Jonesboro University Rotary
N E W S L E T T E R
Thursday, August 24, 2006
President Rusty Clark called the meeting to order;
Master Greg Arnold led the prayer;
Master Larry Clark led the pledge of allegiance to the American Flag;
Tall Paul Holmes introduced guests and the other stuff the Sergeant-At-Arms does.
Vocational Minute
Debbie Patton is with the Gary Pugh-Stacey Harrell Team at Morgan-Stanley Investments in Jonesboro. Debbie was employed by Southwestern Bell Telephone for several years in Jonesboro prior to the flattening of her layer of management in the Jonesboro office. She was offered similar positions in SWBT offices in other cities but chose to stay in Jonesboro. She landed at MSDWitter with Stacey and entered into a mountain of tests and minimum standard hurdles to “do” investments. Debbie said that she thoroughly enjoys her job at Morgan-Stanley as well as her membership in Universit! y Rotary Club of Jonesboro.
New Member Proposal
Ted Fortenberry, station manager of KAIT-8 TV, is currently a member of Jonesboro Rotary Club, The Nooners. Ted wishes to transfer membership to URC. This is the official second notice of three.
Visiting Rotarians
Our Good Friend David Ferguson from the Jonesboro Nooners visited Thursday morning.
Guests
Bill Pate was the guest of Margaret Hollowa! y
Make Ups
Ken Stacks, Chris Reddick, Sam Wright, Rob Delaney and Bob Rubenstein all made up missed meetings during the past week.
Good News
Dosha Cummins collected much good news on Thursday:
***Dr. Joe Stallings put in $2.00 and spoke for 4 minutes: (1) He and wife Mary Ann attended the state-wide County Health Officers’ meeting at Mt. Magazine State Park in West Arkansas. Joe related the meeting place was a beautiful new, $33 million collection of log lodges atop the highest peak in Arkansas and DID NOT have those damn deer heads on the wall; And, (2) Joe and Mary Ann shacked up with Donn and Kacky Mixon over the weekend in Clarksdale, Mississippi. The rest of the story: The foursome attended the annual King Biscuits Blues Festival in beautiful downtown Helena, Arkansas and motored on over to east Mississippi to Morgan Freeman’s establishment, Ground Zero Club. There they had to force down frozen margaritas because it was soooo hot. (survival, you know.) For bedtime it was the Shack Up Inn which is a remodeled cotton gin with a collection of shanty shacks similar to the old sharecropper cribs in days gone by. You know the rest…’What happens in Clarksdale, stays in Clarksdale.’
***Bob Rubenstein and Linda and daughter traveled to Nassau, The Bahamas. Lucky for them it was the annual Churckamoo Festival. EVERYBODY was in a festive mood, even the tenants in the next room. Bob had to break the reality check to the girls that THAT smell was Not incense coming from the next room.
***Darn, Glen Bowers will not be absent so much in the future on his journeys to Brazil. His company has recently acquired another company much farther away, which will require much more air travel. Hurry back Glen!
***Jay Clevenger reported that Mom is better! Mrs. Clevenger spent the better part of a week in the hospital being treated for alleged heart conditions and SOB. Looks as if the weaknesses may be asthma which is very treatable. Jay expressed mucho Thanks for the prayer and support.
***Larry James and wife Jill celebrated 38 years of wedded bliss this week!!!
***Chris Conger and bride Susan celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary this week also. And too, son Matt will be studying at the University of Valencia through Ja! nuary 2007.
***Jim Steele announced that (finally) the last of the many concrete pours should have took place on Thursday at Rotary Centennial Park at Craighead Forest Park. Jim believes that he has spent somewhere in the neighborhood of $5000 on gasoline driving back and forth to Craighead Forest to check on the progress at RCPark. Further, he believes that he has circled the area in question so much that the Jonesboro Police Department has surely put out a “Most Wanted” poster in view of the recent arrests at the park.
Announcements
· Dan “The Man” Trevathan threw the old red badge in the can. He now sports a Blue Badge!
· Jane Jamison thanked the 23 URCers who signed up to sponsor Super Seniors this school year, howasinever, we are still 9 short. We need a total of 32 hosts to make the program fly. Give Jane a shout soon to get your name on the list to host an Outstanding Senior. Also, if you have a child who is currently a senior and enrolled in an area high school, let Jane know as we want them enrolled in Super Seniors this year.
· Last Call for Golf Shirts for the upcoming Senior Tour at Sage Meadows sponsored by Optus and URC. Contact Shelia ASAP for last minute orders.
· Jay Clevenger showed us some of the early arrivals for promotional items for the Optus Tour. There will be an advertisement in the Jonesboro Sun this weekend.
· October is Vocational Month for URC and President Rusty asks all members to be thinking in advance of the always anticipated Vocational Excellence Award to be presented late in October. More upcoming.
· Rotary Polio Eradication is still active. There are pockets of polio still in existence in the world. Past DG Jake Morse will be addressing the club soon on the extra effort to whip polio soon.
· Jesse Stafford announced August 29 is the one year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and there will be no celebration in Hancock County, Mississippi. On Sunday, 8/27/06, a Director of Rotary International will be in Bay St. Louis to present $50,000.00 to the city of BSL for the Civic Center that is in the early stages. Also, $50,000.00 will be gifted by the Architects and Engineers of New England. An update for URC: The money and goods-in-kind that were gathered and distributed by the Rotary Clubs of Jonesboro have an accumulated value of $750,000.00 per the people in Mississippi. A lot has been done…a lot remains. Thanks to all who have given and continue to give.
Program
Margaret Holloway introduced Jerome ‘Jerry’ Biebesheimer, Director of the Fowler Center located on the campus of Arkansas State University. Jerry gave the club a Power Point and elaboration on many of the shows and presentations coming up this season. The first concert will be The Dukes of Dixieland on September 23, 2006 and the season concludes Tuesday, April 24, 2007 with a presentation by Canadian Brass. Other shows will be: Second City, Memphis Symphony, The Vienna Choir Boys, Leahy, Joyce Yang, and The Arkansas Symphony Orchestra. Rave reviews come from all players as the most wonderful sound to be found between St. Louis and Dallas.
Four Way Test
Tamara Jansen led the 4-Way Test: First, Is it the truth, Is it fair to all concerned, will it build goodwill and better friendships, will it be beneficial to all concerned.
This Week’s Program
Christy Qualls Valentine from the ASU College of Bidness will present this week. Don’t miss it!
