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Minutes
The Rotary Club of Mobile
July 21, 2016
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Les Greer, club president at 12:15 PM. An invocation was offered by Wayne Miller and Gordon Korb led the group in song and the pledge. Tom Martenstein then introduced visiting Rotarians and members’ guests.
Announcements: Les Greer made the following announcements:
1. A board meeting will take place following today’s meeting.
2. There will be no meeting on July 28. The Captain’s Reception will take its place at 5:45 PM at Ruth’s Chris. The Tarpon Tournament will take place on Saturday, July 30.
3. On August 3 Frank Harkins has arranged to take a group to visit Camp ASCA. Please let him know if you would like to go with them.
Program: A Visit from the District Governor – Barry Cavan
Barry Cavan, a retired employee of Montgomery’s Catholic Social Services was introduced by Ernest Ladd. Barry recognized a number of fellow Mobile Rotarians with whom he has had a good working relationship over the years.
He likened the work of Rotarians to the Good Samaritan. Rather than ask “What might happen to me if I help that injured man?” Rotarians, like the Good Samaritan, instead ask “What will happen to him if I don’t help him?” And he added how appropriate this year’s theme is: “Rotary Serving Humanity.”
Barry also reminded the group that this is the 100th anniversary of the creation of the Rotary Foundation. In 1916 it started out with $26.50 and today is in excess of $1 billion. More than $1.5 billion has been spent on projects around the world, he said, with some 2.5 billion children immunized against polio. This year reported cases of polio are down to just 17 worldwide from a high of 385,000.
Les thanked Barry for speaking today and presented him with a certificate noting that in his honor a donation has been made to Rotary International.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 12:55 PM.
Tom McGehee

Minutes of the Rotary Meeting – June 23, 2016
By: Henry R. Seawell, IV
Invocation, Song, Music and Pledge
Robbie McClure called the meeting to order. Steve Dill gave the invocation. Rotarians engaged in a remarkably well-orchestrated, a cappella version of the National Anthem.
Introduction of Guests and Visitors: Tom Martenstein.
Announcements: Rotarians were reminded of the Passing the Gavel Ceremony, which took place on July 14th.
Program
Speaker: Pamela Patterson, Executive Director of Distinguished Young Women, was introduced by Rob Diehl.
Distinguished Young Woman, formerly America’s Junior Miss, has been a vital part of the Mobile landscape for 59 years. Pamela “Pam” Patterson presently serves as Executive Director of Distinguished Young Women. Her interest in the organization began when she and her family opted to act as a host family. The competition was held from June 23 – 25 and featured 51 contestants, one from each state and the District of Columbia. Tara Moore from Easley, South Carolina won this year’s event.
Distinguished Young Women seeks to promote scholarship, leadership and talent. These extraordinary young ladies are quite accomplished; several of them have already started their own non-profit organizations. In addition, this year alone, more than $2 Million in cash scholarships have been awarded to the contestants. The academic prowess of the ladies is equally impressive, with an average contestant ACT score of 32.
The Distinguished Young Women footprint is rather large. According to Patterson, over the 59 years of the program’s existence, more than 745,000 people have participated in the program in some manner, whether as a contestant, host family, volunteer or otherwise. Interestingly, the largest feeder program for the finals in Mobile is located in Idaho. There are 411 state and local programs throughout the country that offer candidates an opportunity to compete. The competition also introduces very talented young women to the Mobile area. Apparently, they like what they see, as 6 state winners are presently attending the University of South Alabama and 37 state winners are enrolled in an Alabama institution of higher learning. Pam is to be congratulated for the excellent work she is performing for Distinguished Young Women to carry on the tradition of excellence for this local gem.
The meeting was adjourned.

Minutes
The Rotary Club of Mobile
July 14, 2016
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Robby McClure, club president at 12:15 PM. An invocation was offered by Chip Hale and Tom Martenstein led the group in song accompanied by Bill Oppenheimer. Tom Martenstein then introduced visiting Rotarians and members’ guests.
New Member: Jeb Shell introduced Tom Nelson of Hargrove Engineers + Constructors as our newest Rotarian.
Program: Passing of the Gavel
More than two dozen past presidents of the Rotary Club were recognized as they passed the gavel from the oldest living president (Bartee Greer 1964-65) to our newest. The gavel was finally placed in the hands of Les Greer as a record number of Greer family members looked on.
Robby McClure then reminisced on a year spent “making good things happen thanks to good leaders and leadership.” He noted that the club is fiscally sound and this is in great part due to the impressive number of new members who joined over the last twelve months.
Les Greer then discussed his plans for the coming Rotary year. He praised the organization’s efforts in eradicating polio worldwide – from over 350,000 cases down to just 26. He announced that he is forming an Advisory Committee to be composed of past presidents and said he hopes to use their insights to make the club even better. Les said his goal is to increase membership to 300 – a 5% net increase. He reminded the members that our enthusiasm in Rotary is contagious.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 12:55 PM.
Tom McGehee

June 30, 2016 Minutes
Submitted by Tommy Fulton, Contributing Editor
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Robby McClure. John Pisarkiewicz gave the invocation, followed by Gordon Korb, who led us in song, accompanied by Les Greer at the piano. Tom Martenstein introduced our guests along with visiting Rotarians.
Announcements: Les Greer made a presentation to Robbie McClure after visiting a Rotary Club celebrating its 104th year in existence. Ernest Ladd, IV reported on the Tarpon Tourney and the associated Captain’s meeting. The Captain’s meeting will take place of the July 28th regular lunch meeting and will be held that evening at Ruth’s Chris. The tournament is July 30th. The passing of the gavel will occur at the regular meeting on July 14th.
Program: Bob Chappelle introduced the speaker, Hayley Van Antwerp, who is the Executive Director of Innovation PortAL.
Innovation PortAL is charged with transforming Southwest Alabama into the innovation and entrepreneurial hub of the Gulf Coast. This effort was inspired by a similar effort in St. Louis. They will be serving start-up firms, as well as growing businesses. Therefore, Ms. Van Antwerp emphasized incubation and acceleration as the keys to success.
The effort will include a coding boot camp, which will aid those interested in the practical use of coding in order to obtain high tech jobs. Also, to help with product development, the speaker described a “souped-up” 3-D printing capability for prototypes. They will host a meet-up group, “Mobile MakerSpace”, which will encourage innovative interaction and partnering with 35 existing programs.
Access to funding sources will be an important asset, as well as collaborative office space. The emphasis will be on local organizations, who will grow from our own community. One example she used was Southern Light, described as “hyper-local.”
Before beginning this effort, studies by a well-respected consultant showed that our market will support such a process. Ms. Van Antwerp shared that they already have commitments for more than $2 million, and have applied for a grant of $2.9 million for the Economic Development Agency. Their future home will be in the Threaded Fastener building on St. Louis Street in downtown Mobile.
Ms. Van Antwerp finished with a Q&A session.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:00 pm.

Minutes for the Meeting of
The Rotary Club of Mobile
June 16, 2016
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by club president Robby McLure at 12:15 PM. John Pisarkiewicz offered the invocation and Tommy Blankenship led the club in song and the pledge. Guests of members and visiting Rotarians were welcomed by Tom Martenstein.
Announcment: The board will meet immediately following today’s meeting.
Program: Mike Rogers, Jr.
John Dukes introduced Mike Rogers, Jr., president of Rogers and Willard, Inc. of Mobile. Mr. Rogers gave the club his background noting that he had worked in Nashville for a few years where he noticed a strong dynamic of young professionals which he believes Mobile desperately needs to attract. Part of the equation for success is having a creative edge in the arts and an openness to outsiders who choose to move to Mobile, he said.
He discussed the rehabilitation of the former Buick dealership on St. Louis Street to house his offices and the once vacant structure now provides office space to 125 individuals. Rogers worked with the city on the project and noted the cooperation he received in getting St. Louis Street re-configured to improve traffic patterns.
Mr. Rogers then discussed his next project, a 400 unit apartment complex on the eastern side of Water Street to be called Meridian at the Port. The class A facility will be designed to attract young professionals downtown and will hopefully act as a catalyst for further development.
Demolition of an abandoned commercial building will begin in August, he said, and he is excited about the mayor’s vision for an improved Water Street which will include the removal of all the existing live oak trees so that they may be replaced by “something tall”, and the installation of a median for pedestrians.
A third project Mr. Rogers is involved with is the Warren Street Cottages which are four 19th century rental units that have been completely remodeled and enlarged into first class rental units. These will be a great addition to nearby St. Louis Street which is becoming a hub of activity he added.
After a period of questions and answers, Robby McClure thanked our speaker and presented him with a certificate noting that a donation in his honor was made to the Sybil Smith Charitable Trust. The meeting adjourned at 1:00 PM.
Tom McGehee

Minutes of the Rotary Meeting – June 2, 2016
By: Henry R. Seawell, IV
Invocation, Song, Music and Pledge
Robbie McClure called the meeting to order. Sam Siegel gave the invocation.
Tommy Blankenship led the song and pledge.
Introduction of Guests and Visitors: Tom Martenstein.
Announcements: Rotarians were reminded of the Rotary International meeting, which is scheduled to be held in Atlanta next year. Members of our group are encouraged to attend the conference. Robert Greer reiterated the deadline for early registration to Rotary International was to expire on June 6th. The first 15 members to register would benefit from discounted registration fees and rooms. Additionally, any member who wishes to submit a new photo or roster change should provide the same to Peggy as soon as possible.
Program
Speaker: Kate Carver, Executive Director of Dumas Wesley Community Center, was introduced by John Dukes.
Dumas Wesley Community Center (“Dumas Wesley”) was founded by the United Methodist Women in 1903 as a community outreach program, and has been serving the needs of Mobilians ever since. The primary objectives of Dumas Wesley are to serve the working poor and provide a safe and productive environment for the community’s youth. Dumas Wesley boasts a thriving after-school program for these youths, as well as transitional housing for homeless families designed to bridge the gap between homelessness and housing independence. At any given time, more than twenty families will be housed at the Sybil Smith Family Village (the “Village”), where they will be taught life skills including employment readiness and retention, parenting, budgeting, and other attributes necessary to promote long-term independence.
The services provided to Dumas Wesley consumers are significant in breadth and scope. Each year, over 4,000 individuals receive some form of direct service from Dumas Wesley. Of those, 69% are low income and a full 90% are minority consumers. To date, the Village has served more than 430 homeless families, of which approximately 94% have been able to secure gainful employment and permanent housing. Dumas Wesley has served a quarter-million children since its Youth-At-Risk Program’s inception in 1970. The community center also provides a meal service and transportation to elderly members of the community, which allows the vast majority of these more senior members of our city to remain independent.
Ms. Carver presented several success stories from individuals who have received services from Dumas Wesley while growing up. Corporal D’alo Green availed himself of Dumas Wesley’s services and has become an officer in the Mobile Police Department, as well as an important part of the local FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force. Similarly, one of our county commissioners, Ms. Merceria Ludgood, used her Dumas Wesley experience to obtain an education in law and divinity and ultimately her present political position.
Unfortunately, Dumas Wesley was just dealt the blow of a $160,000 cut in funding for the Village, a nearly 50% cut in federal dollars. As such, Dumas Wesley greatly needs the support of the members of our Club and the city of Mobile as a whole. Other needs of Dumas Wesley include men’s and children’s clothing for the center’s clothing closet.
Dumas Wesley provides valuable services to less-fortunate members of our community and has done so for well over a hundred years. With Ms. Carver’s tireless efforts, there is no doubt that Dumas Wesley will continue to thrive for years to come.
The meeting was adjourned.

Minutes
The Rotary Club of Mobile
June 9, 2016
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Robby McClure, club president at 1215 PM. An invocation was offered by Laureen Lynn and Larry Sindel led the group in song. Jeff Zoghby introduced visiting Rotarians and members’ guests.
Announcements: Robby made the following announcements:
• The board will meet on June 16.
• Roster changes should be given to Peggy ASAP. This is the last call.
Membership Committee: Sumpter McGowin asked for volunteers to serve with him on the Membership Committee and reminded members to be on the lookout for potential members for our club.
Program:
Cart Blackwell: The Presence in the Past in the Present – Historic Preservation in Mobile
Mobile has had three golden ages of architecture according to Cart Blackwell. The first from the 1830-s until 1861, the second spanning the first decade of the 20th century and the third from the post-world war era of the 1950’s and 1960’s.
Cart discussed the start of preservation in Mobile recalling a resident as early as 1857 lamenting the loss of the early Spanish buildings here. Historical societies were formed by the 1890’s and in the 1930’s the Mobile Historic Preservation Society had been founded. It was also during that era that a New Deal program sought to photograph and document America’s architectural history via the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS). Mobile was well documented in the survey he noted.
Cart discussed the idea of “adaptive re-use” which came to Mobile in the late 1940’s. Architect and Rotarian George B. Rogers started the trend of recycling old materials in the construction of the Bellingrath Home in 1935 and the idea was used often in the 1950’s he said.
More recent successes in Mobile include the establishment of the Mobile Historic Development Commission in 1962 which has now grown to 15 districts which operate under the jurisdiction of the Review Board. The board works hard to see how it can assist residents rather than cause hurdles he added.
In closing Cart reminded his audience that preservation is not just about preserving buildings but neighborhoods. The rebirth in downtown Mobile is an outgrowth of preservation and assists in the growth of tourism for Mobile as well as for the enjoyment of residents.
After answering a number of questions, Cart was presented a certificate from Robby noting that a donation in his honor had been made to Christ Church Cathedral.
The meeting adjourned at 1PM.
Tom McGehee