FOR THE RECORD - JUNE 28

Invocation and Pledge:    Bob Wolverton

Attendance:   Present — 79 (32 exempt)            Absent — 108 (18 exempt, 12 honorary)

Makeups: Ned Browning, annual organizational meeting, and Larry Mullins, district assembly.

Guests and visitors: Visiting Rotarians were John Fair of Louisville, and Kristian Eriksen of Aalborg, Denmark. Member guests were Edward Kemp of O.A. Cleveland, Graham Wells of Martha, and Mike Vance and Shelby Burton of Stu Vance. Guests of the Club were Anna Follett, returning Youth Exchange Student to Italy; Ashley Diaz, our Ambassadorial Scholar nominee for this year; Bonnie Fair, wife of past-district governor John Fair; Ruth Remy; and RYE student Kasper Eriksen and family, mother Caroline, brothers Frederik and Gustav, and sister Pia.

YOUTH EXCHANGE

Proud dad - Kristian Eriksen thanks the Club for his son’s “experience of a lifetime.”

“Hey y’all!” With that greeting, Rotary Youth Exchange student Kasper Eriksen bade “good bye” and proved he had become a Southerner.
   His dad, Kris, echoed the thought saying, “He has really embraced the Southern lifestyle.”
   Thanking the Club for making this “the best year of my life,” Kasper said, “I wish I could stay, but unfortunately my parents are here and won’t let me.”
   The Club had the rare pleasure of meeting his mother, a civil engineer, and three siblings. His father, president-elect of Denmark’s Aalborg East Rotary Club, is a product manager with Apple.
   A former exchange student in Ohio, Kris noted that RYE originated in Denmark. Of his son, he said, “Not only has Kasper been an ambassador for Denmark, but now he will be an ambassador for the United States, Starkville and Rotary.”

 

CHANGING THE GUARD

Can I stay? - RYE student Kasper Eriksen enjoys his last Starkville Rotary lunch.

“Today we celebrate the 86th year the Rotary Club of Starkville has been in business,” said outgoing president Martha Wells. “A great responsibility, but lightened by great committees, my term has been a pleasure, not a burden.”
   Singling out secretary Dave Boles and treasurer Nellah Taylor for special thanks she noted that these positions are key to a club’s success and require major time commitment.
   Remarking that we rarely have opportunity to observe results of our service, president Martha said “We don’t see the results in the children we work with in Between the Lions as they improve their reading at an early age. We know of, but don’t experience the benefits of our Kenyan water project. Unless we go to countries where there are victims of polio, we don’t see the results of our polio eradication effort.”
  “To be a Rotarian means to dig pools that we cannot swim in; to write music to which we will not dance; and, to plant trees under whose shade we will not sit,” she said.
   Noting that our “just giving money” helped fulfill many community goals. She gave a few highlights:

• Receiving the District 6820 Ruth and Keith Remy Youth Affairs Award for our programs including:
• Establishing an Interact Club for young people.
• Supporting Boy Scouts’ Troop 14 (45 youth,18 leaders) and Pack 14 (71youth, 17 leaders). Seven Eagle awards were earned.

  Who has the biggest grin? - President Tommy Tomlinson accepts the gavel from outgoing president Martha Wells.

• Being the only club in the district with a youth exchange with two young people from Italy and Denmark; and, sending two local youths to those countries.
• Conducting two fund raisers to support tuition guarantees to East Mississippi Community College.
• Contributing more than any other club ($10,000) to the district Kenyan water project.
• Sending Cultural Ambassadorial Scholar Jared Reneau  to Japan.
• Hosting an Italian Group Study Exchange team.

 

Service cited - When past-district governor Stu Vance, center, was recognized for leading Hurricane Katarina relief efforts, he presented his team with commendations from Governor Haley Barbour. Bill Foster, left, and Bill Simmons, right, handled the day-to-day response that distributed $976,000 to Rotarians in need. Stu was recognized with one of only 150 Rotary International Service Above Self Awards given worldwide this year. Past district governor John Fair repeated the presentation of the RI award that had been made at the district meeting.

Service cited