March 29, 2005

NEXT MEETING, APRIL 4… John Elkington from Performa will be our speaker.

LAST MEETING, MARCH 28… John Burwell told us all about Harbor Walk, a great new installation planned for the Reservoir area. This is no pipe dream, either – architectural plans are being finalized, buildings on the site are already coming down, and construction workers have been hired. Phase one construction is slated to begin on September 12. John told us how this destination, modeled after the very successful Santana Row in California, will feature a full-service hotel, retail space for boutiques, residential condominiums, as many as eight restaurants, and office space – all along the waterfront area. The architectural renderings he showed were truly outstanding. Phase one is due to open in spring of 2007. Thanks to Michael Barranco for arranging and introducing this program.

WELCOME TO NEW MEMBERS… number 27, 28 and 29 of this Rotary year. Introduced to the club on March 28 were…
•Paul Gonwa, President, Mayrant & Associates, LLC. Paul was introduced by his proposer, Louis Watson.
•Scherry Gilliland, Chief Development Officer, Mississippi Children’s Home Services. Scherry was introduced by her proposer, Bill Dawson.
•Henry Jones, R&D Director, SmartSynch, Inc. Henry was introduced by his proposer, Clark Love.

OUR ROTARY DISTRICT CONFERENCE… will be held April 22-24 at Lake Tiak-O-Khata. Our Board has voted to pay for registration and motel costs of any of our members who would like to attend. If you want to, please contact Bill Dawson at the Rotary office. Do so now!

ROTARFEST COMING UP… on Monday, April 26. Mark your calendars now for a super evening of food and fellowship, all compliments of the club. More details later.

PRESIDENT’S CORNER…This was truly another “red letter” day for our club. Thanks to Louis Watson, Sr., Bill Dawson, and Clark Love, for proposing and introducing our three newest Rotarians. Please make Paul Gonwa, Scherry Gilliland, and Henry Jones feel welcome. On another topic, we are truly fortunate for the continuous generosity of our membership. As you have heard from this column before, the Rotary Foundation theme for this year is “Every Rotarian Every Year”. If you are not already a Paul Harris Sustaining Member or a Paul Harris Fellow, consider making this a part of your involvement with Rotary. You already know about the many excellent programs that are funded by the Foundation. Any questions on how to become a Sustaining Member or a Fellow, contact Bill Dawson or me. Yours In Rotary, Danny