2009-10 Rotary International theme: The Future of Rotary Is in Your Hands.

We are Rotary club #3931.
Visit our web site: www.memphiscentralrotaryclub.org

Today's meeting
11:45 a.m. – Chickasaw Country Club – Program: Arthur Oliver, senior vice-president, Sun Trust Bank.
Topic: tour in Afghanistan Program coordinator: John May

Arthur Oliver serves as Senior Vice President in charge of SunTrust Bank's Trust Services in Memphis. He is originally from the Memphis area where he grew up on his family's cotton farm in Crittenden County, Arkansas. Arthur earned a BBA in Accounting from Memphis State University and a Law Degree from the University of Arkansas. He has been employed by SunTrust Bank for nineteen years. He is responsible for the administration of trusts and estates with a specialization in tax planning and farm management. His civic activities include membership in the Rotary Club of Memphis and serving on the Advisory Board of the Salvation Army.

In his other career, Arthur is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Tennessee Army National Guard. His previous assignments have included serving as the Commander of the 3rd Battalion 115th Field Artillery here in Memphis. Since September 11, 2001 Arthur has been mobilized three times. First in 2002-2003 in support of Operation Noble Eagle (Homeland Defense); then in September 2005 he led his battalion down to Louisiana to conduct recovery and relief operations in LaFouche Parish as a result of the damage wrought by Hurricane Katrina. Arthur recently returned from a year of active duty in Afghanistan where he led a 16-man brigade Embedded Training Team as combat advisors to the Afghan National Army in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.

Arthur is married to the former Melody Williams of Little Rock. They are the parents of Margaret (a senior at University of Alabama), Tucker (a junior at Auburn University) and Sarah White (a freshman at Auburn University).

Future meetings
10/02/09: 11:45 a.m. – Chickasaw Country Club – Program: Arlender Jones Topic: Identity theft
Program coordinator: Karen Shea
10/09/09: 11:45 a.m. – Chickasaw Country Club – Program: TBA
10/16/09: 11:45 a.m. – Chickasaw Country Club – Program: Club Assembly
Program coordinator: President Ray Darby

Note: All meeting information is provided to the newsletter editor by the Program Committee. We believe our meetings listings are current and as accurate as we have been made aware. Please contact Jean Patterson, newsletter editor, if you have update/corrections for the future meetings section.

Calling Al, Gordon, Harvey, Karen, R. E. and Tom
We are looking for you because we still need to take your picture for the new club directory now in preparation. Laura House will have a camera with her at the next couple of meeting meetings. Please look your best and be ready to smile for Ms. Laura when she says “cheese”!

September is designated as Literacy Month by the Rotary Club of Memphis Central. We ask that each club member to seriously consider donating a minimum of $25.00 to the cause of literacy. We understand that the country is in the midst of an economic downturn (recession) but hope that everyone will be able to “go the extra Rotary mile” to help us with this extremely important project.

Checks (or cash) will be collected at each meeting in September and into October. Please make your check payable to “the Rotary Club of Memphis Central Foundation” and give your donation to club treasurer Bill Eddings who is also a member of the Literacy Committee.

Literacy Chair Jean Patterson and committee members Bill Eddings, Tom Michael, Randolph Reeves and Gordon Wilson encourage you to participate in this important fund-raising project! Remember, if someone had not taught you how to read, the messages in the newsletter would look something like this: XVUWPOEN XUEOP WAMP97A

Donations collected during Literacy Month in September will be given to the Memphis Literacy Foundation and toward our Rotary District 6800 Dictionary project.

Update from the September 18 meeting: We have collected $300.00 to date! This is a wonderful start --- it's half of our projected goal of $600.00 Please continue to make donations to the project throughout September and into the first couple of weeks of October.

Holiday Dinner and Silent Auction
This year's annual Holiday Dinner and Silent Auction will be held on Saturday, December 12 at the University Club featuring the MPD Peacemakers as our after-dinner entertainment. For those who are not familiar with the group, the MPD Peacemakers is a quartet of the finest singing voices in the Memphis police department. Here's how you can help to make this event a resounding success:

Attend the event! Mark this date on your calendar and plan to bring friends and family
Actively participate by collecting auction items – we need interesting and useful items at all price ranges, so please help look for donated items from vendors, friends or people you do business with.

Please direct any questions or comments to Jim Crone, chair for the event.
Club members celebrating September birthdays
09/13: Larry Conn (CVM Law Group)
09/17: Tom Michael (Financial Federal)
09/17: Jean Patterson (American Contract Bridge League)
09/27: Randolph Reeves (Memphis Gemology Lab)

Floyd's Fund raffle
We collected a total of $51.00 at the Sept. 18 meeting for Floyd's Fund. The “winner's pot” received $25.00 of that amount to make a grand total of $66.00. (The other $26.00 collected last week went directly into the Floyd's Fund scholarship account.)

In order to have an opportunity to claim the winner's pot, your raffle ticket must be randomly pulled from all those in the wicker basket. Then, the “lucky ticket holder” selects a playing card from the ever-shrinking deck. The winning card is the Queen of Hearts which---so far---has not been drawn, resulting in a growing winner's fund pot. Each week, the card that is selected from all those remaining in the deck is destroyed. This will happen until some fortunate person selects the Queen of Hearts. Meanwhile, the winner's pot continues to grow and grow and grow!

This week, Sept. 25, the winner's pot starts at $66.00 plus half of the total amount collected at the meeting for Floyd's Fund.

Remember, if you don't purchase raffle tickets you can't win the prize!

Are you unable to make up in person at a nearby Rotary club location? Then you may wish to consider going on-line to make up your missed meeting(s) at Rotary’s e-club one. It’s very easy to do and the variety of program topics allows you to learn a lot about other Rotary club projects worldwide in addition to business subjects and critical needs.
Make-up meetings at your convenience, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Spending 30 minutes on the website constitutes an on-line Rotary meeting. It is mandatory that your visit MUST be 30 minutes or more. Visit www.rotaryeclubone.org today!

Our mailing address

Memphis Central Rotary Club
P.O. Box 772296
Memphis TN 38177

Your individual Rotary membership number is printed on your copy of the Rotarian magazine.
Or contact our club secretary to find out your number before corresponding with Rotary International.

Honorary members of the club*
John Bennett 853-3460 *
Henry Francis 754-3405 *
Floyd McDaniel 327-2013 *
Chester Perry 685-0972*
Tidwell Semmes 767-5752 *
Henry Springer 757-9005*
Jim Vandenburg 735-7003 *