Minutes of the May 9, 2019, Meeting
The Rotary Club of Mobile
Call to Order: The meeting was called to order by President Elect Tom McGehee at 12:15 PM. Mike Loncono offered the invocation and Larry Sindel led the club in song and the pledge accompanied by Bill Oppenheimer. Jeff Zoghby welcomed members’ guests and visiting Rotarians.
Announcements
• Rotary Happy Hour Garrett Williamson reminded the club that on Wednesday, May 15th from 5:30-7:30 there will be a Rotary Happy Hour at Chuck’s Fish located at 551 Dauphin Street. He reminded members that this is a great opportunity to visit with fellow Rotarians as well as to invite prospective members.
Tom McGehee made the following announcements:
• A board meeting is scheduled after the regular meeting on May 16th.
• Credit cards may now be used to pay your statement. Contact Peg for further details.
Program: Capt. George E. Krietemeyer, U.S.C.G., Ret.
Claire McCarron introduced Captain George Krietemeyer, who discussed the Coast Guard’s 200 year impact on Mobile as well as its history in the U.S. which dates back to 1790. He explained that the Coast Guard has the largest military presence in Mobile with 1,000 active duty personnel.
Presently in Mobile there are 3 Coast Guard Divisions which seek to “Support, Protect and Defend” us. He discussed just a few of the important areas handled by the Coast Guard with the first being Maritime Law Enforcement which largely consists of dealing with contraband. The Coast Guard also steps in to assist with environmental disasters, hurricanes, and is well known for its rescue operations for stranded boaters.
Capt. Krietmeyer said the Gulf Coast is covered by 5 stations stretching from Brownsville, TX to Key West and there are some 10,000 individuals involved in those operations. He added that $10-12 billion is being spent on new ships being built from Pascagoula to Panama City, FL and noted that their airplanes are all products of Airbus. Captain Krietmeyer added that he has recently written a book on the 200 year history of the Coast Guard in Mobile and that all profits will go to assist Coast Guard operations.
After answering a number of questions, Tom thanked him for speaking to the club and presented him with a certificate noting that the club has made a contribution in his honor to the Rotary Children’s Foundation.
The meeting adjourned at 1:00 PM.
Tom McGehee