March 14, 2008

The Tar Wheel: March Madness Edition

There he was, Billy Packer, larger than life, present at an Asheboro Rotary meeting! Our speaker? A guest of the club? Not exactly: but we had him on TV, anyway. That’s 21st century technology bringing the ACC tournament to the Rotary meeting; when Chapel Hill plays Florida State starting at noon, we either have Mike Lee’s projection TV going, or half the club would be elsewhere! At least we were able to watch until our speaker needed the TV for his powerpoint show…

Not so many regular guests, probably for the obvious reason; Jim Campbell was visiting from the Wednesday club, and Jerry Haywood from the Sandhills club. Bill Batten brought along his business associates from Mexico, Andres Tostado and Hugo Matamoros. But we had double the usual student guests: Elizabeth Johnson, daughter of Duffy and Donna, is the editor of the Ash-High-Chat, plays for the varsity golf team (would we expect less in that family?), and will be attending Phifer this fall to play gold and study Public Relations and Journalism. Kathryn Lail, daughter of Dean and Kay Lail and grandaughter of Jack, is in the band, plays tennis and piano, and will be attending NC State to study “museum work,” or what they officially call in academic circles “Public History.” Julie Sheffield, guidance counselor at Southwest Randolph, was here to shepherd her students. Selection seems to have been based on (1) size and (2) last name: Elton Dale Cranford is the son of Scott and Kenna Cranford of Seagrove, is VP of the SWR FFA, plays baseball, likes fishing and NASCAR, and attends Trinity Wesleyan Church. He’ll be attending NC State to study engineering. Sam Cranford (no relation, but he has our sympathies for being burdened with the name of our PDG) is the son of Tony and Sheila, plays basketball and golf for the school and attends Oak Grove Methodist Church. He’ll be going to UNC-Chapel Hill in the fall.

President HR started us out with a moment of silence to honor the passing of our own Don Durham, a member of the club since May, 1960, when he was sponsored by Barron Mills. Don died March 13th, survived by his sons Carey (former president of this club) and Rick (still running the family business, Durham Printing, now in its 61st year in operation. See Don’s Courier-Tribune obituary here: http://www.courier-tribune.com/articles/2008/03/21/obituaries/293obits031408.txt

Richard Garkalns reminded us that the Human Race tomorrow will benefit the Volunteer Center. President HR reminded one and all that there will be NO ROTARY next week, Friday being Good Friday. He went on to read us Tar Wheel History from January 31, 1973, where former president John O.H. Toledano was presiding over an Honest Count of the votes for new officers, and someone stole his pencil.

Owen George (star of the District 7690 TV commercial now popping up at odd times on cable TV), introduced our guest Kevin Redding, executive director of the Piedmont Land Conservancy, based in Greensboro. (Us oldsters remember several years ago when Kevin came to talk, representing the competition: he was formerly in charge of the Asheboro/ Uwharrie office of the Land Trust for Central North Carolina, based in Salisbury. Kevin has a degree in Natural Resource Management, is married to Lori, has a son Boone aged 2 1/2, and a daughter on the way.

PNC does a lot of work in central North Carolina, such as preserving the 1,000-acre Saddle Mountain tract on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Mitchell River, cleanest stream in the Piedmont, both in Surry County. They’ve also been adding land to Hanging Rock State Park, and preserving Emily Allen’s wildflower garden in Winston Salem, where 7200 varieties of flower will be in bloom around April 12th (not coincidentally, the date of their open house, from 2-5PM : call 691-0008 for reservations).

In Randolph County Kevin and PNC have cooperated with the Zoo in the preservation of the Ridge’s Mountain tract (which, BTW, ought to have 2 or 3 times as much property included for real protection, but we’ll take what we can get since there’s no county parks department). Their primary focus in Randolph has been in the northeast corner of the county, where our so-called Agricultural Preservation District is located (so-called because it’s just a label on a map when developers want to situate a subdivision there- editorial comment). Former Olympian Col . Guy Troy was one of the first to convey an easement to PNC which preserves his family farm for agricultural uses. Since then, the Williams Dairy, the Goat Lady Dairy, and other farmers have donated or sold such easements to PNC. It’s part of the “slow-food” movement to protect family farms and promote the growing of local produce and livestock; it’s also, as Kevin points out, a national security issue, at a time when we should be concerned about food contamination in products being shipped from half a world away.

February 29, 2008

 [Thanks to Scribe Emeritus Phil Shore for jumping in today, while Mac was legally working- working legally?- over in sunny Salisbury. Out topic today is taxes, and the illustrations are courtesy of Google Images.  I personally totally agree with Richard about the need to invest public money in infrastructure.  It's a crime against posterity that Randolph County hasn't done better about this in the past.

However, let me just point out the interesting difficulty of finding PRO-tax increase images on the internet. Out of 50 pages of google images, the ones you see here were the least partisan or most neutral.   Believe it or Not.  Richard: get some county employees to post some positive spin out there. The anti-tax stuff will write itself.

The following illustration had nothing to do with sales tax, but I couldn't resist it:  ]

Joy Menius, at her usual high standard, accompanied the chaotic gnashing of our teeth and the clanking of our flatware against china with the sublime, well-organized sounds of music. Thank you, Joy.

President H.R. welcomed us with a bit of information about leap-Fridays. What are the chances of having five Fridays in the month of February? One in twenty-eight. The last one occurred in 1980 and the next one will visit us for the Rotary meeting in 2036. Mark your calendars now and plan to bring a friend!

The Prez was cranking the meeting out today. He and Vickie Gallimore had a plane to catch.  To Las Vegas. Will the Co-Treasurers please check the Foundation Account?

Our adult guests were all visiting Rotarians, save one. Richard Wells (our speaker), Jim Campbell, Gail Moore, Maggie Stevens and Mrs. V. Gallimore all came from the Randolph Club. Jeannine Thompson, our frequently visiting friend from the Bakersfield, CA, club, joined us today. Teresa Burton, the Southwestern Randolph High School Guidance Counselor, came as escorts to her students.

We hosted four student guests today. Maria Perez and Alyssa Koehler came from SWRHS. Kayla Davis and Kirby Micka came from Asheboro High School.

Maria is president of the Beta Club, the Chief Junior Marshal, and serves on the Student Advisory Board. She is also Hospitality Minister and an interpreter. Her college plans are not definite yet, but they include work in graphic design. Alyssa plays varsity tennis, performs in the marching band, the wind ensemble, and the Asheboro Flute Choir. She is a member of FFA, Science Club, Beta Club, among other clubs. She plans to major in bio-agricultural engineering at NC State University.

Kayla is a member of the National Honor Society and the Girl Scouts (she has completed the Bronze and Silver Awards and is completing the Gold Award). Another of her major interests is dance, which she takes and teaches. She is headed to Guilford College to major in forensic science with a minor in dance. Kirby is an Eagle Scout and a member of the band, the Jazz Band and the Latin Club. He intends to take a degree in pharmacy when he goes to college.

 Next week’s program will be a very interesting one—Concerning Aphasia. April Thornton has arranged this for us.

H.R. handed the podium to Greg Spainhour to introduce our speaker, County Manager Richard Wells. Richard is well known to the Asheboro Rotary Club. He is a past-president of the Randolph Club, the former head librarian of the Randolph County Library System, the former Head Librarian of Randolph Community College, and a man who loves cars. Richard has brought innovation and political savvy to each of his positions.  

After first asking who was packing heat legally or illegally, Richard announced his topic: the county-wide referendum on a quarter-per-cent sales tax increase.    

On May 6 Randolph County voters will voice an opinion about an increase in sales tax from 6.75% to 7% on goods and services. Richard said he knew very well that no one likes to discuss raising taxes in any form.  

Why do we need to raise the sales tax? Because school construction and infrastructure improvements (such as extending water and sewer lines to more parts of the county) require funding as simultaneously the County’s bill for Medicaid continues to rise. He reminded us that although the state is providing relief from the Medicaid bill, the state is also taking a larger portion of the sales tax.  Thus, infrastructure needs still suffer.

This method of taxing is fairer than simply socking it to property owners.  We all buy things and pay a sales tax almost without thinking about it.  It would require a 2.5 cents per $100 valuation increase to equal revenues earned by the quarter per cent sales tax increase. In promotion of the referendum, which Richard stressed, must be presented in a neutral fashion, not telling voters how to vote, the County has adopted the slogan, “Everybody benefits, so everybody pays.”  

One advantage of the sales-tax method of gathering revenue is that out-of-county residents help us along everytime they buy something in Randolph County.  The tax is not applied to gasoline, groceries, medicine. The revenues earned will support the construction of our two newest high schools (coming in at around $30 million each) and the $20 million bill for extending the water lines.

Richard left a generous amount of time for questions—of which there were really very few. Within his presentation he covered most of the things people may have had on their minds. There were several comments of support for the referendum and the method of gaining revenue.

  Then H.R. hustled us out of there so he could get to the airport. Tune in next week for what didn’t stay in Vegas.

February 22, 2008

Joy Menius was doing double or triple duty today- providing not only our piano accompaniment, but hopping up to the head table and introducing our program by Tonya Hayes and Allison Dark, with the Children’s Home. Not only that, she brought her mother-in-law Henri Menius as a guest (something which actually got John to the meeting early and sitting beside her on the dias). Daughter Amanda was with Dad Dale Lambert. Jim Campbell, visiting from the Randolph club, was our only Rotarian guest.

Our student guests were both from Asheboro High: Elizabeth Blakely, daughter of Kelly and James Chriscoe, is in the band and on the tennis team, and plans to attend ASU and become a nurse. Joe Boyle, son of Michael and Gayle Boyle, is also on the tennis team, runs cross country, and is in the band. He plans to attend NCSU and study engineering.

Richard Garkalns was at the back table hawking the Human Race sponsored by the Volunteer Center. Register with Richard and win a a 19″ HDTV.

Condolences to James Gouty on the passing of his mother. Break a leg to Phil Shore, starring this week at the Sunset Theater in Harvey.

Carol Matney introduced new member Christy Smith, who lives with her husband Greg on an 80-acre produce farm near Ramseur. She is the daughter of Allen nad Brenda Flow ers, attended UNC-G, and runs Horizon Consulting Services. President HR welcomed her to the club and awarded her our usual bundle of paraphenalia.

Tar Wheels Past: Red wrote on September 23, 1965, about John Bunch’s four boys. Ed was leaving the scene, and Bill’s response to “Who Started the Fight?” was “the nearest one.”

Joy Menius rose to introduce our speaker Tonya Hayes of the Children’s Home Society of North Carolina, who lives in Level Cross with her family. Allison Dark, their Director of Development, ran the powerpoint show. Joy noted with emotion that both of the Meius children were adopted through the Children’s Home.

The Children’s Home is 105 years old. It was started by Greensboro businessmen (the same ones who founded the Chamber of Commerce) in order to keep orphans off the streets. Child Abuse and neglect is still a big problem in North Carolina, says Tonya, with children under age 4 the most vulnerable. A child dies every 9 days in North Carolina from abuse and maltreatment. The state has 100,000 children in foster care, with 3,000 of them having been permanently separated from the biological parents. Most of these kids are between the ages of 6 and 16, and most of them wait an average of 3 years for adoption. Of the kids older than 16 who age out of foster care on their 18th birthday, 70% end up homeless, and 76% end up in prison.

Since its founding in 1902 the Children’s Home has placed more than 13,500 children for adoption. In FY 2007 they served more than 6200 families and children, providing more than 40,000 total days of foster care. But even at that level, Children’s Home Society could find homes for just 36% of the children referred for foster care. Between 1940 and 1970, CHS placed an average of 350 kids per year with adoptive parents, but in 2007 they placed just 200 (46%) in adoptive homes. The reason for the decline in placements is that they receive fewer infants– most available children are “older”– more than 5 years old.

CHS spends about $15,000 per adoption in finding and preparing the families and counseling the children. Their annual budget is over $8 million, of which more than 85% goes to client services. They are a United Way agency, too!

[Editorial note: the good-looking couple who flashed past in the CHS video were Eric and Christy Luckenbach of Asheboro, who have adopted their two children through CHS. Your Scribe would point out that CHS (while top quality service) is not the only provider of foster care or adoption coordination in the Piedmont. I am actually now licensed as a foster parent through the Randolph County Department of Social Services, and there are other options even beyond that.]

February 1, 2008

Unbeknownst to Your Scribe, Febuary First was National Wear Red Day to create awareness of women’s heart disease. A good many of our tribe did get that memo, however, and were appropriately attired, starting with Steve Eblin and April Thornton at the head table. Others were scattered out amongst the crowd, but I think the red on Tom Hansen’s jersey had more to do with the Super Bowl than with heart disease….

John Grey opened with a prayer, and we pledged and tested and etc. as usual. Mini Singh introduced guests David Harrington , with Jaci Betts, Emily Ledwell with Jerry Hill, and Jim Campbell of the Randolph Club. Alan Pugh introduced student guests Alexandria Smith and Bryce Duncan from AHS. Alexandria is the daughter of Todd and Marquita Shrewsbury; she plays varsity soccer, is active in many other areas, works at Zeko’s and plans to attend UNC to become a pediatric dentist. Bryce, sporting a natty bow tie, is the son of Elyse and William Duncan, runs track and cross country, is an Eagle Scout, has been accepted at Southern Wesleyan University but is currently looking into joining the Air Force.  He has also been trained to cook barbecue at Zack’s out in Tabernacle, so his future appears to be assured.

President HR thanked the Club for its support after the passing of his mother last Friday, and noted that Elizabeth Cox’s mother also passed away this week.  He read to the Club from the Triad Business Journal, which had articles about the Zoo School, Bob Morrison and the hospital expansion, and a little article quoting Keith Chrisco entitled “Asheboro Confronts Liquor Divide.”  Dipping into the historical well, he read from the Tar Wheel of December 6, 1944, where a kindly parent offerred a $50,000 incentive for the first grandchild, and cleared the dinner table.

Our program, introduced by Steve Eblin, was Asheboro Police Chief Gary Mason.  Gary, the son of former APD officer and late High Sheriff of Randolph County Bob Mason, himself joined the APD in 1978.  He received his BA from Guilford College, attends Crossroads Baptist Church, and coaches just about every youth league imaginable.  He has been married to Joanna for 20 years, has a 17 year old daughter and a 13 year old son.

Gary started on the bottom rung of the police department and after 21 years, rose to the top.  Twenty years ago he was offered a year for more money in Alamance County, but stayed in Asheboro and was promoted to sergeant a week later.  He has been Chief since 1999, and says his bad habits have gradually dropped away to one:  he doesn’t drink, smoke, dip or chew to relieve stress, but he does admit to overeating.

Chief Mason gave the club an overview of crime and crime prevention in our community.  Something new is theft of valuable metal, which people sell to recyclers.  There have been thefts of catalytic converters from cars, copper piping from home plumbing, and wire and cable from the telephone and power companies.  Gary also warned against leaving your broken-down car along the interstate- people will drag it off to crush it for the metal.

In narcotics, there has recently been a epidemic of fake dope being sold- the flow of cocaine is so restricted that pushers sell just about anything white and powdery.  In 2006, more than 5 million grams of cocaine were seized; in 2007 that declined by more than half, indicating the flow was being cut off at our borders.   3600 pounds of “Gold Leaf” marijuana was recently seized in an Asheboro warehouse, and it was estimated to be worth about $6.5 million.   The amount of methamphetamine seized has tripled, but the street price has declined- this is due to an increase in the huge amounts coming in from other places.  Heroin has never been popular in Randolph County, but there is a significant market for it in High Point and Greensboro.

Asheboro still has prostitution on the East Side, and minimal gang activity– the Chief thinks gang members like here, but are more active in Durham and Greensboro, which have regular gang-related club shootings.  Gangs do control drug traffic; “Sir13″ controls up to the southern side of Asheboro, and the Latin Kings from Greensboro control from the north down.  There was recently a hit on a leader of the southern gang at his home in a gated community in Seven Lakes, in Moore County.  Gary thinks AHS is as drug-free and gang-free as any school in the state, thanks in part to its two SROs.

The APD is currently in a generational transition, Gary says.  Out of the 82 people in the department, many of the Chief’s generation are reaching employment maturity.  Just yesterday Timmy Lee retired after 30 years working the streets, vice, and the detective bureau.   Major Tony York, his “right hand man,” retired last summer after 32 years.  And Gary is looking at the day when he too will retire- perhaps within the next couple of years!

January 25, 2008

[The management is happy to reinstate Tar Wheel Publisher Cooper Thornton into the writing rotation.  The following is all his fault.  Now he just has to learn to take pictures like Yours Truly.  Besides the  generic crowd scene, the mug shot of our speaker is from his blog, which can be found here: http://community.myfoxwghp.com/blogs/Neill_McNeill/ ] 

Well, well, well. And so we meet again. Scribing for the first time in many months, I am reminded of the Pearl Jam lyrics, “I just wanna scream, ‘HELLO! My gosh it’s been so long, never dreamed you’d return, but now here you are and here I am. Hearts and thoughts, they fade away…’” Maybe they do, but I’m happy to report that mine have never drifted too far from yours, Rabid Readers, and it feels good to tickle the keys once more.

Your Scribe sat with the formidable table of Steve Eblin, David Renfro, Diane Frost, April Thornton, Rodney Mason, Elizabeth Cox, and Phil Koonce. Someone complimented Diane’s red overcoat, which Diane has coined her Marlo Thomas coat. “I just think it looks like something she’d wear,” explained Diane, and it did. April was also cloaked in red, but I was too busy scribing (scribbling?) to ask if her coat has a namesake. No one else was brightly lit, although Rodney was still wearing the purple and yellow bruises of his healing black eye. “No more bar fights,” I teased Rodney.

“Bang!” went the bell, calling our meeting to order. President H.R. Gallimore began by thanking Joy for tickling the keys of a different sort. We took time to greet one another, exchanging smiles, handshakes, and other pleasantries. Russ Williams led the 4-Way Test, and H.R. the Pledge. Don Allred said a simple, but thoughtful prayer for nourishment, sustenance, and hope. Amen to that.

Mini Singh introduced Alan Pugh who introduced his own guests, the only guests of the day. His was a political round table consisting of N.C. Senators, Jerry Tillman and Fred Smith, and Smith’s Chief of Staff, DeVan Barbour. Alan joked that Jerry attended college at Elon for two reasons: He could throw a baseball 93 mph and could spell Elon. Whether he could do both at the same time wasn’t addressed, and with no student guests on hand, our introductions were concluded.

Back at the podium, H.R. bragged on some of our members for their recent recognition at the annual Chamber meeting, held last weekend. It was a red-letter day for Duffy Johnson who was inducted into the Chamber’s Red Jacket Club, and whose company, Carolina Bank, was awarded Business of the Year. Harold Holmes was named Citizen of the Year, and Kaye Bryant is this year’s Chamber President Elect. Congrats, hats (off), and pats (on the back) to you all.

“Won’t You be Mine Sweet” Valentine’s Day is just around the bend, and Russ Williams invited all of us to attend the Family of Rotary’s “Valentine’s Night” in Greensboro, fittingly held on Valentine’s night. That’s February 14^th to me and thee. Festivities to be the Greensboro Symphony’s Pops Concert, and Club members can purchase tickets from Russ for the discounted price of $15. Reception and dinner tickets are also available for $25, but you’ll have to ask Russ for more details about that.

Linda Cranford and the Social Committee are still taking-up surveys regarding your personal preferences about social meetings and activities attended by spouses. “I’m against them,” quipped someone from the table over, but I couldn’t tell who over my own chuckles. If you haven’t filled one out, pick-up your survey at the Back Table or see Miss Linda.

H.R. concluded the business end of our meeting with a stroll down Tarwheel Memory Lane. The year was 1943, the clever-as-ever Red Underwood was scribing, but Your “out-of-practice” Scribe missed the rest of the best while looking back through his notes for clarification on another subject. Pitiful. No excuses and no disrespect intended to the late, great Mr. Underwood or to our esteemed President. Red could play a tall, cool typewriter (or maybe he liked to write by longhand like me) and reminds us that it’s not always the tale, but he who tells it.

Mr. Leo Derrick provided an introduction of our Guest Speaker that belonged in lights. Neill McNeill started working at WGHP in 1983. That’s 25 years ago to you and me. It was around that time he did a story from the fire tower on the top of Dave’s Mountain, and I was nothing short of astounded when he knocked on my parent’s door to borrow our telephone. “Mom! Neill McNeill was in our house today!” Neill has worked in almost every on-air news position since joining the station, and has co-anchored morning, noon, nightly, and weekend broadcasts. In the 1980s, Neill helped develop the investigative franchise now known as “FOX 8 On Your Side”, and currently co-anchors the FOX 8 5:00, 6:00, and 10:00 News. I once told an out-of-town friend of mine that our local news anchor was named Neill McNeill. He was so amused by the name he started saying, “Hi, I’m Phill McPhill. Hi, I’m Bill McBill.” And so forth. I guess maybe you had to be there, but I thought it was hysterical.

Curiously, Neill chose not to talk about his career as a TV newsman, broadcast journalism, or even television in general. Instead he spoke about the characteristics and merits of being a good leader. Quoting from the popcorn movie, “Night at the Museum”, Neill recited a key line from the film: “Some people are born with greatness, others have it thrust upon them.” He mused about being unprepared for the spotlight in 2001 when Fred Blackman retired. Despite all of his years of grooming for lead anchor, Neill felt the full weight of the station on his shoulders. He was 40 years old and unhappy by what had been “thrust upon him.” It was then that things changed for the better. Upon attending a leadership seminar for TV news anchors, Neill received an epiphany in the form of 10 Questions that changed his life. Will they change yours? Well, that’s a question only you can answer. In no particular order, here are 10 questions to becoming a better leader:

1. Am I sharing the BIG PICTURE, and including my employees in it?

2. Have I specifically defined my expectations of my employees?

3. Do I provide frequent, specific praise?

4. Do I hold everyone on my team accountable, myself included?

5. Have I set a tone of optimism?

6. Have I set a tone of creativity?

7. Have I set a tone of integrity?

8. Have I provided my employees with the tools they need to do their jobs?

9. Have I encouraged the value of learning?

10. Am I listening?

Upon completing his list of questions, Neill opened the floor to further ones. Keith Criscoe asked if Neill had any sage advice for politicians who aspire to greatness for the greater good. Neill suggested a person can’t be elected without emotionally connecting with voters. Privthi Hanspal hit a nerve when he asked why most news is negative. Neill protested that many news reports are positive, but that uplifting stories are largely ignored.

He might of said more, but for the second time that day, I wasn’t listening.

January 18, 2008

Cold weather threatened, but didn’t cancel this week’s Rotary meeting. President H.R. warned the members to check the online Tar Wheel for the final word, in case of possible cancellation due to bad weather. I guess that’s a first- we really are in the 21st century now!

We’ve had a couple of bouts with snow this week- here a couple of shots of it coming down in big puffy white kleenex flakes in Franklinville. That was pretty, but it melted too quick and turned to ice; then there was a half inch on top of that. But this is our first real snow on the ground in how long? Years? I know we had nothing but a flurry last year; Roman thought this was Florida compared to Russia. At least this year it was enough to close school and scare off our student guests….

Phil Shore invoked the divine ear and preached a sermonette on Wintry Mix, and the fact that Rotary is the answer to eliminate those wintry mixes of the Soul.

Alice Cook was a guest at the Scribe Table; her host Kathy Homiller is now officially the new CFO of Randolph Bank. Alice was actually the very first employee hired by Randolph Bank, and is still going strong at the old stand. Emily Ledwell sat with her host Jerry Hill; Emily is the interim director of Merce Clinic of which more later. Madison Cox came with grandma Elizabeth Cox; President Bob Shackleford of RCC visited from the Randolph Club, and Past District Governor Jack Green of the Furnitureland club in High Point was visiting to inform a post-meeting meeting on the subject of a new Rotary breakfast club in these parts. Not a guest but back for his second meeting in a row was Tar Wheel Publisher and Corporate Overlord Cooper Thornton. Note: we peons want health insurance: see below.

Notices: There will be a special Valentines Day program sponsored by the Greensboro Symphony. Here’s their website but I don’t see specific info about that http://www.greensborosymphony.org/ .

Owen George brought us up to speed on many different activities planned for Monday’s Martin Luther King Day celebration. The breakfast at Central Gym starts at 8AM; at 11:30 there will be a special commemoration of Leo Luther by Trees Asheboro near the junction of Salisbury Street and Old Cedar Falls Road. He promised Japanese “tycho drumming” and a speech by the Rev. John Gullett.

President H.R. shared with us the Tar Wheel of August 21, 1958, from the Presidency of Bob Bunker, who reported the disappearance of the club’s original framed charter, last seen during the presidency of John Bunch in 1955-56. Be ware: H.R. is determined to get ‘his’ charter back!

Al LaPrad introduced our program from Randy Swing, the new (since December) Outreach Facilitator of MERCE Clinic. MERCE- which is sort of an acronym for “Medical Resource Center”, doesn’t appear to have its own website, but here’s the United Way page it’s on, as a member agency: http://www.uwrandolph.org/partners.html .  The federally-funded clinic provides health care and dental care for uninsured and low income residents of Piedmont North Carolina. It has 2 doctors, 2 dentists and 17 service staff members. It is supported by the Federal Quality Health Care Center to accept medicaid under the “STAR” program, which determines co-pays from $20-$50 based on household income. The United Way partially supports the prescription drug program, where recipients can obtain generic equivalent prescriptions. Clients order meds at $3 for a 30-day supply, which arrives within 6-8 weeks. No antibiotics or narcotics are available; those referrals are made to Walmart, where generic antibiotics are available for $4.

The dental clinic on Brewer street is a purpose-built, state of the art facility with plenty of room for expansion; they would like to begin a pediatric dental program there soon. The dental clinic was built with funds from the Kate B. Reynolds and Cannon Foundations.

The MERCE patient load is 24 patients per day per doctor. Eligibility workers screen potential patients within 2 days of application; doctors see 2-3 new patients per day per doctor and are currently booked a month in advance. Merce takes a big load off the Randolph Hospital emergency room by serving the indigent and low income patients who have no health insurance. They work closely with CUOC, where Jerry Hill expressed an interest in becoming a dentist. Who’d volunteer to have Jerry’s big ol’ hands in your mouth?

Next week: Neil McNeil, of Channel 8 Fox News.

November 9, 2007

If you weren’t there (and if you weren’t, only Neal and Rebecca would know), you missed quite an amazing show last Friday. A normal Friday Asheboro Rotary meeting was scheduled, but a blockbuster community event broke out. Thanks to a harmonic convergence of great topic, dynamite speakers and lack of available space, the Asheboro-Randolph Chamber of Commerce provided us with one of our most impressive programs ever. “The Impact of Mental Health Reform in North Carolina” was the topic at what was the big finale of the Chamber’s “Lunch and Learn” series, and we were lucky to get both the program and more than a hundred extra guests at lunch. Your scribe has been around since 1994, and has only seen that number of people present at a Rotary meeting at a District Conference. In order to accomodate the overflow crowd, lunch started at 11:30, and the actual program began just after noon and went until 1:15. Amazingly, very few people left before the end, a tribute to the quality of the program. But, I get ahead of events.

We tried to bring a semblance of normalcy to a atypical meeting. Joy provided our usual piano accompaniment. Jaci Betts provided world-class table arrangements in honor of the Rotary Foundation, whose scheduled program this originally was. President HR began with a rueful acknowledgment that the club and the chamber were juggling a lot of things to weld the meetings together, and warned us that it could be either ‘lunch and learn’ or ‘crash and burn.’ Luckily it was the former. Past President Ed Clayton taught the crowd the Four Way Test, and led a Prayer. Rebecca Redding recognized a few special guests (not counting the hundred or more Chamber attendees): Debbie Cole, guest of Jerry Hill; Rob Wilkins and wife Cindy, with Elizabeth Mitchell; Matt Culberson, with dad Jim; Joyia Clayton, with husband Ed; Dr. Charles Betts, with wife Jaci; Christie Smith with Carole Matney; Sean Carter with Lynn Dodge; and from the Randolph Club, Sheriff Maynard Reid and Helen Keyes. Student Guests from AHS were Steven Buhrman, son of Bill and Karen Buhrman, an active young man who rock climbs, plays rugby and is a member of the Downtown Fencing Club in Greensboro. He plays to major somewhere in engineering, with an interest in nanotechnology. Clay Long is even bigger and more active as #74 on the AHS football team, and is the son of Chief Superior Court Judge Brad Long, and Reena Strickland. Clay is 17 years old and about 6′4″, it appears, though Your Scribe remembers clearly when he was born and was little enough to carry in the one-armed football clutch. Clay has 3 sisters (one of whom is just about a year old) and hopes to attend NCSU to major in mechanical engineering where he can pursue an interest in biodiesel production.

Past President and current Assistant District Governor Mary Joan Pugh stood to start the program. She recognized Bill Batten, our Foundation Chair, who had been recognized the night before as a Major Donor at the District Foundation Banquet. Then she went through a quick recounting of Rotary’s commitment to international peace and development, for the benefit of our visitors. She then introduced local banker Tina Crutchfield, head of the Chamber Lunch and Learn program, sponsored by Chandler Concrete and RBC Centura. She introduced the Master (mistress?) of Ceremonies Ann Shaw, our late lamented Randolph County Register of Deeds. In her very active retirement, Ann now serves as the President of the Board of Directors of the Randolph County Mental Health Association, a private advocacy agency funded in part by the United Way. [Chris Corsbie is the Executive Director of the Association; you could spot him pacing around the hall wearing a worried expectant father look.] Ann went down the dias to bring up the three speakers: Chris Fitzsimons, Executive Director of NC Policy Watch; Michael Watson, CEO of Sandhill Center for Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services; and Anthony Pugh, a Board member of the local MHA and a mental health services client.

Well, Your Scribe took 18 little note cards full of notes, but frankly I can’t do justice to the excellence of the program in the time I have available to write this newsletter. Here’s the link to the Courier-Tribune article about the meeting; you can read that. Let me just say, however, that Chris Fitzsimons did a masterful, rapid-fire history of our disastrous attempts since 2001 to “reform” mental health care in North Carolina. All agreed that we’re in worse shape now than we were then, and privatizing what amounts to a vital service has just resulted in the clients who have the ability to pay being skimmed off the top of the heap, and the rest are left to struggle for the minimal level of public services that have managed to survive. Sadly, the hospitals, jails, prisons and homeless shelters have been having to deal with the rest. I’d love to do justice to Chris’s talk, but here’s just one paraphrased quote: the bureaucrats in Raleigh who are supposed to be responsible for mental health care are playing a ’shell game of blame’ trying to shift responsibility away from themselves while the system is in a state of collapse and public hospitals are a mess. ‘What happens after hospital discharge is not our fault,’ says Michael Moseley, director of state Mental Health services. ‘It’s due to the lack of services on the local level.’ [Which the state used to support and basically starved to death. It's the old cry of the guy who killed his parents: don't blame me, I'm an orphan!] Chris said the2001 reform was”basically well-intentioned” but the rank-and-file mental health professionals aren’t so sure, and the public has gradually lost all faith in a system in crisis. The biggest problem he sees is the lack of outrage from politicians (this he directed toward Rep. Pat Hurley and Rep. Laura Wiley of High Point, both of whom were present). A study commission recommended that $100 million would be necessary to fix the system, and the most recent legislature appropriated just $3 million over the last budget. There is a complete lack of leadership from the people whose job it is to make sure people are served, and a growing feeling that politicians at the highest levels of government just don’t care. Micheal Watson had equally blunt comments about his organizations forced privatization, and the upheavals local mental health professionals have endured through 3 separate “catastrophic reorganizations.” And Anthony Pugh provided a fascinating first-hand account of a mental health service “consumer.”

So, punches really weren’t pulled. It was disturbing, but a great program. If you weren’t there, you missed a really great event!

I’ll upload more photos later…

October 26, 2007

Asheboro Rotary Goes on a Field Trip!

This was a special day for Asheboro Rotary- for only the second or third time Your Scribe can remember, we all went on a Field Trip. A Grown-Up Field Trip, for sure: No buses, no permission slips from home, and the cook-out van from ever-faithful AVS followed us for comfort’s sake.

Dale Lambert and Randolph Electric Membership Corporation were our off-site hosts for the day, and they even made the rainy weather interesting. It was hard to complain, what with the third day of rain in the current drought being our first real rain in about four months. But REMC put on a show that made the rain look like it was part of the demonstration.

We started out inside, in the company break room, or cafeteria , where hot dogs and hamburgers cooked outside on the AVS grill were the order of the day . Long-time REMC employees like Dave Rowe and Fred Smith guided us to our seats. Helpful party favors were at each place : an REMC rain guage, a necessity for this day, but a practical joke gift in prior weeks.

Allen Holt, retired CEO of REMC (if you don’t like acronyms, go away today) led us in the Four Way Test (though Alan Pugh was ready, willing and able). The Democrat Allen, however, held the floor and reminded us that the 4WT was written in 1932 and adopted by RI in 1943. He also led us in the Pledge of Allegiance, and reminded us that it was “to the REPUBLIC for which it stands,” not “to the RepubliCANS.”

One Guest: Chris Yow, Randolph Club and Asheboro City School board member, here for an obvious reason to follow. Student guests from AHS: Rebecca Yow, daughter of Chris andJennifer Newton Yow, who is involved in a lot of stuff and intends to go to college and major in Physical Therapy (Your Scribe didn’t get the info sheets, so my notes didn’t catch all their good works). On the distaff side was Drew Brisley, son of Klaussner’s Peter Brisley, who’s into tennis and snowboarding and plans to attend NCSU to study industrial design.

Phil Shore rose to remind us of the current local theater production, “Mornings At Seven,” which begins this weekend at the Sunset Theater and stars Himself with our own Jerry Hill, and has Elizabeth Mitchell working offstage. It’s at 7:30 Friday and Saturday, with a 2:30 matinee on Sunday. Phil asserted that the 1939 play is a “gentle comedy… continuously amusing but you don’t know why.” Sounds like our brand of humor.

Phil also claimed that he was missing the batteries for his free rain guage, but the inscrutible yet continuously amusing Allen Holt saved the day by reminding us that REMC rain guages are all “solar powered.”

President HR read a joke from the Tar Wheel of December 16, 1954, where a teacher demanded that her kindergarten class “hold up two fingers if you need to go to the rest room” and one of her future Rotary members asked “how does that help?”

Then Dale Lambert officially welcomed us to REMC, gave away some buckets of door prizes such as mums, pens, flashlights, and tee shirts (one of which is modeled in the official photo by Jaci Betts). Dale thanked some of his 145 employees such as Revonda Hayes and Fred Cole for their help in putting the lunch together, and showed a short video about the arcing that happens when a substation switch opens improperly… or, “How NOT to Do It.” REMC was founded in 1938 (not far from its 60th anniversary), and is a utility owned by its 31,534 members in five counties (Randolph, Moore, Montgomery, Chatham and Davidson). Dale then adjourned us all to the rear loading dock of the REMC building, entered through their impressive warehouse , for a special demonstration.

We collected under the dock shelter and looked out at their storage yard, where Dale announced that some of their service men were going to exhibit a Pole Rescue, which they practice regularly even in the rain. (He noted that, for obvious reasons like power outages usually being caused by bad weather, service guys operate in the rain or snow more often than not.) The guys had erected a pole in the storage yard, to demonstrate what happens if a lineman gets into trouble, is knocked unconscious at the top of a pole, and needs to be rescued. Rodney Haithcock, Steve and Ed set up in trucks around the pole, and Danny Lee (a strapping young man with biceps that hint that he has seen the inside of a gym) was the pole climber whose task was to rescue “Mr. Cool,” a dummy in trouble up in the air. Dale said if anyone is in trouble their goal is to get him to the ground and have him receiving first aid within 5 minutes of the event.

When trouble happens, the first step is that the guys on the ground make a 911 call, and get their climbing gear out of the truck. Then they must put on their climbing spikes, get their lines hooked up, put on their (THICK!) rubber gloves, and climb the pole to the unconscious man. Then they hammer a big screwdriver into the pole and hook their belaying line around it for fall prevention. Then they hook to the victim and drop him quickly but safely to the ground. Then they climb down, take off their gear, check vital signs, and begin CPR.

Linemen have competitions to do all this, and their best time in competition is 2 minutes, 20 seconds. Today, given the rain and the fact that they actually wanted us to see what they were doing, Danny did it in a comparatively leisurely 3 minutes.

Dale called our attention to the other side of the yard where REMC emergency equipment was parked like their big mobile substation (it cost $900,000, and is the largest of two), and a new tank-tracked vehicle used to service off-road poles. Dale also showed a collection of items which they had found over the years which had been the cause (or the sobering melted result) of power outages. This led to a discussion of what squirrels do to transformers (they unintentionally bridge the spark gap and arrestor, which fries the squirrel and causes the fuses to blow). “Squirrels are a major problem for us,” said Dale.

(If that’s their worst problem, then I think the demonstration showed that they’ve got us very well covered!)

September 28, 2007

The Greensboro Symphony visits Asheboro Rotary (but Joy Provides the Music)!

Everybody seemed to be on their best behavior, what with the Conductor of the Greensboro Symphony being our speaker.

The Scribe Table started the day with the usual pleasantries: beautiful day, but don’t we just need the rain? Or, What will Phil Shore do if it rains on the Fall Festival for the second straight year? asked George Bain and Phil Koonce. Resign, says the Shoremaster. Then the conversation turned towards Grandfatherhood and Fatherhood: both of those “hoods” are a “piece of cake,” said Elizabeth Mitchell, in comparison to the other, Mother-hood. It depends upon the perspective, I guess.

But the conversation finally died away as we stopped to admire Joy’s power piano, thumping out everything from Born Free to a concerto or two. I’m not sure if it impressed the maestro, but it certainly impressed the Scribe Table!

Another impressive touch were the odd flowers on every table

– courtesy, as usual, of Jaci Betts. Lee Malpass was on the injured reserve list – a broken wing, it  appeared.

Everett Thomas opened with an appropriate invocation from the Book of Common Prayer. Russ Williams led the Four Way Test. Rebecca Redding welcomed Archie Odell from the Randolph Club, and Charles Link, Betty Hunt and Boppy Toledano, all guests of John O. Rodney Mason introduced our student guests from Asheboro High. Marisol Romero is a senior, member of the Key Club and the National Honor Society, and hopes to major in college in chemical and biochemical engineering. Daniel Marley is on the varsity soccer team, plays football and tennis, and hopes to study physics at NC State or Duke. President HR congratulated him on kicking the first field goal in last week’s football win.

Past President Mary Joan Pugh stood to rally the troops to participate in Saturday’s Big Sweep. George Bain and his wife got the jump on everyone by picking up 391 pounds of trash this past week, but tomorrow at 10:00 you can meet Partrick at the YMCA to help supervise the Webelos, who are volunteering. [Your Scribe saw a big crowd of Eastern Randolph JROTC students in the Franklinville park Saturday, with a mountain of refuse, so participation appears to have been high. The rest of the state holds Big Sweep this coming Saturday, the first weekend in October. Phillip Shore, of course, insists on holding the Fall Festival that day, so Randolph County cleans up a week early.

ATTENTION!!!

Next Friday Jamie Stith will bring High Point University's resident expert on the Middle East back to talk. Then, we will hold a Joint Meeting with the Randolph Club the very next WEDNESDAY, where U.S. Senator Richard Burr will speak to both clubs. Asheboro Rotary will NOT meet on Friday that week (the 12th). Then the NEXT Friday (the 19th) is the rescheduled date for our visit from the District Governor- be on your best behavior. The Last Friday of October (the 26th) we will not meet at AVS, but WILL meet offsite at Randolph Electric. Make all these mental changes!!!

HR congratulated John O and Boppy on their 40th wedding anniversary- coming up on the 29th.  HE went on to read an entry from the Tar Wheel of August 3, 1950, where Dr. Jake Fritz RSVP'd to a dinner invitation in handwriting so incomprehensible that Jim Fox translated it into a 8 oz. bottle of medicine.

John O., the long-time representative of the Greensboro Symphony to Randolph County,  introduced the president of the symphony, Lisa Crawford, who introduced our speaker  .

Dimitri Sitkovetsky came to North Carolina as a guest violinist, recruited by former director Stuart Malina.  In 2003 he became the 7th and current Music Director of the Greensboro Symphony, which was created in 1959.   Dimitri (or "Dima," his Russian nickname) was born in Azerbaijan, but grew up in Moscow and emigrated to the US in 1977.  He studied at the Juilliard School, and has worked as a violinist with most of the very best orchestras in the world-- Berlin, Leipzig, London, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, etc., etc.  He has performed at every festival you every heard of, and many you never heard of.  Besides the Greensboro Symphony, he is also currently the principal Guest Conductor of the Russian State Orchestra.

Dima said he was impressed by this are of North Carolina, especially by the UNCG School of Music, where the new building is perfect for chamber music. [The symphony's new "Rice Toyota Chamber Music Series, sponsored by Garson Rice, is tailored for that facility.]  But he was attracted by our connection to literature:  O. Henry is perhaps better known in Russia than in America; there was even a Russian stamp issued to commemorate his 100th birthday.  So that was the hook that caught his attention!

He is a “music geek,” he told us– geeks being the ones in every profession who show the way forward, the “passionate preachers.”  Dima says that musicians are privileged to be paid for their passion- to work in their hobby.  Music doesn’t need translation, it’s the universal language, beyond words and description, it expresses feelings and emotions.  Everyone responds differently to the same music.  And music doesn’t discriminate by skin, politics or age.  There’s no substitute for experiencing the real thing- all one needs is attention and silence.

The orchestra itself is a team of 75 individuals-people who don’t live or associate together, don’t even work together full time, and may not even be friends, but pool their energies and souls to recreate and reinvigorate something written on paper many years ago.  Yesterday, he said,the symphony played Richard Straus’ tone poem Don Juan, written 100 years ago, about an era 3 or 400 years ago, but it speaks deeply to contemporary audiences.  The symphony, he says, is a machine to travel in time.

Maestro Sitkovesky is an enthusiastic speaker, who obviously loves his job and is excited about his organization.  He is expanding the symphony’s audiences and repertory, and has improved the quality of play.  He has begun an outreach program to public schools, run by the resident conductor, which travels all over the state.  Their 150-member youth symphony performed at Carnegie Hall last year, an unforgettable experience.  He travels constantly, and is used to being away from his family- wife (a New Yorker, former opera singer) and daughter live in London, where his daughter is applying to university.  He grew up playing chess against some of the best grand masters in the world.

The Greensboro Symphony, Dima says, is the best-kept secret in North Carolina, and he is truly lucky to be its music director.   Just come once this year and see– he guarantees the trip isn’t painful.

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.