Vol. 31, No.  34       April 7, 2006       Meeting 1461              Editor: Jean Patterson    

Today's program - The Rotary Club of Memphis Central
                            Character Achievement Awards – 2006
 
11:45 a.m. at Chickasaw Country Club.
LeRoy Dahler, committee chairman and meeting coordinator, will preside at the luncheon.  Another long-time committee member, Jerry Daws, will introduce our speaker.  Lee Whipple will share with us the background and purpose of the Character Achievement Awards.  LeRoy will present each winner with a certificate, award plaque and gift check.  

Future programs    
04/14/06:    No meeting.  Good Friday.
04/21/06:    No meeting at Chickasaw Country Club.  Instead, meet at 12 noon at the    
                     Memphis Hilton for the kick-off lunch with other Rotarians attending    
                     the District 6800 Conference:  Memphis & the Delta – Celebrating Our  
                     Musical Heritage.
 04/28/06:    11:45 a.m. at Chickasaw Country Club.   Rotary Group Study Exchange
                    Team from Germany.  Dick Wieland is the program coordinator.                                                                

This month’s Board Meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 10
President John May reminds all club officers and board of directors that the April board meeting is scheduled for Monday, April 10 at 5:30 p.m. in the conference room at R. E. Linkous’ office.  All interested club members are also invited to attend.  This is a great way to learn more about current activities and future club projects. It’s also an easy way to make up a missed meeting!   R.E.’s office is located at 1715 Aaron Brenner Drive, Suite 312.  Call 754-0700 for directions to the meeting.
                 
Important dates to keep in mind
04/21-04/22:        District Conference.   Memphis Hilton.  The sponsoring organization is the Germantown Rotary Club.  Our club’s Jean Patterson has been asked by District Governor Vijay to serve again as chair of the silent auction. Jean is arranging for auction items from our club to be donated to the District auction.  If you or your business would like to take part by making a donation, please contact Jean at her office—332-5586, ext. 1295.
04/21:  No meeting at Chickasaw.  Instead, we will join other members of Rotary District 6800 for the luncheon at the Memphis Hilton.  President John plans to turn in our club’s sign-up sheet for the luncheon after this week’s meeting.   Our club will use the funds normally earmarked to pay for our lunch at Chickasaw to instead pay for lunch at the District Conference.
04/27-28-29:        GSE team from southern Germany will visit Memphis.  Our club has been asked to host the team.   GSE team members represent several professions:  pharmacist, banker, lawyer, software developer and general manager for a city construction company.  Contact Dick Wieland if you would like to serve as a host or help coordinate the GSE team visit.  

Fred Davis has a new e-mail address
Please update your personal e-mail address book with Fred’s new address:  freddyandmary@gmail.com  
This revision, along with all others we are aware of, will appear in the next edition of the club’s member directory.  The revised directory is scheduled to make its debut early in the new Rotary year----some time after July 1st.

Kudos for a terrific Youth Leadership Conference
For quite some time, club members Chris McDermott and Marty Petrusek have been involved  with the District’s Youth Leadership Conference held at Whispering Woods in Olive Branch about this time each year.  Chris and Marty believe that the Conference 2006 edition was one of the best ever!  Read this excerpt from an e-mail Marty received earlier this week from Grant Tollison, a student at West Point High School, West Point, MS.
        “I attended the conference this weekend and really enjoyed it.  I made many friendships that I know will last. . . . .  Going into the conference, I was a little unsure about the whole concept.  I had been to youth events before that turned out to be flat-out boring.  This was the first one that I have seen where the members (attendees) clicked right off the bat and actually didn’t want to leave.  I think that is quite remarkable.  I would like to thank you and your staff for all the hard work you put into making this (event) not only work, but be enjoyable for those involved, as well.  I definitely walked away with an experience that will last a lifetime.
. . . . .thanks again for a great conference.  Keep up the good work.  Sincerely, Grant Tollison”

Last week’s meeting
President John May presided at meeting #1460.    Jim Crone offered the invocation and led us in the pledge of allegiance. Tom Michael introduced visitors and guests.
        The winner of the Floyd’s Fund raffle was. . . . .Floyd McDaniel, the namesake of the Scholarship Fund raffle project.  Congratulations, Floyd!
Our guest speaker was Michael W. Pelech, Jr., chief financial officer for the Memphis Zoo.  Mike told us what’s going on at the Memphis Zoo, focusing on the facility’s tremendous growth and the Northwest Passage exhibit.  Opened March 1, 2006, this exhibit features an underwater viewing building, sea lion observation bubble and a 500-seat amphitheater for daily sea lion shows.
               Northwest Passage is a tribute to the culture of the First Nations people and the animals and horticulture of the Pacific Northwest.  The $23 million exhibit features indoor and outdoor exhibit areas. Messages of conservation inspired by Chief Seattle, a famous Native American chief, are sprinkled though out the exhibit. Interesting fact: The six hand-carved totem poles that stand in the exhibit received a Native American blessing ceremony when they arrived at the Zoo.

Club meetings in the surrounding area    
For the convenience of our members we’re providing an updated list of nearby club meetings where we can make up our misses. Please save this list for future reference.  

MONDAY  
No meetings close to the Memphis area.    
TUESDAY    
Collierville – Noon, Ridgeway Country Club **note:  this is a new location    
Memphis– Noon, Cook Convention Center  
Olive Branch – Noon, Olive Branch Country Club, Germantown Road    
Oxford– Noon, Oxford University Club, 300 North Lamar
WEDNESDAY    
Germantown-- Noon, Germantown Country Club, 1780 Kimbrough    
Hernando – Noon,  the Magnolia Restaurant, 131 Commerce  
Holly Springs – Noon, Christopher’s  Personal Care Home, 885 Highway 178E    
Memphis East – Noon, Racquet Club,  5111 Sanderlin Dr.  
Robinsonville -- 8 am, Hollywood Diner, Old Highway 61      
THURSDAY    
Bartlett/Cordova – Noon, Colonial  Country Club, 2736 Countrywood Pky, Cordova      
Southaven – Noon, Boiling Point Restaurant, 55 Church Rd. (near Civic Center)    
Tunica – Noon, Women's Club Building, corner of River and School Streets  
FRIDAY  
 Senatobia –  12:15 p.m., Northwest Junior College campus, Haraway Center      

Club roster    
Rod Ashley 363-6000                Jay Hudson  529-3632                          Mike Robbins  363-5880
L.D. Beard  369-9642                Rick James  362-3492 X27                     Randolph Reeves  681-0507  
John Bennett 853-3460              Jeff Jones  853-8109                                  Jack Robinson  213-3993          
Yves Calvert 767-8776              Doyle Lemons 756-6536                            Gary Rutherford  753-7957  
Bert Canfield 634-2730             R.E. Linkous 754-0700                           Mabel Rutherford  755-3815  
Larry  Conn 682-1800                  David Luiken  382-3823                        *Tidwell Semmes  767-5752    
Jim Crone 754-0777                  Harvey Marcom 761-2016                      John Shepherd  850-1061  
Leroy Dahler 362-9700                Bill Matthews  345-5650                        Carlton Smith  690-1203    
Ray Darby  366-7800
Fred Davis  761-9486                  John May 259-3631                              *Henry Springer  757-9005    
Jerry Daws 757-8578                   Floyd McDaniel  327-2013                         Jack Springer  681-0025        
Bill Eddings 386-3182                 Chris McDermott   377-1000                     *Jim Vandenburg  735-7003  
Pedro Fernandez  568-1575        Tom Michael  759-2143                         Lee Whipple  755-8350  
DeeDee Fowler  485-1678
*Henry Francis 754-3405            Bob Neal  685-7772                              Dick Wieland  322-8630            
**Doc Harris 662-429-4551       **Don Palmer 662-429-1542                  Gordon Wilson  678-4101  
 Al Hollingsworth 767-3600        Jean  Patterson 332-5586, Ext. 1295      
 Laura House 323-6216             *Chester Perry 685-0972  
                                                      Andy Peters 821-4145                           * Honorary member      
                                            Marty Petrusek 755-5945                          ** On leave of absence