regular meetings of the Board, the Executive Committee shall have authority to act on matters that otherwise would come before the Board for consideration and shall report to the Board any action taken by it at the first regular meeting convened after such action.

Section 2: Standing Committees of the Board shall be comprised of not less than a Director and another alumni member or two (2) Directors designated by the President. There shall be the following standing committees:

Membership
Duties: This committee shall be responsible for obtaining new members by advertising and coordinating attendance of the Membership committee at functions where prospective members gather. Membership forms will be provided at such functions. They will be responsible for keeping the membership application forms updated and printed, recording membership information, and submitting this information for logging onto the GAA database and to the webmaster for distribution of The Observer. They will maintain a current GAA membership list, a copy of which will be kept on file at Galileo Academy. This committee will actively reach out to all alumni to encourage their membership and participation.

Data Base Recordings
Duties: This committee is responsible for input of all data acquired from original applications, existing lists from those involved in presenting functions, names acquired from school records, and information available through the Internet. They will then provide specific lists, as needed for GAA or other alumni functions as approved by the Board of Directors.

Public Relations, Promotions, Events
Duties: This committee is responsible for advertising and promoting activities and events sponsored by the GAA. This includes facilitating the creation of posters, mailings, news articles, and other public relations activities which will generate interest in GAA functions and in the GAA organization.

Communications
Duties: This committee is responsible for the preparation of the GAA communication model which should include: 1) establishing a name for a newsletter, 2) accumulating information to be used in publishing this newsletter, 3) establishing a connection with designated Galileo School personnel to enlist student assistance, 4) acquiring information gathered by the Public Relations committee, 5) submitting a final draft of hard copy publications to the Board for approval, and 6) facilitating the mailing process.

Section 3: The President may designate other committees from time to time as may be required.

ARTICLE VI

ARTICLE VII

The Association may, to the extent allowed by applicable state and federal laws, indemnify and hold harmless its officers, directors and other agents from and against
any and all claims, actions, proceedings, whether threatened, pending or completed, brought by reason of their respective position with or relationships to the Association, including, without limitation, all reasonable attorneys’ fees, costs and other expenses incurred in establishing a right of indemnification under this Article.

ARTICLE VIII

The rules contained in Robert’s Rules of Order, Newly Revised, and as may be amended from time to time, shall govern the Association in all cases in which they are applicable, and in which they are not inconsistent with these bylaws or the existing law.

ARTICLE IX

New bylaws may be adopted, or these bylaws may be amended or repealed, by an affirmative majority vote of the membership present at the general meeting. A copy of the proposed amendments or new bylaws shall be given to each Director and/or member at the meeting where it will be considered as a first reading.

May 21, 2005 – Galileo Sports Hall of Fame Dinner, SF Italian Athletic Club

June 8, 2005 – Galileo Academy Graduation Ceremony, Masonic Auditorium, 2:00 pm

For articles and stories on alumni, events, whereabouts of graduates for this newsletter. No mastery of English required, just your willingness to communicate and participate. Contact the Editor.

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The Galileo Observer invites your letters, memories, inquiries and suggestions. All submissions are subject to editing. Send them by email to: galileoobserver@aol.com, or by postal mail to: Galileo Observer, care of Galileo Alumni Association, 1150 Francisco Street, San Francisco, CA 94109.

President: Jim Dresser (1951)
Vice President: Bernard Valdez (1949)
Secretary: Janet Sullivan Neilsen (1953)
Treasurer: Joe Scafidi (1950)

Directors
Mel Chiarenza (1953)
Frank Clima (1951)
Nina Pattini Clima (1950)
Diane Wall Cowart (1965)
Sisvan Der Harootunian (1951)
Monica Parenti Kirkland (1953)
Kay Lazzari Michelis (1953)
Fred Setting (1950)
Cordy Porter Surdyka (1953)

Committee Chairpersons
Public Relations: Cordy Porter Surdyka (1953)
Membership: Diane Wall Cowart (1965)
Database: Mel Chiarenza (1953)
By-laws: Monica Parenti Kirkland (1953)
Communications (Newsletter): Sisvan Der Harootunian (1951)
Webmaster: Vaughn Spurlin (1960)

Comments? Contact the Galileo Alumni webmaster
last updated 7May2005
© 2002-2005 Galileo Academy of Science and Technology Alumni Association of San Francisco. No part of this publication can be reprinted or reproduced in any form without the permission of The Galileo Observer and/or The Galileo Alumni Association.

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GALILEO ACADEMY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ALUMNI ASSOCIATION