President Worth Williamson opened our meeting at 12:34 by calling Rob Thomas to the dais for a special presentation. Rob was named to the elite Scooter club and was presented with an "official Scooter pin" which he accepted with a sheepish grin. Don Steger stood and proudly waved his own Scooter pin to demonstrate that he was the very first recipient … lest our membership forget.
     Foregoing the usual Health & Happiness Report, President Worth advised us of the recent death of Lenoir Keesler. Lenoir was a stalwart in the banking world of Charlotte as well as an active Rotarian for many, many years. He will be missed. Worth then congratulated Katie Tyler on her recent Golden Hammer Award which is an impressive tribute.
     Bob Knight introduced a large number of visiting Rotarians and guests including Judges Shirley Fulton and our own Bob Johnston, Sheriff Jim Pendergraph and District Attorney Peter Gilchrist.
    Leroy Mayne announced that the Boy Scouts are honoring John Belk on the occasion of his 80^th birthday. The Scouts will host the celebration at Founders Hall on March 29^th and all Charlotte Rotary members are invited to attend.
     Jamie Armstrong presented a Rotary banner from his recent trip to Armenia. Worth reminded us that the District Conference will be held in Greenville, SC from April 28-30 and he is looking forward to a healthy representation from our club.
    Rex Welton introduced us to "Tigger" Alexander who was formerly a member of Charlotte Rotary and had to withdraw due to his travel schedule. Tigger is president of R.B. Alexander which deals in footwear. A UNC graduate, is married to "Poo" (her longtime nickname) and they have four children. We warmly welcomed Tigger back into the Charlotte Rotary fold.
     When President Worth called on Andy Fair for a News Update, it took Andy by surprise to which he responded that although he didn’t have one prepared, he would certainly make an attempt at an ad lib. Worth suggested that anyone who needed a news update today should go home and find out for themselves.
     Ray Brietz led us in an enjoyable round of "Home On The Range" followed by an invocation offered by Bill Underwood. President Worth introduced the head table consisting of William Rickard, Bob Johnston, Bill Underwood, Ronnie Pruett and Sam Woodard, as well as Luther Moore who introduced our speaker.
     In his introduction of Thomas W. Ross, Director of the North Carolina Administrative Office of the Courts and a Superior Court Judge , Luther Moore gave us Tom’s impressive background which was as fascinating as the content of Tom’s speech and gave enormous credibility to his message to us. In Luther’s words, " Tom Ross has served as Director of the Courts since June 1999 and as a Judge since 1984. His prior positions included being an Administrative Assistant to Congressman Robin Britt, a law firm partner and an Assistant Professor of Law and Government at the Institute of Government at UNC. In 1994 Tom was one of ten people in the U.S. selected as "Public Official of the Year" by GOVERNING MAGAZINE. In 1995 he received one of nine Foundation for the Improvement of Justice Awards presented nationally. In 1996, Tom was named "NC Trial Judge of the Year" and in 1999 the Raleigh N&O named him "Tarheel of the Week." He served as Chair of the NC Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission from 1990. He led NC to adopt innovative sentencing guidelines and community corrections legislation which have been called a ‘ model for the nation’ by the American Bar Association Journal. The laws Tom helped set up have been recognized with the Innovations In American Government Award. Tom is a Davidson College graduate with a JD degree from UNC. He is also a graduate of the National Judicial College and – very importantly – a Rotarian and Paul Harris Fellow. He lives in Greensboro with his wife and two children."
     Judge Ross spoke eloquently and passionately on the budgetary needs of the court system in NC and the impact of being so clearly underfunded. He used terms such as "desperate shape," "chronically under-budgeted," and "judicial squeeze." Crime is always higher in metropolitan areas and as our state – and Charlotte – continue to grow so rapidly, the obvious result is higher crime statistics and more dire need for funding for not only prosecuting attorneys for the D.A.’s office but also for lawyers and administrative staff for indigent cases. The Judge reminded us all that what separates the U.S. from the rest of the world is that both the accused and the victim are provided with court-appointed attorneys and the administrative backup for all that entails. The better equipped we are to handle court cases expediently, the better the end result for the perpetrator, the victim and the citizens. Multiple trials are difficult not only emotionally but also financially. Growing case loads for court-appointed lawyers are overwhelming and the $60 million program allocates only a $45,000 per year position to handle the overload. In other words, costs are up, the work load is up, and the administrative and personnel budget is down. 
     In the last 5 years, our judicial staff has increased by 773; technology staff has increased by 12; administrative staff has decreased by 2. Therein lies the crux of the matter. Budget priorities for which additional funds are needed:
     Critical Need: Maintain the core of court operations.
     Very High Need: Make improvement to the court system; initial implementation of technology plan; expand family court (every family deserves and needs special attention for each person in each case).
     High Need: More improvements; more technology.

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New Member

RICHARD   BOATWRIGHT
ALEXANDER

Joined 1977
Rejoined 2000

R. B. Alexander & Co., Ltd.
810 Tyvola Rd., Ste. 101 (28217)
523-4442
FAX 523-6327

     Welcome back to Charlotte Rotary, Tigger.

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