Friday, September 21, 2007

Your Scribe Mac Whatley is posting this from Lowell, Massachusetts, where he’s been at a Board of Trustees meeting for the American Textile History Museum. Covering for me while I’m away is Tar Wheel Editor Hall of Famer, Phil Shore:

A beautiful gray day in honor of which Joy Menius played a series of rain songs. Everett Thomas gave an invocation of thanks for where we live and the bounty of having meaningful work to do.

Rebecca Redding introduced our guests. Shawn Poe, guest of Jaci Betts, Elizabeth Hussey and Melba Reynolds, guests of John and Joy Menius, Roma Cheek, guest of George Bain, and Roy Kirkman, guest of Prithvi Hanspal. The lone Randolph Rotarian was Bob Shackelford. Welcome to you all!

Mini Singh introduced student guests from Asheboro High School. Greg Egerton is varsity soccer captain and a member of the Spanish Club. He plans to attend UNC-Chapel Hill or Furman to pursue a major in science with the intent of following a career in research or becoming a professor. Samantha Lovin is in the National Honor Society and participates in Mock Trial and Park Street Players. She plans to attend UNC-CH with the goal of becoming a lawyer.

Next week’s meeting will feature the Greensboro Symphony Music Director Dmitry Sitkovetsky. Russ Williams and John O.H. Toledano have provided this program. Please make plans to attend.

There will be a joint meeting with the Randolph Club on Wednesday, October 10. The speaker will be Senator Richard Burr—another fine program.

District Governor Dave McCoy will visit us on Friday, October 19. Be sure to wear your name tag, your Rotary pin, and give the Gov. a standing O when he is introduced.

The program today was introduced by Owen George. Tim Womick, well-known to the community on several scores, has worked closely with Owen in Trees Asheboro since they founded it. Tim described in excited style the depth of the work that Trees Asheboro has done. Simple acts that have changed living patterns for young people at the Boys and Girls Club in the East Side area.

 We learned that Tim is overseeing the rehabbing of an abandoned greenhouse. A new greenhouse is opening on the campus of South Asheboro Middle School. We also learned that Asheboro Pride is not simply an anti-litter campaign but also a tool for change in Asheboro. He offered a hundred bucks to anyone who could say when Arbor Day North Carolina was in 2008. He goes home with a hundred bucks. Third Friday in March is the perpetual date. Kemp Foster won one of Tim’s silver acorns by describing the plantings at railroad crossing in downtown Asheboro as one of the most beautiful jobs in the United States.

The Club very much enjoyed Tim’s presentation.

September 14, 2007

Joy was doing her best to coax rain from the skies today, playing convincing stuff like “Raindrops Keep Falling on my Head,” and “Singing in the Rain.” But though it was grey above, the real rain didn’t fall until about 4PM on Friday. It was short, but sweet, and the first rain we’ve seen in more than a month. And the forecasts don’t promise much chance of more anytime soon. But maybe Joy and Ed did encourage the rain gods. It has happened before.

When I moved to Franklinville in 1978 and started talking with old-timers about life in the mill village, one of the stories everyone remembered was about the Reverend Joe Dan Hackney “Calling the Rain.” Joe Dan Hackney was an elderly and retired “foot-washing” Baptist preacher who lived south of Deep River in a white frame house with a two-story porch. Back then- I’m not sure when this was– perhaps that summer of 1933 which is what our TV weathermen are comparing our current drought to– but there hadn’t been rain in Franklinville in weeks and weeks. And it was not only drying up the gardens, like today; this was when they still used water wheels to generate power for the mills. So they needed rain to keep the jobs going, too.

They had a prayer meeting just to pray for rain, which they did, but that didn’t have any effect. Somehow the community turned to Joe Dan Hackney, who knew not just how to pray but how to “call the rain.” And one Saturday night he got out on his second story porch and blew a few big blasts on an old trumpet, which was the signal for everyone in town to beat on their dishpans and tubs and buckets and make a big racket. Which continued for a good few minutes. Then Joe Dan Hackney shot off several impressive blasts from his black powder rifle. Whereafter, nothing evident was seen to occur. Then Joe Dan Hackney up on his porch bellowed out a loud, yet prayerful appeal to the Almighty to “lift us out of this dry spell and into your favor.” Still nothing. People drifted away, grumbling. “Just wait on the Lord,” said Preacher Hackney. “There will be rain within a day.” The next morning there was not a cloud in the sky, but people saw Joe Dan Hackney walking to church with an umbrella on his arm. “Goin’ to need this in just a little bit,” he said. “You bring yours, too.” Huh! they said, and left their umbrellas at home. Of course, during the 11:00 service, the sky turned black and it began to thunder; soon there was a deluge…. and only Joe Dan Hackney was able to walk home dry.

Past President Ed Clayton, our own version of Joe Dan Hackney, was in the cockpit today, and opened with with a remembrance of Carole Gilliam and the victims of 9/11, which also had rain in there somewhere. He was determined to shake up things, and set us off to shake hands “with someone who don’t like.” [There was some hugging going to to get around that instruction, I saw]. Then Jaci Betts led the Four-Way Test, but Ed bade us “Say it Backwards.” Then Bob Morrison led us in the Pledge (thankfully, front-wards), and Everett Thomas invoked thanks with something about “earth and sea and sky” from the Book of Common Prayer.

Rebecca Redding welcomed guests Randy Batten (son of Bill), and a table-full from the Randolph Club: Tom Barton, Bob Wright, Archie Odell, Michael Trogdon, and Aaryn Slafky. Mini Singh introduced our first student guests of the new year, from AHS. Rebekah Siddiqui, daughter of Sid Siddiqui, has lived in Asheboro 6 years. She has 3 brothers and 3 sisters, is on the student council, volunteers a lot, and wants to attend UNC, Wake or Duke in premed. Adam Glass is the son of Pat and the late Tim Glass, and has one younger brother. He runs cross country, plays basketball, and plans to attend UNC and be a teacher.

Announcments: Next Saturday is the Rotary football game at WFU; $35 per ticket. Foster Hughes reminded us that the last chance Sunday in the Park is this weekend, when “West End Mambo” will play at 6:30. Past-Prez Ed announced that Community One Bank Prez. Mike Miller was absent because he had gone to South Bend, Indiana, to watch Michigan play Notre Dame. Says Ed, one must wonder about his judgment with numbers when Mike can’t find a better game than two team whose combined record is 0/4.

Proceeding with his Backwards to the Future theme, Ed declared himself to be anti-anti-litter; a fan, nay even an advocate of littering, and to drive the point home to the club and our speaker, he threw trash from the podium into the audience. Past President Mary Joan Pugh, close at hand to introduce our speaker, took a gavel to the ex-prexy’s head for that. She also asked the question, “Is Ed Clayton more litter-ate than a 5th Grader?” Maybe.

MJP finally got Bob Langston safely to the speaker’s podium. Bob, one of the Zoo’s Media and Marketing people, has been with us before, but this time is here as the 2007 Randolph County Big Sweep Coordinator. Bob has two degrees, from Chapel Hill in communications, and for safety, from UNC-W in Parks and Recreation. His topic and power point show was to remind us of the upcoming Big Sweep litter awareness and prevention action day which is set for Saturday September 29th.

This is the 20th anniversary Big Sweep, which began as the “Beach Sweep” to get plastic off the beaches before it could be eaten or otherwise harm sea turtles. In 1989 it expanded to all 100 counties, and in 2002, to all state watersheds.

Over the 20 years volunteers have gathered up 8 million pounds of garbage– that is 2,000 football fields covered with trash 10 feet high! Founders Andy Wood and Lundy Spence actually found a 16-pound Brazilian bowling ball on Wrightsville Beach that first year, but the prizes since then have been more like the tires and mattresses that Bob helped pull out of the Randleman drinking water reservoir. (No wonder they’re buying their water from Asheboro…)

The top ten things found by Big Sweep volunteers:

10: Appliances

9: Car parts

8: Old Tires

7: Used Disposable Diapers

6: Building Supplies

5: Cigarette wrappers and lighters

4: Plastic Grocery Bags

3: Food Packaging

2: Beverage Containers

And the #1 item found by Big Sweepers: Cigarette Butts!

Most of these items are NOT biodegradable, Ed Clayton. Monofilament fishing line (which is 100% recyclable) takes 600 years to degrade in the open environment. Plastic beverage bottles will take 450 years. Aluminum cans will take 80 to 200 years. Last year Randolph County had 815 Big Sweep Volunteers, who cleaned 19.25 miles of stream, and bagged 297 garbage bags with 9,605 pounds of litter.

If you want to volunteer Saturday 9-29, pick-up sites will be published in the paper, or to Adopt A Spot, call Bob at the Zoo. There will be two special events on 9-24-07; one at Balfour Elementary School at 1:15 PM; another meeting at Northgate Shopping Center at 4PM.  Also, MJP calls our attention to the “special waste day” at the County Landfill on Sept. 20th– they’ll accept pesticides, paint, batteries, white goods, and other hard-to-hide things.

In closing questions, Jim Culberson initiated a big discussion about “getting cupped,” an advertising scheme by a local pizza place which throws plastic cups full of coupons out in people’s yards. While Your Scribe can’t say this has been any problem in Franklinville (our litter runs more toward the odd dented Chevy bumper and decomposing upholstered sofa), it is evidently a sore point in on Dave’s Mountain, where Chief Jim is “really teed off.”

Oh, and we were blessed with precipitation before the end of the day, so based on results Past President Ed ranks up there with Joe Dan Hackney in his ability to Call The Rain.

Your Scribe will be in Boston next Friday, so The Mayor of Sunset Avenue will be noodling here. You are warned.

September 7, 2007

The first thing an arriving guest saw this Friday at the front door of AVS was the tell-tale evidence of the presence of Allen Holt: the Holtmobile was parked in the spot of obvious honor, and looked in tip-top shape for her age, staid yet spiffy in basic black. A turn of one’s eye toward the south, however, would catch a glimpse of another old-timer, this one dressed like a Duke student and driving the metallic orange station wagon in the background. A lesson perhaps, in how some things age with grace and dignity, and others rage against the dying of the light?

After enjoying Joy’s rousing rendition of “Pink Panther,” Phil Shore gave the Scribe Table a whiff of”Everything’s Coming Up Roses” in honor of RSVP’s announcement that they’ll produce “Gypsy” next summer. One of the wags asked Alan Pugh if he intended to try out for THAT title role. But no, it appears that he doesn’t want to endure wearing the ‘pasties’…

Revving up to speed, Michael Smith led the Four Way, Phil gave the invocation, and Rebecca welcomed guests Kathy Davis (with Elizabeth Cox), Roma Cheek, with George Bain, and Mark Key (guest of the club, in honor of his daughter our speaker). Vickie Gallimore, supervisor of President HR, was the only other visitor from the Randolph Club.

Speaking of HR, he reminded the club of the upcoming Rotary football Saturday at WFU, and of the District Golf Tournament October 11th. Bill Batten has a birthday this week. And our anniversaries this month: John O. Toledano, 40 years; Sam Cranford, 39 years; Doug Aitken, 33 years; Jim Rich, 31 years; Huntley Bossong, 12; Steve Eblin, 10; Everett Thomas, 7.

Tar Wheel History: In the issue of Thursday March 24, 1960, past president Bob Wood, a pillar of Central Methodist Church, complained at the Methodist Men breakfast that Methodist Men weren’t even interested in Methodist Women at 7AM.

I’m thinking that HR mined that quote from Tar Wheel history in honor of Mark Key, current pastor at Central Methodist, and current president of the Randolph Club. Mark sat at the front table with our speaker, his daughter Krista Key. Krista was sponsored by the Wednesday Club to attend the Rotary Youth Leadership Program at Guilford College this summer, and was here to tell us about her experience (since, for some reason that escapes me, our club didn’t send anyone this year, though in the past we’ve sent 3 or 4 each summer).

Krista is a senior at AHS this year, and a valued member of the tennis team, as Phil Koonce reminded us. She spoke to us about the RYLP camp where she was one of 51 students sponsored by our District and participating in the classes run by the Center for Creative Leadership in Greensboro. There was a ropes course to build trust and teamwork; a card tournament to teach communication without talking, vespers from representatives of different religions, and a speech by the CEO of VF Corporation. She liked the personality types training (she’s an ESFP on the Myers-Briggs scale), and practicing leadership roles. She’s especially looking forward to using some of those skills at school this year.

President HR then showed the club a Paul Harris pin with two sapphires, which we received in honor of Bob Bunker’s testamentary gift to the Rotary Foundation. HR said we’d soon see it on one of the club banners. Next up was Don Allred, who installed some of the officers who missed the swearing-in back in June: Kathy Homiller, Sam Cranford, Mini Singh, and Rebecca Redding. Still not sworn in, is Cooper Thornton, whose picture must be on a milk carton by now.

Missing Next Week: President HR Gallimore. Ed Clayton will be substituting at the podium. You are forewarned!!

August 31, 2007

The talk at the Scribe table was mostly centered around Rob Reese, in town long enough for United Way and Rotary meetings, and then back to his place in the mountains, which he described as being half way between Boone and Blowing Rock, “on the rear end of Hound Ears.” He and Michael Smith were engaged in a lengthy conversation about the area, which involved Michael’s Appalachian career and his introduction into leather sales. (This week, I am sure the Appalachian grads will also have much to crow about, given Yusef’s famous victory over Michigan.) On the other side of the room, Kemp Foster was jazzing up the staid Presbyterian Table with some vacation-style casual attire. Just so you know.

We began the day by singing Happy Birthday to Joy, to her own accompaniment. Then we Greeted (All), Tested (Owen); and Prayed (Everett). Rebecca Redding introduced guests: Roma Cheek with George Bain, and Bob Wright and Ralph Hardison of the Randolph Club. President HR congratulated Allen Holt on acheiving his 50th wedding anniversary this week (Allen was not present- off celebrating in some fashion, no doubt).

The historic Tar Wheel was from July 17, 1958: two club members, a Democrat and a Republican, were bipartisanly picnicking together with their families and forgot their children’s bathing suits. The children were considered to be young enough to play together in the water au naturel, and did so, until the little ran up and said, “Daddy, Daddy, I didn’t know there was such a difference between Democrats and Republicans!”

HR asked the club to plan to attend the Rotary Foundation Seminar on September 26th, which is again being held here at AVS in Asheboro for our part of the District. Most clubs will be sending their president, president-elect and Rotary Foundation chair to the event, but since we’re technically the hosts, it would be great to have as many of our members who can be there to attend and show our support. Registration is at 3PM (it costs $10), and the meeting will run from 3:30 to 5:30. HR has the registration forms, so call him.

Our visit from the District Governor being postponed by the untimely death of the High Point club’s executive secretary, HR warned us to be on our best behavior for his rescheduled visit on October 19th. Luckily, our state representative Harold Brubaker was willing to pinch hit. Harold is a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council, and went on a one-week trip to China last month. The first week in October, he’ll be making a similar trip to Rome, and the first week in November, to Berlin. It sounds like Harold is fast being a part of the international legislative jet set. The worst part of the trip, he said, was not the 12 hour flight home, but the 5-hour delay on the runway in San Francisco due to ground computer failure, and then the 2 hour wait for his luggage.

True democracy came to Taiwan, says Harold, only about 10 years ago when the Chung Kai Shek party was finally voted out after more than 50 years. That was the old hard-line, ‘no compromise with the Communists’ party. The current administration has a more global point of view, and is willing to cautiously work with mainland China, or “the people across the street,” as they say. Taiwan is two-thirds the size of North Carolina and has 23 million residents, not to mention 900 missles pointed at them from the mainland. The new party members believe that the Chinese will never go back to one-party rule, that barriers have come down and will continue to do so as mainland Chinese taste more freedom. A big open question is what impact will the Olympics have in 2008, when China will be more open to world scrutiny than ever before.

The most remarkable thing to Harold was how Taiwan has totally reinvented its economy in the last 10 years. Traditional heavy manufacturing has left Taiwan in much the same way it has left the USA, and has gone to the same places: mainland China, Vietnam, and Cambodia. But unlike us, personal income has doubled with the loss of heavy manufacturing, as Taiwan made a seamless transition into high tech industries. This is because, Harold says, the Taiwanese entrepreneurs are smarter than Americans- instead of a mindless focus on dividends and quarterly reports, the Taiwanese are planning five, ten and fifteen years ahead.

“Made in Taiwan” used to be found on many products exported to America, but isn’t seen as much anymore. That is partly because Taiwanese entrepreneurs are now starting businesses in other countries. Taiwan also uses a lot of ‘guest workers,’ and they manage that better than we do, too, says Harold. They bring in Filipinos to work manufacturing jobs at $550 per month; since the cheapest apartments rent for $1,000 per month, the workers share apartments, somtimes living 6 in one ‘flat’. The normal week is 44 hours long, and overtime is paid at 1.56 times the regular wage. Unskilled guest workers only get a 3-year Visa which can only be renewed once, and skilled workers can get unlimited professional visas, but neither type of worker nor their children can ever become full-fledged citizens of Taiwan.

Harold advises any American company which wants to establish a global presence to go through Taiwan, and get involved with entrepreneurs who know the whole Asian rim. Last but not least, said Harold, it was nice to be in a country where they love Americans.

Owen George was just back from Taiwan on Wednesday, and he was fighting jet lag. But he woke up enough to present HR with a banner from the Rotary Club of Feng Yuan, Taiwan. (For an account of his visit, see “Summer Special #1″ posted earlier this month).  Owen reminded us that this year’s GSE trip is once again going to Taiwan- a different district from 2 years ago, but still enough to add another layer to the relationship North Carolina is building with Taiwan.