 WINSTON
KELLEY
NASCAR Hall of Fame
Let's go racin'! Our special guest of THE Charlotte Rotary this week
was Winston Kelley, the Executive Director of the NASCAR Hall of
Fame. His presentation was nearly as exciting as riding the
high-bank walls and trading paint with Jr. Winston, who's father was
the public address announcer at Charlotte Motor Speedway for years,
has a fine perch to help establish the new Hall of Fame, having
attended his first NASCAR race in 1964 at Daytona. Winston spent
years in the "pits" as the voice of the Motor Racing Network and is
a familiar personality to most diehard racing fans.
As an industry, Winston revealed that NASCAR is now a $5.9 billion
dollar powerhouse and Lowes Motor Speedway accounts for nearly $400
million of that. The All-Star race alone shovels more than $90
million into the NASCAR coffers. Now, with the arrival of the NASCAR
Hall of Fame, Charlotte officially becomes the hub of the industry.
After listening to Winston, it's clear that the participants in the
development of the physical structure want to create a building that
is a work of art. PEI-Cobb-Freed created the exciting design that
features a race-track "ribbon" that twists and turns at various
levels around the entire structure. The building boasts a multitude
of attractions including a sports grill, memorabilia store, radio
and TV studios, a theatre and "Great Hall," high-tech shop, and an
area for kids featuring the "Rookie Racer Speedway." The Hall will
also feature a grand ballroom seating 2500 and it will be connected
to the Charlotte Convention Center by an enclosed bridge. The "Full
Throttle Theatre" will show historic films of memorable drivers,
cars and races and will also double as a live, race-day theatre for
fans who want the ultimate living room view. The ramp between levels
will be named "Glory Road" and will include the actual banking
grades from each of the NASCAR racetracks, giving the visitor a
real-life view of the extreme conditions drivers deal with on the
circuit. Vintage cars will also be displayed on "Glory Road." The
"Hall of Honor" is the focal point of the museum. There, fans will
discover shrines created to honor the greatest drivers, cars,
promoters and organizers in the sports history. The exhibit hall
will feature "The NASCAR Experience" including a professional pit
crew, a race team shop, transport simulator, NASCAR vault and
historical items.
I particularly enjoyed the idea of the "Monnshiners Shed" that will
include video of some of the early heroes of NASCAR like Junior
Johnson and Fireball Roberts with a focus on the defining moments of
NASCAR racing. The NASCAR High Tech Shop will give the fan a view of
the car of tomorrow and feature new innovations that will make their
cars faster - and safer.
The grand opening of the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte is
scheduled for March 31, 2010 and the stirring presentation from
Winston Kelley had The Charlotte Rotary membership ready to go.
That's racin'!
Head Table:
Bob Alexy, Pam Syfert, Luther Moore, Ron Kimble, Mike Crum, Mac
McCarley; Invocation: Floyd Davis
Visitors &
Guests:
Ed Turner; Song: Alan Barnhardt; Piano: Thomas Moore
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NEW MEMBER APPROVAL |
The Classification and Membership
Committee recommend and the Directors approve for consideration
for all members, the following NEW MEMBER. Should you question
the eligibility of any nominee, please call the Rotary Office by
March 6th. 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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Elizabeth
J. Irwin (Liz)
The Charlotte Observer
Classification: Newspaper, Advertising
Sponsor: Pam Meister
Endorsed: Pam Daigle, Thomas Moore |
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Rotary Club of Charlotte
841 Baxter Street, Suite 118, Charlotte 28202
chltrot@bellsouth.net 704-375-6816 |
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þ
Ken Samuelson reminded
everyone that construction on the Habitat House will begin
this week. Those wishing to review the schedule, get
directions to the house, or volunteer can do so
here. There is a particular
need for volunteers this Friday, March 2nd.
þ
Todd Stevens
thanked club members for their support of The Rotary
Foundation and recognized Ralston
Pound and Ed Wadsworth
as their contributions move them to Level One and Level Two
participates; Bill Griswold
has achieved Paul Harris Fellow; and
Catherine Browning honored her son,
David Barnhardt, with a
Paul Harris Fellow.
þ
Meg McElwain provided
sign-up sheets for those wishing to purchase Girl Scout
Cookies to support the troops. If you would like to
participate in this initiative, contact Meg at
meg@magnoliamarketing.net.
þ
Elsie Garner and
Mary Ciminelli invite
all Rotarians to tune into WTVI March 3rd at 6:30 pm for "Raina
English: From My Heart with the Charlotte Philharmonic
Orchestra". This program was taped live at the Belk Theater
in September, later edited at WTVI, and will air on PBS
stations nationally throughout the month of March;
Claude Lilly, dean of
the Belk College of Business, UNCC, is trying his hand at
interviewing on his new TV program Smart Talk. The program
focuses on topics related to leadership and ethics and can
be seen on UNC Charlotte TV (Channel 22/Time Warner) Friday
and Sunday at 10:30 am and 7:30 pm.
þ
Mike and
Hope Parrott are pleased
to announce the engagement of their daughter, Anna Evans
Parrott, to William Raymond Holcomb Dickinson. The couple
will be married on Sullivan's Island on December 1st;
John Snyder shadowed
Myers Park High School Principal Tom Spivey last week,
beginning the day at 6:45 am. John said all they do in a day
is amazing and exhausting; Powell
Majors was inducted into the Roundtable Hall of
Fame at the Dowd YMCA. There was a good picture and nice
article that gave yet another glimpse into the 100-year old
life of Powell: he has been a member of the Y since 1921; he
learned to swim at the Y and received a certificate from
President Kennedy for learning to swim (he swam 50 miles for
that honor!); he remembers buying a tuna sandwich and iced
tea for 99 cents at the Y; he advocates regular exercise;
and stresses that everyday you should tell the one you love
that you love them.
þ
A few Rotarians have been under the weather…wishes for a
speedy recovery to: Jim Adams,
as he continues working to get his heart rhythm in sync;
Ed Lewis, who was
hospitalized for a week; new member
Sheila Cottringer, who has two herniated discs
and a tumor on her spine; President
Luther reported the gala was big fun and thanked
Catherine Browning, Lynn Johnson,
and Sandy Osborne for
handling the details and decorations.
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OPPORTUNITIES: Bob
Culbertson is serving as a mentor to students
attending the Performance Learning Center and says there is
tremendous need for at least five additional volunteers.
Call Bob at 704-334-2700, ext 303 for more information;
Tony Marciano is working
with leaders of houses of faith, corporations, and business
organizations to ease the gap between races and cultures
through the Friday Friends program. To participate in the
program, you are asked to have lunch with someone of another
race, religion or culture on the last Friday of each month
for 6 months to build a relationship together. The launch
date is March 30, 2007 with a goal of 500 people (250 pairs)
partnering to have lunch on the last Friday of the month
from March 2007 through August 2007. To sign up or gain
additional information, log on to
www.fridayfriends.org. |
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Attendance
Record |
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2/27/07 |
2/28/06 |
| visitors &
guests |
16 |
75 |
| club
members |
174 |
125 |
| total
attendance |
190 |
200 |
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New Members | Resignations |
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Wedding
Anniversaries |
07 Carol and David Jordan
08 Diana and Carlos Sanchez
10 Shirley and Charlie Ibach
12 Sarah and Worth Williamson |
| Birthdays and
Birthplaces |
06 Richard Bailey, NYC, NY
06 Don Haack, Milwaukeen, WI
06 Edwin Peacock,
Charlotte, NC
08 Alan Barnhardt,
Charlotte, NC
08 Harley Dickson, Asheville, NC
09 Bob Carlson, South Bend, IN
10 Luther Fincher, Charlotte, NC
11 Jack Smylie, Memphis, TN |
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