Category: Meeting Minutes

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

May 5, 2016 Minutes
Submitted by Tommy Fulton, Contributing Editor
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Robby McClure. Bill Kinnaird gave the invocation, followed by Larry Sindel, who led us in song, accompanied by Les Greer at the piano. Tom Martenstein introduced our guests along with visiting Rotarians.
Student Guest: Garrett Williamson presented the 2016-2017 Rotary Scholarship Award Winners, William Tyler Lott from Alma Bryant and Elizabeth Morrissette from St. Paul’s.
Program: John Dukes introduced the speaker, Tom McGehee, who spoke on the topic “Mobile County Health Department: 200 Years of Local Leaders”.
Mr. McGuire’s opened his remarks by stating, “To many people, the Health Department is mosquito spraying, restaurant ratings and legal records.” Also, when most people think of the Health Department, they think of our own Bert Eichold. However, our speaker focused on three leaders, George Ketchum, Paul Acker and Charles Mohr.
Dr. Ketchum was accepted at Princeton as a 15 year-old scholar, but had to decline because he couldn’t afford to attend. He attained his M.D. degree from the University of Pennsylvania and moved to Mobile, where he became Dean of Faculty at the Medical College of Alabama. He was very effective in fighting yellow fever through the use of quinine. In 1885, he helped establish our first Water Works. The Ketchum fountain in Bienville Square was erected in his honor and is still present.
Dr. Paul Acker was Chief of staff at City Hospital in Mobile for 27 years. He also served at the Marine Hospital and on the Board of Health. He moved his place of residence to the location now occupied by the new Courthouse next to Bankhead Tunnel. He died in 1953 at the age of 82.
Charles Mohr was the son of German immigrants. In 1879, as a noted botanist, he published “Alabama Forests and Their Products.” Mohr pushed for infant inoculations and screened windows as a means to fight disease, especially insect-borne maladies. He died in 1901 at the age of 76.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:00 pm.

Minutes of the May 19, 2016 Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by Robby McClure at 12:15 P.M. followed by an invocation delivered by Bill Kinnaird. Tom Martenstein led the club in song accompanied by Bill Oppenheimer on piano. Tom then introduced visiting Rotarians and members’ guests.
Announcements: Robby McClure made the following announcements:
• The Mobile Sunrise club will not meet on Wednesday, May 25.
• The Rotary Club board will meet on May 26 following the meeting.
• Please see Peggy regarding changes to the upcoming roster.
• Les Greer announced that the club will be subsidizing a number of members to attend the Rotary Convention to be held in Atlanta next June. The sign up date to take advantage of a sizeable discount is May 28-June 6, 2016, he said.
Program: Juvenile Court Judge Edmond G. Naman – NEST of Mobile
Bill Oppenheimer introduced Judge Edmond G. Naman who presented an enthusiastic program outlining the successes of the NEST Program here in Mobile. He recognized several of his board members who were present and praised their efforts in volunteering to tutor and mentor young people as well as families at risk. He described these young people as being at a point in their lives where they believe no one cares. NEST works to change that, he said.
Judge Naman explained that NEST stands for “Nurture, Equip, Strengthen and Transform” and that it works to serve the needs of at-risk families. Once approved by the court, a team of volunteers work with families with one or more children on probation – a term of usually six months, he said.
Each family receives guidance from the volunteers to attempt to break the cycle of poverty by addressing four areas: education, communication, transportation and mentoring. Families can be helped in many areas including preparing resumes, creating a family budget, adult education and getting their children involved in team sports programs. He gave examples of young people who had been written off by school officials suddenly making “a’s” for the first time in their lives.
Judge Naman encouraged his audience to become involved and volunteer for the NEST program and visit info@nestofmobile.org to learn more. Robby thanked the speaker and said that in the judge’s honor a donation has been made to Wilmer Hall. The meeting adjourned at 1:00 P.M.
Tom McGehee

Minutes for the May 12, 2016 Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: Robby McClure called the meeting to order at 12:15 PM and invited Michael Pierce to offer the invocation. Larry Sindell led the group in song accompanied by Bill Oppenheimer on the piano. Tom Martenstein welcomed visiting Rotarians and guests of members.
Announcements:
• Robby said that a board meeting will take place after the May 26 meeting.
• Updated photos or changes to contact information for the new rosters should be given to Peggy as soon as possible.
• Robert Greer announced that next year’s Rotary International Conference will take place in Atlanta on June 10-14, 2017. A block of rooms at the Ellis Hotel on Peachtree Street is now being held and he asked that those interested sign up by May 28, 2016 to take advantage of a much reduced rate.
• New Member: Bo Mattei introduced the Hon. Henry Callaway as the club’s newest member. After a lengthy career at Hand Arrendall, Henry was recently named a U. S. Bankruptcy Court judge.
Program: Al Hutchinson, President & CEO Visit Mobile
John Dukes introduced fellow Rotarian Al Hutchinson who brought the audience up to date on developments relating to Mobile tourism efforts. A power point included a video promoting Mobile’s new logo of “Born to Celebrate” showcasing many of the city’s best features and attractions. Charts also revealed that some 15,000 are employed in the field which has a $1 billion economic locally.
Al noted that Mobile is enjoying 3 million visitors a year – a number our mayor would like doubled. Some of the plans to achieve that include a new Facebook site appealing to future cruise ship passngers as well as a revamped website which allows potential visitors to book everything from local hotels to dinner reservations on a single site.
He also discussed a new Tourism Ambassadorial Program which is designed to help train volunteers and front line employees at local hotels and restaurants about Mobile’s unique history and attractions. This will allow them to successfully interact with out of town visitors he explained. He invited all to visit www.Mobile.org for further information.
Robby thanked Al for speaking to us and said that in his honor a donation has been made to the Boys and Girls Clubs of South Alabama.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 1:00 PM.
Tom McGehee

May 5, 2016 Minutes
Submitted by Tommy Fulton, Contributing Editor
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Robby McClure. Garrett Williamson gave the invocation, followed by Tom Martenstein, who led us in song, accompanied by Bill Oppenheimer at the piano. Tommy Blankenship introduced our guests along with visiting Rotarians.
Announcements: Members were reminded to submit NEW photos or Roster Changes to Peggy Bugg. Tommy Fulton made a plea for donations to the Cart Project to fund Alzheimer’s Research.
Program: Cart Blackwell introduced the speaker, Watt Key, an author and winner of the Southern Fiction Award.
Watt began his talk by describing his time in the Mobile Delta. He procured a lease on some property in the Delta and began building a camp. Throughout his 15 years of life experience at his “swamp camp”, he compiled a series of essays telling stories of the people he encountered. Eventually, that collection of essays became a book titled, “Among the Swamp People.”
As a life-long story-teller, Mr. Key used pictures to show the personality of many of the surrounding camps. One picture captured the “trailer park”, which was an old Airstream camper and a broken down dock. He talked about some of the personalities, including his mentor, Bart, and Bart’s wife Pam. Apparently, Bart taught him everything he knew about corn, and swore that he could live a lifetime off of a single bag of corn.
Another neighbor was “George”, who spent the majority of every day drinking and fishing, beginning early each morning. Watt told about Crazy Dan, who would “howl” all night, and “Randy”, considered the unofficial Mayor of Chuckfee Bay.
Finally, Mr. Key told the story about his book, “Alabama Moon”, which was made into a movie. Unlike most authors, he was allowed to attend the film production. He soon realized why that rarely happens, as he became a distraction for the director.
Mr. Key then entertained questions.
The meeting was adjourned at 1:00 pm.

Minutes of the Rotary Meeting
May 21, 2016
By Christopher Jones
The meeting was called to order by Robby McClure. Darrell Randle gave the invocation. Larry Sindel led in song with Les Greer providing piano accompaniment. Tom Martenstein introduced a guest and also a visiting Rotarian from Birmingham.
Saty Putcha introduced the student guest – Madison Dortch from Williamson High School. Ken Neimeyer introduced new member David McGrath. Robby McClure recognized Virginia Guy as a Paul Harris Fellow.
Starting the program, Bill Kinnaird introduced Pat Guyton, Executive Director of the Child Advocacy Center. Handling cases of physical and sexual abuse across Mobile County for over 28 years, the Child Advocacy Center now consists of 28 professionals from 8 different agencies that share common office space. While many areas of the country have multi-disciplinary teams that meet regularly to review and process cases, the Child Advocacy Center is exemplary because all services are under on roof. The nearest similar organizations are located in Dallas and Houston, both of which were modeled after the Child Advocacy Center in Mobile.
The process for abuse cases starts with a joint interview by a team of trained professionals. The team works hard to gather evidence in an expedited manner, uncover any false accusations, and determine a plan. The child may be examined by a dedicated medical staff and referred to counseling to begin the recovery process. One specially trained District Attorney then handles founded cases through the court systems. This was the 2nd group in the nation to adopt such a “vertical prosecution” structure; as a result, 90% of cases result in prosecution – far above the national average.
The Child Advocacy Center handles roughly 1,200 active cases. Each year they see about 500 new cases, of which approximately 85% are founded and of which 60-75% are prosecuted. All of this work is done on an annual budget of $850,000 that pays for staff and overhead as well as for the dedicated District Attorney and counseling services. Counseling is offered on an individual basis, in group settings by age, and for parents.
In addition to handling cases and providing counseling services, the Child Advocacy Center provides free transportation to appointments, services or the court for victims who might live anywhere across the county. And the Center also provides age-appropriate educational programs regarding child abuse in schools. Of the 138 school districts across Alabama, only 7 were offering any education regarding child abuse; only Mobile County Public School System had a comprehensive program across the whole district.
After his presentation, Pay Guyton answered several questions from across the room. In honor of his speaking, a donation was made to a local charity.
Robby McClure adjourned the meeting.

Minutes of the Rotary Meeting – April 28, 2016
By: Henry R. Seawell, IV
Invocation, Song, Music and Pledge
Robbie McClure called the meeting to order. Chambliss Brister gave the invocation.
Tommy Blankenship led the song and pledge, accompanied by Les Greer on the piano.
Introduction of Guests and Visitors: Tom Martenstein. The meeting’s guests included Keith Coker and Nikki Coker. Keith is the president of Rotaract, Eastern Shore, which is a gathering of young Rotarians, ages 21-35, that meets in Baldwin County.
Student Guest: No student guest this meeting.
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 has arranged for a block of rooms and interested members should contact him for more information.
Program
Speaker: John Eads, Founder and Executive Director of Light of the Village, was introduced by Bill Kinnaird.
Mr. Eads formed the Light of the Village (the “Village”) in Alabama Village in Prichard. According to Eads, Alabama Village has the dubious distinction of being one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in the entire southeastern United States. The supporting figures are staggering. For instance, 21 people have been killed within 200 yards of the Village since 2003, including 5 shootings this year alone.
Despite the violence, Eads has successfully created an environment where neighborhood children can play and be tutored in the afternoons. The goal of the Village is to be a respite where children can experience faith, hope and love.
Eads began serving this community and engaging in this ministry in 2001. Several years later, the Village became a registered 501(c)(3) charitable organization and, about the same time, Mr. Eads left a successful career in management at Mobile Infirmary to solely devote his time and resources to the Village. Fifteen years into the ministry, Eads is pleased to announce that the Village is completely debt free and management and operating expenses only constitute 3% of that which is donated, the remainder is used for the children at the Village.
At the outset, Eads and his wife purchased a former crack house in the middle of Alabama Village and fully renovated the property. Today, there is a playground and other amenities that are used by the visitors to the Village. The Village is now operating three summer camps, each with over 100 campers and achieving excellent results. The Village took advice from “Urban Promise” in New Jersey and “Homeboy Entertainment” in Los Angeles to develop its best practices. The relationship with Homeboy has flourished and its representatives regularly travel to the Village and assist with its growth and success.
The Village has developed programs for consumers to obtain their GEDs and driver’s licenses, as well as providing job training. The campers have even reached out to perform their own ministry, traveling to Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, to build a home. This ministry continues to grow and is an excellent example of the impact a dedicated individual can have on our community.
The meeting was adjourned.

Minutes for the April 14, 2016 Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: Robby McClure called the meeting to order at 12:15 PM and invited Tommy Fulton to offer the invocation. Larry Sindell led the group in song accompanied by Les Greer on the piano.
Announcements:
• Les Greer announced that each table has lists of current committees and asked that members look them over and write their name beside any that are of interest. Members are encouraged to get involved in the work of the club this way.
• Robby McClure announced that a board meeting will follow next week’s meeting.
• The District Conference will be held in Orange Beach on April 22-24. Please see Peggy for further information.
• Marietta Murray Urquhart was recognized as the club’s newest Paul Harris Fellow.
Program: John Valentine, PhD.: Dauphin Island Sea Lab
Russell Ladd introduced John Valentine, Executive Director of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab who brought the club up to date on that institution’s latest news as well as its history since being established in 1971 by the state legislature.
Dr. Valentine noted the Sea lab’s commitment to both a healthy coastal economy as well as a healthy Gulf of Mexico noting the two go hand in hand due to the economic importance of tourism and fishing. He further discussed his facility’s educational programs and outreach which includes public education with over 80,000 visitors a year, a K-12 program and related teacher training and finally a series of university level programs for undergraduate and graduate level students.
After answering a series of questions, Robby McClure thanked Dr. Valentine noting that a donation to the Dauphin Island Sea Lab had been made in his honor.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 12:55 PM.