The first four Rotaians - Gustavus Loehr, Silvester Schiele, Hiram E. Shorey, Paul P. Harris.

On Feb. 23, 1905, Paul P. Harris, Gustavus Loehr, Silvester Schiele, and Hiram E. Shorey gathered in Loehr’s office for what would become known as the first Rotary club meeting. Harris’s desire for camaraderie among business associates brought together these four men and eventually led to an international organization of service and fellowship. Read about each of the first four Rotarians below, and about Harry L. Ruggles, who is often called the “fifth Rotarian.”

Rotary’s founder, Harris , was born in Wisconsin on April 19, 1868. He was raised by his paternal grandparents in Vermont and attended the University of Vermont, Princeton and the University of Iowa. He was Rotary president from 1910 to 1912 and a member of the Rotary Club of Chicago until his death on January, 27 1947.

Loehr , a mining engineer, was born on October 18,1864 in Carlinville, Illinois. He was a Rotarian for only a few years, never holding office at the club or international level. But that first Rotary meeting was held in his office, room 711 of the Unity Building in downtown Chicago.

A Rotarian for only a few years, Shorey served as recording secretary during the club’s first year. He was born in Maine in August 1862 and died in March 1944.

Schiele , a coal dealer, served as the Chicago club’s first president in 1905 and Rotary International’s third treasurer in 1945. Born in Terre Haute, Indiana in 1870, Schiele attended Terre Haute Business College and served in the U.S. Army during the Spanish-American War.

He was president of the Schiele Coal Company from 1902 until his retirement in 1939. He and Harris became lifelong friends and lived near each other on the south side of Chicago. Schiele died on December 17, 1945 and is buried near Harris at Mount Hope Cemetery.

Originally from Michigan, Ruggles was a graduate of Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and joined Rotary at its second meeting. He was treasurer of the Chicago club during its first year, president from 1908 to 1910 and a Rotary director from 1912 to 1913. He is known for having introduced singing to Rotary club meetings. His printing company, H.L. Ruggles & Co., printed the first issue of The National Rotarian and the first Rotary songbook. He died on October 26, 1959, an honorary member of seven clubs in addition to his home club, the Rotary Club of Chicago.

VALENTINE’S DAY PROGRAM

Romance filled the air as our club held our annual Valentine’s Day program during last week’s meeting. Students from the University of West Georgia’s music department provided entertainment. Among those attending were Lynn and Bernie Kress, left, and Bill and Ginny McGee, right.

Club President Stacey Blackmon, left, with Carrollton Mayor Wayne Garner.

Carrollton Mayor Wayne Garner was the guest speaker for our club’s January 31 meeting.

“A lot of exciting things are going on in our city,” Garner said. “We live in a great city.” The mayor said that the primary focus of his administration has been, and will continue to be, quality of life issues. He said his goal is to make Carrollton a fun, great place to live.

“One of the most interesting aspects of living in Carrollton is the ability to start kindergarten and complete your PHD all within a mile of your home,” he said. Garner went on to explain that having the University of West Georgia in Carrollton is a wonderful benefit.

Garner said that the new courthouse is nearing completion and that he is hopeful that occupancy will begin in March. He also announced that the square is currently 90 percent occupied with ample parking for all.

The city’s new amphitheater is 80 percent complete with plans to host the first event in early May. Garner said that the venue is much larger than it appears with a seating capacity of close to 600.

When Garner took office, one of his initiatives was to work on water issues that had plagued Carrollton for years. The city moved to a membrane system making the tap water clean and much better than bottled water.

The city’s public safety record is one of the best in the state. The average wait time for emergency calls is three minutes. Garner noted that when an emergency call is placed, all emergency vehicles respond to the call to insure citizens have the help they need.

“This is a great community to live, learn, work, and play in,” Garner said. “Our community has run during the last 8 years with no tax increase and a reserve for emergencies. Carrollton is financially stable.”

FEBRUARY IS MEMBERSHIP MONTH

February means more than Valentine’s Day for our club. Its also means new members.
From now until the end of the month, we will conduct a membership drive to bring new people into our club. To help, the club will pay for one meal each for guests who are prospective members.

“New members are key for any club to grow,” said Rotary President Stacey Blackmon. “They bring new talents and new energy that perfectly compliments the talents and experience that already exists in our club.”

Among the classifications where our club has openings are accounting, architecture, banking, dentistry, higher education, manufacturing, law, surveying and veterinarians. For more information, contact membership chair Debbie Hollenstein.

Members of the Oak Moutain Academy Fencing Club are, from left, Blandon Cannon, Danny Congleton, Austin Stringfellow, Katie Blackmon, and club advisor Nicholas Hoffmann.

Members of the Oak Mountain Academy Fencing Club, along with their advisor and fencing coach, Nicholas Hoffmann, presented a fencing demonstration and overview of the sport during the January 24 meeting of the Rotary Club of Carrollton.

The fencing club is in its second year at the academy and was formed at the request of the students in the upper school. When students learned that Hoffmann, a social studies teacher, had fenced during his college days at Miami University, they sought his assistance with the formation of the club. Over the last two years, the group has competed in several tournaments including one hosted on the Oak Mountain campus.

Hoffmann discussed the three types of fencing – foil, sabre and epee. Foil, the most basic style students are taught in the early-learning sessions, consists of a light thrusting weapon that targets the torso and back, but not the arms. Hits are scored only with the tip of the sword. 

Sabre consists of more of a slashing movement and targets the entire body above the waist.  Epee entails heavier thrusting that targets the entire body. Hits must be made with the tip rather than the blade.

Scoring is regulated by a referee who uses rules of right of way to determine the winner.

Hoffmann noted the club is open to all students in eighth through 12th grades. He hopes to see the club continue to grow and become more competitive.

ALSO NEWSWORTHY

Former Rotary President Leonard Woolsey, center, became our club’s latest Paul Harris Fellow last week. Presenting a certificate is Rotary President Stacey Blackmon, left, as Woolsey’s wife, Maryrine, looks on.

The Carrollton Rotary Club recently donated 250 adult books to the West Georgia Regional Library. The subjects covered by the books are adult literacy and career development. The donation was made possible by a matching grant from the Rotary Foundation to the Carrollton Rotary Club. The Rotary donation will be matched by an equivalent donation from the Friends of The Library. Pictured, from left, are former West Georgia Regional Library Director Jim Cooper, club President Stacey Blackmon and interim library Director Roni Tewksbury.

Rotary President Stacey Blackmon, left, and Rotarian Sandra Morris, right, welcome Carroll County Sheriff’s Department Investigator Reagen Clayton.

It seems like a never ending battle for law enforcement. As soon as they shut down one meth lab, others are ready to take its place.

“By the time we’ve caught one person making meth, they’ve taught five others,” Reagen Clayton of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office told our club last week. Between 55 and 60 percent of those incarcerated at the Carroll County jail are being held because of direct involvement with drug-related crimes, according to Clayton. However, that is not an accurate reflection of how drugs affect society.

“The statistics are accurate,” Clayton said. “ But, what about other crimes? What about the person in jail on burglary charges? Why did he break into someone’s home and steal their property? Perhaps it was to fund his addiction.”

There also is the probability of conflict between drug users living together.
“People who share an addiction must share their drugs,” Clayton said. “That leads to conflicts and assaults.”

Another major concern for law enforcement comes with the dangers of the meth manufacturing process. “It’s explosive. Many homes, hotel rooms and vehicles have been destroyed,” Clayton said. “You take shadetree chemistry and, and in the process, they make bombs.”

Ninety-eight percent of those who try meth, we use it again, making it the most highly addictive drug available. But there is hope for addicts, according to Clayton. He said a variety of treaments methods are available.

“There is a 78-percent higher success rate for faith-based rehab,” Clayton said. “That tells me the answers for someone looking for help come from within. The question leading them to take the drug came from within, so the solution must come from within.”

Tom Corson

Tom Corson, executive director of SIFAT, was the guest speaker at our Jan. 10 meeting.

Servants in Faith And Technology (SIFAT) is a Christian nonprofit organization that provides training in self-help programs for a needy world. SIFAT offers opportunities for Christians to get involved personally, both to learn from others and to partner with them in missions.

Acknowledging Christ’s concern for the spiritual as well as the physical aspects of His children, SIFAT responds to the great commission by sharing God’s love in practical ways. Faith and technology are merged for the purpose of enabling the poor to develop holistically in Jesus Christ. Since its founding in 1979, SIFAT has trained community leaders from 80 countries around the globe in practical skills to meet basic human needs.

The idea of SIFAT was conceived in the jungles of the Alto Beni of Bolivia in 1976, when Ken and Sarah Corson took their four children and moved to Sapecho to be pastors of a Bolivian church. Realizing that the homesteaders there needed more than spiritual nourishment, Ken and Sarah began work in integrated development with the people of the village. The Quechuan mayor of the town, Benjo Paredes, became a Christian that year and has been a great Christian community leader.

Benjo and Ken cofounded CENATEC (Centro Nacional de Tecnologia Sustenible), a nonprofit Christian organization in Bolivia. CENATEC was the mother organization out of which SIFAT was born. In 1979, the Corsons returned to Alabama and established SIFAT as a training center for meeting basic human needs. Since then, CENATEC and SIFAT have worked closely in many endeavors.

No need to panic. The wolves in question are statues being painted by local artists as part of Howl for UWG, a fundraiser benefitting the University of West Georgia’s annual fund campaign. University representatives Clint Samples and Bill Norris spoke to our club about the project last week.

Howl for UWG, an exciting new project that offers a unique opportunity for artists, business owners and community members to engage with UWG. Through the creative expression of our artists and the desire of donors to serve humanity, donors can assist with scholarships to help students achieve.

With creative designs from regional artists and donations from sponsors, more than 20 life-size, fiberglass-howling wolves will roam the UWG campus and community the fall semester of 2012.

Inspired by the popular Cows on Parade public art project, Howl for UWG seeks designs that celebrate the bond between the community and the University of West Georgia. Proceeds will benefit scholarship aid for the university’s annual fund campaign. A portion of the proceeds will be dedicated to providing scholarships for art majors.

Howl for UWG bridges art, academics and athletics using UWG’s wolf mascot and wolf pack as a metaphor for community.

• District Grant – Our club obtained a district grant for $2,500, which will be matched by the Friends of the Library for a total of $5,000. The grant will be used to purchase vocational materials for the library to help unemployed adults improve their job skills and train for a new occupation.

• Honoring Community Heroes – The Vocational Committee honored the following local heroes – Karen Henley, Teacher of the Year for Carrollton City Schools; Collen Farley, Carroll County Teacher of the Year ; Andy Denny, high school English teacher at Oak Mountain Academy; Bill Lambert Carrollton Firefighter of the Year.

• RYLA – Our club sent two high school juniors to the Rotary Youth Leadership Academy, a three-day camp in Americus, Ga. The students were Suhani Patel of Oak Mountain Academy and Mark Swindle of Carrollton High School.

• Donations to University of West Georgia – We donated $1,000 for a scholarship and $500 for the student loan program.

• Service Projects – Our club collected supplies and games for Boys and Girls Club, helped clean up at the Boys and Girls Club with the help of Keep Carroll Beautiful, collected school supplies for backpacks, participated in the Great Strides Walk to benefit Cystic Fibrosis and raised approximately $5,700, distributed hundreds of coats and sweaters through Share the Warmth, donated toys to Toys for Tots and donated food and helped pack and distribute Christmas boxes with the Carroll County Soup Kitchen.

• Rotary Foundation – Seventy-nine percent of our members contributed to the Rotary Foundation this year.

• Paul Harris and Will Watt Fellows – We had eight new fellows last year, including Lealon Anderson, Dick Tisinger, Stanley Tate, Susan Fleck, Mary Covington, Stacey Blackmon, Bryant Hightower and Bob Stone, who became a Paul Harris Fellow plus one.

Shayne Goddard

For many Georgia children, remaining with their biological families is not a safe option. Parents who are hooked on drugs or who face other legal issues often create unsafe environments for their children. That’s where the Georgia Sheriff’s Youth Homes helps. Some 70 kids live on one of the organization’s five campuses across the state – including Pineland, a 400-acre farm near LaGrange.

“It really is a family,” Shayne Goddard, Pineland’s director told our club last week. “These kids are our kids.”

On average,13 youths live at Pineland at any given time. They live with house parents and meet regularly with counselors and other staff members. “We try to make life as normal as possible for them,” Goddard said.

In addition to residential service, Pineland conducts a summer camp each year that is attended by more than 7,000 kids.

In addition to providing a stable home, Georgia Sheriff’s Youth Homes also offers scholarships to residents, paying the entire cost of attending college.

“We provide them with a safe environment and opportunities they otherwise would not have,” Goddard said.

John Harris, center, presented an inspiring program on the Bataan Memorial Death March. Rotarian Dick Tisinger, left, introduced Harris. At right is Stacey Blackmon, club president.

John Harris was the guest speaker for the Nov. 8 meeting of the Rotary Club of Carrollton. John spoke to the club about the 23rd Annual Bataan Memorial Death March scheduled for March 12.

The march is a challenging trek through the high desert terrain of White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, conducted in honor of the heroic service members who defended the Philippine Islands during World War II, sacrificing their freedom, health and, in many cases, their very lives.

“My hope is to inspire you to participate,” Harris said. “This is more than an athletic event. It is a history lesson. It honors the legacy of heroes past and present.”

Sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the march honors a special group of World War II heroes. These brave soldiers were responsible for the defense of the islands of Luzon, Corregidor and the harbor defense forts of the Philippines. The conditions they encountered and the aftermath of the battle were unique. They fought in a malaria-infested region, surviving on half or quarter rations with little or no medical help. They fought with outdated equipment and virtually no air power. They were marched for days in the scorching heat through the Philippine jungles.

Thousands died. Those who survived faced the hardships of a prisoner of war camp. Others were wounded or killed when unmarked enemy ships transporting prisoners of war were sunk by American air and naval forces.

The Army ROTC Department at New Mexico State University began sponsoring the memorial march in 1989 to mark a page in history that included so many native sons and affected many families in the state. In 1992, White Sands Missile Range and the New Mexico National Guard joined in the sponsorship and the event was moved to the missile range.

In 2003, for the only time in its history, the memorial march was canceled. Operation Iraqi Freedom required extensive deployment among the units that usually support the march and event could not be safely and efficiently conducted.

Since its inception, the memorial march has grown from about 100 to some 5,200 marchers from across the United States and several foreign countries. While still primarily a military event, many civilians take the challenge.

Marchers come to event for many reasons – personal challenge, the spirit of competition or to foster esprit de corps in their unit. Some march in honor of family members or particular veterans who were in the Bataan Death March or were taken as a prisoner of war by the Japanese in the Philippines.