Meeting Notes 11 20 08 - Nancy Fetterman - Maritime Museum

Big thanks to PE Rick Lambert for running the meeting or me today. Many of you know that my mother in law passed away on 11/19/08 and I have been helping my wife and father in law with the arrangements. I did make it in time to circulate a sympathy card for many of you to sign and I gave it to Bill Henderson that night. He was very touched by your comments and smiled as he read the names off the card. Thanks so much for doing this for him.

Rick gave me his notes, so I'll do my best to update things here. Please fill in if I left anything out. Ronnie Arnold lead things off with a groaner (wonder if it was about SEC football?), then Wayne Etheridge said the prayer, Jay Overman lead the Pledge, Johnny Fayard took time form his photo work and wind feather duties to lead the 4 Way Test.

Looks like y'all had some happy dollars, but I don't have the details. We did get some nice thank you notes - one from Sharee Cagle and her staff at Hallmark elementary thanking us for providing the lunch from Sonny's for their recent teacher planning day. The second note was from Laura Ponder, the leader of our Interact club at West Florida High School of Advanced Technology. Laura thanks the club for providing sponsorship funds for a pizza party to kick-off their year. I'm sure they will be getting some T-Shirts with our funds, and I hope to see them join us at the boat show of some other club events.

I see that Jay Bradshaw made an announcement about the Manna Food Pantry effort (as I type this on Sunday night I had just seen Jay and his folks parking the big Mayflower moving truck at Cordova mall for his part in this effort - good job Jay!). Thanks to Don Gregory for telling the club about Inez Henderson passing away. Don has been such a good friend over the years - he helped me get my family into a B-17 at Pensacola Airport so Bill Henderson could show his granddaughters the plane he flew in WWII.

Heidi Blair made an announcement about the club Christmas Party which will be held at New World Landing on December 18, 2008 at 6pm for social time and 630 pm for dinner. The cost is complimentary for Sub West Rotarians, and $25 for each guest. A cash bar will be available and the club requests Cocktail Attire.

Not sure who won the drawing, but the pot must be safe and over $350 by now!

I arrived in time to hear most of Nancy Fetterman's excellent presentation about the proposed museum (named after Admiral Fetterman) to be constructed at the Maritime Park here in Pensacola. The slide show captured the innovative nautical design and Nancy filled us in on some of the key interior elements, like a giant aquarium that will not only show marine life but a display of how underwater archeology actually happens. Another key element will be a full size, cut-in-half lengthwise, Spanish Gallion! She is working with Spain to get them to help us make it as accurate as possible. I can't wait to see it!

It was great to be with all of you - even if my visit this week was short. Remember, no meeting next Thursday due to Thanksgiving! Have a great time with your families, reach out to a lonely or needy person, and we'll see you the week after next! BC.

Meeting Notes 11-13-08 RYE Student Giuliana

Another great Rotary meeting! Bill Sheffield lead us of with groaner (pretty funny), Paul Parks lead the prayer, Bill Bassett lead the pledge and Al Swann lead the 4 Way Test. I gave a happy dollar for having known Carl Leahy (former club member who passed away very unexpectedly), and the crowd responded with bunches of happy dollars to celebrate happier occasions.

Mac Parker introduced our five visiting Rotarians and four guests. The downtown club was well represented by Nancy Fetterman and Jeff Lewis, while Five Flags brought us Bobby Fair and Suzanne Kahn and the Gulf Breeze club was represented by Stephanie O'Connor. Big Ferd had a guest, Gerry Goldstein while T'gill brought Charles Bare as his guest and Moses Atwood brought Freddie Augustin as his guest. Our program chair and Vice President, John Stein had his lovely wife Jill as his guest.

John Stein then got up and talked about how the club foundation was going to do its own matching gift program for Manna Food Pantry, and many club members gave checks to the club foundation, which will be matched (up to $1,000) and then presented formally to the charity for it's special needs at Thanksgiving. I am very proud of how the club and its foundation have responded to this appeal. Give yourselves a pat on the back!

Skip Dennis had the reins of the Woolly today, and did a special tribute to veterans of all our conflicts and then shook us down for working on Veteran's Day. Thanks, Skip - I hope we raised a good amount of money to fight Polio!

Heidi Blair then came up to introduce our Rotary Youth Exchange student, Giuliana. She is from France and has been staying with T'gill and his family since arriving late this summer. She told us about making the big adjustment to American life and high school. She is from a very small town, and it sounds like Pensacola is very different from what she is used to. She must be fitting in as she had just attended an FSU home football game and learned the tomahawk chop and Seminole war chant!

Nobody won the big drawing prize, so it rolled over again - things are getting interesting!

Hope everyone enjoyed the meeting, it was fun. Photos coming soon! BC.

Meeting Notes 10 30 08 - Pensacola Symphony

Another great SubWest Week! We had report card night on 10 29 08, and had a good time making fun of ourselves at today's meeting. Laura Snow lead off the meeting with a couple of Groaners (she actually got them from Wes Nicholls and Huntley Johnson), then Bill Spain lead us in the prayer, Ed Ellis lead the pledge and Charlie Peppler lead the 4 Way Test.

We had a few Happy Dollars - a couple from me as I was glad to see Christine and Jane back with us! Wes Nicholls had a Happy Dollar for his daughter's one year birthday!

Rick Lambert introduced our visitors and guests. We had 3 visiting Rotarians; Lewis Culver from Cantonment, Harold Paul from Montana, and Roger Enzor from Downtown. Al Swann introduced his guest, Corrine and Laverene Baker introduced her guest Kathy Spear.

Huntley had us in stitches as he critiqued our grilling efforts at Hallmark, and I think he raised a good bit of money for the Rotary Foundation. You have the gift, Huntley.

The Raffle was almost $400 and not won this week, so get your tickets (lots of them, it is getting interesting!)

Our guest speakers were Peter Rubardt and Christina from the Symphony. Christina is the business manager, and she gave the formal part, then Peter filled us in on the artistic side of the Symphony and told us about the upcoming events. The blue jeans and Beethoven one sounds like a SubWest event!

No meeting on 11/6 as the club will meet at the CROP military appreciation luncheon on Monday, 11/3/08. Sorry I couldn't make it - jury duty called!

Don't miss the 11/13 meeting as our guest speaker will be our French exchange student, Guiliana!

Until then,

Bill C.

Hallmark Elementary School Report Card Night

Here are some photos of the event!

Thanks to Laura Snow for setting it up. The inside crew was Laura, Huntley, Bill, Wendy and Abbie Hall. Our runners were Johnny Fayard and Bill Hooper, and the grill masters were Harry, Jay and Alicia, Ronnie, Romesh, and Buck. Let me know if I left anyone out. Special thanks to Harry for getting all the food donated!