Bowling Green Noon Rotary Club

Committee Reports & General Announcements

2009-12-16T13:30:00.004-06:00

On this last meeting before our Christmas party, we heard from three committees. Rick Williams reported from the Public Relations Committee. He discussed plans for getting the word out in the community about Rotary work and projects. He said we need to develop close relationships with every media outlet to make sure the positive things Rotary contributes to the community gets some mention. Rick talked about press releases and invitations to reporters to hear speakers who talk about topics of broad community interest. Scott Lowe reported from the Speaker and Facility committee. They are needing a speaker's chair for next June. Because of the results of a members survey about a year ago, Scott's committee looked at alternative meeting sites for our club. He discussed four viable alternatives but the committee recommended that we stay at the Bowling Green Country Club at least for now. They hired a new food service director about six months ago and there is nearly unanimous agreement that the quality of the food has improved dramatically in that time. Ben Smith gave us the news and recommendations from the Finance Committee. The bottom line is that dues will increase $10 a month beginning in January. Ben also said that we will be looking for fund raisers to help build our reserve back up. Thanks to all of the presenters and their committees for jobs well done. Club President Kevin Mays announced that there will be no meeting of our club December 30 and the first two meetings in January will be at the Carroll Knicely Center.

Local Business Leaders on Values Panel

2009-10-22T09:15:00.004-05:00

Program Chair Margaret Curtis presented club member Joe Davis. Joe seen on the right of this photo moderated a panel of local small business owners who talked about operating a business using values that Rotarians incorporate in the 4 Way Test. From left are Russell Hopper who is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor and operates Questhouse. This is a facility that treats persons with addictions. The lady in the photo is Tressia Bandy. Locals see her on TV selling the mattresses that the family business manufactures right here in B.G. Carl Chaney is the gentleman in the white shirt. Carl is a dairyman who expanded into added value marketing and agritourism a few years ago. He and his wife Debra opened an ice cream parlor on the corner of their farm near the Woodburn community in southern Warren County. They received the 2008 Small Business of the Year award from the Chamber of Commerce. Joe Davis on the right owns Gerald Printing. It was a delight to hear from all of these business owners.
One of the things I brought away from the discussion was how important members of the extended family were to these people. Tressia said her grandmother took the time to encourage her everyday. I asked if her grandmother lived with her and she replied "she lived next door". Joe was raised by an Aunt and Uncle and Carl by his grandmother. Russell says that a lot of people today do not have a core value system. Obviously the four people on our panel were instilled with essential moral values from an early age by key people in their lives. This was such an inspiring program and we thank each of the panel members for taking part of their day and sharing with us.

District Governor Chuck Cicchella Visits

2009-10-02T11:51:00.005-05:00

We were honored to have our current District Governor Chuck Cicchella visit our club this week. Chuck had a very up beat take on the future of Rotary in our District. I especially liked plans for our District Conference to be held at Holiday World. Chuck said the meeting will be dedicated to the memory of our own Janette Boehman's Dad, Tom Duncan Reed. Tom was well known in Rotary International and by Rotarians around the world.

The photo above is a presentation by the District Governor to our own Club President Kevin May. It is some kind of promissory gift for a country ham but I missed the details. Chuck did say that Kevin had been a big help to him and had come up with the idea of a District Conference at Holiday World. Chuck said last year's conference in Frankfort was poorly attended. Hopefully this next conference will be a lot of fun and better attended.

Rachel Reetzke in Chengdu China

2009-10-02T11:27:00.003-05:00

Rachel spoke to our club a few weeks ago. A summary of her visit can be accessed by requesting it from the blog archives. Rachel had problems with her Power Point presentation that day and said she would forward some of the photos from her experience in China. Thank you Rachel for these great pictures.

Rachel Reetzke at Chengdu Autism Center

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Rachel Reetzke w Group of Chinese Students

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Rachel Reetzke at Great Wall of China

2009-10-02T11:24:00.001-05:00

Rotaract Getting Established on WKU's Campus

2009-09-24T08:46:00.005-05:00

This week's meeting was about the new Rotaract chapter on Western's campus. Rachelle Phillips Shults spoke at our regular meeting and brought us up to date. The fledgling club sent 150 pairs of shoes to a village in Kenya. This was greatly facilitated by Rotarian Cheryl Kirby-Stokes who works with her husband there each summer. (Cheryl will have baskets from those villages at our meetings for sale soon.) The Rotaract club is scheduled to meet first and third Wednesdays in the first floor of the Cravens Library at 4:30. [It is in the Leadership Office just as you enter the building off Normal Drive.] In the photo are John and Elise. Elise thought a good local project would be to provide toiletries for battered women centers. The club is planning on exploring that.

Yesterday afternoon our President Kevin Mays with faculty Adviser Sally Ray, Rachelle, Communications Professor Colonel Jim Allen and myself (Ken Embry M.D.) assembled with this year's Rotaract group for their second meeting of the year. Kevin spoke to the club for a few minutes and encouraged the members to light the Rotary fire on campus. There were nine club members present. This year's officers are Chris Neiswinger, Treasurer; Sarah Moore, President both of these two from Evansville, Indiana. The Vice Presdient is Jade Lynn. The group discussed organizational and project issues. Nearly everyone present participated it is obvious that the individuals in this group will be leaders in their chosen fields. If you get a chance visit a meeting.

Singing at our Meetings

2009-09-16T14:10:00.002-05:00

Janet Bass Smith wrote lyrics to Row Row Row your boat and we sang it as a round at this week's club meeting. I think everyone had a big time doing it and thanks to Janet and her helpers. She asked me to publish the words in the blog so here they are: Ro-ro-ro-tar-y A name heard wide and far Hon-or Truth and Ser-vice to all This is who we are.

PDG Kay Sharon talked about our District's Rotary Youth Leadership camp held the past two years in Greenville under her leadership. It is a great program and a great presentation

Mark your calendars for OCTOBER 7. That meeting will be held at the CULINARY ARTS RESTAURANT at the Technical College. Club Member Nathan Hodges is the President of that organization and is anxious to show case to our club the students' achievements.

Next week the lovely Rachelle Phillips Shults talks about Rotaract on WKU's campus.

International Convention Booklet from 1931

2009-09-15T17:35:00.007-05:00

Joe Taylor's office is next to mine in the Campus Plaza Suites behind Zaxby's on the Bypass. Recently he shared with me a booklet for the 1931 Rotary International Convention in Vienna Austria. A local opthalmologist, Dr. Jim Willoughby had given this to Joe about fifteen years ago. The invitation in the booklet is so appealing and the photos of Europe are truly of a by-gone era. This is Austria before Hitler. Joe and I decided that if we could find a means of time travel we'd surely like to attend this convention.

I scanned the booklet and have uploaded it here for all to see. Wouldn't you love to know how many American Rotarians actually went and what was the overall attendance? I'd like to know something about the speakers and their subjects. How many countries were represented among the delegates? Look at the photos and if you know, tell us how many of these landmarks survived WWII or have since been rebuilt. This blog site will only display the first several pages on one screen. However at the very bottom there is a button for Older Posts and if you'll press there you can seamlessly see all of the pages. The text is readable if you have a large enough screen or if you use a magnifying glass as I did.

Cover of 1931 Rotary International Convention

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Invitation to 1931 Rotary International Convention from the President of Austria

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To VIenna in 1931 Page 1

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The Danube Page 2

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The Rotunda Page 3

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Aerial View Belvedere Palace Page 4

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Beethoven's House Page 5

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St. Stephens' Cathedral Page 6

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Vienna City Hall Page 7

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Vienna Orchestra Photo Page 8

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Johann Strauss Photo Page 9

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Schonbrunn Palace Page 10

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National Library Photo Page 11

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Palace of the Vienna Fair Page 12

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Map of Europe Center Fold Page 13

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Belvedere Palace Photo Page 14

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Hochosterwitz Castle Photo Page 15

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Trafalgar Square Photo Page 16

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Paris Photo Page 17

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Brussels Photo Page 18

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Graz Photo Page 19

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Hamburg Photo Page 20

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Munich Photo Page 21

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Badgastein Photo Page 22

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Acropolis Photo Page 23

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Rome Photo Page 24

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Official Tour Companies

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Back Cover

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Ambassadorial Scholar Rachael Reetzke Speaks

2009-09-02T14:42:00.005-05:00

PDG Joe Phillips accompanied Franklin, Kentucky's own Rachael Reetzke today (Sept 2, 09). Rachael has been selected an Ambassadorial Scholar. She plans on pursuing her studies in Autism. She spent part of the last year in China visiting three major cities. She did the tourist thing in Beijing then spent a few days in Xian where she saw the Terra Cotta Warriors. She got to visit a high point in the Great Wall and actually participated in harvesting silk. The bulk of Rachael's work was in Chengdu where she studied at the South West University of Economics and Science. She studied the Chinese Language in the International Studies Institute and also was able to spend time looking at the Chinese management of Autism. She says Autism is still not a common word in the normal Chinese person's vocabulary. In the center that she visited they seemed to be behind in their understanding of the problem. (Racheal is a student at WKU and works at the Kelly Austism Center. ) The therapy she observed involved a lot of group activities. However when she told a grad student what her interests were they did not know what the work autism meant.

Rachael got to see a lot of the cultural heritage of China in a trip that will influence her for the rest of her life. She obviously was a great representative of our country and was a superlative Ambassadorial Scholar. Unfortunately her Power Point failed her and she hopes to have those slides sent to our membership via email. I personally did not think their absence was a major distraction and we appreciated so much Rachael's composure and excellent report.

We Mourn the Loss of Jim Bennett and Tom Baird

2009-08-21T13:46:00.003-05:00

In the last two weeks we have lost both Tom Baird and Jim Bennett. I'll try to have special articles on each but sufficient to say they will be missed. Tom had just received his 46 year perfect attendance pin the week before. His widow says he wore it on his lapel to his grave. We have ordered duplicates to present to his two daughers.

Kevin Mays takes the Reins

2009-08-21T13:30:00.003-05:00

Kevin is the former head of the local National City Bank branches. When his job was to take him out of Bowling Green he resigned and took a job with Holland CPA's. We are delighted that he elected to stay in Bowling Green. In my opinion Kevin is a natural leader and "do gooder". His whole life has been in service to others and his deep spiritual anchor makes him a treamendous asset to our community and to Rotary in particular. I look for active, forward looking leadership from Kevin during his tenure.

One of the first things Kevin did when he took over as our club president was to outline the challenges ahead and speak about his plan to meet them. He said we need to address the financial challenges of our club and make some difficult decisions. (Spoken like a true banker.) He wants us to help the international organization match the Bill and Melinda Gates foundation challenge grant by assessing $130 from each member.

Kevin wants to improve the quality and quantity of our membership during his tenure. We were one of the few clubs over the last year that actually had a net gain in membership. Hang on to your hats fellow Rotarians we're in exciting and challenging times during the next twelve months. Good Luck Kevin.

Margaret Curtis Talks about Teaching in China

2009-08-21T13:21:00.004-05:00

Parapatetic Dr. Margaret Curtis, a retired Professor of Eastern Studies from Western Kentucky Unitversity, spent a block of time over the last twelve months teaching at two universities in China. We have published some of her correspondence on this blog. Those entries can be seen by checking the archives. This time we got a splendid power point presentation from Margaret herself and the audience was captivated. What I took away from Margaret's comments is how beautiful and collegiate her students looked. She obviously became very attached to them and I suspect it had a lot to do with their sincerity and enthusiasm. She commented during her presentation that it was the best group of students she had ever had.

Although Margaret was afforded very comfortable living conditions in heavily polluted industrial cities, the students attended classes in modern looking classrooms that Margaret said were neither heated nor cooled. It rained abundantly during the time she was there. One student is trying even at this moment to get here to Bowling Green to attend Greenwood High School. Let's hope things work out so she can and we'll keep you posted on that story. Thank you Margaret for such important work towards international understanding and for your great presentation at our meeting.

Adopt A Class Review

2009-05-27T13:58:00.003-05:00

David Sparks and Alex Downing reviewed the progress of our Adopt A Class. Below on the left is Edmira Christanovich and on the right is Laura Southard. Both sophomore's at WKU. Laura is Pre Vet and Edmira is in Sociology.
What a treat to have them with us today.

Our club adopted Mrs. Jan Coombs class from Warren Elementary in the year 2000. They graduated in 2007. Of the original 24, four moved away and 12 are either in higher education, have been, or will be this fall. This was our second attempt to adopt a class. We had learned several important lessons from our failed original attempt in 1991. This time each student was assigned to a mentor to kept in touch on a regular basis. We had outings with the students and took many to WKU's campus to introduce them to campus life. We are anticipating a third group in the near future and will use the successful students and continuing lessons learned to have another successful adopt a class.
Many thanks to Charles Hardcastle for generous funding and to Linda Thomas, Col. Spiller, and many other members who contributed lots of time and effort.

Dr. Brian Moore talks about his deployment to Afghanistan

2009-05-15T10:36:00.003-05:00

Brian Moore M.D. is the son of our own Bill Moore M.D. Both are ENT doctors. Brian is a Major in the Air Force and is currently based at Eglin Air Force Base near Pensacola. He has recently returned from a deployment to Bogram, Afghanistan. Brian's Mom and Dad along with other friends of the family watched a Power Point presentation along with the rest of us about his tour of duty. It has only been within the last few years that ENT surgeons were deployed in this War Zone. Brian showed come captivating photos of the terrain, facilities, and personnel. Some of their work is humanitarian as well as military. He said much of the country is still mined with all the deadly consequences to civilians and military personnel alike. Brian also said that U.S. forces are trying to bring Afhanistan medical facilties and professioinals up to speed on modern medicine. At best it has been very rudimentary throughout the country. Thank you Major Moore for taking the time and effort to come all the way to B.G. to give us such an outstanding program.

WKU Rotaract Club Launched

2009-04-23T11:11:00.005-05:00

Rachelle Phillips is a graduate assistant to Dr. Sally Ray in Western Ky University's Communications Department. Rachelle is Miss Kentucky 2007 and will be teaching freshman speech this fall. This semester she has been very helpful assisting Cheryl Kirby Stokes, Dr. Sally Ray, Kevin Mayes and Vickie Elrod in establishing a Rotaract Club on campus. Rotaract is a special program of Rotary for College Students of any age or in a community club for people ages 18 to 30.

We had a big turnout of dignitaries for the inauguration. I'll have more photos later but I'll summarize the happenings at our April 22, 2009 meeting. District Governor Terry Shockley commended the success of this endeavor. Bill Sherman was here from the Prospect Club and is our District Rotaract Club Chairman and also down from Louisville was Mary Kathryn DeLodder. She is the District 6710 Rotaract Representative. She was in Interact the High School program for Rotary and was in the Rotaract Club in Murray and in graduate school at U of L. She is now in a community Rotaract Club called Rotaract Club of Greater Louisville.

Mary Kathryn reviewed the history of Rotaract. It was started by the Charlotte NC club in 1968 in cooperation with the UNC Charlotte. (Our own Bob Kleier was a member of that club later and knew the man that was instrumental starting Rotaract.) The name may be a contraction of Rotary Interaction. There are clubs all over the world. Members meet twice monthly and in nearly other respects mirror a standard Rotary Club. Mary Kathryn reviewed the goals of an Rotaract Club and also talked about the responsibilties of the sponsoring clubs. In this instance the Noon and AM clubs need a continuing involvement. We are invited to attend meetings. We may be called upon at times to mentor or speak as well as help with club projects. Finally we need to help Rotaract members to transition into regular Rotary.

Michelle Phillips introduced the 14 members who were present (out of a total of 17). Each member identified himself and all were leaders on campus in some capacity or another. I'll try to present mini-bios with photos when I get a chance to compile the necessary information. What a wonderful program and exciting group to have on campus.

Jim Johnson Talks About the Auto Industry

2009-04-15T14:20:00.006-05:00

My good friend Jim Johnson spoke to our club today about the current status of the automobile industry in this country. I had asked Jim to speak on the same subject 20 years ago when I was president of the Auburn club. So many of the things Jim talked about then have since prophetically come true. Jim and I were next door neighbors for a number of years and is still a dear friend. My daughter Molly babysat his grandchildren when they were much younger.

Jim surmises that GM is now Government Motors. Until recently Jim had the local Pontiac Dealership. While he is still in the car business he has the Nissan and Hyundai lines. He spoke optimistically about the future of our country and of the automobile business. He conjectured that GM will survive as a leaner tougher business. He thinks Saturn will have to be jettisoned probably to a foreign auto company that needs a ready made distribution system. He believes Cadillac and Chevrolet will remain with support for Buick, Pontiac, and GMAC as well. It is Jim's guess and hope that Corvette will remain here in BG as a viable product line for GM. It is obvious to everyone in BG that Corvette is important to our community.

Jim thinks that all of the major dealerships in Bowling Green are well enough established and strong enough to survive. He thinks if there are changes that it will be at the owner's discretion. Jim talked about having the opportunity to buy and resurrect a Buick, Pontiac, GMAC dealership in Tennessee. After he looked at it he realized that with his experience the dealership could be turned around and be profitable in 8 or 10 years. This would have meant keeping 50 people at work and the opportunity to continue to send tax revenues to the local, state and federal governments. Then he figured that he would be in his late 70's in 10 years without taking any profit from that dealership in that length of time. When it went into his estate half of it would be taken by the Federal Government in estate taxes. This would essentially leave nothing or little to show for his years of risk and oversight. With that realization he dropped the idea. The disincentive of that government policy cost 50 people their jobs, a community an important business and governments a steady stream of revenue. Jim went on to explain that not every taxing scheme ultimately nets additional revenues for government.

Jim said auto dealerships can survive and work their way around market issues. He said farmers don't expect to make a profit every year but take a broader view of their business plan and expect to make a good living over time. Jim said that when you factor in direct government management of businesses you take market factors out of the equation and no one can actually know how they will turn out. Jim guessed that from 2007 - 2012 a third of all automobile dealerships will go out of business. Jim said just think what it would be like to lose a third of any productive segment of society.

Thank you Jim for your insight and remarks. Thank you program chair Ryan Smith for inviting him.

North Vietnamese Fighter Pilot Visits Club

2009-04-15T14:08:00.006-05:00

General Dan Cherry introduced a former North Vietnamese Fighter Pilot to our club today. His name is Nguyen Hong My and he was accompanied by his son and a beautiful Vietnamese student from WKU that was his translator. Mr. My is in town for the dedication tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. of the Aviation Heritage Park on Three Springs Road. Dan said CBS News is in town to do an interview this afternoon and also will be on hand for the dedication tomorrow. The piece will air on the evening news next week and perhaps there will also be a segment on the Sunday morning show.

Several months ago Dan was made aware of this pilot's identity. Mr. My and General Cherry were combatants in an areal dog fight over Vietnam on April 16, 1972. Dan shot Mr. My's plane down. Fast forward 35 years and a popular TV show on Vietnamese TV show finds out about these two airmen. Dan says it is the No. 1 rated show in Vietnam and it reunites long separated people. The show brought Dan over to Hanoi to actually introduce these two former combatants on the air. Afterwards Dan was invited to Mr. My's home in Hanoi and they became friends. While Dan was visiting he helped Mr. My celebrate a grandson's first birthday. Now that little boy has turned two. Mr. My is a retired insurance executive. Dan had hoped to bring him to the States and was fortunate enough to get him here for the dedication of the Aviation Heritage Park tomorrow. Dan's actual fighter plane (an F4D Phantom II) has been restored and is parked in the new Park. Please make your plans to be at the dedication tomorrow.

News & Notes for week of April 5-11

2009-04-09T09:27:00.004-05:00

The lovely Rachelle Phillips (Miss Kentucky 2007) was present to announce the formation of the WKU Rotaract Club (a Rotary Club for the college age.) They will be here on April 22 for our program. In the meantime Rachelle says they have 17 members to start and will meet at 4:30 Wednesday April 15 at in the Cravens library on the first floor in the Center for Leadership Studies room. We are invited to attend. Sally Ray and Kevin May have worked with Rachelle to get the club rolling on campus. Rachelle is a natural leader and will be a tremendous leader of the new club.

Our own Joe Davis was chosen as the Chamber of Commerce Small Business Person of the Year. Joe is the manager of Gerald Printing.

Margaret Curtis was back home after spending several months teaching English in China. Welcome home Margaret. We're anxious to hear more about your travels.

Laura Goodman with Junior Achievement Speaks

2009-04-09T09:13:00.002-05:00

Many of our members participate with Junior Achievement and local Program Manager Laura Goodman was at our April 8th meeting to bring us up to date. JA has programs for all school age kids from kindergarten through High School. They try to tailor their curriculum to match teaching units required by the State. Our own Bob Kleier help do a unit for Edmonson County Seniors last year and their principal was so taken by the material that he required all Seniors to take the class. Bob said they had a phenomenal response. The photo outlines several special events that JA sponsors. This year's mini Corvette rally is going to take place at the Corvette Museum. It should be fun.

The Center for Courageous Kids

2009-04-01T13:30:00.004-05:00

Tim Turner from Scottsville is a retired GE executive who grew up on the same street in Scottsville, three blocks and worlds apart from the Cal Turner clan to whom he is not related. Nevertheless after touring Betty Turner Campbell's Center for Courageous kids Tim volunteered then became hooked on the project. His constant volunteering led to a second career. Tim did an outstanding job of bringing us up to date of this center for very sick children and their families.

Stormy Norman Murray spoke to the club a few years ago outlining their plans. The facility was based on one near Mt. Dora in central Florida started by General Schwarzkopf. Last year was the first year in operation for our Center and they served 1800 people including kids and their families from 17 states. This is one of only six such facilities in the U.S. In the summertime kids come for a week at camp when all the other kids have similar problems. During camp sessions volunteer medical specialists and support personnel are present 24/7 to assist. The $20 million facility has abundant facilities for fun but is also a fully equipped medical facility. For much of the balance of the year families come with their kids for weekend retreats. When not in use, parts or all of the camp are available to rent.

Tim encouraged everyone to come visit. Vickie Elrod said a plan is in the works for the seven clubs of our sub-district to have a meeting there. Thanks Tim for your excellent presentation.

LeRoy Underwood turned 98 this week!!!!!

2009-03-26T07:45:00.003-05:00

He's got to be one of the oldest active members of Rotary anywhere. We are so proud of LeRoy and glad to have him among us that we stood and sang Happy Birthday. He turned 98 this week on Tuesday March 24. He is still very agile mentally and physically. The rest of us can only stand in awe and admire the remarkable genetics and good fortune that have brought an unassuming retired mail carrier this far. Thank you Lord for the blessing to our community snd our club of LeRoy and give him many more birthdays to celebrate.

Our Club Eases Hunger in Kenya

2009-03-26T07:35:00.002-05:00

Cheryl Kirby-Stokes reported to the club that monies earned from the sale of Kenyan baskets was used to buy 7,000 pounds of grain to help feed the people of the villages that made the baskets. Elephants had destroyed the local crops leaving an already impoverished people with even less. Our club has been very supportive of Cheryl in her endeavors there and she wanted to let us know how that has translated into some very needed and humanitarian efforts. I am often asked what Rotary does, well here is one good response. Thank you Cheryl for the report and your continuing efforts in Kenya.

Dr. Andrew McMichael talks about Thomas Jefferson

2009-03-26T07:24:00.003-05:00

Culminating a fabulous month of programs on U.S.Presidents Dr. Larry Pack brought WKU professor Andrew McMichael today. Andy spent two years in the National Archives pursuing original material on Thomas Jefferson. He had free reign of the place and opened many "Miscellaneous" boxes. He said his most revealing find were documents that revealed incidents where T.J. borrowed money from his slaves. T.J. lived in an era where he inherited the debt of his in-laws and it took him 30 years to pay that off. Later he used his own money to help furnish the White House. All in all he died heavy in debt and his assets were sold to satisfy his creditors including Monticello.

Dr. Andy talked about T.J. being enigmatic and contradictory. He told us that T.J. was a consummate politician who could embrace both sides of an issue at the same time. He was opposed to slavery but owned slaves for example. Then Andy examined Thomas Jefferson's views on religion. According to Andy, Jefferson's thinking reflected the Enlightenment philosophy of the day. Jefferson thought Christianity was an acceptable form of moral governance but he rejected all the basic tenets of Christianity. T.J. published after his presidency his version of the N.T. which ends with Christ in the tomb. The rest T.J. held as superstition.

Thank you Dr. McMichael for a very interesting and enlightening program.

Dean David Lee talks about Harry Truman

2009-03-18T13:22:00.002-05:00

Well we've had a lively discussion prior to Dr. Lee's arrival as to whether or not the "S" in Truman's name has a period after it. I read McCullough's book on Truman and the "S" doesn't stand for anything. Nevertheless you see it both with the period and without it. Dr. Lee had a print out from the internet that did have the period.
Now that we've got that important issue out of the way we ought to thank Larry Pack again for inviting History Professor Dr. David Lee to speak today about the Harry Truman presidiency. Dr. Lee is Dean of Potter College and Sally Ray's boss. He is an expert on Sargent York and has spoken to our club about his exploits.
Today David reviewed a lot of the mental images we have about Truman. He recalled the photo of Truman holding the Chicago Tribune declaring Dewey the winner. We remember his early morning walks with the press and his sign that asserted that THE BUCK STOPS HERE. In a recent ranking of the country's greatest presidents Turman was ranked 5th yet he finished his presidency with a 22% approval rating. David said that Truman was the only president in a 112 year span with no college education. He had planned on going to West Point but his eyesight was so horrific he couldn't pass the physical. He ultimately got into the Missouri National Guard by memorizing the eye chart. He served with distinction in WWI.
David talked about the unlikely path Truman took to the White House. He rose through Missiouri polictics in the 1920's including an affiliation with corrupt machine boss Tom Pendergrass. After being elected County Judge he went on to the U.S. Senate and ultimately became FDR's VP in his fouth term. Truman had distinguished himself in the Senate by ferreting out waste and corruption among military contractors during the war. He made the cover of TIME in 1943. FDR needed a running mate that had few enemies. Truman neither saught nor wanted the post but was finally persuaded to join the ticket.
Truman was sworn in January 20, 1945 and met with FDR a couple of times before being called to the White House on April the 12th. Eleanor Roosevelt told him that she had received word that her husband had died. Truman asked her if there was anything he could do to be helpful. She assured him that it was he who would be needing help.
Sam Rayburn's summary of Truman was that he had been right about most of the big things and wrong about a lot of the little things. Dr. David Lee said Truman had said that "I did my damnedest and that's all there is to it". In my lifetime I have seen an appreciation for Truman grow. I read David McCullough's book on Truman and it made me appreciate the man a great deal. David did a wonderful job in bringing to memory so many of the attributes of this Citizen President. Thank you David.

Dr. Glen LaFantasie talks about the Lincoln Presidency

2009-03-11T14:58:00.005-05:00

Dr. Larry Pack continued an All Star line up of WKU history professors. Today Dr. Glen LaFantasie spoke about the Lincoln Presidency. He had spoken to us last month about other aspects of Liuncoln's life. This is the 200th Anniversary of Lincoln's birth just a few miles up the road in Hodgensville. Dr. LaFantasie said that many scholars and much of the public regard Lincoln as our greatest president. Being a native Kentuckian and a member of Lincoln's party I would readily concur.

Some of the things I learned today is that Lincoln did not have a rich baritone voice as Hollywood has portrayed but rather a high shrill voice that carried well over large crowds. He was not affiliated with any particular religion though was fatalistic in his thinking which would identify him more as a Calvanist. Lincoln's cabinet was a "team of rivals" consisting of both Republicans and Democrats. The scheme didn't work well. On important matters and in running the war he didn't rely on their advice and pretty much followed his own counsel. Dr. LaFantasie noted how much Lincoln aged during his four years in office. That contrast is so easy to see in photographs.

The very last photo of Lincoln was taken by Alexander Garnder was on February 5, 1865 ten weeks before the assassination. The photograph labeled O-116 was recently colorized by sculptor James Nance and is on the cover of the February 2008 issue of Kentucky Monthly magazine. You can see it at www.abrahamlincolnartgallery.com Thank you Dr. LaFantasie for a wonderful program about one of Kentucky's greatest sons.

Dr. Robert Haynes talks about Andy Jackson

2009-03-04T15:32:00.003-06:00

March's Program Chair Larry Pack always brings us interesting programs. In recent year's he has invited history professors from Western Kentucky University to talk about US Presidents. This month we are scheduled for Dr. Robert Haynes on Andrew Jackson (today), next week Dr. Glen LaFantasie on Lincoln, followed by Dr. David Lee on Harry S. Truman, and on the 25th Dr. Andrew McMichael on Thomas Jefferson.

Dr. Pack introduced Dr. Haynes and mentioned that he is transferring his membership from the A.M. club to the Noon Club so will be with us from now on. Bob is no stranger to our club and has held our members in rapt attention talking on previous occasions about other presidents. He speaks with no notes and brings out historical perspectives that would be difficult or impossible to ascertain from a biography.

Bob appears to be in his early 80's and I presume has retired first from a Texas University and now from Western. He speaks without notes and doesn't falter in his presentation. In case you weren't present I took notes. Here are some of the things I wrote down. Jackson was our seventh president and the last one to be directly associated with the American Revolution. He was born in one of the Carolina's but which one is in dispute. He ultimately ended up in Nashboro, TN now known as Opryland. He married well into the wealthy Donnelson family although he had to wrest Rachel from another man. He married her first in Mississippi but learned that she was not properly divorced so married her a second time four years later. This fact would become a political liablity later.

With the backing of a powerful Tennessee politician of the time (I didn't write down who it was) he started his rise in Tennessee politics. His earliest grandest claim to fame was the Battle of New Orleans which culminated the second war of independence against Britain and better known as the War of 1812. Dr. Haynes says it was the use of artillery that won the battle and not so much the much admired Kentucky Long Rifflemen. By 1824 Tennessee politicians entered Jackson in a crowded field for US President. Their aim was not so much to get him elected as to promote their own security and power in State Politics. To their amazement Jackson was popular throughout the land and ended up with the plurality of the votes but not the majority. The US House selected John Quincy Adams who in collusion with Henry Clay of Kentucky (another candidate) pulled off the upset. Clay was made Secretary of State and Jackson was ticked off by the shenanigans.

Jackson almost immediately started running for president in the new Democratic party organized by Martin Van Buren. In 1828 Jackson became president without a real agenda. He was obsessed with the public debt (over the war) and by 1835 was able to announce that the country was out of debt. He subscribed to a prevailing theory of Indian Removal to move all Eastern Tribes west of the Mississippi. This was done obstensibly so they could preserve their culture and not be assimilated. Dr. Haynes says much of the stigma came from performing this with private contractors whose peripheral (if not main) goal was to profit from selling Indian land. Nevertheless, Jackson's name is forever linked infamously to the Trail of Tears. [My own g-g-g-g grandmother was a N.C. Cherokee named Nancy. She is the grand dam of nearly every Embry you meet in this part of the country.]

Jackson was upset with the National Bank. It was ten times bigger than the U.S. Government and when policical foes introduced a bill behind his back to extend its charter 15 years, Jackson vetoed the bill. He then instucted his Secretary of the Treasury not to deposit US funds into it. That treasurer refused saying it was against the law so Jackson replaced him with a Treasurer that would. Ultimately Jackson's actions were partly to blame for the Panic of 1837.

Finally he took a stern stand against Nullification. It was a protest by the State of South Carolina to act in its own best interest to ignore federal tariffs that made purchasing items needed to raise cotton, etc. expensive to buy while they had to sell on an open international market. Jackson saw himself to be the tribune of the people not the Congress and elevated the presidency to a more powerful position. He became a bitter enemy of John C. Calhoun regarding the States ability to pick and choose which federal laws to obey. Ultimately there was a Compromise of 1833 which prevented an immediate call for secession. As a matter of fact Dr. Haynes noted that of the original Jackson people who were around by 1860 and the advent of the Civil War (or as I was taught the War Between the States) seemed to stand united against the advocates of states rights and their ability to secede. This included among other notables Sam Houston.

In summary Bob concluded that an evaluation of Jackson's presidency would have to be mixed. He governed on impulse not principle and on personalities. Once you became his enemy you were an enemy for life. Thank you Dr. Bob for such a great program.

Kevin Simpson a new Paul Harris Fellow

2009-03-04T15:27:00.002-06:00

Kevin Simpson a local banker was inducted as our Club's newest Paul Harris Fellow on Wednesday March 4, 2009. Here our Club President Mac Jefferson is getting ready to present Kevin with his "lustrous" medallion.

Finally a New Blog with My Apologies

2009-03-04T14:56:00.003-06:00

Our blog does have a following although not as big as I would like. I know one of our members Margaret Curtis reads it in China. She is a retired professor from Western Kentucky University and is teaching English in University settings in China.
Another professor, this one from Atlanta, found my mention of the program I did on Dr. J.N. McCormack and contacted me to share some of her research on Dr. McCormack. So while I have gotten some feedback most of the time it has been deafeningly silent.

The Rotary Magazine had a suggestion a few years ago that local clubs should explore doing a blog. I accepted the challenge on my own and have been generating the Bowling Green (KY) Noon Club's blog ever since. In the beginning I would report on each week's program and give a brief bio and photo of new members. After doing this for a number of months I found that virtually no one in our club was actually reading it. I continued because I thought the articles gave a valuable archive of our club's activities and a few more tech savvy members were following our blogs.

Since I am a physician in private practice I'm primarily interested in making a living and paying my bills. In recent month's I've seen a slacking of my usual base and have tried to broaden my outreach. I had been doing primarily an Occupational practice doing pre-employment physicals, DOT exams, and workman comp injuries. As a matter of fact I am the current president of our state organization. I have become acquainted with a large Hispanic population in Bowling Green doing pre-employment physicals and since I was their first medical contact they returned to me for their regular medical care. (I've also tried to learn Spanish.) I charged them $40 a visit in order to accommodate their economic situation. More recently the wife of a Bosnian truck driver asked what I could do for Bosnian families that didn't have health insurance and I told her that I could do $50 office visits. From that I have tried to expand to serve the working population that is not covered by health insurance. I am marketing in the name of Dr. Embry's Neighborhood Clinic and we're doing $50 office visits with marked down pricing for shots and lab tests. I have been spending a lot of my time and energy trying to move this forward so I have not had the time to spend on this blog. I don't know how much time I will have to devote to it in the future. I'll do the best I can and hope that if you find the blog to be of some benefit to please let me know.

All Passion Spent - observations from Margaret

2009-01-13T08:17:00.000-06:00

From CTBU, China, January 12, 2009 Margaret Curtis Item fourteen
All passion spent

It’s a long time since my high school days, but I remember the enjoyment of reading Sophocles’ Oedipus trilogy, and I have the feeling that Antigone ends with the words all passion spent. That phrase about sums up my feelings at this present moment.

The semester is over, my grades are submitted, groups of student are no longer coming over to my apartment to say farewell – they are up and off for the spring festival and then a long vacation. Some will travel 20-40 hours by train to reach their homes. I can only imagine what awaits them when they arrive. Many are from “farmer” or “worker” families. It is hard for them to adjust to their old family lifestyle now that they have had a taste of independent living on campus. I remember those feelings well, and I am not surprised that they confide in me about it.

Who else can they confide in? This is a society in which college students have only the support of their peers, it seems. They are crammed into dormitories 4-7 people in a room. Each student has a bunk bed with a small desk underneath – no heat, no hot water, no cooking or laundry facilities. My heart aches for them, especially when I warm up my bedroom at night. I think of them all, half way up the mountain in the cold winter air. “No problem,” they say, “we just wear the same clothes indoors as outdoors.” When I ask if it bothers them they tell me, “We came here to study, not to be comfortable”. It all seems normal to them. They show up to class looking clean and bright, laughing and eager to learn. How can I not be impressed?

CCTV9 is the English TV channel that I watch here in the evenings. Nothing but bad news about the American economic meltdown. The effects are already hitting China. Factories are closing down. Companies are “disappearing”. TV news shows pictures of thousands of new graduates trying to push their way into the work force. Many of them will have no job after four or more years of training. The sophomore students that I have been teaching this semester see it coming to them in the not too distant future. One female student broke down and wept during her final oral examination. I only asked if this semester had been good. “We work so hard,” she said, “but it makes no difference how hard we work. We still cannot get ahead. It is not fair.” I hold back the tears myself, and cannot reassure her about anything.

Some students are well motivated, but many tell me that they do not want to study in this university or in their assigned major. They have no choice. The school and the major is chosen for them according to exam scores. Neither the assigned school nor the assigned major can be changed. Some students add a second major to an already hectic schedule. “We must work harder,” they say. “It is our duty to get a good job, so that we may support our parents and grandparents.” This heavy burden is placed on such young shoulders by Confucius. “Our parents have nothing, and we must provide for them” they say. Filial duty. Again, no choice.

I’m all alone now. My colleagues have left for Singapore, Australia, the Netherlands. I too will leave this week. I will miss the closeness and support of these wonderful young students, their kindness, and their caring hearts. I have fallen in love with some of the young men, a pity about the age difference - half a century, no less! Their idealism, their selfless spirits, their determination to make a difference in the world, their courage in the face of dramatic world changes, their concern for one another - and even for me – there is no way to communicate the depth and richness of this experience. It is my honor to be here – a phrase I have learned from the students! I love them all and I will miss them all.

Word from Margaret Curtis in China

2009-01-13T08:16:00.001-06:00

Ken, thanks for keeping in touch. I am winding down here now the holidays have finally come to China. However I will soon be under contract at another school in Ningbo, by the coast, south of Shanghai - another 5 months. I cannot drag mmyself away from China!

I miss Rotary no end. Please give my greetings to all. I am attaching a final document - I know I sent 2 before - there are 14 altogether....

My health is OK considering the toxic air I am breathing night and day. Have not needed the anti biotics.

Happy New Year to you and your family.

Margaret

Christmas Program the Best of the Year

2008-12-18T15:25:00.003-06:00

President Mac Jefferson started by surmising that this is our best meeting of the year. In many ways I think we have to agree. This is the time when so many of our spouses, children, and grandchildren come. What could be better than that? We had a great meal at the Carroll Knicely Center on Western's South Campus and WKU's Men's Accapella group the Red Shirts sang Christmas songs mixed with a lot of good humor. Finally Santa came and had a personal session with the kid's in attendance.

REMINDER: There will be no meeting the next two weeks (Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve) then we'll be back at Carroll Knicely for the January 7 meeting and on January 14 back at the Country Club.

Bruce Wilkinson Inducted

2008-12-18T15:15:00.003-06:00

Vickie Elrod had the great honor of presenting new member Bruce Wilkinson his membership papers. Welcome to the club Bruce. We hope you share your leadership skills with our club as you have the rest of the community.

B.G. Hot Rods Rolling Into Town in April

2008-12-04T10:41:00.004-06:00

Greg Coleman works for the new Minor League team coming to Bowling Green this April. He is a man well suited for his job. Greg is enthusiastic without being over the top and is very knowledgeable and experienced in Minor League venues. He paints a great picture of a fun night for the whole family. Greg says the field is already completed and the stands, etc. are well underway. Our team the Bowling Green Hot Rods are scheduled to play their first game here April 17. We are a One A farm team for the Tampa Bay Rays. You may have heard of them. I'm thinking this is going to be a good thing for Bowling Green and surrounding communities.

From Margaret Curtis - A Foreign Expert

2008-11-17T19:31:00.001-06:00

From Chongqing Technical and Business University, Sichuan Province, China
November2, 2008 Margaret Curtis

We the foreign experts…

I was summoned to the Foreign Advisors Office a while back, and was presented with a small red book, not unlike a passport. It bears the gold insignia of the People’s Republic of China and it is imprinted with the words “Foreign Experts Certificate” in gold lettering. My photo and name are inside, so I guess that’s what I must be – a Foreign Expert. I seem to have achieved this status by virtue of the fact that I speak English. It is gratifying to receive such a high honor when one has exerted so little effort.

I remember that first stifling hot week being directed to a small photographic studio on campus. I sat on a metal stool and was photographed several times. My wan smile and damp hair attest to the 100F temperature. The picture was processed through some government office and now here it is, embossed in gold. The document is set to expire on January 31, 2009, the date my CTBU contract ends, so I guess after that time I will no longer hold this exalted status. In the meantime, that’s who I am – a foreign expert.

I’m not the only foreign expert, I hasten to add. Living in the apartment below me is Tony, an oriental person raised in Singapore but long since settled in Perth, Australia, where he worked as an aircraft engineer for Quantas, and where he raised his family. Then there is Hugh from California. He is also oriental ethnically, and speaks very good Mandarin. He is here to perfect the Chongqin dialect, after which he is headed towards a splendid career with the UN. He is very good looking, tall and thin and becoming thinner. At twenty five years, he is the youngest among us. He lives at the top of the mountain in the Foreign Experts Building. Three young Dutchmen live up there also. They seem like a jolly trio, but unfortunately our paths rarely cross. Gordon is an African American, a big cheerful guy. He has been here a year or two, so he has a life.

If you can believe it, we are the outer rim of the Peace Corps operation. Peace Corps workers regard this as the crème de la crème of a placement because they get to live in apartments, and drinking water is provided. The two Peace Corps people here are well qualified and do a great job. They are not paid by the university. The U.S. Government pays their travel expenses and living allowance. They have a two year contract and are known as “the volunteers”.

I forgot about Bill Hong. His ethnicity is Chinese but he was born and raised in San Francisco and doesn’t speak Mandarin. The Chinese people look on him with disbelief. He is a computer whiz, and in real life solves computer problems by phone for huge amounts of money. And then there is Triona, an Irish woman who has returned for her fifth year at CTBU. I call her Mother Theresa of Chongqing. It was she that brought me pumpkin soup and a cheese sandwich (on very dry bread) when I was down and out with Mao’s revenge….She quietly distributes her meager earnings to poor students that otherwise could not afford food or textbooks.

From Margaret Curtis in China - What's In A Name

2008-11-17T19:26:00.000-06:00

From Chongqing Technical and Business University, Sichuan Province, China,

October 26, 2008 Margaret Curtis

What’s in a name?

Quite a lot, apparently. It is mid-semester and I am reviewing endless lists. Each student has a 10 digit number that seems to bear his or her academic DNA. This is followed by a Chinese name, written in Chinese characters, and then written again in pin yin which is English letters. Finally each student has an English name, chosen, after much thought, because the student likes the sound, the supposed meaning, or the association of ideas.

If these names appeared in some kind or order it would be helpful, but as many English classes are comprised of students from a variety of areas, the groupings are not what they call “natural classes”. So the numbers are all over the place, and confusing to say the least. Alphabetical order cannot really be applied, there being no Chinese alphabet, so one handles an amorphous mass of information that struggles to find a niche in the teacher’s mind.

As the “foreign expert” it is my job to advise the student as to whether the name is suitable, whether it will “ring true” in the western world, whether it is dignified and pleasing. Occasionally, as a result of such input, a student will decide to change the name. I then have another challenge – to remember what the first English name was, and now what the new English name is, so that appropriate credit can be assigned to the student’s work.

Dupont says he is a great admirer of that company. Kiddy refuses to change to Kitty. Lychee likes the fruit, so why not the name? Angelling, Icy, and Margin, have no particular rationale in mind, but insist on keeping their names. Formula has changed to Bell, which doesn’t seem much of an improvement to me. Moon is now Thomas. Superman has changed to Duncan. Sunny and Smile are happy people, they say, so they want happy names. Water eventually changed to something, but I don’t recall what. Sofen told me today that he is now Daniel, and Hilary has changed to William, thank goodness.

One young lady announced that she had finally found the perfect name and from now on wants to be called Pota. Why? Well, she had just come from a Chemistry class in which they were introduced to the chemical element potassium. She admires it so much, she says, she wants to be named after it. Hamlet, Romeo, and Juliet, are favorites. Nomad still sounds a little odd to me. Michael says he is to be called Michael Jordan, but he really wants to be Michael Jackson. Fish argued that the fish is a symbol of plenty and prosperity in China, and that it is an honor to bear this name. She relented in the end, and is now Faye.

Rotary Survey Link

2008-10-31T14:35:00.002-05:00

You should be able to see our survey results in Kevin May's PDF format by clicking here on SURVEY.

Ray Keller from Wiener, Arkansas Inspires Group

2008-10-29T14:29:00.003-05:00

What a treat today to hear Ray Keller speak. His son Travis is one of our own. Ray says he joined Rotary in Jonesboro, Arkansas the year Travis was born and hasn't looked back. He gave a rousing testimony to the significance of Rotary in the World. It was a great boost for all of us and I think members new to Rotary will have gotten a better sense of how important Rotary is to the world at large. Ray is District Governor this year for his corner of Arkansas and we thank him for taking time out from a busy business and Rotary schedule to come speak to us. By the way Travis and I both lettered in basketball at Florida College a Church of Christ affiliated school in Tampa. I doubt Travis' team could better the record of our team the year I played. We lost every game! I know what you're thinking.

District Governor Terry Shockley Visits

2008-10-01T18:43:00.003-05:00

Terry and his wife Jo visited us today from the Frankfort Club. Terry presented a power point presentation outlining the work and objectives of Rotary. He talked about what modern society might be like without Rotary. He mentioned a shocking statistic that 30,000 children die EACH DAY from largely preventable disease. The International Rotary President D.K. Lee from South Korea wants Rotarians around the globe to focus on the welfare of children. We are very close to eliminating Polio and with the help of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation may actually bring that goal to fruition soon. Terry served as an Assistant District Governor with our own Bob Kleier some years ago. Bob tells me that the year of being District Governor requires a great deal of travelling and although he does have an expense allowance the Governor is still out quite a bit of money from his own pocket. Thank you Terry for making such a commitment and thank you for a job well done.

WKU's SIFE Team Back

2008-09-24T14:59:00.005-05:00

Lauren Torger seen here talked about her trip this summer to Kenya. She accompanied our own Cheryl Kirby-Stokes. Each year Cheryl brings home baskets constructed by native women and the monies are returned to the communities. Lauren helped the ladies to decide what kinds of baskets would sell best in the U.S. market. I think Lauren said that the average family income in that area was $7 a month. Obviously Lauren had a life changing experience in a remote and underdevelop part of the world.
The young man that made this trip last summer with Cheryl joined the Peace Corp after graduating from WKU and wants to return to Africa to help. (An article about him is archived on this web site.)
The Students in the Free Enterprise program gave their competition presentation and talked about the many programs they are involved with both locally and internationally. I was impressed by the work they are doing with the local alternative high school where troubled teens are sent to continue their education. Great program.

Jordana Greenberg Plays the Fiddle

2008-09-17T13:39:00.003-05:00

Dr. Scott brought with him a fellow WKU faculty member, Jordana Greenberg. At his request she played some classic (not necessarily Classical) fiddle pieces. They were superb and after playing my favorite, Ashokan Farewell, she played an encore. What a great program and great pick me up for the middle of the week. Thank you Travis Keller for inviting Dr. Bill and thank you Dr. Bill for inviting Jordana. While we're handing out the kudos, thank you Jordana for your performance.

Bowling Green Western Symphony Orchestra Conductor Speaks

2008-09-17T13:35:00.002-05:00

Dr. William Scott talked to us today about this year's programming for the BG Western Symphony Orchestra. This is their 100th Year and they have invited former conductors and musicians back. Dr. Scott reviewed the sceduled six performances and it sounds exciting. You can learn more by checking out their website at www.bgwso.org

Leadership Expert Micheal Burt Stirs Up the Crowd

2008-09-10T17:29:00.004-05:00

Program Chair Travis Keller shown sitting here brought us a great program today. He introduced us to "Championship Coach and Leadership Expert" Micheal Burt, a 32 year old speaker from Murfressboro. Michael was a state champion high school girls basketball coach before retiring to become a public speaker and success coach. He reviewed the three books he has authored "Changing Lives Through Coaching", "The Inspirational Leader", and his most recent "This Ain't No Practice Life". He talked about the need to lead people and manage things. I think we were all enthused by Micheal insights and anecdotes. You may reach him at 615,849.2099 or email at coachburt@comcast.net. He gave us the opportunity not only to buy his books and DVD but also sign up for a weekly pick me up that he emails regularly. Several of us took him up on that. You can check out his website at www.michealburt.com

Welcome New Member Joan Wulff

2008-09-10T17:01:00.007-05:00

Joan sent me to the website of the Bowling Green Western Symphony Orchestra - bgwso.org. I got her bio there and I'm reproducing it here.

"Joan Sadler Wulff has lived in Bowling Green since 2002 and joined the the BGWSO in June of 2006. Joan has prior experience with two other symphony orchestras before becoming the the Executive Director for the BGWSO. She was the Audience Development Manager for The Philadelphia Orchestra marketing department and the Development Assistant for the Cedar Rapids (IA) Symphony.

Joan also has experience in banking, sales administration & management, direct mail and telesales. She has lived in 4 other states but grew up in Iowa and graduated from Northeast Missouri State with a BS in Business Administration. Joan has been a member of the Lil' Angel's Attic Committee since 2004 and is currently a co-chair. She is an active member of Broadway United Methodist Church.

Phil Cavender Talks About Finances

2008-09-03T15:25:00.004-05:00

Travis Keller is September's Program Chair. His Dad Ray is District Governor this year in the Northeast section of Arkansas. Ray is from the huge metropolis of Wiener, population 755. It's a little to the southwest of Jonesboro. Travis's guest today is a friend of the family, Phil Cavender from Murfreesboro, TN. Phil is President of the Cavendar Financial Group in the Boro. Phil started by talking about Ray and what a dynamic speaker he is. It sounds like we need to get him here to speak some day.
He made several poignant points about investing and financial planning. One point that struck me was his illustration of a million, a billion, and a trillion. He said that you can retire a debt of 1 million dollars by paying a dollar a second for 12 days. It would take 31 years to pay off a billion dollars at the same rate and 31,000 years to pay off a trillion dollars. (assuming no interest accruing of course) WOW! He talked more about making your money work for you in the environment in which it will be invested. Good program Phil and thank you Travis for inviting him.

Meet Petal the Pig

2008-08-27T14:31:00.004-05:00

Cheryl Kirby-Stokes came up with the idea of Petal the Polio Pig. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged $100 million for the world fight against polio but it is a matching grant and over the next two years Rotary has to raise a matching amount. Cheryl's idea was for our members to put into the pig our pocket change each week so that over the next two years we can raise a substantial amount. Cheryl reports that so far we are off to a good start.

The Hoptown Rotary Auction - WOW!

2008-08-27T14:21:00.006-05:00

The Hopkinsville Rotary club President, Jim Dunn (R), was here today along with Past President Ted Jatczak (L) to discuss their 58 year old Rotary Auction. This year's auction raised over $300,000 and they discussed the club's commitment to help local students continue their education past high school. To date they have loaned nearly 9 million dollars to local students as well as given scholarships. They are now working with the Technical and Community College in Hopkinsville to give virtually all local students the opportunity to further their education past high school. The President of the Community College, Dr. Jim Selbe, was here to explain their participation. Program Chairman Walter Hawkins had been a member of the Hopkinsville Club and is trying to get our club to pursue something similar. The Trigg County Club in Cadiz is doing an auction and this year their 24 member club raised $160,000. The numbers are just too compelling to ignore. Thanks Walter for bringing these guys over and thank you Ted and Jim for taking the time to talk to our club.

Margaret Curtis featured in April Rotary World

2008-07-09T11:04:00.003-05:00

A Changing of the Guard

2008-07-03T10:11:00.003-05:00

On our July 2, 2008 meeting Judge Steve Wilson swore in our new officers. Here we see Left to Right: Mac Jefferson, President, Joe Taylor, past treasurer, Kevin Mays President Elect and Director of Club Service, Alan Vilines, Secretary, Ron Wilson, Director of Vocational Service, Patty Alford, Sergeant of Arms, and Kevin Counts, treasurer. Not present were Sally Ray, Director of Community Service and Jim Allen Director of International Service. A great slate of new officers and we're looking forward to a great year!

Joe Taylor Steps Down

2008-07-03T09:54:00.005-05:00

We are going to miss seeing Joe Taylor at the head table. After a little over eleven years Joe has decided to let someone else take over the job of club treasurer. Joe has done a fabulous job and outgoing President Alex Downing gave Joe a gift in recognition of his service. The treasurer's work goes unnoticed if done well and Joe's tenure has gone well. Our club is on sound financial ground thanks in large part to Joe's leadership and guidance. Thank you Joe for a job well done from all of us.

The Golden Proportion, True or False?

2008-06-26T08:44:00.004-05:00

Janet Smith spoke about the Golden Proportion at our June 25th meeting. Janet knows a good deal about the ratio of 618:382. She did her Doctoral Dissertation on it. It is a ratio that recurs in nature, art, music, and countless other places. It is sometimes represented by the Greek Letter Phi and has been known for a very long period of time. Janet says that Euclid talked about it in 300 B.C. but it was known well before that. She had a Power Point presentation and showed several examples of it in art, nature, and music. She said some composers seemed to have a predilection for it. She cited Debussey as one of her favorites and one that seemed to compose in a way that incorporated it. The beautiful design of the chambered Nautilus is a good example of it in nature. One of the comments that struck me was Janet's comment that they have found that breaks in a teaching session (such as a piano lesson that Janet does professionally) or in the intermission of a concert seem to go better if the break comes about 2/3's of the way in rather than at the center. Great job Janet and thanks for all the effort you put into such an excellent presentation.

Dan Cherry Talks About Recent Vietnam Trip

2008-06-05T08:42:00.005-05:00

General Dan Cherry (USAF Retired) talked to us Wednesday June 4 about the beginnings of the Air Heritage Museum he and a group of fellow Rotarians have been working on here in Bowling Green. They started four years ago by locating his old Phantom Jet in Ohio. The small town that owned it was prepared to see it leave. With local support the jet was brought back to B.G. and made to look beautiful taking on its war time camouflage paint scheme. The museum is building a beautiful outdoor display of military aircraft at the Basil Griffin Park on Three Spirngs Road. Phantom 550 is parked there now. The museum will be a tribute to several aviation pioneers and heroes from this area. In connection with the museum and through many convaluted steps Dan was invited to return Vietnam to meet on National Television the North Vietnamese pilot he had shot down in the war. The biggest show on Vietnam TV is similar to our old This is Your Life program here. The producer is U.S. educated and was able to find the 62 year old pilot Dan shot down 38 years ago. Dan had a Power Point presentation that documented their meeting. He said he had many misgivings about the whole deal but spoke with Vietnam Veteran groups here and the U.S. Embassy before making the decision to go. It was the biggest thing in Vietnam the week he was there. The show is the number one show on TV. I don't have a photo of the reunion but will try to get one and put it on our blog. The reunion was terrific and Dan found the man to be a true gentleman. We were all enthralled to hear about the emotional reunion. We heard about Dan's gift of Maker's Mark, the pilot's invitation for Dan and his entourage to come to his house in Hanoi for dinner, Dan's being there for the grandson's first birthday celebration, and the guided tour of Hanoi by the pilot including the Hanoi Hilton. The museum hopes to bring the pilot to Bowling Green and members of our club were begging Dan to be certain to bring him to Rotary for all of us to meet him. Listen, when you miss programs this good you've missed a lot.

Nelson Rue's Reflections

2008-05-30T09:58:00.007-05:00

Dr. Nelson Rue is venerable in our club. He is a 77 year old retired general surgeon, U of L Class of 1956. Many of us or a family member have been patients of Dr. Rue. I worked up on Hospital Hill in the ER in 1975 just after graduating from Medical School, U of L Class of 1973, and Nelson bailed me out of many difficult situations. I think members newer to the community may know Nelson for his frequent anecdotes. Often after our speaker finishes with his or her presentation Nelson will have a post script. His wealth of experiences gives him a vast encyclopedia of personal knowledge to draw from. Well we love him for it and we all looked forward to his "Reflections" at our meeting on Wednesday May 28. Program Chair Margaret Curtis seen here sitting with Nelson is to be commended for calling on Nelson for the program. I sat up my video camera and taped the whole presentation for posterity. Anyway Nelson's talk was the bookend to a paper he had written in High School in 1948. He wrote then about television's role in education. His teacher gave him an A++ for it and he still had the note praising his achievement. Nelson reviewed the last sixty years of TV with some seriousness and a lot of humor. Thank you Nelson for a delightful program and for many years of service to our community. God bless.

Homage to Dr. J.N. McCormack

2008-05-22T08:36:00.004-05:00

Our Wednesday 21 May 08 presentation was by me, Dr. Ken Embry. I also am the blog editor so I guess I can brag on my presentation as much as I want. Actually I want to thank this month's Program Chair, Margaret Curtis for inviting me to speak. I wanted to say something about medical history in Kentucky and in my research came across the name of a Bowling Green physician Dr. Joseph Nathaniel McCormack who lived from 1847 until 1922. He came to prominence following his courageous service to Yellow Fever patients here in Bowling Green during the epidemic of 1878. Dr. Lucas Blackburn who became Kentucky's Governor following his heroic service during this and previous Yellow Fever epidemics ends up appointing Dr. McCormack to the State Board of Health in December of 1878. Dr. McCormack becomes Commissioner of Health in 1883 and holds that post until he retires in 1912. His son Arthur succeeds his father and Dr. Joseph wins a term as a Democrat member of Kentucky's House of Representatives from Bowling Green. John Ellis in his book Medicine in Kentucky says "No two men have had an impact on the American medical profession and its institutions comparable to that of two Kentuckians, one a physician [Dr. J.N. McCormack] and the other a schoolteacher [Abraham Flexner]." I gave only a brief summary of the ways in which Dr. McCormack was so influential in changing the practice of medicine in Kentucky and the nation for the better. We owe him so much yet after all these years his name is virtually forgotten and I lamented that there is no memorial to him of any kind in this his home town. The audience was very attentive and many were asking what should be done to correct this oversight.

Dynamic Allison Noffsinger Speaks

2008-05-15T08:29:00.005-05:00

Program chair Margaret Curtis is shown here with our speaker for the May 14 program. Allison Noffsinger graduated from Western last Saturday. She is on her way to Tel Aviv as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar from her home Rotary District in Starkville, Mississippi. While she has never been to our club before she said she is no stranger to Rotary and felt very comfortable speaking to our group. She had spent a year in Arequipa, Peru as a Rotary exchange student while she was in high school.
Alli reviewed her home town and state of Mississippi. She said if you ask a Mississippian what are their biggest cities they'd tell you Memphis, Birmingham, and New Orleans. She said many Peruvians did not realize that there was a state called Mississippi and wondered if she lived on a boat. When she came home from Peru she came directly to Western, her Dad's alma mater, and was still thinking in Spanish. Fortunately she met several people on campus from South America and could continue her use of the language.
Now Alli has been sponsored by her home Rotary District, 6820, and the Starkville Club and will be an Ambassadorial Scholar in Tel Aviv. She is wanting to learn both Hebrew and Arabic while in country. Alli says she recently attended an orientation program for Ambassadorial Scholars and they emphasized that they did not want bookworms. Rather the program wants individuals who will get to know the people of their host country and both glean from their culture as well as share insights into our own.
Rotary and the United States of America could not have chosen a better person to represent us. Shalom Alli and thank you for sharing your story with us. Thank you Margaret for inviting her. I have next week's program and Alli's will be a tough act to follow.

New Member L.R. Kennon

2008-05-15T08:25:00.003-05:00

L.R. is a forty-four year old Western Grad and manager of a local staffing service, Randstad. He spent his early years in Archer City, Texas but moved with his parents to Campbellsville and graduated from Taylor County High School in 1981. He earned his B.A. from Western in Communications in 1991 and his M.A. there in 1993. L.R. and his wife Janetta have two girls, ages 8 and 12. He tells me that he enjoys reading and astronomy.

District Conference Report

2008-04-28T11:25:00.003-05:00

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

2008-04-23T13:52:00.004-05:00

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

2008-04-23T13:42:00.002-05:00

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

2008-04-10T09:37:00.003-05:00

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

2008-04-09T13:33:00.008-05:00

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

2008-04-02T13:37:00.002-05:00

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

2008-04-02T13:31:00.003-05:00

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.

EXTRA EXTRA Read All About Our March 19 Meeting

2008-03-20T08:33:00.002-05:00

Our group stood to sing Happy Birthday to LeRoy Underwood who will turn 97 this coming Monday March 24. Surely he is one of the oldest active members in Rotary in the USA. Happy Birthday LeRoy and thank you Carroll Hildreth for leading the song. (Alex appointed Carroll as our official song leader, good move Alex.)

Charles Hardcastle introduced our newest member, John Wade. John is a transfer member who will be working with Goodwill. I'll do an interview and add a photo in an upcoming blog.

Dr. Larry Pack has been in charge of this month's programs and they have been outstanding. We've had history profs from Western talk about 20th Century Presidents. We've heard about TR, FDR, and yesterday about Ike. Dr. Richard Stone did a superb job and introduced a lot of interesting facts about Ike that I had never heard. I had read Eisenhower's biography years ago and my youngest brother is named Dwight David Embry after Ike so I was already a huge fan. My Dad was a WWII vet and idolized Ike. Next week's program is on Reagan by Dr. Jack Thacker It should be a great program.

Do You Want to Be on TV? Call Janette Boehman

2008-03-19T13:48:00.004-05:00

Janette is a Springfield, Kentucky girl who graduated from Washington County High School in 1975. She earned her degree from WKU in public relations and marketing in 1980 then practiced her trade in Florida for a couple of years. She and her husband owned Royal Barn Florists for seven years before she went back into sales working successively for Jr. Foods, Boise Cascade and now for WBKO for the last eleven years. My son Kenny worked with Janette and Dave Thomas at WBKO and holds both in high regard. Janette is one of seven children. Her husband's name is Brian and she has two daughters and one 8 month granddaughter.
She enjoys singing in the church choir and sketching. I told Janette that a really good sales person is hard to find. From all the reports I've heard she's a great one.

Lee Masonry Man Paul Mysinger

2008-03-19T13:34:00.003-05:00

Paul is originally from California's Bay Area and graduated from Deanza High School in 1978. In 1982 he graduated from Fresno State in Criminal Justice. He worked retail as a security manager then was a claims manager for Farmer's Insurance. He worked here in Bowling Green as a builder for eight years. For the last six years he's been the Safety Director of Lee Masonry. He and his wife Kellie moved to BG in 1994. His in laws were living here at the time. Paul and Kellie liked what they saw when they viisted and made the move. They have no regrets. Paul enjoys fishing, woodworking, and home projects. I guess you could call him our club's Danny Lipford.

PK Shaun Ayres

2008-03-05T13:47:00.006-06:00

PK for the uninitiated stands for Preacher's Kid. Shaun moved around a bit in his youth but mostly grew up in Michigan. He graduated though from Northside High School in Warner Robins, Georgia. He and I along with Travis Keller are graduates of Florida College in Tampa. He finished his Bachelors Degree from Western in Mass Communications in 2000. He and his wife Katrina were married the previous year and I was shanghaied by his mother-in-law to attend the wedding. She knew virtually no one in town and I knew neither the bride nor the groom. Since then Shaun and I have become good friends. He is a member of a generation that we desperately need to get involved with Rotary.

Well in their eight years of marriage Shaun and Katrina have rewarded their parents with a fine looking young man named Caden who is now 17 months old. I haven't seen Caden for awhile but the last time I saw him I thought he looked a lot like Shaun.

Shaun is a big sports fan and loves to follow the St. Louis Cardinals, the Titans, Michigan, and both WKU and UK basketball. Oh yes I almost forgot to mention that Shaun has a real job, he is the District Manager for Kelly Services.

Retail Man Jerald Manning

2008-03-05T13:40:00.002-06:00

As the General Manager of the local Macy's store Jerald comes to Rotary pretty dressed up. Today though I caught him in casual clothes. He is still wearing his trade mark smile. Jerald grew up in B.G. and considers himself a Purple but his family moved to Louisville his Senior year of High School so he graduated from Seneca in 1964. He returned that year to Western and soon afterwards took a job with Castner Knott that landed him in Nashville for the next 23 years. He eventually came back to BG to manage the store here and since then he has remained in the same job but the store has become Famous Barr and now Macy's.

Jerald and his wife Jane have two girls and one 18 month old granddaughter. Jerald enjoys playing golf and yard work.

Cyberdefense Guy Ed Tivol

2008-02-22T08:30:00.002-06:00

Ed is relatively new to our club having moved to Bowling Green in 2005. He came here to start a software company to protect computers against hostile actions. His company is called Electronic Warfare Associates Government Systems Inc. or EWA for short. An article in this Wednesday's Daily News says Ed is a vice president. Senator Mitch McConnell was in town for the opening of Western's Cyber Defense Lab which is working with Ed's company. The article said that the firm specializes in homeland security technology.

Ed grew up in Kansas City, MO and graduated in 1960 from Paseo High School. This is Harry S Truman country. Ed went to The Citadel and was career Army for the next 26 years. He mustered out in 1990 just weeks before Desert Storm. He retired with the rank of Colonel. He is married to LaJuana Wilcher and they have a farm here in Warren County and raise horses.

Brigadier General Dan Cherry, USAF Retired

2008-02-18T13:47:00.003-06:00

Dan lived in Bowling Green until he was six then moved around a lot with his family. His Dad was an aeronautical engineer. His Dad was working at Lockheed in Marietta, GA when Dan graduated from South Cobb High School in 1957. He came to Western a year then joined the Air Force in 1959. Dan stayed in the Air Force 29 years and moved 22 times during that span. He married his wife Sylvia in 1960 and they have two daughters. Each of their daughters have two daughters so they have been nothing if not consistent. Dan loves those girls.

Dan is a decorated flier from the Vietnam War whose MIG shoot down was featured recently on national TV. In addition to starting air museums Dan enjoys flying, gardening, reading and do-it-yourself projects. He joined our club in 1989 when he retired. When you start doing the math Dan has lived here longer than he has lived anywhere. He must like it. How lucky we are to have Dan back in Bowling Green and in our club.

Kentucky - Tennessee Combined District Conference

2008-02-18T10:49:00.010-06:00

The Music City Sheraton will host all four Kentucky and Tennessee Districts in a rare combined District Conference April 18 to 20. Click for a link to the website. Several years ago we flew into Nashville coming back from a trip visiting our sons in school in Tampa. I noticed as we were landing that cars were having a hard time getting around. The roads were a solid sheet of ice on this particular January night. We tried desperately to find a room in the airport area but they were all filled up. I was beginning to fear for our safety. I came across a young man walking to work carrying his duffel bag and picked him up. He took us the back roads to the Music City Sheraton Inn where he worked. He went in and explained our desperate situation to the manager and we got their best room that night for $40. They have always had a special place in my heart ever since. Make your plans now to go down to the District Conference and make a lot of friends from all over as well as see a bunch of old friends.