June 30, 2009    view this week's photos    
 

John F. Snyder
93rd President - Rotary Club of Charlotte
By Henry Bostic
 
                        
With a simple question: "Do you swear you'll do a great job?" and an even simpler answer, "Yes," Mac McCarley turned over the reins of leadership to John Snyder, thus beginning the 93rd year of the Rotary Club of Charlotte - the 50th largest Rotary Club in the world (out of more than 1.2 million members in 33,000 clubs worldwide).
 
In summarizing his very successful year of leadership, President Mac said there are two reasons a club the size of Charlotte Rotary works:
       
1. Sandy Osborne (club executive director) "who does all the jobs none of us want to do but would be doing if it were a smaller club - all the mechanics that make the club run." (This elicited a well-deserved standing ovation in appreciation of Sandy's work).
 
2. "So many people willing to step up to do the tough jobs and give back so well."
 
President Mac said the club had met or exceeded every single goal for the year, thanking fellow Rotarians for "a terrific job" several times during his brief remarks:

  • Increased giving to the Rotary foundation by 160 percent, moving from the middle to near the top in per capita giving in the district.
  • A net increase of six members. The club has about 320 members and an attrition rate of about 10 percent per year.
  • The net for the "Rotary Scholarship Golf Classic" benefiting the children of our public safety employees, was $71,000. President Mac noted that the tournament continues to gain traction with public safety officers in the community who appreciate the fact that it benefits their children.
  • The Health and Happiness Committee successfully "cleaned up its act" to the point that it can return safely to telling jokes as long as they are tasteful.
  • Doubled the number of inbound exchange students from one to two.
  • Three of the five Group Study Exchanges students from the district were nominated by club members.
  • The club played a pivotal role in the success of the first Flight of Honor.
  • Presented a check for $23,000 to the County Commissioners to help pay for the large clock that will be installed as part of the Sugar Creek Greenway. (This has been a long-running project.)
  • Donated an extra $15,000 to local charities to help the needy; the funds came from unused member lunch fees.
  • Experienced another year of great programs, highlighted by last week's talk by Miracle on the Hudson survivor Dave Sanderson.
Said President Mac, It was a "wonderful experience. A terrific opportunity. I had a ball. It was a privilege and an honor. Thank you for allowing me to serve." Then there was the exchange of pins with President Mac pinning the "magic" president's pin on new President John. (President Mac noted that he had recently retrieved the pin from his safety deposit box and gave President John a $10 dollar look-alike as a hint that he may want to protect the "magic" pin.) With that, President Mac said to President John, "She is all yours!"
 
"I'm honored to be your leader," the new club president said. "You are great folks who respond so well to do great things." President John recently returned from England where he had just attended the 100th Rotary International convention in Birmingham.
 
"If feel extra confident on this first day," he said, noting that he had called President Mac at the first of the week after his return to the city. President Mac reminded him that Charlotte Rotary has never had a president to die while in office. Whereon he looked at his wife Mary Beth as said: "You're stuck with me for one more year."
President John then said that if he lived another 64 years after serving as president of the club as the late Powell Majors did, he would be a very old man indeed.
 
President John noted that new RI President John Kenny's theme for the 104th year of Rotary is "The Future of Rotary is in Your Hands." The needs of the world are great so the challenge for Rotary is great. Illiteracy is still rampant and one billion don't have safe drinking water leading to 4,000 child deaths a day, President John said. But Rotary has stepped to the plate and is making a difference. The Polio Plus campaign has eradicated polio in all but four countries. The Gates Foundation has realized Rotary's success and has donated $250 million for this last push.
 
President John's goal is for Charlotte Rotary to make a difference is this effort by "every single member" being a Paul Harris Fellow or sustaining member. "We can do so much for so many," he said. "I'm deeply honored and humbled" to be your president, he said. The needs are great and no club is better positioned than Charlotte Rotary to do a great job.

   
Head Table: Carol Jordan, Ron Kimble, Mac McCarley, John Snyder, Tom Robertson, Carol Hardison, Tom Templeton;
Invocation: Bill Loftin;
Visitors & Guests: Bill Constangy; Health & Happiness: Leland Park; Song & Piano: Thomas Moore; Photos: Bert Voswinkel
   

• Gregg Walker has found a niche in the down market with his local franchise of The Interface Financial Group; Floyd Davis and Community Link have been commended by HUD for their Casework & Supportive Housing Programs; Dr. Dick Reiling has received a $50K grant to focus on breast cancer research; Phil Van Hoy and Bryan Adams have been recognized as leaders in their field of employment law in Chambers USA's America's Leading Lawyers for Business 2009 and their law firm has been named one of the top employment law firms in NC; Ronnie Bryant has been named to the advisory board of The Diversity Forum.
           
• Welcome new Rotarians: Tod Thorne introduced George Cochran, Cochran Enterprises. George is founder of the film/video certificate program at CPCC and can be reached at gmcochran@carolina.rr.com; Dave Adams sponsored Brady Drummond-Ryan, who is a mortgage broker/banker with IMS Mortgage Service. Contact Brady at brady@lendinglocal.com; and Ron Campbell introduced Tom Stowe, Senior Catering Sales Manager for the Hilton Charlotte Center City. Contact Tom at thomas.phillips@hiltoncentercity.com.
  
• For the Marathon runners in the club - the Rotary Club of New York has Guaranteed Entries to the NYC Marathon that are available to Rotarians, families and friends. At this time, this is the ONLY way to gain entry to the 2009 NYC Marathon. Details, registration info, etc can be found at www.nyrotary.org.
 
• Lamar Thomas still needs a host family for Annie Slevarenska, who arrives August 15th from the Czech Republic. If you are in the Myers Park school district or know anyone that may be interested in hosting Annie, please contact Lamar or Luther Moore.

• Biff Virkler has scheduled July 23 as the next date to tour the NC Research Campus. This will be the same format as last month's tour - lunch at Café 46 at 11:45 followed by the tour. The facility has requested a group of no larger than 25. Please notify the Rotary office if you would like to be included. If you are unable to make the July tour, he has also scheduled September 30.

• Alan Adler gave an update on the October 5th Rotary Scholarship Golf Classic to be held at Cedarwood Country Club. This is the first time at this point that the tournament has not been sold out. Sponsorships are coming along and golfers are needed! Alan also needs items for the goody bags and auction. Registration forms can be found on the lunch tables each week or the here on the website.
 
   
Attendance Record Wedding Anniversaries Birthdays & Birthplaces
  06/30/09 07/01/08
visitors & guests 11 13
club members 167 158
total attendance 178 171
  07 Penny and Charlie Bones
09 Barbara and Tom Robertson
10 Cynthia and Tom Marshall
11 Anja and David Zimmerman
12 Michelle and John Monteith
12 Mea and Mark Pierman
13 Marilynn and Bob Bowler		   09 Dale LeCount, Cincinnati, OH
09 Charlie Bones, Augusta, GA
10 Ron Kimble, Chicago, IL
13 Herb Harriss, Wilmington, NC
Visitors on 06/30/09:  n/a
- - - -
New Members:  David Auger, Phil Murphy, Nada Vergili, Fernando Ycaza, Mark Turner, Michelle Monteith, George Cochran, Tom Phillips, Brady Drummond-Ryan
Resignations:  Ty Branam, Jeff Blackey, Jay Deyton, Bill Meanor, Robert Kirk, Shay Merritt, Tom Norwood
Roaming Rotarians:   n/a
     
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Rotary Club of Charlotte -- 841 Baxter Street -- Suite 118 -- Charlotte 28202