Member Profile:  Robert S. Brewer and the Downtown Breakfast Club
 
This month we profile Robert S. Brewer and the Downtown Breakfast Club.  Bob is a member of the Downtown Breakfast club.  As is his wife Retired Federal Judge Irma Gonzalez.
 
Bob was born in Ithaca, New York.  He attended St. Lawrence University.  Besides attending all the classes and graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree, Bob was the goalie of the school’s ice hockey.  His skills as a goalie earned him the nickname “Red Light” Bob.
 
After college, Bob served in the United States Army as an Air Borne Ranger.  He was deployed in Vietnam where he was in the heat of battle.  His bravery earned him the Silver Stars and two Bronze Stars.   
Following his military service Bob attended the University of San Diego Law School.  His first job out of law school was serving as a Deputy District Attorney in Los Angeles.  From the DA’s office, Bob moved on to become an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Central District of California.  The Central District includes the following counties: Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo.
 
As a young US Attorney, he prosecuted the case of a lifetime: an espionage case involving the Polish spy Marian Zacharski.  Zacharski groomed a project manager Hughes Aircraft Radar Systems Group in El Segundo, California to provide photos of top secret advanced radar systems developed Hughes Aircraft for missiles and fighter planes.  Bob earned a conviction in this high-profile national case that became a feature on Twenty Minutes.  Bob went toe-to-toe with CBS correspondent Mike Wallace.  
 
Upon leaving the US Attorney's office in Los Angeles, Bob came to San Diego and worked with a few firms before becoming the local managing partner of a nationwide firm and later an international firm.  Bob’s practice while focused on litigation also included white collar criminal defense.
 
Bob’s dream job came to be when he was unanimously selected by the U.S. Senate on January 16, 2019, to serve as the US Attorney for the Southern District of California.  Bob was responsible for Criminal and Civil cases coming through a very busy southern border from San Diego through Imperial County.  Among other things, Bob created an Anti-Human Trafficking Task force within the department.  After the last national election, Bob’s term came to an end.  
 
The Downtown Breakfast Club meets every Wednesday at 7:00 am at the University Club in Symphony Towers.  The club enjoys a panorama view of the ocean as far south as Tijuana.  It is a great way to start the day.  
 
The club is a strong military supporter with many members who have served in the armed forces.  Among many things, the club works at Stand Down each year providing services to homeless vets in an effort to help the vets get off the street and back into society.  The signature project of the club for many years has been the annual “Holes For Heroes” golf tournament.  Through the years this fund raiser has raised over $1 million dollars.  While playing golf with lots of raffle tickets sold to help lower gross and net scores, the Rotary 4-Way test is suspended.
 
Recently, the club pooled their resources to buy a plaque honoring Bob Brewer at the Mount Soledad National Veterans Memorial.  The Memorial has honored six past U.S. presidents, including Bob’s hero, General Dwight D. Eisenhower.  Also honored are 23 Medal of Honor recipients, Admirals Stockdale and Halsey, and Generals Pershing and Patton.  And, there are 70veterans honored who are still alive today.
 
Bob is not the only member of the club to have a plaque placed at Mount Soledad by the club.  Clearly, the club recognizes the service and sacrifice of members like Bob.  Many club members, including President Ann-Marie Bryan, attended the ceremony affixing Bob’s plaque to the memorial wall.  It was a moving ceremony with tributes and testimonials about Bob, culminating in Bob’s expression of gratitude to Rotary and the club.
 
If your club has a military veteran that deserves your recognition, sponsoring a plaque at the Mount Soledad National Veterans Memorial would be a tremendous tribute.