Men’s Club: June 2018 News

Thank you to Nadine Allen for helping us with the opening thoughts for this Men’s Club column.
One of our own received special honors on June 1. Men’s Club member Jerry Allen was placed to rest in Arlington National Cemetery in a ceremony with full military honors—an Air Force marching band, bugler, caisson with horses, and the 21-gun salute.
Lt. Col. Douglas Jerome Allen started his Air Force career in the Strategic Air Command flying B-52’s over Vietnam. He was a test engineer for the President’s Air Force One aircraft.
Then he became Chief of Nuclear Hardness for the MX Missile program. His second career was with Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque where he was Director of Congressional Relations, Director of Satellite Programs, and Director of Field Intelligence. His proudest achievement was receiving the Meritorious Service Award from the National Reconnaissance Office.
Jerry was our Club Secretary and was willing to serve as any officer where needed. He even volunteered to be our stand-by meeting speaker if there was ever a need.
His opportunity came, and his talk was “There are More Stars in the Universe than all the Grains of Sand on the Earth.” A true scientist, Jerry was awed by the immensity and wonders of the universe. We didn’t fully know all he had accomplished in his careers in Government Service, as he was always humble and modest about what he could do and what he had done. Rest in peace, Jerry!
Our June 19 meeting featured the 2018 award of the Men’s Club annual scholarships to three fine candidates:
■ Isaac Palmer, a resident of Niguel Shores, has a 4.2 GPA and plans to attend San Diego State University majoring in Computer Science.
■ Grant Shobar has a 4.5 GPA and plans to attend Dartmouth to major in Economics. His sport is Lacrosse and he has an online business in buying and selling coins.
■ Lindsey Ammann earned a GPA of 4.4. She wants to pursue a career in Biology and Pre-Medicine en route to becoming a doctor. She excels in Cross Country and Track and Field.
Many thanks to Bonnie Borden, the Dana Hills High School Guidance Counselor, who has assisted our Men’s Club for 20 years in our sponsorship of these scholarships.
Now that the primary election is over, we are extending invitations to the November general election candidates to speak to our group. Tony Rackauckas, renominated District Attorney incumbent, addressed us before the primary. Todd Spitzer, currently a member of the County Board of Supervisors and the second-place nominee, addressed the Men’s Club on June 19. We await news of future speakers and will keep everyone posted.
Note: See Men’s Club news, photo gallery and updates on the Niguel Shores website: www.niguelshores.org.
—Robert F. Saint-Aubin, Secretary