The Widows’ and Orphans’ Aid Association of the San Francisco Police Department held their monthly meeting on Zoom technology, on Tuesday July 9, 2024 at 1100 hours.
Roll Call: President Ryan Walsh, Vice President Leroy Lindo, Secretary Mark McDonough, Treasurer Dean Taylor, Trustees Ray Kane, Jim O’Meara, Maureen Leonard, Rob Forneris, and Lou Barberini, and Administrative Assistant Sally Foster were present for our meeting.
Approval of the Minutes: Trustee Jim O’Meara made a motion to accept the minutes from our June 2024 meeting. Trustee Lou Barberini seconded the motion. The motion passed.
Receiving Applications; Suspensions and Reinstatements: Suspended members Doug Arnold, Anthony Srinivas, and Rickey Williams paid their dues and late fees. Secretary McDonough made a motion to reinstate Arnold and Williams. Trustee Jim O’Meara seconded the motion. The motion passed. Treasurer Dean Taylor made a motion to reinstate Anthony Srinivas. Secretary McDonough seconded the motion. The motion passed. Welcome back Doug Arnold, Anthony Srinivas, and Rickey Williams. Next month, Trustee Ray Kane will respond the San Francisco Police Academy to present our membership to the current recruit class.
Communications and Bills: Treasurer Dean Taylor read aloud our monthly bills and beneficiary claims for the beneficiaries of recently deceased members Alexander Barron, Grant Fahs, Steve Maxoutopoulis, and Richard Moses. Trustee Rob Forneris made a motion to pay the bills and beneficiary claims. Vice President Leroy Lindo seconded the motion. The motion passed.
Report of Visiting Committee: No report this month,
Report of Trustees: The WOAA Board received the sad news that one of our members passed away:
Bernard Gidal, age 84: Bernard Gidal was born in San Francisco, California on January 19, 1940. Bernie attended Presidio Jr. High School, and later graduated from Washington High School in San Francisco. Bernie was a track star at both schools reaching the finals and held records at both schools. After High School, Bernie enlisted in the United States Air Force. Bernie met Elizabeth Joyner and the two were married at Hamilton Air Force Base in 1959. Bernie was sent to Puerto Rico where Elizabth and his first child Pamela joined him. After his discharge from the Air Force, Bernie worked as a Teletype Operator for a short period and later joined the San Francisco Police Department on February 16, 1966. Bernie was assigned to Star #1288 and worked the following assignments during his short career in the San Francisco Police Department: Mission Police Station (May 2, 1966), Taraval Police Station (December 1, 1967), Northern Police Station (April 7, 1969), and Park Police Station (January 28, 1970). Bernie transferred to the San Francisco Fire Department on July 6, 1971. Bernie received Meritorious Awards for his exemplary performance at incidents while working as a firefighter. I sent an inquiry to the Fire Commissioners Office. I did not receive a response. After retiring from the San Francisco Fire Department, Bernie donated his time to drive a school bus for special needs children in Pacifica. Bernie was a lover of all music especially Jazz, Reggae, and Latin music and learned to play the piano by ear. Bernie was a life-long runner right up until his passing and worked out at a local gym on a regular basis. Bernie loved watching sports especially the San Francisco 49ers and boxing matches. Life after the Fire Department was spent with his family as he moved to Rocklin, California to be near his children. The family vacations through the years took place in Laguna Beach and the Russian River. He enjoyed playing pickleball and ping pong. Bernie also enjoyed having coffee, lunches and dinners with close friends. He spent time with his life-long friend Gary who he met in Elementary School. Bernie succumbed to Kidney and heart failure. Bernie is survived by his son Michael Gidal, his daughters Pamela Coulter, and Julia Romero and their spouses Connie, Tom, and Sergio, four grand-children, and one great grand-child.
Report of Special Committee: No report this month.
Old Business: The proposal for retirees to pay dues up to 5 years in advance was accepted by our board last month by way of motions and a vote. We are currently attempting to navigate through the process of making it an option for our retired members. It might require adding to our Constitution and Bylaws thereby requiring a vote by our membership. A change to our Constitution and Bylaws is a lengthy process.
New Business: No report this month.
Good of the Order: No report this month.
Adjournment: President Ryan Walsh led the WOAA Board in a moment of silence for all our members who have passed away. President Walsh scheduled our next meeting for Tuesday August 13, 2024 at 1100 hours per Zoom meeting.
To All Members: Members can access new beneficiary forms on our website, if they need to make a change of beneficiary. The WOAA website address is sfwidowsandorphans.org. Click on RESOURCES on our face page and follow the link for a new form. Please print the form, document all necessary information, and send it to: WOAA, P.O. BOX 4247, San Rafael, CA 94913-4247. The form requires a signature of a NOTARY, or from one of our Board Members (see Roll Call). We express our monthly gratitude to the following people who assist us each month in providing the best customer service to our members: Retired San Francisco Police Captain and the Defense Administrator for the San Francisco Police Officers Association (SFPOA), Paul Chignell; Retired San Francisco Police Lieutenant and the host of the Gold Country Reaper Email, Rene LaPrevotte; Retired San Francisco Police Sergeant and the long-standing editor of the SFPOA Journal Newspaper, Ray Shine; Maggie Wang of Personnel, and Kristine Singh of the Police Commission Office.