Former President Worth Williamson, new Rotary Information chair, shared an ever-popular How I Got Where I'm At program from four new members. He introduced them thusly: one knocks holes in heads, one plays with Playdoh™ and Koosch™ balls, one turns off old ladies' and orphans' electricity and one is upset about a corkscrew parking deck that inhibits his patrons from getting to their club.
     The new Rotarians, who spoke in that order, are Otolaryngologist Brian Gibson, PR Counselor Winn Maddrey, Duke Power Executive Winston Kelley and City Club Manager John Scharer.
     Brian, with Charlotte Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Associates, ("those holes in the head are planned") was introduced to Charlotte Rotary by his associate Bruce Berryhill, a long-time member. Brian noted that many of the good things in his life came about "by accident."
     He met his wife while a student at Washington and Lee. He stumbled over her while posting an announcement about a dance at his fraternity. He became an ENT specialist because there were no slots for research available in orthopedics, his first choice at his residency.
     Winn, who showed up with laryngitis, but spoke against his doctor's wishes, said a summer spent with a pick and shovel building the Jocassee Foothills Path in South Carolina convinced him to buckle down to his studies at Davidson.
     After working on Capitol Hill in D.C. after graduation, he came back to Charlotte and started his own PR consulting business. He told of an experience when he and friends woke up one Saturday morning and decided to go parachuting in Clover, S.C. He described the jump as "like putting your head out of the sunroof of a car going 130 miles an hour." Winn recently married Edgar Love's daughter Elizabeth.
     Duke Power's Winston Kelley, a Concord native, said he's glad Charlotte Mayor Pat McCrory and NFL Ref Jeff Triplett are at Duke. They are "the only people working there who take more time off than I do so it makes it easier for me to explain mine."
     Winston's avocation is NASCAR racing. He's part of the Motor Racing Network radio broadcasting crew. MRN covers the majority of the races in the Winston Cup, Grand National and pickup series.
     Winston is also involved in the Motor Racing Outreach ministry, which takes church services and spiritual support to race tracks during races. He has also been involved in fundraising for the Brenner Children's Hospital at the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and in Kyle Petty's cross-country motorcycle fundraising events.
     His Duke career has kept this former member of the Lancaster, S.C. Rotary Club on the move. In one two-and-a-half-year stretch he had five jobs in seven locations.
     John Scharer credits his mother, father and swim coaches for instilling in him the desire to succeed. He became interested in swimming at an early age, pushed by his mother who could not swim and wanted her sons to know how. He swam competitively growing up through college.
     For the past eighteen years he's been involved in private club management. For those who have lived nowhere else, he calls Charlotte a great place to live and work. His family lives in Cornelius on Lake Norman. He is a sailor and chose Charlotte because of the proximity of the Duke lakes.
     Fred Lowrance used his health and happiness time to talk about a new area of study and concern: "social capital." The concept comes from Robert Putnam's book. Bowling Alone, in which the Harvard professor contends there has been a sharp decline in social and community participation in this country since 1960, the apex this century.
     Since then, civic club attendance has declined by 50 percent. In 1960, 50 percent of all parents with school children participated in the PTA. Today, only 18 percent do. Voter turnout in the 1996 election was the lowest in 164 years.
     The good thing about social capital, said Fred, is that "it's not irreversible." It was very low in 1900, but between 1890 and 1920, most of the great civic clubs and community organizations were created, including Rotary, the Red Cross, Scouting and the PTA.
     Fred said Charlotte is one of 36 cities nationally involved in a study of how to build social capital. Why is it important? Positive community health and happiness has a major effect on a community's social and economic well being.
     Two new members were acknowledged. Pam Syfert introduced her colleague Darrell Stevens, Charlotte Mecklenburg Police Chief, and Frank Watson introduced his new associate Will Pleasants.
     Jim Armstrong introduced guests and visitors. In recognition of the political convention season, Don Sanders led a rousing rendition of FDR's favorite song, Home on the Range. Catherine Browning led the invocation. President Don welcomed Thomas Moore back. Mark Norman was the only non-participating member at the head table.

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New Member

C. JEFFERY  TRIPLETTE

Duke Energy Corporation
422 E. Church St., PB01H (28202)
704-382-8282
FAX 704-382-1241
E-Mail cjtriple@duke-energy.com

     Welcome to Charlotte Rotary, Jeff.

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