Rotogram

Delbert Hosemann, Mississippi Secretary of State speaks this week. A Warren County native with degrees from Notre Dame, the University of Mississippi, and New York University, he was elected in November 2007.

Marshall Grant, the original bass player with Johnny Cash, will preview this year’s Flower Pickin’ Festival.

Invocation and Pledge: Susan Gamel
Attendance: There were 112 members (30 exempt, 2 honorary) present and 83 (21 exempt, 9 honorary) absent.
Guests and visitors: Visiting Rotarian was Bill Overstreet of West Point. Members’ guests were Gordon Eastman of Prentiss Gordon, Guy Hargrove of Nancy Hargrove, Josh Coker of Charlotte Coker, Mike Ball of Grant Arinder, and Lee Winter of Stu Vance. Guests of the Club were Francesca Scaravelli and Kasper Eriksen, Youth Exchange Students, and Tim Pratt, Starkville Dispatch.
Makeup reported: Ned Browning in Skopje, Macedonia
New members: Stan Acy attended his first meeting as a new member. Charlotte Coker attended her first meeting as a renewed member.
Kudos: Brent Fountain was welcomed back after taking off time to do “daddy duty” with his and Amy’s new son, Joseph Benjamin, born on Aug. 11.
Rotary Minute: Peggy Buckley, membership committee chair, reminded us that recruitment is everyone’s job. Last year, our club tracked with the district in losing members.
   Being in a transient community, we lost 6 members to moves, 2 by resignations, 3 to death, and 2 by reclassification as honorary members. Such numbers are normal; however, we did not do as well as usual in bringing in new members.
   Like the district, our club is offering incentives this year. For each half of the year, the member who brings in the most recruits will receive a $50 gift certificate to the restaurant of his or her choice. The district award will include funding for the annual meeting cruise.
   The much beloved M&M recruitment brainstorming meeting will be week-after-next. Each table will be asked to put forward one possible membership candidate. Members will be encouraged to individually pursue other people recommended during the discussion.
Get swept up!
Rotary once again will patrol Main Street in the fifth annual Starkville Fall clean-up on Wednesday. If you have not already volunteered, be sure to let Amy Tuck know that you can join the group.

A rebuilding season with a first-time head coach could be cause for worry, but former Mississippi State University Head Coach Rockey Felker says not to underestimate the Bulldogs.
   “You’ll like the attitude of this team,” he said. “With only 12 seniors, we have a lot to prove, but we’re ready.”
   A tough home schedule includes five games with teams in the Associated Press Pre-season Top 25.
   Felker, coordinator of player personnel and high school relations, filled in for Head Coach Dan Mullen to give the annual state-of-the-gridiron talk last week.
   From the perspective of a career touching on five different decades at MSU, Felker noted that Mullen is about the same age that he was during his head coaching stint from 1986 through 1990.
   “Dan’s been on the road throughout the spring meeting alumni and drumming up support,” said Felker. “Now he needs to be in the office focused on moving the football from first down to first down.”
   The former MSU quarterback spoke with confidence about Mullen’s touted spread offense which stretches players from sideline to sideline. He explained that this thins out the defense and turns the offense loose with more options.
   “The players are really excited about the new offense because it calls for a lot of imagination” Felker said.
   At this point, the quarterback position may be shared between Tyson Lee and Chris Relf. Lee’s strength is rushing while Relf’s height gives him advantage passing. Tyler Russell, another QB contender, has had to miss practice due to illness.
   A key to the season will be the players’ conditioning. Felker praised Matt Balis, the new strength coach. One indicator is that once pre-season practice began, the players did not lose as much weight as in past seasons.
   “In my playing days, the largest lineman was 245 pounds,” Felker said. “Now, they top 300 pounds.”
   Calling on his audience to support the team, Felker noted that the program is closing in on season ticket sales of more than 40,000. On the day he spoke, he said there was a constant flow of students through the ticket office.
   “It’s important that we put on a good show on and off the field to impress recruits,” he said. “The campus looks the best I’ve ever seen it. And, filling the stadium is the way you can help.”
   Speaking of the year’s recruiting, he reported that 21 of the 25 new players are from Mississippi. Of the team’s 78 scholarship holders, 44 are Mississippians.
   Noting a team record GPA of 2.7 this spring, Felker quipped, “I’m glad they didn’t keep such a close eye on it 35 years ago.”
   Finally, responding to a question, he said under the new TV contract, game times and dates will be announced on the Monday before the Thursday or Saturday schedule.

As the meeting was concluding . . . .
President Martha — “Does anyone have spare football tickets for our youth exchange students to use?”
Rockey — “Do they have cowbells yet?”
Francesca — “What’s a cowbell?”
Club members — “Oooh!”
Yet another opportunity for RYE cultural education!