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.

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 16, 2007

It was a voluable day at the Scribe Table; everyone seemed to have stories to share. From Phil Shore and Alan Pugh, a lengthy and eruidite discussion of 5/9 time, occasioned by Joy’s rendition of Dave Brubek on the piano. From Jamie Stitt, insight about the SAT and international students at HPU. From Lee Malpass and Your Scribe, back-and-forth on the GAL program, foster parenting, DSS and legal representation in juvenile court. Given all that, Rob Reese tried to add class to the table by seating his guest Shawn Mabe  (a veteran banker now the new city banking manager at RBC Centura) among us, but President HR interrupted that by calling Rob to the head table, and Shawn was entrusted to a less dangerous seat.

From their seats on high, Phil Koonce was called to lead the Four Way Test, and Rob spoke to God and the assembled masses from the Book of Common Prayer. Mini Singh introduced our guests: Shawn, of course; Christie Smith  (a software consultant), with Carol Matney; and Tom Barton and Ralph Hardison of the Randolph Club. Rodney Mason introduced our Asheboro High student guests Veronica Cordera, a member of the student council and junior ROTC, who hopes to major in architecture at NCSU or UNCC; and Katherine Williams,  daughter of Ann and David, a Yearbook editor, a photographer and member of the varsity soccer team, who intends to study marketing at Clemson.

There is NO ROTARY THIS FRIDAY, which is why your scribe is working on this before leaving for Thanksgiving at his sister’s at Morehead City.

President HR opened up an old can of worms (or more appropriately, beans) when he warned the club about the dangers of deep frying a turkey. Past-President Prithi then stood to warn the club about the dangers of turkey. Touche. HR went on to congratulate Leo Derrick on his 80th birthday, to little avail, since Leo is celebrating the same on a cruise.

HR read us part of the Tar Wheel from March 1, 1944, when Sunset Theatre manager J. Francis White had his bluff called on Sunday School by his son Alex. (“See there, it won’t do me any good either!” was the punch line.)

Our program was presented by the Rotary Foundation Committee, and Rob Reese began by extolling the multitudinous good works funded by the Foundation in our names. Last year Asheboro Rotary gave $21,994 to the Foundation, together with $7,000 restricted to Polio Plus, for a total contribution of $28,994. That was more than twice our goal, but even at that, only 65% of us (63 of 115 members) contributed.

The majority of the program was presented by our four past Group Study Exchange team leaders, Lib Cox (team leader to Chile), Jaci Betts (team leader to Brazil), Jim Culberson (team leader to Portugal), and Owen George (team leader to Taiwan). Just having those four seated together at the front table is a powerful demonstration of our club’s commitment to the GSE program: out of the 50 clubs in District 7690, Asheboro Rotary has provided the Team Leader for 4 of the last 12 trips.

Jim Culberson started off by reminiscing about his 1994 exchange with northern Portugal. I should say “our” exchange, for Your Scribe was a member of Jim’s team long before I took over Tom O’Briant’s seat at the Rotary table. Jim’s commitment to GSE began as early as 1979, when he hosted a member of the team from Austria; Jim maintained the connection and visited him and his family in Linz in 2003. For those of you new to the club, the trip to Portugal occured the year of District Governor Wilbert Hancock, and the exchange was powerfully successful on both sides of the Atlantic. Even though Portugal, where palm trees grow and it’s normally sunny and warm in May, was amazingly cold and rainy almost the entire month. But several varieties of wine and beer helped us acclimate, as well as amazement when we found that beer could be purchased from the same street vending machines Coke and Fanta came out of. We were treated like visiting heads of state, from visits with Olympic marathon runners to national tourism officials and the Mayors of just about every cuidad in Portugal, not to mention a tour of the deep bowels of a brand-new hydroelectric station that looked like the set for a James Bond movie. And after Your Scribe complained, they finally began slowing the car down long enough for me to snap a picture of the odd Roman ruin or Gothic cathedral or Napoleonic battlefield while we careened toward the next textile mill or brass foundry tour. Yes, that trip gave new meaning to the phrase, “We’ll sleep when we’re dead,” but it was an amazing and unforgettable 6 weeks.

Jaci’s trip to Brazil started out, in her grandmother’s words, “As hot as 3 kinds of Hell.” Asheboro’s Assistant Fire Chief Mike Jones was one of Jaci’s companions, and was received with acclaim, as both Brazilians and Portuguese love their “bombieros” (firemen). Jaci was a natural choice for leading the team to Brazil, as her parents were missionaries to Mozambique, a Portuguese colony in African, where she grew up.  Jaci shared some of her emotional memories of the trip, especially of Adrienne in Sete Lagoas, a single mother who gave Jaci the key to her house, saying “meinha casa es sua casa,” my house is your house.”

Owen George reminded us of his recent trip to Taiwan, and then shared his even more recent trip back there with the District’s “Fellowship Exchange.”  One big result of Owen’s trip is that businessman John Woo of Taiwan funded an Ambassadorial Scholarship between our districts, and North Carolina has a scholar in Taiwan even now.  In April another team from District 7690 will visit another part of Taiwan, further cementing the ties between our two countries.  And next year, under District Governor Charles Allen, we’ll be exchanging teams with India.

Owen reminded us that GSE “is the jewel in the crown of the Rotary Foundation.”  And Jaci put it all in context by saying that GSE fulfills the objects of Rotary by (1) giving the team the opportunity for service; (2) establishing and maintaining high ethical standards; (3)  Applying the service in a meaningful way; and (4) promoting the advancement of understanding, good will, and peace throughout the world.

When the next exchange comes our way next April, host a team member and share your America with them.  Neither of you will be the same again.

Happy Thanksgiving!