JACKIE SPEIER shares her jonestown experience

Former Congresswoman and current San Mateo County Supervisor-Elect Jackie Speier provided San Mateo Rotarians with a riveting eyewitness account of the 1978 Jonestown Massacre. Serving as an aide to Congressman Leo Ryan, Speier accompanied him on a journey to Guyana to investigate the People's Temple and its founder, Jim Jones. Family members had shared concerns that their relatives were being held against their will.

Jim Jones welcomed the Ryan Delegation, toured them around the People's Temple Compound in the middle of the jungle, and staged an elaborate welcome banquet. Although publicly everyone proclaimed allegiance to Jones, privately individuals began to approach Ryan's group saying they would like to leave.

The next morning Speier and a group were loaded into a dump truck & returned to the airfield. Ryan stayed behind at Jonestown to make sure everyone who wanted to leave could do so safely. Jones became extremely agitated and ordered the murders of the visitors. Ryan was killed at Jonestown and Speier was shot, gravely wounded, and left for dead on the airstrip. Jones then served cyanide-laced Koolaid to all members of the People's Temple, killing everyone.

Rescuers eventually arrived with medical aid and Speier was airlifted to Georgetown, Guyana's capital, for medical care. She was subsequently hospitalized for two months. She told Rotarians, "An experience like this humbles you and makes you value every day. I realized how lucky I was to be given a second chance. It made me pretty fearless and willing to take on tough issues."

Many thanks to Jackie for her spellbinding presentation and to fellow Rotarian Jerry Hill for making all the arrangements. It was great to have Carole Groom in attendance, too!

Interested in learning more?

Speier has written a book about her Jonestown experience: Undaunted: Surviving Jonestown, Summoning Courage, and Fighting Back. Go to: https://www.archives.gov/news/articles/undaunted-jackie-speier-lecture

National Geographic recently released a documentary: Cult Massacre: One Day in Jonestown. Go to: https://time.com/6989360/cult-massacre-jonestown-hulu-doc/

To watch Speier's Rotary presentation, go to: https://youtu.be/06H69SEI4ko

Heartfelt thanks

The October 8th meeting began with a moving Thought of the Day from Kitty Lopez, quoting from Speier in Undaunted:

"We don’t get to choose our formative moments. Very often adversity and failure shape us more permanently than fortune and success. That has certainly been the case in my life. The major setbacks I’ve endured---and there have been many---have actually propelled me onward, each one reminding me how important it is to stand up again, as difficult as it may be, stronger and more steadfast. Pain yields action; it can introduce a fervor to speak out for those whose voices are not heard.”

The October 8th meeting concluded with President Joan presenting Speier with a San Mateo Rotary Centennial paperweight to thank her for being the day's speaker. It should be a nice addition to her new office at San Mateo Government Center as Jackie joins the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors in early 2025.

MEGA WOW!

President Joan announced that our very own Tony Villanueva has been recommended to serve as District 5150 Governor for the 2027-28 Rotary Year. The governor-selection process includes a two-week challenge period where clubs who had candidates can challenge the selection so it will be another week before Tony is officially designated to serve as District Governor, but we're expecting smooth sailing!

Stay tuned for more details as Tony's journey continues! A well-deserved honor - Tony has been actively involved in a variety of roles at the club and district levels and has provided untold hours of service in many capacities.

Congratulations, Tony!

This Week's Speaker

We welcome back to the podium Barbara Creed who will make her annual presentation on what to expect from the Supreme Court's new term.

More about Barbara Creed