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BERNIE BICKERSTAFF
 Coach
and General Mgr, Charlotte Bobcats
By: Leigh Derby
Nothing worthwhile is achieved without labor, patience, and
disappointment.
By the statement, “With nearly 30 years in the NBA, Bickerstaff has
a history of leadership and is a natural choice to guide the Bobcats
as both general manager and head coach in the expansion club’s first
season,” Tim Newman introduced today’s speaker. Bickerstaff served
10 seasons as an NBA head coach for three different teams, president
and general manager for seven seasons, and 12 years as an assistant
coach. One of the many highlights of his career was the 1986-87 NBA
Coach of the Year.
Bickerstaff’s comments characterized the model for the Bobcats and
the strategies they are using to build the paradigm. He emphasized
that the Bobcats need to be judged on merits – by what they are
trying to do in our community. Starting in Charlotte with no assets,
no roster, and only office staff, their mantra became, “Nothing
worthwhile is achieved without labor, patience, and disappointment”.
The Bobcat’s approach is to build a foundation with a core group of
young players who have good character, who are going to be
competitive, who are unselfish and can “share the court”, and have
the will to win. This, he explained is “to go back to the way it
was” in the NBA where teams were not built around a star player. He
explained that the team will be a collective effort, with synergism
and a commitment to the team. The Bobcats are also looking for
players who have “high basketball Iqs” and are “athletic size” (they
now have six players who are 6-10 or taller, and who can play at
different positions).
Where will these players come from? They worked the NBA dispersal
draft, the college draft, summer leagues, and scouted Europe, where
Bickerstaff said, “The best thing there was the food”, apparently
referring on the caliber of players. They are looking for talented
young men who didn’t get the chance to play as they were playing
behind other fine players. Bickerstaff was pleased with their
success in the NBA draft, acquiring two first round picks in two
years. “We got the guy we wanted.” he said, referring to Omeka
Okafor. He is the nucleus that they want to build a sustainable team
around. He is talented and smart, “He earned a 3.9 major in
finance.”
Although Bickerstaff cautioned us against premature expectations, he
said the team started off very well in the Summer League winning
five of five games in Minnesota and five of seven in Utah. It takes
effort, defense, unselfishness, and commitment to compete. “We feel
confident the players we have drafted will play well and compete.”
Concluding his presentation, Bickerstaff fielded several questions
including one that asked his opinion on drafting into the NBA high
school players. Bickerstaff said, “We must get in the mix – we can’t
miss out.” On the other hand, he personally thought that players
should get the chance to experience college and all it offers.
Head Table:
Rusty Brink, Mary Ciminelli, Catherine
Browning, Tim Newman, Harold Hoak, Ed Lewis; Invocation: Randall
Groves
Visitors and Guests:
Harley Dickson; Health & Happiness:
Martin Waters; Song: David Erdman
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New Member Aproval |
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The Classification
and Membership Committee recommend and the Directors approve for
consideration for all members, the following NEW MEMBERS. Should
you question the eligibility of any nominee, please call the
Rotary Office by August 10th. You will be
contacted by a member of the Board. Otherwise, no reply is
necessary and election will proceed according to our bylaws.
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Harold Graziano (Graz)
General Dynamics Armaments,
Classification: Management
Sponsor: John Tabor
Endorsers: John Galles and Pam Syfert
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Jay Westmoreland
Legg Mason Financial Services,
Classification: Investments
Sponsor: Mike Parrott
Endorsers: Chris Thomas, Luther Moore
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B.G. Metzler
B.G.M. Communications Marketing And Consulting, Inc.,
Classification: Communications
Sponsor: Mary Ciminelli
Endorsers: Pam Dittloff, Elsie Garner |
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þ
Chip Scholz provided an update on the club’s
9/11 Scholarship Golf Classic,
scheduled for September 21st at Raintree Country Club.
Sponsorship information is available on the club’s webpage
at www.charlotterotary.org. You may also register single
golfers for $150. Contact Chris Kemper if you have items for
the auction or goodie bags.
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Dwight Thomas will be in Mercy Rehab for several
days and would certainly appreciate hearing from his Rotary
friends.
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Congratulations to
Luther Moore upon the
marriage of his daughter, Elisabeth Folger Moore, to Jeremy
Elliott Uecker on July 31, 2004. Luther has had a busy
summer, with two of his three daughters being married in the
last 2 ½ months.
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Biff Virkler is delighted to report the birth of
a beautiful baby boy, Sumner Horton Virkler, born to Drayton
and Laura Virkler on Monday.
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Ray Killian’s
WW II Navy flight experience interview was televised on TV
Channel 21 on Tuesday.
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Anyone wishing to make a donation to The
Rotary Foundation in memory of
Charles Welton may send their check to the Rotary
office for handling.
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Sandy Osborne’s
mother, Dot Cook is recuperating from surgery last week on
an abdominal aneurysm.
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Lamar Thomas
was delighted to introduce Student Exchange participants
Caroline May, her father Ben May, and Escarlata Baza to the
club on Tuesday. Escarlata is from Spain and will be staying
with the May family in the United States for a month.
þ
Don Steger has named his wife,
Elizabeth, a Paul Harris
Fellow. Pender McElroy
was delighted to assist in the presentation to Elizabeth.
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Congratulations
to Michelle Fish, one of
25 women honored in the Charlotte Business Journal’s eighth
annual Women In Business Achievements Awards. Michelle
co-founded Integra Staffing & Executive Search in 2002. Last
year, she launched two new ventures, IntegraRx Solutions,
which assists hospitals and health-care providers with
staffing, recruiting and executive searches and IntegraHR
Consulting, a business that teaches small firms without a
human-resource staff to find qualified job candidates.
þ
Students and
teachers at Charlotte Latin are very actively involved in a
service program which has expanded to Cozumel, Mexico.
Headmaster Arch McIntosh
says school participants have partnered with (Rotary) Club
Rotario Cozumel and are working on an orphanage in Mexico
which was previously staffed by a former Latin teacher. Arch
plans to work on the project next year during his summer
vacation to Cozumel.
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SUPPORT THE 9/11 SCHOLARSHIP GOLF CLASSIC – September 21st
at Raintree Country Club. Contact Chip Scholz for info.
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Take Pride in your
Rotary Membership…Eradicating Polio Worldwide |
From The August
2004 issue of Rotarian Magazine
Rotary’s commitment to
global polio eradication began in 1979 with a five-year
project to immunize six million Philippine children against
this devastating disease. In taking up polio eradication as
its first corporate project in 1985, Rotary embarked on an
ambitious fundraising campaign that garnered US$247 million
by 1988. Faced with a funding gap to finish the job of
eradication by 2005, Rotary’s 100th anniversary, Rotarians
raised another $119 million in 2002-2003. By the time the
world is certified polio-free, Rotary’s contributions to the
global polio eradication effort will exceed $600 million.
But equally important is the volunteer army of Rotarians who
promote National Immunization Days (NIDs), travel by camel
and helicopter to bring the vaccine to children in remote
areas, and negotiate cease-fires so that NIDs can take place
in war-torn countries. Since 1985, more than two billion
children have been immunized against polio, and polio cases
have declined more than 99 percent. |
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Attendance
Record |
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8/03/04 |
8/05/03 |
| visitors &
guests |
20 |
22 |
| club
members |
185 |
186 |
| total
attendance |
205 |
208 |
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Wedding
Anniversaries |
17 Portia and Harry Weatherly
20 Pat and George Thompson
20 Sallie and Dick Klingman
21 Hope and Mike Parrott
22 Dianne and Ron Ezell |
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New Members | Resignations |
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| Roaming
Rotarians |
John Rogers, Black Mtn, NC
Sadler Barnhardt, Blowing Rock, NC | |
| Birthdays and
Birthplaces |
17 Jon Benson, Dayton, OH
18 Dwight Thomas, Bethel, NC
18 Gregg Walker, Charlotte, NC
20 Carol Hughes,
Washington, DC
23 Ken Carter, Georgia
23 Bill Stegelmeyer, New Orleans, LA |
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