Month: June 2019

Minutes of the May 16, 2019 Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Ernest Ladd at 12:15 PM. Aimee Risser offered the invocation. Tommy Blankenship led the club in song and the Pledge of Allegiance. Tommy also welcomed members’ guests and visiting Rotarians.
Announcements:
• Ernest announced there would be a Board meeting immediately following the regular meeting today in the Ashland Suite.
• Ernest thanked Garrett Williamson for organizing the Rotary social at Chuck’s last night. Attendance was good.
• Ernest announced that we now have a credit card payment system in place. Email Peggy for invoice with the proper card link.
Helene Hassell introduced our newest member Sterling Boykin.
District Governor Sam Adams presented Frank Harkins with the J. Barton Greer, Jr. award. DG Adams also presented a plaque to Ken Robinson for his service as a Lieutenant Governor.
Program:Dr. Lee Smee/Chair of University Programs and Senior Marine Scientist at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab
Dr. Smee presented an interesting talk about the sea lab and the many programs there. They were formed in 1971 by the Alabama legislature to provide marine science programs for many of the state’s colleges and universities. Today, 23 member institutions partner with the Dauphin Island Sea Lab to provide studies to undergraduate and graduate students. Since 1971, the DISL mission has expanded to include K-12 education, professional development, and a public aquarium. He reminded us that the ocean significantly effects weather and climate, and produces greater than 50% of oxygen. Oceans are the primary food source for 3.5billion people. Marine plants and animals are an important source for drug discovery.
Dr. Smee went on to describe the degradation of oyster reef systems globally. In fact, some 85% of oyster reefs have been lost worldwide. A supplemental source of oysters is commercial farming, which Dr. Smee seemed to be in favor of. He also thinks the farming is going well and is effective.
The Dauphin Island Sea Lab Foundation supports the Dauphin Island Sea Lab in its mission, “to provide wise stewardship of the marine environment through education and research”. The Foundation provides funds to sustain the activities and programs of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab.
Ernest Ladd thanked the speaker for his informative update on the Sea Lab and noted that in his honor a donation has been made to the Rotary Children’s Foundation.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 12:55 PM.
Rob Diehl

Minutes of the May 9, 2019, Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Elect Tom McGehee at 12:15 PM. Mike Loncono offered the invocation and Larry Sindel led the club in song and the pledge accompanied by Bill Oppenheimer. Jeff Zoghby welcomed members’ guests and visiting Rotarians.
Announcements
• Rotary Happy Hour Garrett Williamson reminded the club that on Wednesday, May 15th from 5:30-7:30 there will be a Rotary Happy Hour at Chuck’s Fish located at 551 Dauphin Street. He reminded members that this is a great opportunity to visit with fellow Rotarians as well as to invite prospective members.
Tom McGehee made the following announcements:
• A board meeting is scheduled after the regular meeting on May 16th.
• Credit cards may now be used to pay your statement. Contact Peg for further details.
Program: Capt. George E. Krietemeyer, U.S.C.G., Ret.
Claire McCarron introduced Captain George Krietemeyer, who discussed the Coast Guard’s 200 year impact on Mobile as well as its history in the U.S. which dates back to 1790. He explained that the Coast Guard has the largest military presence in Mobile with 1,000 active duty personnel.
Presently in Mobile there are 3 Coast Guard Divisions which seek to “Support, Protect and Defend” us. He discussed just a few of the important areas handled by the Coast Guard with the first being Maritime Law Enforcement which largely consists of dealing with contraband. The Coast Guard also steps in to assist with environmental disasters, hurricanes, and is well known for its rescue operations for stranded boaters.
Capt. Krietmeyer said the Gulf Coast is covered by 5 stations stretching from Brownsville, TX to Key West and there are some 10,000 individuals involved in those operations. He added that $10-12 billion is being spent on new ships being built from Pascagoula to Panama City, FL and noted that their airplanes are all products of Airbus. Captain Krietmeyer added that he has recently written a book on the 200 year history of the Coast Guard in Mobile and that all profits will go to assist Coast Guard operations.
After answering a number of questions, Tom thanked him for speaking to the club and presented him with a certificate noting that the club has made a contribution in his honor to the Rotary Children’s Foundation.
The meeting adjourned at 1:00 PM.
Tom McGehee

5/2/19 Minutes
Submitted by Tommy Fulton, Contributing Editor
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Claire McCarron, Vice-President.
Stephen McNair gave the invocation, followed by Larry Sindel and Bill Oppenheimer on the piano with a song and the Pledge of Allegiance.
Introduction of Guests & Visitors: Tommy Blankenship introduced our guests along with visiting Rotarians.
Student Guest: N/A
Announcements: Credit Card Payment System in place. Email Peg for further information.
Program: Claire McCarron introduced Tom McGehee, Museum Director – Bellingrath Gardens and Home. His topic was “From Boom to Bust: A Sampling of Antebellum Architecture in Mobile from 1833-1862.”
Tom opened his remarks by saying that the 1820’s through the 1860’s was a time for growth and identity in Mobile’s architecture. The Mobile community had no love for the British, so builders and architects leaned heavily on Greek influence in its designs. This was indicative of a great period of optimism in our area.
Tom described the home previously located on the property, now inhabited by the Admiral Semmes Hotel, as the nicest in the state of Alabama. Despite the wishes of the owner, and the language in her will, the home was torn down.
In another different twist, he described the customary design for Episcopal Churches as gothic in nature. Not so here in the Mobile community. Again, it was built more along the Greek influence. Also, Barton Academy was originally built in 1839. It reopened as a “girls-only” school in 1879. Later, it became the office complex for the Mobile Public School System, and is now being prepared to host a new school for International Studies.
Our speaker regaled us with stories of personalities, including the connection to controversies such as “The Mysterious Poisoning Case at Liverpool.” The story involved Mobile native, Florence Elizabeth Chandler who married James Maybrick. Maybrick was known to be a regular user of arsenic and other somewhat poisonous medicines. He was also infamous for his many mistresses. Florence responded with some dalliances of her own.
Ultimately, she was convicted in a Liverpool courtroom of murder and sentenced to prison. After 14 years, she was released and returned to the United States.
Tom went on to describe several other interesting personalities connected to the Mobile community.
His talk included discussions of the developments along Church Street in the 1890’s, Bragg Mitchell Home in 1855, and the Greek/Italian transition involved in the current MOT Mardi Gras organization’s refurbishing on Government Street.
Ultimately, the architecture in Mobile shows a transition from Greek to Gothic to Italian influence. According to our speaker, America is still looking for its own unique theme.
After a question and answer session, Claire McCarron thanked Mr. McGehee 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.

Minutes of the Rotary Meeting
April 25, 2019
By Kathy Miller
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Ernest Ladd, President of the Rotary Club of Mobile, at 12:00 p.m.
Moment of Silence: Mr. Ladd announced that Tom Martenstein, a member of the Club since 1962, passed away on April 21. He served as President in 1979-80, as Club Secretary and was recently named the Club’s First Secretary Emeritus.
Song, Music, & Pledge: Peyton Mattei offered the invocation and Larry Sindel led the Club in song and the Pledge of Allegiance.
Guests: Jeff Zoghby introduced guests and visiting Rotarians.
Announcements: It was announced that the credit card payment system is in place. You can email Peg for a copy of your invoice with a link.
New Members: Kathy Miller introduced Blair Fisher, head of St. Paul’s Episcopal School as a new member.
Program: Claire McCarron introduced Meg McCrummen Fowler, Director of the History Museum of Mobile, who presented a program on “Notre Dame”. Ms. Fowler described the recent fire and the portions of the Cathedral that were damaged and those that were saved, including the three major rose windows. Ms. Fowler related the history of the building, including its original design to facilitate visiting pilgrims while mass was in progress. She talked about various additions to the Cathedral and prior renovations. She noted that, after the French Revolution, the Cathedral was ransacked and converted to a “temple of reason”. She discussed the interest in the Cathedral which occurred as a result of Victor Hugo’s novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame. She pointed out that Notre Dame and the cathedrals in France are owned by the Government and not by the Catholic Church. She described the nineteenth century addition of the spire and additional sculptures and gargoyles and outlined the questions presented now about how the restoration as a result of the fire should be conducted. Claire thanked Ms. Fowler for speaking to the Club and presented her with a Speaker’s Certificate.
Adjournment: After announcing members’ birthdays and the program for next week, Claire adjourned the meeting at 1:00 p.m.
Kathy Miller
Contributing Editor

Minutes of the April 18, 2019 Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Ernest Ladd at 12:15 PM. Sumpter McGowin offered the invocation. Tommy Blankenship led the club in song and the Pledge of Allegiance. Bob Chappelle welcomed members’ guests and visiting Rotarians.
Announcements:
• Ernest announced there would be a Board meeting immediately following the regular meeting today in the Ashland Suite.
• Ernest announced that Mobile West Rotary will hold the Mobile Bay Charity Golf Classic in April 24. Call Jimmy Lyons for details.
• Ernest announced that we now have a credit card payment system in place. Email Peggy for invoice with the proper card link.
• Garrett Williamson was recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow.
Program: Tonie Ann Torrans, Executive Director of Penelope House
Russ Ford introduced the speaker
The Penelope House was founded by in 1979 by the Daughters of Penelope. The mission of Penelope House is to provide safety, protection, and support to the victims of Domestic Violence and their children through the provision shelter, advocacy, and individual and community education. The house has twelve rooms and has accommodated as many as seventy two people at one time. They have a staff of approximately fifty and operate 24/7…..never closing.
There are approximately 5,000 incidences of domestic violence reported each year in our area. Statistically, only about one in four are reported. Penelope shelters 600-800 people in a given year. The location remains a secret to the general public in order to protect victims. Police officers escort victims to the home. They also have 6-8 apartments available for transitional living……….up to two years rent free to allow the victim time to get their financial life in order. The home has violence counselors for both adults and children in addition to court advocates. They do not turn any victims away.
The executive director is the daughter of the first executive director. Penelope’s budget is approximately $2.25million, of which 60% is funded by grants. Other fundraising includes the Penelope’s Closet on Old Shell Road in Mobile and various fundraising events. Urgent needs include back packs, towels, pillows, sheets, cleaning supplies, air freshener, diapers and hand sanitizer.
Ernest Ladd thanked the speaker for her informative update on Penelope House and noted that in her honor a donation has been made to the Rotary Children’s Foundation.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 12:47 PM.
Rob Diehl

Minutes of the April 11, 2019, Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Ernest Ladd IV at 12:15 PM. Pat Edington offered the invocation and Larry Sindel led the club in song and the pledge. Bob Chapelle welcomed members’ guests and visiting Rotarians.
Announcements Ernest Ladd made the following announcements:
• A board meeting is scheduled after the regular meeting on April 18.
• Credit cards may now be used to pay your statement. Contact Peg for further details.
• The club has made a contribution to Lee County Tornado Relief Fund but our website has a link should a member wish to also contribute.
Program: Steve Sorrells –FBI
Claire McCarron introduced Steve Sorrells, a Special Agent for the FBI and a member of the Evidence Response Team. Agent Sorrells discussed a relatively new concept in law enforcement: helping victims. Previously the focus had been merely solving the crime, he said.
He gave as an example the Somali pirate case in 2009 when 20 American sailors were kidnapped by pirates off the Somali coast. The final hostage was the captain and a victims specialist was assigned to be with his family in the U. S. as the situation played out. In the end the captain was rescued and 3 of the 4 pirates killed. The fourth, he added, is serving a 33 year stint in a federal prison.
Another case involving specially trained victims specialists occurred in the abduction and murder of a child in Prichard in 2014. The girl’s father was convicted but in the meantime the specialists worked with the large extended family of the child to help them get through the process.
After answering a number of questions, Ernest thanked him for speaking to the club and presented him with a certificate noting that the club has made a contribution in his honor to the Rotary Children’s Foundation.
The meeting adjourned at 12:50 PM.
Tom McGehee