The Buzz: Casa grad represents Kingdom of Hawai’i at D.C. ceremony

News, notes and tidbits from in and around Petaluma|

Casa Grande graduate Morisa Watland represented the Kingdom of Hawaii in D.C. Ceremony: For the first time in 122 years, representatives of the Kingdom of Hawaii have been invited to Washington, D.C., for a Library of Congress event hosted by the family of President Grover Cleveland. It was in January of 1897 that Cleveland and his wife Frances met, on two different dates, with Queen Lili’uokalani, who’d recently been deposed as the ruler of Hawaii. At a ceremony held on March 14, during which the Bible Cleveland was sworn into office on was donated to the Library’s collection of past presidents’ Bibles, Cleveland’s family wished to honor their ancestor’s friendship with Hawaii by inviting a representative of the Kingdom to “bear witness” to the donation. As it so happens, that representative was Morisa Kaimana Watland, a 2013 graduate of Petaluma’s Casa Grande High School, and a grad of the University of Hawaii, Manoa. Watland’s lineage reaches back to Hawaii’s King Kamehameha the Great. In a statement released before the ceremony, Watland wrote, “I am very honored to represent our islands and grateful to the Cleveland family for this gracious invitation.” On March 17, another ceremony took place at the Cleveland memorial, at the corner of Mililani and Queen Streets. Added Watland, “I am proud to be part of this historical event for the Kingdom of Hawaii and the Cleveland family.”

Owner of Autoworld and Victory car dealerships honored by Golden Gate Salmon Association: Lifelong salmon fisherman and salmon advocate Victor Gonella, who owns Victory Car Dealership and Autoworld in Petaluma, was presented with the Salmon Conservation Lifetime Achievement on February 19, at the Bodega Marine Lab in Bodega Bay. Coinciding with the award, Gonella’s contributions were ceremonially entered into the Congressional record by representatives Jackie Speier, Jared Huffman and Mike Thompson. This official recognition was sponsored by Senator Mike Maguire, who praised Gonella’s efforts on behalf of California’s salmon populations and habitats, writing, “He has served as a worthy model for public-spirited people of the State.”

Rotary presidents elect attend training symposium: From March 8-10, incoming presidents of the three Petaluma Rotary clubs took part in a symposium in San Jose, for presidents elect of this Rotary zone and other Rotary officers. Attendants from Petaluma were Daniel Powers of Petaluma Sunrise Rotary, Elias Husary, present elect of the Petaluma Rotary Club, John Burns (former Argus-Courier publisher), president elect of Petaluma Valley Rotary. Also in attendance was Richard Pitt, incoming area Assistant Governor for Southern Sonoma County. Rotary International is a global organization of service clubs that was originally founded, in 1906, in Chicago. Today, there are over 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide, and based on the fact that our town has three clubs, clearly a large number of those members are from Petaluma.

Butter & Egg Parade seeks ‘banner carriers’ and safety monitors for April 27 event: Among the many volunteers who make Petaluma’s annual Butter & Egg Parade possible are those providing two very crucial services: safety monitoring and banner carrying. Though individual volunteers are often part of the safety and banner teams, it is common for local businesses or organizations – even neighborhoods and groups of friends - to participate as a group. In such cases, the organizers will place the company or organization’s logo on the back of the official volunteer T-shirts. Singe up online at PetalumaDowntown.com, by clicking on the “Volunteer” tab. The minimum age for volunteers is 16, and students can receive community service credit for their involvement. Volunteers are asked to attend a volunteer training meeting on April 17, at 6 p.m., at the Petaluma Fairgrounds. Dinner will be provided. For more info or to receive a volunteer form in the mail call 762-9348.

(Got an idea for a good BUZZ item? Drop a line to Community Editor David Templeton at david.templeton@argus-courier.com)

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