HOW I GOT WHERE I'M AT
Three Rotarians Share Their Stories
Of Morphing and Mummified Dogs
By Mike Butler
Three Rotarians -
Sherman Burns, John Hewitt and
Pam Meister -- shared stories of morphing and mummified
dogs with the Charlotte Rotary Club Tuesday in the latest
installment of the grammatically-challenged but always fascinating
series "How I Got Where I'm At." Thanks to Edwin Peacock for
coordinating another fascinating program.
Tuesday's presenters took the program to a new level of
show-and-tell, using big-screen graphics and live musical
accompaniment to tell their stories.
 Sherman
Burns, who hosted an entire table of lunch visitors,
talked about his career as an executive coach, describing his role
as "a guy who helps rising stars become superstars and maintain
their sanity in the process." Sherman said he got here by being a
"morph", an individual who has several passions running
simultaneously and acts on them. We are who our friends let us
become, he said, closing with a quote from Woody Allen, who said:
"The difference between before and after therapy is that after
therapy you're still crazy but you don't care anymore."
 John
Hewitt, vice president of Ethel Harris, Inc., a staffing
agency, is a Charlotte native who spent his early years in a variety
of settings that helped determine the course of his life. In a
humorous narrative, John described his early wanderings that led him
from the College of Charleston to the Duke Power mail room and
ultimately to his executive position with Ethel Harris, Inc. Today,
in his more settled state, John is pursuing an accounting degree at
the University of North Carolina Charlotte. He believes that hard
work and dedication coupled with strong friendships and family are
the way to a balanced life.
 Pam
Meister, Director of the Charlotte Museum of History,
pointed to a series of events in her early life that she believes
led her to her present position. A native of New Orleans and the
oldest of four sisters, Pam was impressed with her first visit to a
museum as a youngster. "Each exhibit was a window into another
world, and the building itself was a treasure chest. I've been a
museum fan ever since," she said. Her first experience working in a
museum was in rural Waycross, Georgia, where the chief attraction
was a mummified dog. She liked the blend of art and theatre the
museum world offered as well as the institutional stability it
provided. Even though Charlotte is viewed as a city of the future,
she believes the city's Museum of History is an important element in
reminding us who we are, where we came from and, as a city, "how we
got where we're at."
Head Table:
Roger Sarow, Pam Meister, Herb Harriss, Edwin Peacock, Sherman
Burns, John Hewitt, Martin Grable; Invocation: Tom Robertson
Visitors &
Guests:
Cecily Durrett; Health & Happiness: Gayle Smith; Song: Gregg Walker;
Piano: Thomas Moore
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NEW MEMBER
APPROVAL |
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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
May 16th. 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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Craig Simpson, US LEC Corp
Classification: Telecommunications, Regional
Sponsor: Luther Moore
Endorsed: Don Millen and David Erdman |
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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
David Norman did everything
in his power to ensure this year's Roster photos look
fantastic. Thanks for your photography skills.
þ
Pat Millen
introduced Adam Chalker, the 2005 Rotary Ambassadorial
Scholarship winner who spent a very active year studying
Political Science in Strasbourg, France. While in
Strasbourg, Adam had the opportunity to meet and work with
several Rotary Clubs while also having time to participate
in his goodwill ambassadorial duties engaging in friendly
debate among his classmates and even played on the school's
basketball team. Adam is a 2004 Phi Beta Kappa Graduate of
Davidson with High Honors in Political Science. He is
currently completing his Master Degree in Human Resources
Development at George Washington University.
þ
An interview that profiles new memoirs by
Donald and Jan Haack is
being aired at 10:30 am and 10:30 pm, Monday through
Saturday on (Time Warner) Channel 17 TV Review, through May
26th.
þ
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief
Darrel Stephens received an honorary Doctor of
Laws degree from his alma mater, Central Missouri State
University over the weekend. Darrel graduated from the
Warrensburg, Mo. based school in 1977 with a Master of
Science in Public Services Administration. The honorary
degree recognizes Stephens' contributions to what is known
as the community problem-oriented policing model, a
community approach used by departments around the country.
þ
Kurt Waldthausen,
Germany's honorary consul in Charlotte, is working to help
launch an annual celebration of American jazz sponsored by
Lufthansa the evening of May 12 at the Camden Square Village
in South End. Proceeds from the $40 per-person admission
benefit scholarships for UNC Charlotte students to study in
Germany.
þ
Greater Charlotte Biz profiles John
Lassiter as President of Carolina Legal Staffing,
a company John founded to recruit legal staff for private
law firms and corporate legal departments. |
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CHARLOTTE
RESCUE MISSION
would like a group of 6 Rotarians to help serve one meal a
year (not a week or a month) as an ongoing effort. Three
meals per day are available, pending on other groups not
previously scheduled. Since most Rotarians are busy, they
are not expecting anyone to cook the meal (of course, if you
want to cook or help cook - your assistance is always
appreciated). This partnership is significant to the 132 men
served at the West First Street campus. All have an
addiction to drugs and alcohol. They are trying to change
their life through the comprehensive residential recovery
program. Because of the shame base of addiction (shame is a
sense of being damaged goods and not worthy of healthy human
interaction), the meals and interaction by the Rotarians
sends a different message to the clients. It says, "You have
worth, you have value". By sitting down and simply chatting
with the clients while they enjoy their meal encourages them
that their past doesn't have to dictate their future.
Several club members have expressed the desire to
participate in more hands-on service. If you are interested
in this opportunity, please contact the Rotary office. Names
and dates will be passed on to Tony Marciano at the Rescue
Mission. If you have specific questions, it would be best if
you contacted Tony at
tonym@charlotterescuemission.org,
or 704-334-4635, ext 202. |
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Attendance
Record |
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5/09/06 |
5/10/05 |
| visitors &
guests |
12 |
49 |
| club
members |
147 |
151 |
| total
attendance |
159 |
200 |
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New Members | Resignations |
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| Roaming
Rotarians |
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Tom Burgess - Boone, NC |
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Wedding
Anniversaries |
16 Scarlett and Jay Westmoreland
19 Genia and Buddy Chatfield
20 Janet and Frank Fortner
20 Carter and George MacBain
21 Louise and Tom Norwood |
| Birthdays and
Birthplaces |
16 Ken Harris, Statesville, NC
20 Bob Elliott, Chester, SC
20 David Lewis, Richmond, VA
20 Kurt Waldthausen,
Lisbon, Portugal
21 Harold Hoak, Pottsville, PA |
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