District Conference Report

Assistant Governor Vickie Elrod is seen here with Rotary International President Wilf Wilkinson. Vickie, Jim Allen, and Ken Embry had the privilege and opportunity to go to Nashville April 18-19 to attend a special four district combined conference. We got to hear Wilf speak on several occasions and Vickie got to sit at his table at one of the two banquets. Jim Allen gave a presentation on a Disaster Response plan he is helping develop. Ken got to see some old friends from all four districts in Kentucky and Tennessee. The Sheraton people were great hosts and the organizers did a super job in lining up the event.

Wilf is a top drawer person an interesting and short winded speaker. He very ably represents us to dignitaries and potentates around the world. We heard of club projects in some very difficult areas and we got to meet high school students studying in this country under the auspices of Rotary as well as hearing from one of our own who spent a year in France.

Allen Mathis from Alabama is the grandson of Herbert J. Taylor who authored the 4 Way Test. Allen gave a stirring account of his grandpa and how the 4 Way Test came about and what it meant. Ann Lee Hussey is both a polio victim and a devoted advocate for immunizations. Her presentation touched us all. Dave Groner from Michigan wore a Nigerian chieftan's costume and discussed the challenges of polio immunization in an endemic area that has many other challenges perhaps greater than eradicating polio.

Great conference. I wish all of our conferences were this good. I'm glad the three of us got to go.

You Better Be Good - BBB's Linda Chambers

Linda is a 1966 graduate of Durrett High. She came to WKU for a couple of years then took a job with AT&T. Later she was Commisioner of the Sinking Fund in Louisville. After she married her husband Michael they moved to Mississippi then to Oklahoma. In 1980 Michael's work brought them to Bowling Green. She was manager of the Red Lobster for twenty years until she retired. Beginning in 2003 she became director fo the local office of the Better Business Bureau. Michael and Linda have been married nearly 40 years and have one daughter Michele. Linda says Michele has no children but does have two dogs and six horses. Linda is a member at Living Hope and sings in the choir and is on their vocal team. She has volunteered to assist with the Chamber Orchestra for the last seven years.

Kenneth Webb

Kenneth Webb is a 1961 graduate of Bowling Green High School. He went to Vocational School for six years after high school and in 1970 went to work for the Bowling Green School System. In 1975 he became the Maintenance Director and retired from that position in 2000. Kenneth was a charter member of the Kentucky Schools Plant Managers Organization that was founded in 1978. When the National Organization started in 1995 he was a Charter member of that too.

After his retirement from the school system Kenneth became Director of Facilities for Houchens Industries a position that he still holds.

Kenneth has been married to his wife Bernice for 47 years and they have one son and two grandchildren, a boy and a girl. He enjoys charitable work and was Director of the Hobson House for fifteen years.

Four District Conference in Nashville Next Week

Rotary International President Wilf Wilkinson will be in attendance at next week's four district combined conference. He is scheduled to speak at Saturday's banquet. You can check out the program and register on line at www.kytnrotary.org Colonel Jim Allen is on the program Saturday morning. It should be a super conference. Hope to see you there.

The Dynamic Music Duos - Chuck and Janet Smith

Drs. Chuck (Charles W.) and Janet Smith are musicians extraordinare. Chuck grew up in Palmerton, PA just north of Allentown and graduated from Palmerton High School in 1954. His Dad had earned a Masters Degree from the University of Wyoming and Chuck tells me that they went out there every summer and it "became like a second home to me". Which explains why Chuck went there to earn his B.A. degree in 1958. While there he met a little girl from Cheyenne named Janet. They married in 1957 the year Janet graduated from the University. Chuck graduated the next year and he taught in the Montana school system for the next three years and Janet had four boys in their first five years of marriage. From Montana they moved to New Jersey and Chuck earned his Masters from NYU. Janet studied piano at Julliard while they lived in N.J. They moved on to Rochester, NY and both Chuck and Janet studied at the Eastman School of Music.
From Rochester they moved to Harrisonburg, VA and Chuck taught at Madison College (now James Madison University) and Janet taught in Salisbury, NC in all black Livingston College. She was working also on her Master's at UNC Greensboro. During this time Janet says they both were performing all the time. From North Carolina they moved to Cape Girardeau and both taught at SE Missouri State. Chuck earned his Ph.D. from Peabody in 1974 and Janet her Ph.D. from the University of Missouri Kansas City. They moved to Bowling Green in 1989 and taught at WKU until Chuck retired in 2002.
Before Chuck began to have issues with his health he enjoyed fishing. He has always enjoyed composing and still does that quite a bit. I've heard some of his compositions and they are excellent. Chuck plays the flute and both he and Janet gave concerts in St. Petersburg Russia in 2003. Janet continues to teach piano at home and her pupils have given wonderful performances for our own Rotary club. What is amazing about Janet is that she has been a Park Ranger at Mammoth Cave National Park since 1993 and still occasionally leads the Wild Cave Tour. This involves strenuous climbing through narrow passage ways. As the Aussies would say, "Good on ya." Chuck and Janet have 7 grandchildren ages 26 years to 1 1/2 years.

Joe Liles, Water Man

Joe has been in charge of the Warren County Water District for 38 years. He graduated from Henderson City High in 1961 then came to Western and graduated from here in 1966. Joe had worked part time at Sears when he was at Western and went to work for them after graduation. However he was back in BG by 1967 and has been here ever since. Joe and his wife Sally have been married 45 years and have 4 girls and 5 grandbabies. He enjoys boating and golf.

Meet Goodwill's John Wade

John Wade is our newest member. He transferred here from the Morehead club and was introduced a couple of weeks ago by Charlie Hardcastle. John is the VP of Goodwill Industries in Kentucky and is in charge of the Western half of Kentucky. His office is on the ByPass across from Zaxby's. John graduated from the White Sulfur Springs High School in West Virginia in 1964 then went on to earn both a B.A. and M.A. in Counseling from Marhall University. He is a widowerwith two daughters. John enjoys golf, dancing, and hiking. Maybe we can get him on Dancing with the Stars. Welcome to our club John.