Nov. 9, 2017

Minutes of the November 9, 2017 Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by John Dukes at 12:15 PM. Wade Faulkner offered the invocation and Jeff Zoghby welcomed members’ guests and visiting Rotarians. Larry Sindel led the club in song and the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance.
Announcements: John Dukes made the following announcements:
• Mark your calendar for the Mardi Gras Parade Party at the Carnival Museum to be held in lieu of a meeting on the evening of February 8, 2018.
• Douglas Kearley discussed the history of red poppies to remember the war dead, a practice which began during World War I. In honor of Veteran’s Day he handed out red poppies for lapels.
• John wished members well on their up-coming birthdays.
Program: Chief Mark Sealy, MFD
Tom McGehee introduced Mark Sealy, Mobile’s Fire Chief. Chief Sealy, a former U.S. Marine began by honoring veterans in the audience.
Sealy, who was sworn in as the city’s 15th chief in May of this year, described his department as having been without a leader for an extended period, leading to divisions within the department regarding pay and race as well as low morale.
A brief video, Turn the Ship Around, A True Story of Building Leaders by Breaking Rules was shown. The narrator discussed the success of a Navy commander who took over a nuclear submarine and was able to bring the crew’s rating up to the highest in the fleet. He did it by improving morale and instilling a psychological ownership of the sub to all of the men and women on it.
Sealy said his philosophy has always been to never bring a problem to a superior without a solution. Since his appointment he said his goal has been to create a sense of ownership among all of the members of his department and ultimately create a pool of leaders from which his replacement may be chosen. He also said the current administration has given his department more support than any other he has experienced in his 26 year career as a Mobile firefighter.
After answering a number of questions from the audience, John Dukes thanked Chief Sealy and presented him with a certificate noting that a donation in his honor has been made to the Rotary Children’s Foundation.
The meeting adjourned at 12:55 PM.
Tom McGehee

Nov. 2, 2017

11/2/2017 Minutes
Submitted by Tommy Fulton, Contributing Editor
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by John Dukes.
K. C. Constantine gave the invocation, followed by Tommy Blankenship, who led us in song and the Pledge. Bill Oppenheimer accompanied on the piano.
Introduction of Guests & Visitors: Tom Martenstein introduced our guests along with visiting Rotarians.
Jeff Luther introduced our student guest, Cailyn Clemons from Davidson High School.
Announcements: Ken Niemeyer discussed the Neighborhood Library project which has 14 libraries. Our partner is Big Brothers/Big Sisters.
Program: Tom McGehee introduced our speaker, Bill Barrick, who is the Executive Director for Bellingrath Gardens and Home. His topic was, “Mums and Magic.”
Mr. Barrick opened his talk by mentioning how important the months of November and December are for the Gardens. Forty percent of their income occurs during those two months. The Christmas display and the Mums show have attracted huge crowds. Bellingrath has the nation’s largest display of outdoor cascading chrysanthemums. Because of our “late-freeze” dates, our mums can be grown outdoors in large quantities.
The mums are displayed in various formations including, 400 cascades, 120 columns, 20 hanging baskets and 18 spheres. There are 4,000 2-gallon mums throughout the grounds. These mums come from China and are designed to bloom in November, unlike domestic garden mums. The great variety of mums allows for a large variety of colors and shapes.
Bellingrath uses indoor lighting to “trick” their mums into producing buds by simulating longer daytimes. The growing process begins in January. After four months indoors, they are taken outside. Mr. Barrick then explained the methodology used for various types of displays.
Our speaker talked about the “Magic Christmas in Lights” display, which has been a tremendous crowd-pleaser. This feature takes place from November 24th until December 31st. They use 3 million lights, 35 miles of mini-lights and over 5 miles of steel and more than 7,700 extension cords. The actual lighting process is the most laborious part of preparation. Interestingly, China is changing their production from “mini-lights” to LED lighting. This will eventually change the process.
After a question and answer session, John Dukes thanked Mr. Barrick for his presentation and presented a certificate to him, noting that a donation in his honor had been made to the Rotary International Foundation.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:00 pm.

Oct. 19, 2017

Minutes of the October 19, 2017 Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by John Dukes at 12:15 PM. Bob Chappelle offered the invocation. Tommy Blankenship led the club in song and the Pledge of Allegiance. Bill Oppenheimer accompanied on the piano. Tom Martenstein welcomed members’ guests and visiting Rotarians.
The Student Guest was Kamryn Pigg of Alma Bryant High School. She was introduced by school faculty as a bright star in the community and on campus. Ms. Pigg talked about service above self and was warmly congratulated.
Bill Oppenheimer introduced his son-in-law Staples Wood as a new member of our club. Staples is a native Mobilian and is an attorney with Long & Long.
Announcements:
• John Dukes announced that there would be a Board meeting immediately following today’s regular meeting.
• John Dukes thanked Ernest Ladd for organizing the Gala which was held at the Southern National restaurant. The event was well attended and everyone enjoyed the food, drink and fellowship.
Program: District Governor Bill Trant
Ken Robinson introduced the Governor.
Bill Trant is a native of Opp, Alabama. He graduated from Opp
High School and is a graduate of Gupton Jones Mortuary
College in Atlanta, Ga. Mr. Trant has been in the funeral
business for over 40 years. He lives in Opelika, and along with
his son, Coley, owns and operates Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home
& Crematory.
This year’s international theme is “Making a Difference”. The question posed by International is Why Rotary?
The Governor gave examples of various ways all members do and can do to make a difference in people’s lives.
Trant talked about some of the projects going on in our District including “planting a tree”, Back Pack ministry and others. Trant announced that every club in our District has contributed to the Rotary Foundation this year. The total donated was approximately $300,000. This is the first year in many when we enjoyed 100% participation.
Trant talked about “Givers vs. Takers” and complimented our group on being givers. A quote he recited was “Be happy with what you have because there are many who have very little but still have smiles on their faces”. He reminded us that we all have 1) time to help, 2) words to share and 3) opportunity……..all toward the theme of Making a Difference.
There is a mid-year conference to be held in Dothan January 12 &13, 2018 as well as the annual conference to be held in Biloxi June 7-10, 2018. Trant invited each of us to attend.
John Dukes thanked the Governor for sharing his knowledge with the club and noted that in his honor a donation has been made to the Rotary Children’s Foundation
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 12:47 PM.
Rob Diehl

Commander Emily Bassett, U.S. Navy, Commanding Officer of LCS Crew 214, PCU Manchester (LCS 14)

A native of Seattle, Washington, Commander Emily Bassett graduated from Boston University (BU) with a Bachelor of Arts in Classical Civilizations. She earned her commission through BU’s Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (NROTC) program. She is a Nuclear trained Surface Warfare Officer.
Afloat, Bassett completed her first division officer tour aboard the amphibious landing dock ship USS Rushmore (LSD 47) as combat information center officer and assistant operations officer. After nuclear power training, she completed her second division officer tour aboard the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) as the reactor laboratories division officer. She completed two department head equivalent tours, first as operations officer on USS Ingraham (FFG 61) and then as reactor electrical assistant on USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72). She served as executive officer on USS Arlington (LPD 24), certifying every warfare area in the ship’s first training cycle and commencing the ship’s maiden deployment. Basset has completed five deployments, to include support in the western pacific, CARAT, Operations Enduring Freedom, Southern Watch, and Iraqi Freedom.
Ashore, Bassett was selected for an Olmsted Scholarship and earned a Master’s degree in Hispanic Studies, taught in Spanish, from the University of Cadiz, Spain. She served as Commander, Naval Air Forces Atlantic’s Force Reactor Training Assistant, and has a Master’s degree in Engineering Management from Old Dominion University. She has completed the Air Command and Staff College program for Joint Professional Military Education Phase I.
Currently, she is the commanding officer of LCS Crew 214, PCU Manchester (LCS 14).