Memphis (Tennessee) Central Rotary Club
meets Friday 11:45 at Chickasaw Country Club
main dinning room, Galloway Ave
between Holmes and Highland Streets
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Memphis Central RotarianMemphis Central Rotarian
Vol. 35 No. 17 Meeting No. 1616 October 23, 2009 Editor: Jean Patterson
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'10/23/09: 11:45 a.m. – Chickasaw Country Club – Program: Marvin Butler, author of The ABC’s of Recycling”. Program coordinator: Karen Shea
Marvin Butler resides in Memphis, TN and is a graduate of the Melrose High School class of 1980. Following graduation from high school he attended State Technical Institute of Memphis and graduated with an associate degree of applied science in electronic technology. After years of employment with other companies, Marvin decided to start his own business in the lawn care industry.
Mr. Butler has always had an inner passion for writing poetry and songs. His love for writing led to branching out into other areas; for example, writing books for children and producing a musical CD titled “Mr. Organic Environmental Songs for all Ages”. A few years ago he started a new project------writing and publishing a children's book about recycling, “Mr. Organic Recycling from A to Z”.
Several venues have expanded Mr. Butler's marketing expertise and rekindled his creativity leading him into other literary endeavors. These venues include the Black Writer's Association and Film Festival and the Economic Development Fair in Memphis, the Decatur Book Festival in Decatur GA and the Southern Festival of Books in Nashville TN.
Today Mr. Butler will discuss why he decided to write a book for children about recycling and the programs he is presenting in the Memphis City School system. Mr. Butler currently owns a lawn care business and is a member of the Minority Business Council.
Future meetings
10/30/09: 11:45 a.m. – Chickasaw Country Club – Program: Andy Spears shares information about proposed improvements in the Tennessee public school system. Program coordinator: Jim Crone
11/06/09: 11:45 a.m. – Chickasaw Country Club – Program: Chuck Skypeck, one of the owners of Boscoe's, will discuss micro-breweries and Memphis's own Ghost River micro-brew. Program coordinator: Jim Crone
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.
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 in all price ranges, so please help secure donated items from vendors, friends or people you do business with. A couple of big-ticket items have already been committed. Marty Petrusek has announced that he and his wife, Debbie, will donate another of their fabulous Italian dinners with different wines served throughout the multi-course feast. This item is always a crowd-pleaser. Bill Matthews plans to donate a week's stay at his beautiful San Destin, Florida condo.
Wouldn't it be terrific if every one of the members in our club would donate at least one item for this year’s Silent Auction? All price ranges will be gratefully accepted. Please direct any questions or comments to Jim Crone, chair for the event.
Daniel Augustine named Paul Harris Fellow
We are very pleased to announce that this year we added one more club member to the list of those who have become Paul Harris Fellows. Daniel has been a Rotarian for just one-and-one-half years but during that time he has taken on responsibilities that some other, long-term members have yet to do. For example, the first year of membership Daniel agreed to be the sergeant at arms for our club. This is an important office because the sergeant at arms holds a position that can help increase the coffers of the club. How? By keeping updated on who has missed meetings, who is not wearing a pin or other infractions that will land someone on the Wheel which is one of the ways we raise funds for our Scholarship Fund.
Daniel currently serves as chair of the Membership Committee. This is another important role in the life of the Rotary club----or any civic organization---and Daniel is meeting the challenge. That's just another reason why the officers of our club deemed Daniel Augustine worthy of becoming a Paul Harris Fellow. Congratulations, Daniel!The definition of a Paul Harris Fellow: Paul Harris Fellow recognition was created in memory of Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary, as a way to show appreciation for contributions to the Foundation's charitable and educational program.
A Paul Harris Fellow is an individual in whose name $1,000.00 is contributed. Every Paul Harris Fellow receives a pin, medallion and a certificate when he or she becomes a Fellow. This identifies the Paul Harris Fellow as an advocate of the Foundation's goals of world peace and international understanding.
The Haiti Tour D'Espirit results
Marty Petrusek reported on the results of this year's Haiti Tour D'Espirit held on the grounds of the Church of the Holy Spirit. Our club takes an active role in the activities surrounding the Haiti Mission project and 2009 was no exception. Joining Marty in the walk-a-thon fund-raiser were Leroy Dahler and Jack Robinson. The guys walked seven miles---longer than they originally intended---and raised quite a bit of money for the cause.
Event planners were pleased that this year more than $94,000 was raised (up from the high $80,000s in 2008). In addition there were 784 runners/walkers this year compared to 706 last year. Great fun for all and a job well done!
Last week's meeting
President Ray Darby welcomed us to Meeting #1615. Bert Canfield gave the invocation and led us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Randolph Reeves introduced two visitors including David Kidd, guest of Carlton Smith and John Boryk, a member of the Park Ridge IL Rotary club. John said his club was the home club of the late Herbert J. Taylor, the author of the 4-Way Test. We were pleased to give John one of our club banners to take back to his club.
Jim Crone took up President Ray on this offer of bragging rights----Jim recently attended the swearing-in ceremony as his son James joined the U.S. Coast Guard.
Floyd's Fund – winner's pot keeps growing
Jack Robinson was happily keeping busy before the start of the meeting selling raffle tickets for Floyd's Fund. A total of $60.00 was raised this week and $30.00 of that amount went directly into the Scholarship Fund. The remaining $30.00 was added to the $187.00 winner's pot for a total of $217.00 available if the holder of the week's lucky raffle ticket was able to pull the Queen of Hearts from the 45 cards remaining in the deck. Ticket number 367 was drawn from all those in the “sold” basket. Number 367 belonged to Bert Canfield. Bert took a deep breath and drew a card from the 45 in the pile. His card was the 4 of Hearts. . . .right suit, wrong card! So now the winner's pot grows to $217.00 before tickets are sold at the Oct. 23 meeting.
Tom Michael's escapade revisited
Your editor had hoped that she had written the last entry in the ongoing saga of “badge, badge, who has Jean Patterson's Rotary club badge”? If you will recall, Tom Michael was seen wearing Jean's badge at one of our meetings in the latter part of August. President Ray reported the badge's status to Jean when she returned to the club after an illness and discovered her badge was not in the club's badge case. Jean declared that she would wear Tom's badge until he returned hers. Fast forward to the day of reckoning when Tom and Jean both attended one of our club meetings in mid-September. Jean reported Tom's dark deed to the members assembled for the meeting. Sgt. at Arms John May, living up to his responsibilities, immediately wanted to put Tom on The Wheel for taking the badge and not returning it. Tom, however, had other plans. He made an impassioned plea to the club, asking for a show of hands of those who believed that he had not taken the badge and thus should be let off The Wheel. Interestingly, Tom cast the deciding vote and thus did not pay a fine.
Club treasurer Bill Eddings ordered a replacement badge for Jean and the matter was settled. . . .or so we thought. Last week, a meek and mild Tom pulled Jean aside as he quietly took her old badge from his pocket. It seems that he had taken her badge, it had been at his house and he now was quietly returning the badge to its rightful owner.
Tom was mistaken if he thought Jean would let this whole episode go away quietly! She announced what happened to the entire club and said that she would be certain to report the ending in this chain of events to Sgt. at Arms John May when he attends the next meeting. Hopefully, Tom will reap his just rewards at the Oct. 23 meeting where we expect that he, Jean and John will all three be in attendance.
Vocational service – the PolioPlus Program
President Ray presented a program highlighting the initiatives of Rotary's PolioPlus Program. Several other organizations partnered with us and are dedicated to eradicating polio from the world by June 2012. Others in the fight include the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.After 20 years of hard work, Rotary and its partners are on the brink of eradicating this tenacious disease, but a strong push is needed now to root it out once and for all. It is a window of opportunity of historic proportions. Our contributions will help Rotary raise $200 million to match $355 million in challenge grants received from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The resulting $555 million will directly support immunization campaigns in developing countries, where polio continues to infect and paralyze children, robbing them of their futures and compounding the hardships faced by their families. Only four countries in the world have significant numbers of new polio cases: Afghanistan, India (one province), Nigeria and Pakistan.
As long as polio threatens even one child anywhere in the world, children everywhere remain at risk. The stakes are that high.
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.
Club roster
Daniel Augustine 832-3625
L.D. Beard 369-9642
Bert Canfield 634-2730
Larry Conn 682-1800
Jim Crone 634-1111 (cell #)
Leroy Dahler 362-9700
Ray Darby 366-7800
Fred Davis 761-9486
Jerry Daws 757-8578
Bill Eddings 386-3182
Al Hollingsworth 767-3600
Laura House 323-6216
Rick James 362-3492 X27
Jeff Jones 853-8109
Doyle Lemons 756-6536
R.E. Linkous 754-0700
David Luiken 382-3823
Harvey Marcom 761-2016
Bill Matthews 345-5650John May 761-3000
Tom Michael 759-2143
Bob Neal 685-7772
Jean Patterson 332-5586, Ext. 1295
Marty Petrusek 348-2832
Randolph Reeves 681-0507
Randy Ring 388-0592
Mike Robbins 363-5880
Jack Robinson 213-3993
Mabel Rutherford 755-3815
Karen Shea 683-9099
John Shepherd 850-1061
Carlton Smith 690-1203
Jack Springer 681-0025
Hugh Thomas 489-4392
Lee Whipple 755-8350
Dick Wieland 270-3778 (cell #)
Gordon Wilson 258-8781 (cell#)
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 *