Mar. 12, 2020

MINUTES OF ROTARY MEETING
March 12, 2020
By Monde Donaldson Call to Order​: The meeting was called to order by President Tom McGehee at 12:15 p.m. Christopher Jones offered the invocation and Tommy Blankenship led the club in the song and pledge accompanied by Bill Oppenheimer. Student Guest:​ Milliah Lilly of Vigor High School was introduced by Jeff Luther as Student of the Week. New Member: ​Neil Christopher was introduced by Bob Chappelle. Announcements:​ In keeping with our mission to help fund projects in the community, the Environmental Studies Center was awarded a $3,000 grant.
Program: Judge Edmond Naman, Presiding Judge Mobile County Juvenile Court
“The Effect of Community Collaboration on the Mobile County’s Declining Juvenile Crime Rates”
He was introduced by Norman McCrummen.
Judge Edmond Naman began his talk describing the challenges he saw in the juvenile court when he took the bench in 2007. Sharing statistics, Judge Naman stated that in 2008-2009 there were 12 murders and 70 first degree robberies committed by children under the age of 16. Our violent crime rate was higher than Birmingham, Montgomery and Huntsville combined. Drugs, violent crimes and property crimes were the highest in the state, he said.
Realizing it was “like a war zone”, Judge Naman began to reach out to community partners to see what could be done to curb violent crime and to help these young people who were in crisis. That’s when he and Norman McCrummen began to look for ways to provide stability for these offenders but to show them a different path. In 2010 NEST was born. NEST is a local mentoring program that matches teams of community volunteers with at risk youth and families. A NEST consists of two or more court appointed volunteers. NEST works with the Mobile County Juvenile Court and the Department of Human Resources and partnering agencies to match teams with youth referrals. The team and youth and family work together during the court appointed probationary period or a designated period of six months or more. The hope is that the team and family will develop a lifetime relationship.
Judge Naman said the teams are everyday citizens. They are the catalyst to change failures to successes for these children. Since the inception of NEST, there has been a 300% decline in youth crimes. He cited several agencies that have worked with youth such as the Boys and Girls Club, Keep Mobile Beautiful, Mobile Urban Gardens and the Galliard Summer Program that are positively impacting these young lives.
He encouraged others to become servant leaders. It is because we reached out and said help that this community has swelled around us, he explained. These volunteers are making an impact on these young lives, he said, thanking all for their support of NEST.
Adjournment​: The meeting was adjourned at 1:00 p.m.

Mar. 5, 2020

3/5/20 Minutes
Submitted by Tommy Fulton, Contributing Editor
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Tom McGehee, President of the Rotary Club of Mobile.
Janet Hayes gave the invocation, followed by Larry Sindel with a song and the Pledge of Allegiance.
Introduction of Guests & Visitors: Tommy Blankenship introduced our Member’s Guests and visiting Rotarians.
Student Guest: Jeff Luther introduced Anna Lee from UMS-Wright High School.
New Members: N/A
Announcements: District Conference May 1-3 at The Wharf in Orange Beach.
Rotary Children’s Foundation Grants – Bo Mattei
Easter Seals Camp ASCAA ($32,000.00)
Goodwill Easter Seals of the Gulf Coast/Children & Family Services ($16,000.00)
Goodwill Easter Seals of the Gulf Coast/Medical & Technical Programs ($16,000.00)
Program:
Christopher Jones introduced our speaker, Daniel Nance who operates the Chick-fil-A locations in Daphne and RSA-Downtown. His topic was “What You Get/What You Pay For!”
Mr. Jones was a banker. His Dad was the 13th store owner of Chick-fil-A after leaving Eastern Airlines for Pensacola. Eventually our speaker became the operator for his own Chick-fil-A’s stores.
Mr. Jones told the story of Truett Cathy, the founder of Chick-fil-A. Mr. Cathy and his brother, Ben, opened The Dwarf Grill, a pre-cursor to Chick-Fil-A. They were located near the Ford plant and were open 24 hours a day except for Sundays. In 1967, he opened the first Chick-fil-A in Atlanta’s Greenbriar Shopping Center.
This was the beginning of the food-court concept. Mr. Cathy developed the first chicken sandwich in 1946. At that time, the breast was the least desirable part of the chicken.
Mr. Cathy brought together his leadership team to create their “Corporate Purpose.” It was, and continues to be, “To glorify God by being a faithful steward of all that is entrusted to us and to have a positive influence on all who come into contact with Chick-fil-A.”
He believed that there is no distinction between biblical principles and good business practices. Now they have more than 2,200 stores in 50 states. They have developed a program for excellent customer service, which has been given to competitors as a presentation, which includes McDonalds.
Mr. Jones said, “The key to our success begins with their recruitment.” Their philosophy is rooted in Matthew 5:41 which says, “whoever will have compelled you for one mile, go with him two miles.”
During a Q&A session, Mr. Jones explained the controversy regarding their donations to Salvation Army and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The Corporation is not a Christian company, but is run by Christians. He stated that the Salvation Army is re-applying for their grant.
Tom McGehee thanked Mr. Jones 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.

Feb. 13, 2020

MINUTES OF ROTARY MEETING
February 13, 2020
By Monde Donaldson
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Tom McGehee at 12:15 p.m. Tommy Fulton offered the invocation and Tommy Blankenship led the club in the song and pledge accompanied by Bill Oppenheimer.
Student Guest: Bryson Smith from Theodore High School was introduced by Jeff Luther as Student of the Week.
Announcements: In keeping with our mission, several grant and foundation gifts were announced. The Dumas Wesley Center received a gift from the Rotary General Fund. Rotary Children’s Foundation Grants were announced by Bo Mattei. The recipients were: United Cerebral Palsy, Altapointe and Mobile Infirmary.
Program: Sandy Stimpson, Mayor of Mobile
He was introduced by Saty Putcha.
Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson gave us an inspiring talk on how to build a better Mobile. The theme of his talk was – “Do you want survival, success or significance? He detailed how we could all work together to build One Mobile.
He started with showing population statistics. In 1960, the population of Mobile was 194,856. In 2017, it was 192,085. The highest number in the last 57 years was 200,452 in 1980. The population has remained flat, he said. The mayor explained that we can no longer count on government alone to grow the city. He challenged all to work collaboratively to build a vibrant city. He asked Rotarians – what do you do to build a better city? What does your company do? For One Mobile to work it has to be a strong partnership with public, private and corporate entities, he explained
Mayor Stimpson said many city leaders and community leaders are reading two books he suggested –The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek and Building a Vibrant Community: How Citizen-Powered Change is Reshaping America by Quint Stuber. Stimpson said Studer is from Pensacola and has hosted some of the city’s leadership team to share his insight. He encouraged Rotarians to read the books and asked for a show of hands of members who had read them. About a fourth of the room had read one of the two books. If more leaders and citizens followed some of the principles set forth in Studer’s book Mobile would be advancing in population rather than remaining flat, Stimpson said.
He presented a slide for One Mobile that showed a circle entitled – safer, more business and family friendly city. It was surrounded by goals to achieve: improve the quality of life, empower citizens, vibrant city and generate more revenue. If we follow the circle around the center, we will successfully build One Mobile, he said.
If we embrace the One Mobile concept, here are some of the outcomes he predicted – our children get a better education, we have better job opportunities, we are safer, it is easier to grow your business, our property values increase and our quality of life improves.
Will you help us build advance your city, he asked. He welcomed participation and partnerships on the city’s efforts by leaving handouts on each table asking Rotarians to give their ideas on how to build a better community. The handouts gave his contact information. He ended his talk by saying, let us all work together to be a city of significance.
Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned at 1:00 p.m.

Feb. 6, 2020

2/6/20 Minutes
Submitted by Tommy Fulton, Contributing Editor
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Tom McGehee, President of the Rotary Club of Mobile.
Bill Kinnaird gave the invocation, followed by Larry Sindel with a song and the Pledge of Allegiance.
Introduction of Guests & Visitors: Jeff Zoghby introduced our Member’s Guests and visiting Rotarians.
Student Guest: Jeff Luther introduced Becca Clark from St. Luke’s Episcopal School.
New Members: N/A
Announcements: Board Meeting next week.
Rotary General Fund Grant Award to Prichard Preparatory/Claire McCarron
Rotary Children’s Foundation Grants – Bo Mattei
Dauphin Island Sea Lab: Jo Ann Moody
Camp Rap-A-Hope: Madi Pickering & Ralph Neal
Mulherin Home: Jamie Yerby & Lenny
Program:
Saty Putcha introduced Don Davis, Judge of Probate & Chief Election Officer, Mobile County. Judge Davis spoke on “2020 Elections in Mobile County.
Judge Davis began by pointing out that this year’s primary is in March because of the Presidential Elections. Usually these are held in June. He explained that the Probate Judge is the only judge to have ministerial and executive duties in addition to judicial responsibility.
Other bodies are also heavily involved in our elections. The Mobile County Commission determines the precincts, locations, number of voting machines and the budget for elections.
The Board of Registrars maintains the voter rolls, including work with provisional ballots. Judge Davis said that contrary to popular belief, all valid provisional ballots are counted. The Sheriff, Circuit Court Clerk and Judge Davis are all working together for fair and accurate elections.
In 2016, there were approximately 1,600 poll workers. Mobile has a unique challenge in that our community is in the midst of the Mardi Gras season. This has contributed to the shortage of about 130 workers in our system. This has caused another wrinkle in that our local holiday is one week before the primary. Our deadline is February 17th while the rest of the state has a February 15th deadline.
Judge Davis said that we will have all new voting machines in our 88 voting places. One of the logistics challenges is making sure that we have all of the ballots and supplies in place prior to voting day. Our voting machines are not tied into the internet, therefore we can expect that there will be no Russian hacking here. One week before the elections, all of the machines are tested, inspected and sealed. There is extensive documentation of the chain of custody.
The Probate Judges website will give the most up-to-date results for the day of voting. Also, within seven days, they will canvass all of the provisional votes. To finalize the vote, all parties must be represented for certification.
After the question and answer session, Tom McGehee thanked Judge Davis 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.

Jan. 30, 2020

Minutes of the January 20, 2020 meeting of the Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by club president Tom McGehee at 12:15 PM.
Invocation: Jeb Shell offered the invocation.
Visitors: Bob Chappelle introduced guests of members and visiting Rotarians.
Student Guest: Vivian Stabler of St. Paul’s School discussed the benefits she has received from her service hours at school, specifically through a program called Raise the Roof.
New Member: Our newest fellow Rotarian, Matthew Lollar, was introduced by Frank Harkins.
Announcements: Our popular Mardi Gras Parade Party is scheduled for the evening of February 20, 2020 at the Carnival Museum on Government Street. Members are encouraged to bring their families and invite potential new members.
Program: Mobile’s City of the Dead: Magnolia Cemetery
Tom McGehee discussed the history of burials ranging from the Roman custom of cremations to the early Christians’ determination to bury corpses in underground catacombs. By the late 18th century the French had found that churchyard cemeteries were overfilled and had become a health hazard ultimately leading to Napoleon’s ban on burials within city limits.
The French responded with park like cemeteries that were privately run rather than controlled by the Catholic church and the idea became popular by the 1830’s. In the U.S. a similar trend occurred as church yard cemeteries reached capacity.
In Mobile the first cemetery was Catholic and occupied a site to the west of the city – where Cathedral Square and the Cathedral are today. Conti Street’s expansion led to the occupants being moved to Church Street Cemetery which was nearing capacity by the early 1830’s.
The city purchased land well west of the city limits in 1835 and named it New City Cemetery. The current name of Magnolia Cemetery was added in 1866. After showing images of various funerary art there and explaining the symbolism, Tom discussed a number of the “residents” there and some colorful stories about them.
District Governor Skip Dotherow was introduced and commended the Rotary Club of Mobile stating that this club shines like a star in the district and to keep up the good work.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 1:00 PM.
Tom McGehee

Jan. 23, 2020

Minutes of the Rotary Meeting
January 23, 2020
By Kathy Miller
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Tom McGehee, President of the Rotary Club of Mobile, at 12:00 p.m.
Song, Music, & Pledge: Matt Head offered the invocation and Larry Sindel led the Club in song and the Pledge of Allegiance. Tommy Blankenship introduced Member’s Guests and visiting Rotarians.
Student Guest: Jeff Luther introduced Jessica Coleman, Counselor at Satsuma High School. Ms. Coleman introduced the student guest, Haylee Lynd, who spoke to the club about service.
Announcements: Tom announced that the annual Mardi Gras party will take place on Thursday, February 20th at the Carnival Museum. He encouraged members to bring families and guests, including future potential members. He thanked Sumpter McGowin for making the arrangements for the party. Tom also announced that Ann Bedsole was honored by the Alabama School of Math and Science for her role in sponsoring the bill in the Alabama State Senate to establish the school and for her impact on future leaders of Alabama.
Program: Tom introduced the speaker, Pratt Paterson, Executive Director of Wilmer Hall. Pratt is a native of Montgomery and has been a member of the Club since 2016. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama and previously served as Director of Development for St. Mary’s Conference Center in Sewanee, Tennessee.
Pratt gave members an overview of the history of Wilmer Hall, which was founded by Bishop Wilmer to care for children orphaned during the Civil War. In 1867, the home was moved to Mobile and located on property donated by St. John’s. In 1914, the Diocese of Alabama purchased the 11 acres on Old Shell Road on which the home presently sits. The buildings were completed in 1916 and the home officially was named Wilmer Hall in 1948. Pratt described the present programs at Wilmer Hall. There are three residential programs: the Residential Program, for young people under the age of 18 who are still in school and do not have a place to live; the Transitional Living Program, for young adults ages 18 to 22 who are provided educational support, vocational training, and life skills training for a period of about two years; and the Transitional Family Program, for young adult mothers ages 18 to 24 with babies. Wilmer Hall also operates the on campus Education4Life Program founded in 2008 for students at Wilmer Hall. The students participating in this program have a 100% graduation rate. In 2017, Wilmer Hall added the Community-Based Education Program which offers similar educational support at Williamson Prep Academy through the Philippa Stirling Hamilton Educational Center and, in conjunction with Springhill College’s Community Service Program, at three additional middle schools through the Max Miller Education Program. The Community-Based Education Program serves between 160 and 170 students.
Wilmer Hall recently opened a fifth residential cottage for “graduate housing” and also increased capacity with the renovation of Green-Harrell Cottage. Wilmer Hall operates a delivery based food pantry which served 325 families in the nine months it was operating in 2019. Wilmer Hall has hired two licensed counselors who are on campus. Pratt answered questions from members and, at the conclusion of the program, Tom presented Pratt with a Speaker’s Certificate and a check representing a grant to Wilmer Hall from the Rotary Children’s Foundation.
Adjournment: After announcing members’ birthdays and the program for next week, Tom adjourned the meeting at 1:00 p.m.
Kathy Miller
Contributing Editor
(Wd. 1156915)

Jan. 16, 2020

Minutes of the January 16, 2020 Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Tom McGehee at 12:16 PM.
Angela Dunn offered the invocation. Tommy Blankenship led the club in song and the Pledge of Allegiance. Jeff Zoghby welcomed members’ guests and visiting Rotarians.
Jeff Luther introduced our student guest Alex Everett of Saraland High School
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Russell Ladd led the meeting for election of new officers. The nominated slate of officers is:
• President: Claire McCarron
• President elect: Elizabeth Stevens
• Vice President: Garrett Williamson
• Secretary: Bob Chappelle
• Treasurer: Frank Harkins
• Director: Kate Carver
• Director: Sumpter McGowin
• Director: William Latta
• Director: Meg Fowler
• Immediate Past President: Tom McGehee
Mr. Ladd reported that there were no individual nominations received therefore the nominated slate was elected by acclamation.
The club Board will meet today after the regular meeting in the Leinkauf Suite.
Program: Pratt Paterson introduced Jim Nagy, Executive Director, Reese’s Senior Bowl.
Nagy reported on the upcoming festivities over the next week as the players begin arriving Jan. 18 and culminating with the game on Jan. 25. Nagy and his staff introduced updated marketing this year. The rebranding effort is known as “The Draft Starts in Mobile”. This is a concerted effort to spotlight Mobile in a manner similar to the 2019 draft which was held in Nashville. There were some 600,000 people in attendance in Nashville. With the introduction of new events including a Mardi Gras parade, followed by a live concert in Cathedral Square by the Revivalists on Jan. 24, a new event known as The Summit on Jan. 23 at the Saenger theater, Nagy hopes to attract many more fans to Mobile and, of course, the game itself.
The 2019 Senior Bowl had 10 first round picks which was the highest in some years. Nagy believes that number will be higher this year.
President McGehee thanked Mr. Nagy for his presentation and noted that, in Nagy’s honor, a donation had been made by the club to the Rotary Children’s Foundation.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 12:52 PM.
Rob Diehl

March 19, 2020–Andy Newton / President – Uniti Fiber

Andy Newton is President of Uniti Fiber where he stewards Uniti’s efforts to design, build and operate its fiber network infrastructure. Newton was the co-founder of Southern Light, and for the previous 19 years served as its President and CEO where he led the overall operations, strategic guidance and culture of the company. Under his direction, Southern Light grew to become one of the top 10 largest pure fiber optic providers in the country. Newton received an Economics degree from Birmingham Southern College and enjoys providing leadership to non-profits that focus on education and community planning and development.