President Don welcomed everyone to the meeting, and the visitors and guests were introduced.

     Tom Robertson then thanked all those who volunteered to ring the bell for the Salvation Army over the Christmas holiday season. Tom pointed out that there were more volunteers than slots available and those who didn't get a chance to participate can expect to be called upon for other opportunities in the future.

     Mary-Stuart Brooks then addressed the Club about the need for volunteers for the English as a second language program. The program will start January 22 and run for eighteen weeks. Volunteers are needed from 6:30 p.m.-9:00 p.m. on Monday and Wednesday nights. If you would like to participate, please contact Mary-Stuart.

     President Don then reminded the entire Club that we will have a Joint Rotary meeting of all the Charlotte area clubs on Tuesday, February 27. Richard King, the president-elect of Rotary International, will be the featured speaker. President Don also thanked everyone for their help in recruiting new members. He pointed out that many departing members had made it a priority to find "good" replacements for the Club.

     President Don then introduced the head table, which consisted of Eric Smith, Mary-Stuart Brooks, John Lassiter, Andy Zoutewelle, and Hope Lanier, who intro­duced our speakers.

    Our two speakers, Miles Garrison and Ashley Kinsley, are both students at Providence High School. They are part of a group that successfully lobbied to have Providence High host the 2001 annual conference of the National Association of Student Councils. This conference will involve fifteen hundred schools and bring together participants from five different countries. The theme of the conference will be "A Leadership Odyssey" and it will take place over five days from June 22 to July 1. Each day will have a separate theme, which will provide a forum for the students to share ideas. There will also be several nationally known speakers addressing the conference. The visiting students will be treated to a trip to Lowe's Motor Speedway and the opportunity to work on a Habitat House. Miles and Ashley concluded by pointing out the need for over 500 volunteers from our community. Miles asked us all to get involved, "be it a giant check or just helping to pick up trash."

     President Don then thanked our speakers and concluded the meeting.

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New Member

JOHN ROBERT SHELL, JR.

2000

Real Estate, Commercial

McGuire Properties
212S.TryonSt.,Ste. 1440(28281)
704-334-7383
FAX 704-334-5677
email: jshell@mcguireproperties.com

     John R. Shell, Jr. is a graduate of the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Masters degree in land use planning. John began his commercial real estate career with Sears in Chicago, directing the development of four regional malls and office developments in Dallas and Atlanta. John later served as Virginia vice president for Faison Associates, overseeing the development of three high-rise office towers and the Omni Richmond Hotel.
     John joined Charter Properties in 1988 as vice president, responsible for over 1.1 million square feet of office and industrial buildings. While there, he sold over $19 million of land and over $11 million of income properties.
     Since John joined McGuire Properties as president in 1995, McGuire has tripled in size and increased its areas of specialty to include land sales/site acquisition, investment property sales, retail brokerage, office brokerage/tenant representation, industrial brokerage, property management and hotel sales/site acquisition. McGuire Properties is now the largest commercial brokerage firm in the Carolinas.
     John has developed and leased over 6.5 million square feet of office, industrial and retail projects and is a member of the Charlotte Chamber Board of Advisors and the Johnson YMCA Board of Advisors, a former regional president of NA10P, and a designated member of HMBA. A board member of the Charlotte Region Commercial Board of Realtors (CRCBR), John will become their president in late 2000.
     John and his wife Linda have one child, Blake, who is a student at the University of Mississippi. They arc active in Myers Park United Methodist Church.
     Welcome to Charlotte Rotary, John.

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POWELL'S
OBSERVATIONS

POWELL  MAJORS

     Edgar Love in a letter to the editor of the "Observer" pointed out that Spirit Square deserves a place in arts planning.
     John Belk and Ken Harris posed with other Charlotte mayors for a picture published in the "Observer" in a story on Mike Cozza.
     Jerry Orr likes to be introduced at his speeches as "This is Jerry Orr and he runs the airport."
     Don Steger and Bill Wood are trustees of the Public Library Board.
     Charlene Kammerer was in Armenia last year — her second visit on church business.
     Jim Woodward expressed appreciation to the voters of North Carolina for approving the $3.1 billion bonds for the University and Community College Systems in an editorial for the "Observer."
     Phil Van Hoy expressed disagreement with the proposal to make Myers Park a historical district in a letter to the "Observer."
     Two Davidson college students will study abroad under Rotary International scholarships. Sam Spencer is a retired Davidson president; Julius Melton and Leland Park are on the staff at Davidson.

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