Category: Meeting Minutes

Minutes of the Rotary Meeting
September 28, 2017
By Kathy Miller
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by John Dukes at 12:15 pm. Bry Shields offered the invocation and John Smith led the club in song and the Pledge of Allegiance. Tom Martinstein welcomed members’ guests.
New Members: Virginia Edington introduced Kalishia Mitchell and Larry Sindel introduced Ben Ford.
Student Guests: Jeff Luther introduced our student guest from the Alabama School of Math & Science, Kimberly Chieh, who spoke to the club.
Program: James Fowler introduced Dale Speetjens of Ship Shape Urban Farms. Mr. Speetjens received a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Design, a Masters of Landscape Architecture and a Masters of Community Planning from Auburn University. He and his wife Angela co-founded Ship Shape Urban Farms this year. Their work involves turning shipping containers into farms using hydroponics. The water used to grow the crops, which include lettuce, leafy greens and culinary herbs, contains the nutrients that otherwise would be provided by soil. The technique is ancient and has been used in this format in the United States since the 1930’s. This farming method reduces the need for herbicides and pesticides, the cost of production and the cost of transporting food. Urban farms are designed to address “food deserts”, areas in which there is not ready access to fresh vegetables.
Ship Shape Urban Farms will be located at 610 St. Michael St. The site is designed for engagement with the public. Approximately one-third of the site will contain containers. The farm will include Mobile’s first living herb wall and seasonal gardens which will explain urban farming methods. The site will also include an event area which can be rented, a small restaurant and market. Dale and Angela hope that the farm will change the way that we think about food. Mr. Dukes presented Mr. Speetjens a certificate recognizing his speaking to the Club.
Announcements: Mr. Dukes reminded members of the Gala scheduled on October 11 at Southern National from 6:30 to 9:00 p.m.
Adjournment: After announcing members’ birthdays, John adjourned the meeting at 1:00 p.m.

Minutes of the August 21, 2017 Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order:
The meeting was called to order by John Dukes at 12:15 p.m. Wayne Miller offered the invocation. Tommy Blankenship led the club in song and the Pledge of Allegiance. Tom Martenstein welcomed members’ guests.
Announcements:
• John Dukes announced there would be a board meeting immediately following today’s regular meeting.
• The Rotary Annual Gala is scheduled for October 11 at the Southern National Restaurant, 360 Dauphin Street.
• The Mobile ARC recently presented their “Agency of Distinction” award to the Rotary Childrens Foundation.
• Member Ariel Chavez provided an update on the activities of our Interact Club. The club is based at Murphy High School and has 26 members. The club is in the process of partnering with another Interact club in LaPaz, Bolivia to help a homeless childrens’ shelter. In addition, a Career Day is being planned for Spring 2018 and Rotarians are encouraged to participate by sharing their vocation. A sign-up sheet was distributed.
Program: Greg Cochran, Alabama League of Municipalities
Tom McGehee introduced Greg Cochran.
Mr. Cochran spoke on the important role of lobbyists in the legislative process for a better Alabama. Cochran commented it was often said “lobbyists were the people we hire to protect us from the people we elect.” Although, the influence of lobbyists was curtailed greatly by two recent changes to the Alabama ethics laws.
Mr. Cochran cited a number of critical issues facing the state of Alabama. Among these were infrastructure funding. In Alabama, state funding of roads, bridges, highways, etc. is largely based upon taxes collected from various fuels sold in the state. With the improved energy efficiency, Alabama is essentially collecting $360 million less than a few years ago. Since state funds are normally matched with federal monies on a 5:1 basis, this results in an additional $1.8 billion lost.
Mr. Cochran also mentioned that while levels of personal income were at historic levels in the Alabama, sales tax collections have been virtually flat since 2009. He cited growing online purchases without the collection of sales taxes for state and local benefit. Alabama’s 450 municipalities need funding to address the needs in their communities. He encouraged federal enactment of the “Marketplace Fairness Act” to better facilitate sales tax collections from out-of-state vendors to Alabama citizens.
After addressing a number of questions, John thanked Mr. Cochran for speaking to the club and noted that in his honor a donation was made to the Rotary Children’s Foundation.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 1 p.m.
Bob Chappelle

Minutes of the September 14, 2017 Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by John Dukes at 12:15 PM. Bruner Binion offered the invocation and Tom Martenstein welcomed members’ guests and visiting Rotarians. Tommy Blankenship 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 annual Rotary Gala to be held on Wednesday, October 11 at the Southern National, a new Dauphin Street restaurant. There will not be a luncheon meeting on October 12.
• A board meeting will take place next week on September 21.
• John wished members well on their up-coming birthdays.
Program: Angie Holan: Editor of Poitifact
Tom McGehee introduced Angie Holan who is based in Washington, D.C where she is the editor of Politifact, the politics fact-checking website. She explained that the ultimate role of the site is to improve the public’s trust in the media as they pursue a mission to sort out the truth in statements made by local and national politicians.
Politifact investigates statements and rates them on a scale ranging from “True” down to “Pants on Fire,” she explained. They refuse to use anonymous sources in their research but she noted that both the New York Times and Washington Post rely heavily on such sources.
Ms. Holan said that Politifact has received a grant to explore issues in Mobile, Tulsa, OK and Charleston, WV which were all cities which strongly supported Donald Trump in the presidential election.
After a lengthy and active question and answer session, Angie was thanked by John Dukes who said that in her honor a donation has been made to the Rotary Children’s Foundation.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 12:50 PM.
Tom McGehee

9/7/2017 Minutes
Submitted by Tommy Fulton, Contributing Editor
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by John Dukes.
Cart Blackwell gave the invocation, followed by Larry Sindel and pianist Bill Oppenheimer, who led us in song and the Pledge.
Introduction of Guests & Visitors: Tom Martenstein introduced our guests along with visiting Rotarians.
Announcements: Save the Date: Our Gala will be October 11th @ Southern National from 6:30pm – 9:00pm
Rotary Foundation Donor Advised Fund will assist Hurricane Harvey Relief Effort
Bill Oppenheimer invited members to attend the NEST of Mobile function Oct. 12th at the Steeple.
Program: Tom McGehee introduced our speaker, Norman H. McCrummen, III. His topic is “A Particular World View – The Essence of Islam.”
“Our individual world view shapes our relationships and our outlook on life.” With that statement, Mr. McCrummen explained that we cannot understand the situation in the Middle East with respect to the Muslim community and Islam unless we understand their mindset. They believe that they live under the constant watchful eye of God, and that mankind will be returning to the mindset of the 7th century. Much of what he spoke about was based upon Graemme Wood’s book, “The Way of Strangers.”
Currently, there are an estimated 200 million militant Muslims around the world. They fervently believe that we are in the end times and that year duty is to bring about Apocalypse to their own benefit. This is being hastened by massive technological advances, which also means that information about these extremists is being disseminated in greater amounts than ever. The Islamic State exists to eradicate any who disagree with them.
Mr. McCrummen said that the horror show we currently see in Syria is a precursor to a massive world war. In countless instances, “Doomsday” stories are told to Muslim children that humanity is in the period described in the “Signs of the Hour.” Under this scenario, true followers of Muhammed must destroy opposition quickly and completely. They are working towards the “Great Slaughter” as part of the caliphate. In their minds, for example, Turkey is considered apostate.
In one of the more intriguing parts of his talk, McCrummen said that Jesus is considered the 2nd most important figure in history behind Muhammed. It is their belief that at the end of times, Jesus will return with the Mahdi army and lead the Muslims against the rest of the world. Their goal according to the Koran is that Christians and/or Jews must be mutilated if they refuse to pay fees to the Muslims. That includes loss of limbs all the way to death as punishment for non-compliance.
Finally, Mr. McCrummen urged the audience to look past our “safe” lives to recognize the dangers faced by the rest of the world now. The Islamic State is dedicated to bringing on the Apocalypse, which will lead them to their ultimate goal of eternal heaven.
After a question and answer session, John Dukes thanked Mr. McCrummen 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
August 24, 2017
By Kathy Miller
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by John Dukes at 12:15 pm. Dan McDaniel offered the invocation and Larry Sindel led the club in song and the Pledge of Allegiance. Tom Martenstein welcomed members’ guests.
Announcements: John Dukes reminded members that the new rosters are here and to pick one up on the way out. Ken Neimeyer pointed out that the current issue of the Rotary magazine has an article on the founder of the Little Lending Library concept, a Rotarian from Wisconsin, and recommended the article to members.
Paul Harris Fellow Recognition: John Dukes recognized Saty Putcha as a Paul Harris Fellow and commended him for his support for the Rotary International Foundation.
Program: Don Foose introduced Randy Kennedy, program director and host of Sports Drive on Mobile’s WNSP Sports Radio 105.5 FM. Mr. Kennedy, who grew up in Birmingham and graduated with a degree in Communications from the University of Montevallo, previously was the sports editor of the Mobile Press Register. He left newspapers to work full time in radio in February 2015 and hosts several popular programs on WNSP.
Mr. Kennedy gave an engaging and informative talk about the upcoming football season. His remarks focused on the University of South Alabama, the University of Alabama and Auburn University. He reviewed these schools’ football programs, coaching staffs, schedules and the strengths and weaknesses of the teams. He focused on their first few games of the season and possible outcomes. Mr. Kennedy’s talk included detailed statistics and information about key players. Mr. Kennedy answered a number of questions about various other SEC teams including FSU, LSU and Ole Miss. Mr. Dukes presented Mr. Kennedy with a certificate recognizing his speaking to the Club.
Adjournment: After announcing members’ birthdays, John adjourned the meeting at 1:00 p.m.
963539

Minutes of the August 17, 2017 Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by John Dukes at 12:15 PM. Bill Kinnaird offered the invocation and Tom Martenstein welcomed members’ guests and visiting Rotarians. Larry Sindel led the club in song and the Pledge of Allegiance. Bill Oppenheimer accompanied on the piano.
Announcements:
• The 100% attendance members were recognized. Twenty-eight members have perfect attendance records ranging from Ariel Chavez and Larry Sindel with two years to John Moses with thirty-four years.
• John Dukes announced that there would be a Board meeting immediately following today’s regular meeting.
• John Dukes announced that the new rosters were available to pick up after the meeting.
Program: Ben Raines, Author, Environmental Reporter, AL.com
Russell Ladd introduced Ben Raines.
Raines’ major topic of the day was the underwater forest located off of Gulf Shores in an undisclosed location. The forest was discovered by a local fisherman after Hurricane Ivan. It consists of Cypress and Oak tree stumps each as much as waist high that had been covered in sand approximately fifty eight feet below the surface. The fisherman had kept the discovery secret for several years before finally confiding in Raines and a couple of others. Given Raines’ vast knowledge and experience with matters environmental he recognized the importance of the discovery. Raines called in scientists to study the find.
Through several years of research and discovery the scientists determined that the area is approximately ½ mile square and that the trees are approximately 60,000-80,000 years old. They had been hermetically sealed under several feet of sand therefore are still very solid. They believe that the height of measured waives in Hurricane Ivan (as much as 98 feet high in that area) created such a stir at the forest depth as to uncover the forest.
It is believed that the area was once an island and dates back to the ice age. Some of the trees are massive……….one in particular nearly ten feet around.
The Alabama Coastal Foundation funded a film titled Underwater Forest which can be seen on YouTube. Raines showed the film during his presentation.
After answering a number of questions, John thanked Mr. Raines 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 1:05 PM.
Rob Diehl

Minutes of the August 10, 2017 Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by John Dukes at 12:15 PM. John Pisarkiewicz offered the invocation and Tom Martenstein welcomed members’ guests and visiting Rotarians. Larry Sindel led the club in song accompanied by Bill Oppenheimer on the piano. The reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance followed.
Announcements: John Dukes made the following announcements:
• Attendance Recognition Day is August 17.
• A board meeting will follow the regular meeting on August 17.
• The Tarpon Tournament was a great success. John thanked Ernest Ladd for his leadership and said that he will be re-capping the results at a future meeting.
• The newly printed rosters are available to be picked up.
• Wished members well on their up-coming birthdays.
Program: Rob Holbert: Co-Creator and Managing Editor of Lagniappe
Tom McGehee introduced Rob Holbert who was a co-creator of Lagniappe, Mobile’s weekly newspaper. He serves as its Managing Editor. From the size of the crowd, members were obviously interested to hear from him.
Mr. Holbert reported that Lagniappe has recently celebrated its 15th anniversary as Mobile’s weekly newspaper and currently boasts a readership of 80,000 per week. He outlined numerous stories covered by the paper over its history and said that he finds himself vilified as too liberal by some readers while far too conservative by others. He concluded he “must be doing something right.”
His goal for the publication, he said, was to have it “lively, active and non-partisan.”
He said that the paper consists of two full time reporters and a number of freelance writers who cover stories in Mobile and Baldwin counties. The paper has recently purchased a building at 704 Government Street and he and his staff are looking forward to being a part of downtown Mobile.
Holbert allowed time for questions from the floor. A number of members took him up on the offer and the subjects ranged from environmental concerns to both the senate and mayoral elections.
John Dukes thanked him for speaking to our club and noted that in his honor a gift has been made to the Rotary Children’s Foundation.
Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 12:50 PM.
Tom McGehee

Minutes of the Rotary Meeting
July 27, 2017
By Kathy Miller
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by John Dukes at 12:15 pm. Wayne Miller offered the invocation and Larry Sindel led the club in song and the Pledge of Allegiance. Tom Martinstein welcomed members’ guests.
Announcements: John Dukes reminded members of the Tarpon Tournament next week and the Captains’ Reception on August 3rd at Ruth’s Chris. He also gave an update in regard to Camp ASCCA. Ken Neimeyer updated the Club about the Little Lending Libraries. Brenda Litchfield reported on her upcoming trip to Thailand and the Rotary GED project there.
Program: Tom McGee introduced Thad Beeker, M.D. Dr. Beeker serves as Director of the stem cell transplant program at Mitchell Cancer Institute. Dr. Beeker is a graduate of Wake Forest University and East Carolina University School of Medicine. He completed a fellowship in Hematology and Oncology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. He was in private practice as a hematologist/oncologist for over 20 years and in March 2007 he joined the Southern Cancer Center.
Dr. Beeker described the mission of the Mitchell Cancer Institute: Research, Education and Healthcare. He outlined statistics regarding the occurrence of cancer. Significantly, one in two men and one in three women will develop cancer in their lifetime. He explained that MCI’s emphasis is providing “diseased focused care” and developing comprehensive, state of the art treatment programs customized for each patient. MCI is employing physicians who specialize in certain tumors.
Dr. Beeker’s focus is multiple myeloma. He described multiple myeloma and the progression of this cancer. He outlined the history of the treatment of multiple myeloma and state of the art therapies. He described how survival rates from multiple myeloma have increased over the years. Mr. Dukes presented Dr. Beeker with a certificate recognizing his speaking to the Club.
Adjournment: After announcing members’ birthdays, John adjourned the meeting at 1:00 p.m.
958640

Minutes of the July 20, 2017 Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by John Dukes at 12:15 PM. Dan McDaniel offered the invocation and Tom Martenstein welcomed members’ guests and visiting Rotarians. John Smith led the club in song and the Pledge of Allegiance. Bill Oppenheimer accompanied on the piano
Announcements:
• Frank Harkins reported on the upcoming Camp ASCCA trip. Our Rotary club has supported the camp for 33 years through the Rotary Children’s Foundation. There will be 101 campers this year with the week beginning August 3. Frank invited everyone to come to the Goodwill Easter Seals main office the morning of July 30 to see the campers off.
• Bob Chappelle presented the Lance J. Bodden award which is commonly known as the Rotarian of the Year award. The award is bestowed periodically to deserving Rotarians, but not annually. Tom Martenstein is the recipient. Tom has been an active member since 1962 and has served a number of positions including the Board of Directors (served every Board capacity), President, Paul Harris Fellow and currently Club Secretary since 2001.
Program: Steve McNair, McNair Historic Preservation, Inc.
Tom McGehee introduced club member Steve McNair owner of McNair Historic Preservation, Inc. Mr. McNair discussed his company and the various services they provide.
McNair Historic Preservation is a national full-service Historic Preservation consulting firm offering clients a range of services including government relations, historic tax credit and economic incentive consultation, historic economic development project management, historic real estate and design consultation, and research/fieldwork services to document and promote their customer’s historic assets.
McNair Historic Preservation delivers strategy and experience to their clients to help make the most of their historic investments. Some specific projects include the Wheeler Building, the former Blue Bird Hardware, the former Nash/Ford Automotive, the former WALA building, the former St. Francis Street Methodist Church and the former Dodge Automotive
After answering a number of questions, John thanked Mr. McNair 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 1:04 PM.
Rob Diehl

Minutes of the July 13, 2017 Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Les Greer at 12:15 PM. Jimmy Lyons offered the invocation and Tom Martenstein welcomed members’ guests and visiting Rotarians. Tommy Blankenship led the club in song and the Pledge of Allegiance.
New Member: Mike Brown introduced Ryan New, Senior Vice President of Renasant Bank as our newest member.
Program: Annual Passing of the Gavel
Former club president Les Greer reviewed events over the last 12 months and highlighted the many successful events which raised a substantial amount of money for club projects and causes ranging from the Tarpon Tournament in August to the first annual Rotary Golf Classic this spring. He also mentioned the club’s involvement in establishing a new Interact Club at Murphy, 45 new Paul Harris Fellows this year and the gathering celebrating 100 years of the Rotary Foundation. Les thanked all of the members for their assistance in what he termed “an amazing year.”
Passing of the Umbrella
Since the hotel staff misplaced the club gavel over the 4th of July break, there was none to be passed. Instead an umbrella was substituted since its handle was shown to be able to ring the Rotary bell just as well as the missing gavel. The umbrella was passed from Russell Ladd to an assorted crowd of distinguished former presidents until Les Greer handed it to John Dukes, our newest president.
President Dukes
John Dukes congratulated Les on a job well done, presenting him with his past president pin and badge and his very own copy of the book, “The Rotary Four Way Test.”
Next he thanked the members for this opportunity to serve this club noting this year’s theme is “Rotary Makes a Difference.” John told the audience that our regular attendance at club meetings and inviting prospective members to those meetings will definitely make a difference.
According to John, we have 8 Rotarians who have been members of the club over 50 years, 49 over 30 and 38 who have been here over two decades. This longevity in membership shows the value of belonging to our club, adding that everyone takes a part in that.
John made the following announcements:
Announcements:
1. Rotary Tarpon Tournament will be held on August 5 and a reception on the evening of Thursday, August 3 will take the place of our weekly meeting.
2. Dumas Wesley has 40 members of their summer program attending an event at the Exploreum learning about drug education thanks to the club and Rotarians Kate Carver and Jan McKay.
3. Camp ASCCA: More information will be forthcoming from Frank Harkins regarding the July 30 sendoff of campers.
4. Mardi Gras: Looking ahead, the club is planning a party at the Mobile Carnival Museum with secured parking and stands for our members and children or grandchildren to watch a parade.
5. Board Meeting will be held on July 20, following the lunch meeting.
6. Meal Prices – As previously mentioned, the price for guest meals as well as Exempt Members has increased $1 to $24.
Adjournment:
After announcing members’ birthdays, John adjourned the meeting at 1:50 PM.
Tom McGehee