May 9, 2008

It seemed like a big crowd today, but that was probably the 25 members of the AHS jazz band, who not only took up 3 tables, but a lot of floor space for instruments. Doesn’t it seem that young people take up more space generally than older people? Has anyone ever done a study about that?

And we had other guests, too. Shell Kellam was the guest of Jaci Betts (Shell is a caterer, d/b/a “Sav-the-flavor,” I’m told). Pamela Vuncannon was visiting with Henry Trollinger. From the Randolph Club we had a full contingent: Tom Barton, Rob Wilkins, Maggie Stevens and Harold Brubaker. Alan Pugh introduced our regular AHS guests Jessica Gage and Clara Lennon (who were mysteriously attracted to Philip Shore, as you see in their photo. Do you think it’s because they both work at Chick-Fil-A?). Jessica is the daughter of Millie and John Gage, spent last summer in Spain, played four years on the AHS tennis team, and will be attending UNCW this fall. Clara is the daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Yates Lennon. Last year she went on a mission trip to the Dominican Republic, and her hobbies are cooking, ballet, and playing the piano. She plans to attend Meredith next fall, study nutrition, and own her own restaurant some day.

President HR reminded us of Farm-City Day on May 13th, where we’ll be able to participate in the annual “Farm-City Pig Pickin’” sponsored by the Randolph Livestock and Poultry Improvement Association.  It is Tuesday May 13th at 6PM at Allen’s Dairy Farm on Osborn Mill Road.  DIRECTIONS:  Take NC 42 south about 6 miles and turn right on Olc NC Hwy 13.  Go about one mile and turn left on Kemp Mill Road.  Go about half a mile and turn right on Osborne Mill Road.  Farm is about  a mile on the right.  Watch for signs and bring your lawn chair.  Here’s a map.

Also, TOMORROW is the first outdoor festival on Sunset and Church streets, from 9AM to 6PM. Foster Hughes and the Asheboro Parks and Rec department are sponsoring, so check out their website at www.asheboroparksandrecreation.com .

The Club will meet OFFSITE on May 23rd for a picnic at the Rotary Shell in Bi-Centennial Park. Afterwards we’ll walk over to the “A Statue” beside City Hall (which we helped purchase, with the Randolph Club) for a dedication ceremony.

Tar Wheel History, July 20, 1955: A story about Cherokee Bill, and his hanging, where the punch line was “I came here to be hung, not to make a speech.” Several people asked me if this were true, an Indian hanged in Randolph County. All I can say with certainty is that I assume it’s meant to be a joke, and therefore isn’t really history. The clue is that Red writes that he fears that the story “will not be verified by Dr. Jess Pritchard.” Dr. Pritchard was considered to be one of my predecessors as Randoph County historian in the 1930s and 40s (it’s an inherited title, you see).

Phil Homiller rose to introduce the Asheboro High School Jazz Band, a crew 25 strong who meets at 7:30 each morning (“Zero Period”) to play for 45 minutes. Here’s the roster (first names only- it’s a miracle I could write THAT fast-) On Sax, Kirby, Julia, Matthew, Caleb, Cody and David; Trumpet: Tyler, Taylor and Alex; Clarinet: Kirstin, Corbin, Billy; Trombone: Will, Reuben, Chris (and coming after his AP exam, Nash Dunn); On Piano, Catherine; tuba, A.J.; Guitar, Jesus; Bassoon, Emily; Piccolo, Sarah Elizabeth; Drums: Steve, and last and late but still good enough to solo at a moment’s notice, Richard Trotter.

The crew played (1) “If I Only Had A Brain,” dedicated to the space cadet Miss Teen South Carolina; (2) Harlem Nocturne; (3) Groove Merchant; and (4) some Afro-Cuban Latin Funk, with roots in 70s rock and roll.
Maestro Homiller reminded us that jazz is improvisational, but it’s the solo instruments who improvise. The rest is entirely notated. And he pumped for attendance at their concert “2 weeks from yesterday”, where the band director at UNCA will make a guest solo appearance. Phil says there will be concerts every Tuesday and Thursday night for the next two weeks. That’s part of the run-up to graduation, which one of the band reminded us is in “22 days!”

By the way, the trombonist, Reuben, that Phil introduced as “my son”– that’s because he lives with Phil and Kathy, and in pretty much every way has been raised by Phil. The result: Reuben is president of the student body at AHS, and will be attending NC Central next fall to study in their jazz band program with Branford Marsalis.

Phil said in closing that the musician’s way to damn with faint praise is the compliment “Well, at least your horn is shiny!” I think we all agree they exceeded that in every way.

May 2, 2008

[Thanks to former Zen Master Editor Phil Shore for this haiku report of Friday's meeting. Sorry we don't have pictures of the scholarship winners, but it looks like you either get instant gratification from Philip or pictures, bells and whistles from me, but after a longer wait. Nifty Illustrated Tar Wheels about the GSE team visit and the high school musical are coming up, really, I promise. -Mac]

It was a day of young people and scholarship.

The first order of business was to introduce the student guests. We welcomed Dorothy Wollaber and Kirstyn Harmon from Asheboro High School as well as Jake Routh from Randleman High School. Dorothy’s interests are singing, school musicals (notably Children of Eden which is being performed this weekend), playing tuba and dancing. She plans to attend Appalachian State University to major in secondary English, minoring in opera vocal performance. Kirstyn has similar talents and interests. She participates in the Honors Symphonic Wind Ensemble, the Jazz Ensemble, the Park Street Players and the Art Club. She is off to UNC-Greensboro to study business then transfer to a culinary arts school. Jake Routh plays football, basketball, runs track and is a member of the debate team. He will attend Guilford College on a football scholarship this fall.

Our “real” guests as our unmentionable immediate past president used to term them were Jennifer Smith, guidance counselor at Asheboro High School, Rachel Hayes, guest of Elizabeth Cox, and Randolph Rotarian Jim Campbell.

Before letting Rebecca Redding leave the rostrum, President H.R. read a Red Underwood passage from 1962 about Frank Redding III being the only third generation in the club. Frank III was Rebecca’s father and much applause resulted because she is continuing the line.

District Assembly takes place next Friday on the campus of Guilford Technical Community College. Upcoming officers are encouraged to attend.

President H.R. turned the program over to Past President Jim Rich, Chair of the scholarship committee. Jim began by reminding us that a portion of our dues goes to the Educational Foundation. This year the club is distributing $7600 in scholarships to seniors at Asheboro, Randleman, and Southwestern Randolph High Schools and one scholarship to a second year, full-time student at Randolph Community College. The RCC scholarship pays for two semesters tuition.

By presenting these scholarships Asheboro Rotary emphasizes the importance of further education. The first RCC scholarship was presented in August of 2007 to Charleen (“Sherry”) Holt. The criteria were: (a) Student must be a second year associate degree candidate; (b) Student must have a GPA of 3.0; (c) Student must be enrolled in 12 hours of credit courses; and (d) Financial need must be evident.

Sherry spoke to us of her thanks to Asheboro Rotary and the experiences she has had because of the scholarship. She is preparing to receive her Associate Degree in accounting and business administration this May. She has become a member of a professional organization, Phi Theta Kappa. She works on several community projects including those which involve working to a cleaner environment, volunteering to supplement the food banks at CUOC and the Salvation Army, and working with the compensatory education program at RCC, a program we have supported in the past.

The high school scholarships were awarded on the bases of a. academic achievement b. citizenship and community participation and c. demonstrable financial need.

Bethany Underdonk, guidance counselor (with Jennifer Smith) at AHS spoke of the accomplishments in academics, athletics and community participation. She was especially proud of Zoo School.

AHS recipients were Meleah Faucette who will attend UNC-Chapel Hill as a North Carolina Teaching Fellow this fall to pursue a Spanish major with a minor in dance and Samantha Lovin who will also attend UNC-Chapel Hill to major in Political Science with an eye to law school.

RHS guidance counselor Jill Hayes spoke with pride about her school and its students. RHS received a beautification grant which supported the creation of a nature trail between Randleman High and Randleman Middle School. She introduced the RHS award recipients Ashley Evans and Patricia Pirelli both of whom will be attending UNC-Charlotte.

SWRHS guidance counselor Teresa Burton remarked about Southwestern’s being chosen as one of Newsweek Magazine’s top schools in the nation. She introduced Elton (Dale) Cranford, who will go to North Carolina State University in engineering; and Caroline Sheffield who will also go to State but major in Agricultural Education.

Each of the scholarship recipients spoke to the club briefly and expressed their thanks in a most mannerly way.

President H.R. gave the gong a mighty whack and we were adjourned.

February 8, 2008

    This week’s entry was writ by the practiced pen of Scribe Emeritus Philip Shore.  Sorry, but he didn’t draw any pretty pictures….

When Joy Menius dusted the piano your humble scribe thought she was going to launch into ”Kitten On the Keys”.  Instead she provided our chatter with a background of sunny songs including “I Got Rythym” and who could ask for anything more?

            President H.R. called the meeting to order with a stoutly rung gong.  Prior to the Pledge of Allegiance he announced three serious occurrences: that we hold in sympathy the family of Elizabeth Cox in the death of her mother; that Sandy Grey had sustained a fall that required surgical treatment of his arm; and the news that Father Jay Hobbs formerly of the Church of the Good Shepherd and a former Asheboro Rotarian had died just this morning.

            Rebecca Redding introduced our guests.  Christie Smith, guest of Carol Matney, has been circulated and will not be a guest much longer.  Carol made her pay for her meal.  Now that is serious.  Cindy Wilkins, guest of James Gouty, made an announcement about the Randolph Historical Association Valentine’s fundraiser.  Gale Thomas brought Lee Lennon and Henry Trollinger brought Pan Vuncannon. President H.R. had to behave today because Vickie Gallimore was the lone Randolph Rotarian present.

             The Sergeant-at-Arms team asked the scribe to note the receipt of a lovely thank you note from H.R.’s family expressing appreciation for the concern and sympathy expressed at the death of his mother last week.

            Henry Trollinger introduced two Asheboro High School student guests.  Hal Davis wants to be an English teacher.  He is co-editor-in-chief of The Ash Hi Chat and technical editor of Ash Hi Life.  He plans to attend UNC-G to study English education and then to return to Asheboro to teach.

            Lauran Breedlove is the Spanish Club treasurer; she is a Girl Scout and a member of the Key Club.  Her sport is golf.  Lauran plans to attend UNC-Chapel Hill to pursue a degree in physical therapy.

            Absentee Linda Cranford sent word for us not to miss next week’s Valentine’s program—she has arranged for Leslie Cooper, a real, live, and local choclatier.  Bring your sweetie!

            Rob Reese introduced our newest Rotarian: Shawn Mabe.  Shawn is the city officer at RBC-Centura.  President H.R. welcomed her into the club with her pin and other Rotary regalia.  Welcome, Shawn!

            Our program had a Rotary Foundation Theme.  Bill Batten let pictures do the talking.  He chose three stories of the great changes brought about by the Polio Plus campaign.  The stories were included in a recent issue of The Rotarian Video Magazine.  All three focused on India. After asking for a show of hands of those who participated in the first Polio Plus fundraising, Bill said that what we were going to watch should be considered to be a big THANK YOU.

            The first story was called The Last Hurdle.  It concerned the ongoing effort to eliminate polio in the state of Uttar Pradesh.  This presentation showed international cooperation of Indian nationals and visiting Rotarians from Georgia, USA, in a week long push to administer doses of polio vaccine to the children of the state.  After one day 17 million children had been treated but that was only half of the target population.  After a week 136 million doses had been given nationally.  It was stated that in some areas 3 doses were needed to prevent the return of polio whereas in other places as many as 17 or 18 were required—this latter was true of the Uttar Pradesh region.

            The second story was called From Crawling To Walking.  It was a case study of a boy named Asif who had had polio.  He was able to walk if he held his left leg with his hand.  Asif was a candidate for a surgical cure.  The surgery was one of 550 such cases sponsored by a Rotary Foundation Matching Grant.  The story showed the problem, the treatment, and the resultant beginning of a new life, much improved, thanks to Rotary.

            The final piece was called Success Stories.  One aspect of Polio Plus that we don’t think of immediately is the care and support needed by those who missed the preventative care and suffered the disease.  Rotary serves these people also with the opportunity for rehabilitation and, then, job training.  This article showed several young adults in physical therapy followed by classroom training in useful, gainful occupations.

            Altogether the three short films gave an impressive overview of the gigantic successes of Polio Plus with a realistic survey of what is left to be done (with the encouragement to get out there and finish it!).

            Bill asked what the original local goal of Polio Plus was—the answer $20,000.  And how much was raised?  $80,000.  Eloquent testimony of organization, effort and generosity of spirit, don’t you think?

January 11, 2008

{No photos today… you’ll just have to picture the meeting through the eyes of special guest correspondent, Phil Shore:} 

 Although the sun was mightily shining as we began our meeting, Joy Menius regaled us with a batch of rainy day songs that bolstered our spirits and upholstered our conversation. The chatter at my table mostly had to do with a bunch of Carolina sports fans declaring it unfair to allow giants to play basketball.

Mini Singh introduced our guests.  Jim Biggers, Jackie Biggers, and Ann Grey were guests of Sandy Grey.  Carol Matney brought Christie Smith.  Emily Ledwell was the guest of Jerry Hill.

We hosted two student guests from Asheboro High School.  Brandie Tew is a varsity cheerleader, a member of the National Honor Society and the Key Club.  Her hobbies are photography and laying out in the sun.  She plans to attend either East Carolina, Western Carolina or Appalachian to major in physical therapy or exercise science. With her was Eric Araj.  Eric belongs to the Board Game Club.  He enjoys cycling, racing, soccer, and football.  He will pursue a major in engineering at a yet undetermined institute of higher education.

President H.R. noted that Carole Gilliam’s two daughters had written a note of thanks to the club for its concern and caring after Carole’s death.  They included a $300 donation to the Rotary Foundation with their message.  This was much appreciated by the membership.

Russ Williams called an area Rotary event to our attention.  There will be a Valentine’s Day dinner and concert offered shortly in Greensboro.  Stay tuned for more details.

We will have a vist from the Taiwan GSE team in April.  They will be in our area April 16-19.  Two host family homes are needed.  If you care to open your home to these exciting visitors, please let Rob know.

Our speaker today was Dr. Larry Simpson, a history professor from High Point University.  Jamie Stitt asked him to return to bring us up to speed on events and causes in the Middle East.  Ladies and gentlemen, your humble scribe did not understand what he heard.  This was not the fault of Dr. Simpson whose presentation was brief, factual, and well organized.  It is the fault of too much information attempting to enter a much too inferior brain.  Dr. Simpson presented a paper to us on the underlying causes of tension between the US and Iran.  In his last visit, Dr. Simpson emphasized his opinion that there is a high likelihood of conflict between these two nations.

Today he delved beneath the surface to the economic and political reasons.  This has mostly to do with Russian and Chinese (PRC) support for Iran.  These three less than democratic entities have aligned their needs to form strengths.  China needs oil and is willing to invest in Iran’s production infrastructure.  Russia as an oil producer  seeks to stabilize prices and keep business flowing.  Beneath these subterranean currents, deeper still, there is trade in weapons and equipment to make weapons that may or may not be those of mass destruction, but who can tell?  It was a gloomy picture in any case, one of nations playing hegemony cricket, rugby rules.

I have feeling that the powers, thrones and dominions of the world would benefit from a copy of the Four Way Test.

January 4, 2008

There was joy at Asheboro Rotary last Friday, but no Joy- mainly because the piano was a couple of soirees away. The RCC Foundation employee appreciation brunch took up most of AVS and squeezed us into the southwest corner. It was cozy and turned out to facilitate the comraderie of our program. But it also has us better appreciate the fact that we’re not squenched together like sardines most Fridays. How did the club manage Back in the Day when the entire assembly shoe-horned itself into Red’s Chicken Hut, or the Kiwanis Teen Building? Our modern club has found itself in tight quarters even with the entire AVS building available– as at last year’s Mental Health Forum with the Chamber, for example. Is it just that modern Americans are bigger all the way around and require more liebensraum?

Elizabeth Mitchell, program-presenter-to-be, led the 4WT, and Phil Shore thanked God for cold weather that kills bugs. {I must also say, that when we all “exchanged pleasantries,” Phil said he wanted his back. Indian giver, indeed!}

Rebecca Redding welcomed guests Amy Byrd, with Dame Elizabeth; Christie Smith and Art Martinez with Carole Matney; and Linda Gunter with Owen George. Rodney Mason introduced our student guests Jill Allen and Ryan Lassiter. Jill, the daughter of Doug and Donna Allen, is up to a lot at AHS, plays trombone with the band, and intends to study nursing at UNC-W. Ryan, son of Bill and Sheila Lassiter, is on the varsity soccer team among many other things, and will be studying engineering at NCSU.

President HR congratulated fertile grandpere John O.H. Toledano on the occasion of the birth of another grandchild; that makes ten! HR then read us an excerpt from a Tar Wheel of 1948, where Red wrote about the “firehouse game” of McCrary Eagles basketball, and a question from the crowd about “the chasers”- those guys in long pants that blow whistles during the game.

The Rotary Information Committee was in charge of the program, and Queen Elizabeth was determined that we actually get a mother lode of info out of the day. Information- what is it good for? Learn from it/ file it away/ pass it along… SoLa Liz had invented “an interactive group exercise” for us. She handed out white envelopes containing a special rehetorical or philosophical question to each table; the table was to discuss the question, determine an answer, and present their answer to the group through a spokesperson.

Questions included:

Which came first, the chicken or the egg?

What would you do if you won the lottery?

How to have your cake and eat it, too.

Why does a stitch in time save nine?

Why did the Titantic sink?

Who invented the internet?

What do we know about the life and times of HR Gallimore?

What happened on this day in history, January 4, 1983?

What are ten uses for a Rotary name badge?

Why is an American football called a pigskin?

What’s the Number One Word or Phrase of 2007?

Answers:

1.  The Egg, is the scientific answer; See http://science.howstuffworks.com/question85.htm ; but for the philosophical circular cause and causality dilemma first formulated by Aristotle, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken-and-egg_problem .

2.  “Give $50 to the Rotary Foundation and then move away”  was the table’s answer.

3.The phrase’s earliest recording is from 1546 as “wolde you bothe eate your cake, and have your cake?” (John Heywood’s ‘A dialogue Conteinyng the Nomber in Effect of All the Prouerbes in the Englishe Tongue’) alluding to the impossibility of eating your cake and still having it afterwards; the modern version (where the clauses are reversed) is a corruption which was first signalled in 1812. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Have_one’s_cake_and_eat_it_too

4. Meaning “A little preventative maintenance can eliminate the need for major repairs later. (see also An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.) From The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition. Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company.

5. On the night of April 14, at 11:40 p.m., The Titanic struck an iceberg and sank just under three hours later, at 2:20 AM, on April 15, 1912. The 1,517 passengers who drowned constitute the worst peacetime maritime disaster in history. The ship was cruising at a speed of 22 knots, and after sighting the iceberg, turned in an attempt to avoid it. The turn resulted in grazing the iceberg, and opening up a gash through six of the ship’s sixteen watertight compartments. The Titantic could remain afloat with any two of the compartments flooded, but since none of the compartment bulkheads extended above the waterline, all six gradually flooded and pulled the ship under. It was suggested in the 1912 Congressional inquiry that if the officers in charge had not attempted to avoid the collision, but instead hit the iceberg head-on, the ship would not have sunk. Recently metallurgists have suggested that an inferior grade of iron was used in the ship’s construction, and that otherwise the collision would not have popped so many rivetted hull plates in the first place. The descendants of the ship’s Irish builders in Belfast vigorously dispute this assertion. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Titanic

6. Twenty-five years (this year) ago a couple of guys at a then-obscure military agency named DARPA — the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency—switched over to a new computer standard called TCP/IP. The switch suddenly made it possible for small experimental computer networks all over the country to talk to each other — and that made the Internet possible. One of those guys was Vinton Cerf, who is commonly called “The Father of the Internet,” and he is interviewed on NPR here http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=17872707 .

7. HR Gallimore, Jr. [Your Scribe is pledged as a member of the fraternity of Juniors not to reveal what the initials stand for, but hint: it’s the same as his father] joined us at Asheboro Rotary in September, 1995, on the recommendation of Wayne Thomas . [“What was I thinking?” Wayne has asked himself several times…] He was a member of the Asheboro High class of 1971, along with Kathy Homiller, and by all accounts was a WILD and CRAZY guy. He is married to the long-suffering Vickie Gallimore, and they own RE/MAX Realty here in Asheboro. It is reliably said by HR himself that Vickie tamed him, and that his daughter takes after her father and not her mother. His grandmother Inez Parks McMath was the first historian of Ramseur, and lived there on the corner on US 64 where Dominos Pizza is now. A high-powered car nut from a VERY early age, HR talked his loving grandmother into buying the first TransAm ever sold in Randolph County, for which Dan Thomas was grateful. Grandma went on to buy several other muscle cars, which young HR carefully looked after for her. Yes, there’s a lot more to that story.

8. In his first major speech, new Soviet President Yuri V. Andropov declared on January 4, 1983, that the Soviet economy had been hobbled by sloth, absenteeism and drunkenness, and that he was against all that. (See the New York Times for details.) Courtesy of Bonnie Renfro, a few other important milestones for that January: Tom Brokaw became the host of NBC Nightly News; the Final Episode of the TV show M.A.S.H aired on January 15, 1983; the first AEGIS class destroyer, the U.S.S. Ticonderoga, was commissioned January 22, 1983.

9. Frisbee; Paper clip; clothes pin; beer coaster; circle template; one cool earring; and 4 other things I didn’t write fast enough to record for posterity.

10. “Because calling it a pig’s bladder, which is what it actually is (or was), is a bit too real even for football players. In the days before vulcanized rubber, animal bladders were easily obtained, more or less round, readily sealed and inflated, and reasonably durable–just the thing if you wanted to play the medieval equivalent of soccer. In later years the bladder might be covered with leather (not necessarily pigskin) for added protection.” See The Straight Dope answer at http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_121.html .

11. “Don’t taze me, bro!” is the 2007 phrase of the year [http://thephoenix.com/article_ektid53162.aspx ]; “W00t!” (an exclamation of happiness and triumph used by internet and computer game players) is the 2007 word of the year [ http://www.m-w.com/info/07words.htm ]. [On the other hand, www.woot.com is a specialty shopping site, where one really awesome deal a day is presented for purchase.]

December 28, 2007

Since I was away on business yesterday, I couldn’t take pictures for the Tar Wheel.  So, lacking any other current photos, Your Editor is taking this opportunity to recycle one of his foreign exchange student Roman Bogdanov,  who is back in Russia, where as of today he tells me the temperature is 15 degrees below zero.   His school got out today for the New Year’s recess.  (Here’s his school photo- taken outside, in the park across the street from his school.  He’s wearing his school uniform).  New Year is the most important holiday in Russia– a combination of Christmas, New Year’s and our Thanksgiving.  Their Christmas isn’t until January 6- what we call Epiphany.  Happy New Year, Russian Friends!

Today’s Guest Scribe is non other than Past President Philip Shore,  who has penned many a Tar Wheel Back in the Day:

 

President H.R. called the meeting of not many Rotarians to order after Joy Menius fired Pachelbel’s Canon to glorious effect. Most people were probably still holiday-ing. Please note, though, that we will meet next Friday, January 4. Rotary Information Committee has the program which Chairwoman Elizabeth Mitchell said may be summarized as “Fabulousness” although she did not say what the program was to be. The program for January 11, 2008 will be presented by Dr. Larry Simpson who will give us another update about events in the Middle East.

No student guests today. Two “real” guests as Past President Clayton was wont to refer to non-Rotarian visitors: Gene Cox guest of Elizabeth Cox and Trent Thomas, son of Wayne Thomas.

When asked to say a word about the Rotary Foundation Bill Batten responded loudly, “SEX!” He was using the age old attention getter to call notice to the fact that he had a fistful of CHECKS in his hand. And he wants more. One more week, Rotarians, to make the annual contribution to the foundation or your contribution will have to count in the following year.

Gale Thomas, Chairman of the Food Committee, began the program with a health test. He asked those who had reasonably assured expectations of being able to stand up at their chairs and touch their toes without bending their knees to do so. Many did, although with a grunt and a groan. He asked for a show of hands of those who regularly take a pain medication, from aspirin on up. Many raised their hands. Gale went on to say that, among Americans, one of the healthiest segments of the population is the Amish, because by avoiding work saving equipment, they naturally do more.

All this to lead up to our speaker, Alison Edwards. Alison is a dedicated walker and was invited to present to us the benefits of walking as exercise. It was direct and simple and very entertaining. Alison was originally from Kinston but has lived in Asheboro for twenty-five years. She says that walking boosts her spirits, makes life better, and allows her to eat chocolate.

Alison is a part-time teacher at Northeast Randolph Middle School who walks 6-8 miles each day. Beyond the physical effects walking has improved her mental abilities and supported her emotionally. Her how to become a walker checklist follows:

Walk with a partner who will hold you to the discipline.

Plan when the walking fits best in the day. (For Alison it is in the early morning.)

Keep track of the time and distance walked.

Wear the correct footwear.

Walk in a place that makes you feel secure. (She said that after a bad experience with a dog in her neighborhood, she didn’t feel like walking there any longer.)

Challenge yourself with a goal.

Alison recommends beginning with by walking 20-30 minutes daily and when that is well-established, moving up to the 3-4 mile level. She stated that outdoor walking sites popular in Asheboro are the SAMS track and Oak Lawn Cemetery. Indoor walkers can walk measured distances at Randolph Mall. Alison mentioned that she was excited about Asheboro Parks and Recreation plans for walking tracks in the future.

Members asked Alison several questions about various walking matters. President H.R. brought the meeting to a closed by saying, “I’ve been told to take a walk many times.” And because H.R. follows the Four Way Test, we are sure this is true.

December 14, 2007

Our last program before Christmas was Mostly Music. Bob Walker started us off with an invocation; Tom White prompted the Pledge and the 4WT, and then Delores Crutchfield and the Asheboro High School choral music students sang (for their lunch) the Star Spangled Banner.

Guest Richard Hughes was visiting with Foster Hughes; Maggie Stevens and Harry Lane joined us from the Randolph Club. Charlene “Sherry” Holt was a guest of the Club, and was introduced by Jim Rich. She is the first winner of our new RCC scholarship, started by President Ed Clayton. Sherry is married and has four children, yet maintains a 4.0 GPA, and is a full time student.

Our AHS student guests were Saba Warraich and Alex Mabe. Saba is the daughter of Saida Begum and Muhammad Afzal; she has four brothers and is involved with the Key Club, the International Club, the National Honor Society, and Future Business Leaders of America. She plans to study Pharmacy at a four-year university. Alex is the son of David and Cindy Mabe, and many of us have seen him grow up from a tiny handful. He’s now president of the Latin Club, plays bass guitar, practices the Japanese marital art of Aikido, and enjoys muscle cars at car shows. He plans to attend UNC-G or ASU, get an MBA, and start his own business.

President HR presented our AVS hostess Jessica with a present from the club, and reminded us that there is NO MEETING next week (12-21). There WILL be a meeting Friday 12-28! He called our attention to the flyers on each table for the District Conference, April 24, 2008, at the “Chateau Elan Resort and Winery” in Braselton, Georgia. (Register early and get the special conference room rate). HR read from the Tar Wheel of December 5, 1951, where future club president Tommy Redding, then the small son of Henry Redding, immediately saw that the upside of losing a couple of fingers would be “no more piano lessons!”

Our musical program was provided by the Park Street Vocal Ensemble, under the direction of Delores Crutchfield. I regret I can’t tell you who they all were, but they regaled us with such a capella numbers as “Ding Dong Merrily on High,” “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” “The Haitian Noel” (sung in French or Creole). They finished up with “Christmas Is…” with Delores on the piano.

Have a Merry Christmas!

December 7, 2007

It’s certainly That Time Of Year, but some of us evidently didn’t get the Wear Red Memo this morning. Sporting red sweaters were Sam Cranford, Jamie Stitt, April Thornton, Phil Koonce, Jute Ramsey, Foster Hughes, Vee Knott, Kathy Homiller, Elizabeth Cox, and Maxton McDowell. Wearing red ties were Rodney Mason and President HR Gallimore. Mike Lee had AVS break out the red table napkins. Past President Prithi even proudly exhibited his red turban. Your Scribe at least was decked out in a seasonal, if unconventional, green.

A grizzled grey Alan Pugh introduced us to AHS student guests Kristina Voong and Ryan Hodgin. Kristina is a member of the band and color guard and intends to attend Campbell or UNC-CH to pursue a career in pharmacy. Ryan is a member of JROTC and Boy Scouts and likes rugby, camping and ‘longboarding,’ whatever that is. He plans to pursue a civil engineering degree at NCSU. Our only other guest was Harry Lane of the Randolph Club.

Phil Shore reminded the club of the Christmas Parade tonight at 7PM, and next Friday night: Christmas on Sunset.

President HR shared the Tar Wheel from February 18, 1948, where Bobby Donnell revealed that his Sunday School teacher’s most memorable moment was the time his chair tipped over and he busted his head on the windowsill. Who know how we make the most meaningful impact?

Today was Awards Day, mainly for “perfect” attendance, and what better way to start than to acknowledge the beginning of Carl Phillips’ 62nd year as a Rotarian? Maxton McDowell and the Attendance Committee were on hand to hand out certificates. Those with 10 years or more of perfect attendance include: Candi Rudzinski (10); HR Gallimore (12); Prithi Hanspal (12); Mary Joan Pugh (13); Jaci Betts (18); Talmadge Baker (24); Don Allred (25); Jim Finison (26); John Menius (29); Tom White (33); Wilbur Hancock (35); Ralph Kilpatrick (38); and John O.H. Toledano (40).

Candi Rudzinski and Lynn White shared their thoughts about membership. Candi was sponsored for membership by Peggy Morrison, and Lynn by Joe Bossong. Who have you sponsored for membership lately?

The Club has 22 people with 100% attendance, and 387 years of perfect attendance. That said, our percentage of weekly attendance is rather low compared to other clubs in the district. Up until about 12 years ago, it was pretty difficult to make up a missed meeting- it had to be done within a week, and had to be done at an official meeting of another club (not online, which is now a possibility). Many of us remember making up at a meeting of the Liberty, Randleman (now defunct) or Troy clubs.

REMEMBER: No meeting on December 21st, but we WILL meet on December 28th.

November 30, 2007

Joy was in honkey-tonkin’ piano mode today, which gave a lively and festive atmosphere to our proceedings.

Josh Strickler appeared as the guest of James Gouty; Little Miss Nikki was the guest of godmother Elizabeth Mitchell at the Scribe Table; Carla Hughes was ostensibly the guest of husband Foster, but mysteriously seated at their table was Foster’s boss John Ogburn, member of the Wednesday club but here today as guest of Jaci Betts (of which, more later). Ed Bunch made up from the Randolph Club. Our student guests from AHS were Loren Moles and Emily Koch. Loren, daughter of Carla and Kenny, is on the school and YMCA swim team, a member of the Mock Trial team and President of the National Honor Society. She plans to attend UNC or NCSU and become an orthodontist. Emily is the daughter of Kris and Ken Koch; she rides horses A LOT and plans to attend St. Andrews college in Laurinburg where she will major in equine business.

President HR recognized the bronzed and rested Leo Derrick, back from a birthday trip to the eastern Carribean. In honor of his recent 80th natal anniversary, we all sang Happy Birthday.

November may be Foundation Month, but we can donate to the Rotary Foundation all year long, and the End of the year is an especially good time for tax deductions. That’s why we can expect to see Bill Batten at the Back Table for the next few weeks, where he’ll be collecting money for the Foundation. Bring your checkbooks!

Speaking of the Foundation, a photo of Owen George and his GSE team in Taiwan was featured prominently in the most recent GSE alumni newsletter.

Update: a recent column by Chris Fitzsimons, one of the speakers at our “Lunch and Learn” meeting with the Chamber of Commerce, mentioned the meeting and the speakers with approval.

Jaci Betts rose at HR’s request to explain her brooch, the Paul Harris pin with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, sapphires and oak leaf clusters. It starts out as a little blue button, and the more one gives, the bigger and more elaborate it gets. Bill Batten and Wilbert Hancock have similar boutonnieres, and you can too. Major Donors give $10,000 and up; the Bequest Society is for gives of $10,000 from your estate (Bob Bunker was one of those). Today Jaci was pleased to honor Foster Hughes with a Paul Harris Fellowship (there’s no telling how many of those Jaci has distributed; even Your Scribe was an honored recipient of her largesse). So Carla Hughes and John Ogburn were actually in on all this, and were present to see Foster get pinned and photographed.

The Tar Wheel read by HR dated back to January 8, 1959, when Red Underwood passed along a joke about a Rotary Member who owned a coal yard. The punch line involved the Four Way Test and the term “Additional Active Member,” which you young whipper-snappers probably never heard before. Back In The Day, there was an actual limit (2) on how many Rotary members could be from the same profession. Once a member had been a member for some time (I think 10 years), he could become a “Senior Member,” and a third “Additional Active Member” could be added in that category. It was all very complicated, and lead to job title hair-splitting and Jesuitical decision-making from the Membership Committee. Just Remember: We don’t do that any more. Bring all your friends.

State Representative Harold Brubaker was our speaker, as he was about 90 days ago, when he spoke to us about his trip to Taiwan. This time he was pinch-hitting for HR to report on his recent weeks in Rome and Berlin. Harold is the chairman of the NC General Assembly’s “International Committee,” and chairman of ALEC, the American Legislative Exchange Committee. This time,they went on an “Atlantic Exchange,” where Harold spoke to the Italian parliament and spoke to people you don’t find in the local Republican party, like The Baronness Billingham, a Life Peer in the British House of Lords and a regular on Sky News. (Her quote on the British Parliament: “We fight like dogs, but after the election we get together like cats.”

Harold spoke with many European politicians and was amazed at some of the comparisons to American practice. For instance, the cost of campaigning for a seat in the Italian Chamber of Deputies (their Senate) is 300,000 Euros (about $450,000). In America, the cost of a senate campaign is $10 Million. In Europe candidates run as a party slate, and the seats are apportioned according to the percentage of the vote won by the party. An Italian Deputy is paid 14,000 Euros per month (about $30,000) and they must pay for any staff support out of their salary.

Harold hung out with Archbishop John Patrick Foley of Philadelphia, who is now Cardinal Foley; in Berlin with an Irish politician named Deith O’Ceallaigh (O’Kelly), and toured around Checkpoint Charlie (it looked like an old telephone booth) and the site of the Berlin Wall, now transformed into a modern shopping district.

Harold’s number one lesson: People are people no matter where you go.

Sad News: This week two of our long-time members passed away, Fred Kearns and Dr. Ken Gobel.

Fred’s obituary is here.

Ken Gobel’s is here.

We will miss them!

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…