Several hundred attended the service, including a significant cadre form our club.  12 speakers presented and I was honored to speak first on behalf of Arcadia Rotary.  For those who could not attend, here is the speech:

I am Dr. Brad Miller; I have known Sid and Ellin since we joined the Temple when our kids were babies. Those babies have grown -Max is now 19, Eva 17.  Like others here today, I have a photographic diary of my kid’s life provided by Sid.  Sid always asked about the kids, attended their Bar and Batmitzvah’s and was at Max’s Eagle Scout ceremony. After the ceremony he gave me pictures, just like usual.  Sid and Ellin have attended more of my children’s lifecycle activities than their own grandparents. And… gifts given to my children were as generous as from my own family!

“I know from Sid”

Today we are hearing about Sid the Mensch, a man of integrity that always did right, went above and beyond, and could always be counted on.

I want to segue to another aspect of Sid’s contributions. Rotary.  Rotary is the largest service organization in the world with over 1.2 million members internationally.  Its motto is “Service above self.”  That fits in nicely with one definition of a Mensch I found that said Menschlichkeit deals in doing good because otary does good in the community and abroad.

He was involved in Temple City Rotary, was its President twice, its secretary three times among many other positions and duties.  When the club folded Sid told it to me with sadness.  I invited him to join Arcadia Rotary and soon thereafter his application was in and he had joined.  But not just Sid. Every meeting, activity and social event he brought Ellin, so we got TWO members not just one.

Periodically Sid would be “recognized” often for sending in pictures of cute vehicle tags he had sent to the Star News.  When given a chance to stand, he often offered a joke.  Sometimes just stood up to share his joke.  He was always ferreting back and forward to the buffet line to procure his own lunch and make sure Ellin was attended to.

Sid served our club by taking on the low-tech responsibility of invocations and flag salutes. Every meeting starts with these elements 50 weeks of the year.  There is not much glory in getting people to sign up then reminding them all year long.  Sid provided that service to the club for several years.

This year I am in charge of meetings and asked Sid if he would like to do something else in the club. He said “This is working OK.”

When Sid passed my Executive Secretary reminded me I would need to eventually find someone to do the invocation and flag salute scheduling.  The esteemed Reverend, Dr. Phil Wood of Church of the Good Shepherd, also a member of Arcadia Rotary said “I would be honored to do that”.  But Phil’s job was made easy.  Sid already has the duties scheduled to all the way until January 8th, 2010!  Typical Sid.

Shari Pica, a member of Temple City Rotary who also joined our club remembered that Sid was honored at the 1997 Chamber awards dinner as Rotarian of the Year. She says:

“We all remember how devoted he was to his family and community… He never missed a Rotary meeting. He was willing to attend any and all (Rotary) District events such as the district assembly, which I know he attended more than once while I was in TC Rotary. Sid was always upbeat, had a joke or happy thought and took pictures, pictures, and more pictures to share each and every week.

The archivist at Rotary International in Chicago confirmed that Dr. Sid’s Rotary involvement.  Not that he was just a member of the Rotary Club of Temple City, CA from December 1986 to June 2003, but served as secretary three times in 1989, 1993-4 and 1999, served as club president twice, in 1997-98 and 2002-3 and of course was a member of the Arcadia Rotary club from June 2003.

A couple of weeks ago, Sid and Ellin came to the Rotary District Governor’s dinner to honor the leader of the 62 clubs that make up our district 6300.  The event was held at the Arboretum. It was a schlep down to the setting outside the Queen Anne Cottage – they schlepped.  It was hard to wheel Ellin on the grass. They wheeled. I know Sid would have been at Monday night football a couple of weeks ago.

Sid contributed to the Rotary Foundation that supports philanthropic work all over the world. Please allow me to introduce a Past President of Arcadia Rotary and someone who has been very involved in Rotary Foundation, Bob Novell.

Bob Novell spoke briefly and presented Ellin with a Paul Harris Fellow