October 21, 2003

NEXT MEETING, OCTOBER 27… we’ll hear from fellow Rotarian Dr. Dan Jones, Vice Chancellor, UMC.

LAST MEETING, OCTOBER 20… Ray Mabus, former Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, told us a lot about this important country. Two things dominate any conversation about Saudi Arabia – OIL and ISLAM. The country has more than 25% of all the world’s known oil reserves, and they practice a form of Islam that is unchanged since the days of the Prophet in the seventh century. Even though the Saudis have, at the government level, been a quiet ally of ours for many years, 15 of the 19 terrorists on 9/11 were Saudis, as is Osama himself. Speaking of the terrorists, Ray told us, “we can’t let those people change who we are. We can never, never give up.” Thanks to Danny Williams for introducing this program.

THE ROTARY SPOTLIGHT…swung around on October 20 to shine on Ann Neal, Director of His Way. Ann is also our Cog Club Chair.

TIGER WOODS, LOOK OUT… our golfers are hot on your trail. After the dust had cleared last week at our annual golf tournament, the winning foursome was Mac Temple, Jack Blackburn, Rick Trethaway, and Bob Reynolds. Their score? Classified. But it would beat Tiger on any day! Also snagging prizes: Joel Bobo for the longest drive and Keith Ferguson for closest to the pin, both on designated holes. Congrats to Joel for chairing a great committee. A good time was had by all.

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:
• Charles Brooks, NYLIFE Securities, Inc. Charles was proposed by Larry Johnson.

COMING SOON… the Fall Rotarfest, which is set for November 10. That’s a Monday when we don’t have a daytime meeting (Veteran’s Day), and is a good time for makeup. Mostly, though, it’s a great time for fellowship with other Rotarians. Details later from Chairman J.D. Fly. But get it on your calendar.

WELCOME TO NEW MEMBER… number eight of this Rotary year. Introduced to the club at the October 20 meeting was…
• Emmett Crockett, Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Jackson State University. Emmett was introduced by the President of Jackson State, Ron Mason.

PRESIDENT’S CORNER… We’ll all want to remember Jack Slater’s wife, who is in the hospital. And we’ll want to congratulate Andy Covington on a healthy baby boy, James Carson. Congratulations also to Fred Neil, who was our 50th president (’62-’63), on celebrating 50 years as a Rotarian. Fred is our oldest living past president. Our Cog Club continues to do a great job of greeting members as we enter the building each Monday. Be sure to introduce yourself to them. Also, congratulate Howard Catchings for being a Paul Harris Fellow once again. He and his wife are both Fellows, and this is Howard’s second award. – Haden