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Minutes of the September 15, 2016
Meeting of the Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by club president Les Greer at 12:15PM. Matt Head offered the invocation and afterwards Tommy Blankenship led the club in song and the pledge. Tom Martenstein welcomed members’ guests and visiting Rotarians.
Announcements: Les Greer made the following announcements:
• The board will meet today after the meeting.
• A meeting of the Children’s Foundation Board will take place on Sept. 22.
• A $4,500 District Grant Award has been received and will go towards the refurbishment of an inner city park.
• Mark your calendars for the Rotary Gala to be held on Wednesday, Oct. 5, at Dauphins.
Program: Chief James Barber, MPD.
Rick Harvey introduced Chief Barber who brought the club up to date on his department’s efforts at offering first time offenders a second chance. He explained that careful surveillance pinpoints a site with rampant illegal drug sales and his department works to identify the participants. Those with criminal records will be prosecuted but those who have never been in trouble are offered a space in a SCORE Program which offers them a second chance.
Working with community leaders and educators, these individuals are encouraged to complete their educations and learn job skills and basic responisbilty for themselves and their children. Chief Barber shared videos of several participants who have done just that. Crime in the neighborhood has dropped dramatically, he added.
Chief Barber told his audience that it is vital that his officers be trained to see themselves from the average citizen’s perspective living within a high crime area. He said it is this type of training that can prevent misunderstandings which can escalate to some of the horrific rioting that has taken place in major cities of late.
After answering a number of questions, Les Greer thanked Chief Barber for speaking to the club and said that in his honor a donation has been made to Rotary International Foundation.
The meeting adjourned at 1:00 PM
Tom McGehee

Sept. 8, 2016 Minutes
Submitted by Tommy Fulton, Contributing Editor
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Les Greer. Father Gregory F. Lucey gave the invocation, followed by Gordon Korb, who led us in song, accompanied by Bill Oppenheimer at the piano. Tom Martenstein introduced our guests along with visiting Rotarians.
New Members: Rick Harvey introduced Russell Schmitz as a new member.
Announcements: There is a board meeting next week, Sept. 15th. New member orientation will be October 11th.
Program: Rick Harvey introduced our speaker, Dr. Christopher Puto, President of Springhill College.
Dr. Puto began by mentioning how proud Mobilians should be to have three great universities in our area, University of South Alabama, University of Mobile and Springhill College. With respect to Springhill, he mentioned that they have 395 freshmen and 43 transfers this fall. That includes students from 26 states and 8 foreign countries. Springhill was founded in 1830 and has been in Mobile for 186 years.
Dr. Puto described the Strategic Planning Process underway at Springhill, which engaged every element of the campus. There are 50 planning units involved in the process, which led to 10 Key Strategic Goals. He also informed us that there are 28 Jesuit colleges in the United States, of which Springhill is the 3rd oldest. He also emphasized the fact that Springhill is the only one who offers “no frostbite.”
The planning process focuses on the 4 Pillars of Faith, Learning, Justice and Service. The result of the Plan is 130 Tactical/Operational Goals, all of which are tracked through software, which will help inform staff and supporters of the College. Perhaps one of the most interesting new focus is “Vocation and Discernment – Pathways to Purpose. This program helps students discern how they will affect the world into which they graduate.
Dr. Puto then described a very successful process, with support of alumni, which substantially reduced short-term debt. As of March, they had commitments to reduce a $27 million debt to zero.
Springhill’s dedication to service is evident in the fact that the 1,200 students enrolled have contributed 25,000 hours of service to the Mobile area. Dr. Puto then fielded questions from the audience.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:00 pm.

Minutes of the September 1, 2016 Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by club president Les Greer at 12:15 PM. Wayne Miller offered the invocation and then Gordon Korb led the club in song accompanied by Bill Oppenheimer on the piano. Tom Martenstein welcomed guests of members and visiting Rotarians.
Recognition: Bill Sisson was recognized as the newest Paul Harris Fellow.
Program: Paul Giardina – Ronald McDonald House Charities of Mobile
Rick Harvey introduced Paul Giardina, a fellow Rotarian and Executive Director of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Mobile. Paul gave a brief history of Ronald McDonald houses noting that McDonald’s is not an owner of the houses but rather a regular supporter. A penny per Happy Meal sold goes to the organization he explained. Currently there are 350 Ronald McDonald Houses in the world with the majority located in the U. S. near hospitals.
Paul said that the purpose of each of the houses is to provide a home away from home for families of hospitalized children. The Ronald McDonald House in Mobile opened in 2000 with 12 bedrooms. A capital campaign allowed the facility to grow that number to 38. Each has a private bath and there are common areas as well as a laundry and playroom.
Some 60% of the children of families staying at the Ronald McDonald House are infants born prematurely. The average family will stay weeks or even months, he said adding that through 2015 over 800 families have been served. At Christmas “Santa’s Workshop” arrives allowing the families the convenience of selecting toys for their children without leaving the property.
Local support is vital he said and recognized the fact that three of his board members are also members of the Rotary Club of Mobile. Paul said that their website provides a wish list, explaining it can be as simple as picking up an extra bottle of laundry detergent and dropping it by the facility.
Les thanked Paul for being our speaker and noted that in his honor a donation has been made to Rotary International.
Tom McGehee

Minutes of the Rotary Meeting – August 18, 2016
By: Henry R. Seawell, IV
Invocation, Song, Music and Pledge
Les Greer called the meeting to order. Reverend Beverly Gibson gave the invocation. Tommy Blankenship led the Song and Pledge, accompanied by Bill Oppenheimer on the piano.
Introduction of Guests and Visitors: Tom Martenstein. Two new members of the organization were introduced, including State Farm agent Ken McElhaney (Intro by Henry Callaway) and Wilmer Hall’s Pratt Patterson (Intro by Sally Greene).
Announcements: Rotarians with 100% attendance were honored, the most impressive of which was John Moses, who has demonstrated his devotion to the organization with 33 years of perfect attendance. Our Club was visited by Rotary International President John Germ, who provided us with a special message regarding membership. As part of this effort, Les Greer implemented “Table Talk,” whereby each table was tasked with identifying one or more prospective members to bring to the next meeting.
Program
Speaker: Anna Katherine Ray, Sponsorship & Community Outreach Chair / Girls of the Run South Alabama, was introduced by Matt Head.
Anna Katherine Ray serves as the Sponsorship & Community Outreach Chair of Girls of the Run South Alabama (“Girls Run”), an after-school program for 3rd to 5th grade girls. The program is designed to support both physical and emotional well-being for these young ladies and – over the course of twelve weeks of training – prepare them to complete a Five Kilometer Race.
The genesis of Ms. Ray’s involvement in Girls Run was her 4th grade daughter, who was having some challenges developing her confidence, which challenges were impacting her school experience. Girls Run became an excellent confidence booster, and Anna Katherine’s daughter discovered an abundance of untapped potential. After completing the Girls Run program, her child had demonstrated the ability to face adversity head-on and the confidence to become a successful young lady.
The scope of Girls Run is impressive. Over the course of twenty (20) years, Girls Run has shared its program and mission with over one million young ladies – over 180,000 this year alone.
The meeting was adjourned.

Rotary Club of Mobile
Minutes
25 August 2016
Rotary Tidbit: Les Greer opened with a quote by Gandhi. He proceeded to highlight Rotary’s positive impact on the eradication of polio.
Members from other clubs: Jay Ison from Mobile Sunrise and Cullan Duke from Mobile West.
New members: Sumpter McGowin provided the introduction of new member Clint Flowers.
Announcements:
Les Greer reminded members that the annual gala would be held on October 5, 2016. He commended John Dukes on his efforts on what will be a successful event.
Ernest Ladd presented the Tarpon Tournament Awards. After acknowledging the efforts of John Toomey, co-chair of the Tournament, Ladd proceded to announce the winners. He presented plaques and checks to the recipients. Award winners were as follows: Ashton Boykin, First Jack (24.8 pounds); Jay Ison, Second Jack (24.3 pounds); Noel Nelson, Second Place Tarpon; Alex Arendall, Third Place Jack; and Ernest Ladd, 1st Place Tarpoon.
Program.
Following Matt Head’s introduction, Commander Daniel G. Straub thanked those assembled. He expressed that it was an honor to speak before Rotary and thanked several colleagues for being in attendance. A short video of the USS Montgomery, the subject of his program, was shown. After the video, Commander Straub provided an account of the vessel. He stated that the USS Montgomery was the second ship to bear the name of Alabama’s state capital. Straub explained that of the US Navy’s eight literal combat ships, USS Montgomery was undoubtedly the best. He said that the vessel received a “flying broom” or clean sweep during its congressionally mandated acceptance trial as but one testament to the ship’s attributes. The Commander informed the audience that while the Montgomery ‘s top notch crew had been in Mobile February, they had only moved onto the ship six week’s ago and that they would be departing to home port of San Diego upon the Montgomery’s official commission (10 September 2016). Commander Straub stated that eth Montgomery measures 418 feet in length by 104 feet in depth. He stated that the 3500 ton vessel travels at 50 miles per hour and adapt to an incredibly low draft of 14 feet. It was noted that 4,000 Alabamians labored to build the boat. Straub went on to allow that the aforementioned figure did not take into account service providers. Public and private partnerships included the the City of Mobile, County of Mobile, and City of Montgomery, as well as the involvement of Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff Sessions and Congressman Bradley Byrne. Commander Schaub spoke highly of his crew of 53 three by saying that ranked among the best sailors in the fleet. After reiterating the date of the Montgomery’s commission, Schaub noted that bell of the first USS Montgomery would go on the maiden voyage of her successor. Additionally, teak salvaged from the USS Alabama had been employed the vessel’s deck. He noted that these physical ties connected the new ship to a martial tradition embracing the Spanish American War, First World War, Second World War, and Korean War. The adaptability of the ship and its technological ability were mentioned. In closing, Commander Schaub stated the USS Montgomery was an exemplar of the more defensive stance of the US Navy. In short, the ship was built to fight for our country. The Commander closed his presenation and opened the floor for questions. Questions included inquiries pertaining to the ride and range of the vessel.
The presentation received considerable applause.
Birthday announcements followed by mention of the location of the next meeting ensued.