August 3, 2004

NEXT MEETING, AUGUST 9… our speaker will be Admiral Donelson of the Stennis Space Center.

LAST MEETING, AUGUST 2…Jay Moon, with the Mississippi Manufacturing Association, reminded us of the importance of manu-facturing to the state’s economy in the areas of job creation, economic growth, and international trade. He noted that for every manufacturing job (180,000 in the state) there are three additional people who owe their jobs directly to manufacturing. Jay spoke at some length of the challenges facing manufacturing these days. Globilization, although a two-way street, has moved many jobs offshore, and technology has meant that large portions of the work force have had to be retrained. In a Q&A session, Jay addressed other issues regarding manufacturing. Thanks to Bill Allison for arranging and introducing this program.

DUES, DUES, DUES… Okay, folks. MOST of you have already paid your dues for July-December. For those who haven’t, there are only a few weeks left before we turn the debt over to the guys who crack kneecaps. Please send a check, send cash, send a credit card number, or use whatever other way you might devise for paying up. We’ll accept most anything short of chickens and pigs.

YOUR BOARD OF DIRECTORS… has approved the following new member proposal. If no objections are received within seven days, he will be introduced to the club as a new member:
¦ Ronnie Tubertini, President, SouthGroup Insurance Services. Ronnie was proposed by Haden Hughes.

CONGRATULATIONS… to the 38 members of our club who had perfect attendance for the past year. And to the 31 who had perfect attendance for multiple years, led by Ronnie Lott with 24 years, McKamy Smith with 23, Bob Lowrance with 22, and Wes Holsapple with 21.

PRESIDENT’S CORNER…There are quite a number of things happening in our Club these days – it’s been a busy first month of our new Rotary Year. Already, 3 new quality members, 2 more in process, and counting. Thanks to Mark Saxon, Chair of the Membership Committee, and Royce Boyer, COG Committee chair, for helping us focus on membership development, education and retention. After the meeting today, Ann Neal met with her outstanding Sweetheart Banquet Committee. They’re off to a fast
start with some excellent plans for our upcoming Sweetheart Banquet on February 3, 2005, at the Country Club of Jackson. Mark your calendars! On another topic, congratulations to all 38 of the attendance award recipients, and thanks to Jerry Vaughn, Attendance Committee Chair for coordinating this annual recognition. Finally, welcome back to Dolphus Weary...we missed you. - Yours in Rotary, Danny