Veterans’ Day, 11/11/2021
This Veterans’ Day, President Michael Payne decided we needed to do something that was long overdue, and that was to celebrate our members who have served in the United States Military.
Mike Roark (Top Left), Jason Day (Top Right), Bruce Manuel (Bottom Left), Nick Babson (Bottom Right)
In the course of the morning’s meeting, we heard from all four members who were present telling about their time in the military. Bruce Manual started off, and reminded us briefly of the history of Veterans’ Day and how it was originally called Armistice Day and wasn’t officially changed to Veterans’ Day until 1954. Bruce then told about his experience in the Navy. He joined the Navy after graduating from college in 1980. There might have been some mumbling about choosing the Navy because of the uniforms were so good. Bruce retired in 2002 as a Lieutenant Commander. He had many global deployments including Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Next to talk was Nick Babson. Nick served in the Army From 1968 to 1971 as rank of Specialist 5. Upon receiving his orders to be deployed to Vietnam, Nick got to go home for a leave. The night before his deployment, new orders came in and the destination changed from Vietnam to Germany (Bamberg) where spent his time guarding the German/Czechoslovakia border.
President elect, Jason Day was next, and Jason served in the Navy as a Navy Chief Petty Officer. He was sent to the Red Sea during the 1st Gulf War, and the Persian Gulf, Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan during the 2nd Gulf War. The Navy sent Jason to culinary school, offered him Officer Training School which he turned down, and spent half of his career working for 2 and 3 star Admirals as well as other State dignitaries across the globe.
Finally Mike Roark told us that he joined the Naval reserves at age 17 while in High School. After High school he got a 2 year college deferment to study Electronics Engineering Technology. Mike sent two and a half years in the Navy as a Sonar Technician in special Oceanography Operations in the Bahamas and the Caribbean. Plus he had a total of 7 years in the Naval Reserves. Mike is currently a member of the VFW and the American Legion.
Greg Maloof was unable to attend this club meeting due to previous Veterans’ Day commitments, but he sent in some information regarding his service. Greg served in the Army, both active and Army Reserves from 1968 to 1989. He attained the rank of Sergeant Major.
Club's response to racial incident at University Lacrosse game on March 13
In light of the disturbing racially-charged incident at the Sewanee vs Emmanuel College lacrosse match on Saturday, March 13th, I feel that now is the correct time to express the abhorrence, embarrassment, and shock that is felt among all members of the Monteagle-Sewanee Rotary Club. In doing so, I would like to share a statement from Rotary International covering the subject of racism:
“At Rotary, we have no tolerance for racism. Promoting respect, celebrating diversity, demanding ethical leadership, and working tirelessly to advance peace are central tenets of our work.
We have more work to do to create more just, open and welcoming communities for all people.
We know there are no easy fixes and that challenging conversations and work lie before all of us. Rotary’s strength has long been our ability and commitment to bringing people together. We will tap into that strength now as we stand with those who are working for peace and justice.
Rotary will do our part to listen, learn and take action to ensure that we continue to contribute to making positive change.”
We feel that the students at The University of the South are outstanding, tolerant, and future leaders who will shine brightly. Unfortunately, it only takes a few to tarnish the many. There will be a need for healing, so please know that our Rotary club will continue with our love and respect for this great institution, and that we stand in support of the University in any way possible.
Sincerely,
Richard W. Deutsch
President, Monteagle-Sewanee Rotary Club
Letter from our President
This is the very first ‘Letter From the President’, which the club plans to publish as a quarterly event. I see this letter to be a rehash of the previous 3 months, visions of the months to come, various thoughts and hopes, and several anecdotes. I do not believe this letter should be a sounding board for the president to push her/his own opinions and agendas. This first letter is in conjunction with the beginnings of our new website, which is right now; normally the letter will be published in January, April, July, and October. Also I don’t believe there will be an objection to publish a letter if an important matter arises. So, here it is.
When I addressed the club at our last club assembly on February 4th, I wanted to give an assessment of my first half of my tenure as club president. I started by saying, “one very important fact, we still have a club….may I get an Amen?” What did I mean, or more precisely, how tongue in cheek was this statement? The answer was about 30-70. I was 30% amazed and grateful that in this time of Covid, I could wake up in the morning and there still be a club of 45 plus members. At the same time, knowing the strength of our members, I was 70% sure that “you”, the members, understood the meaning and necessity of Rotary and would push forward and continue with the vision of making the world a better place. What do I mean by “this time of Covid” and why would this affect a club? You all know this already, but here goes: We cannot meet together as a club. When we meet together, eye to eye contact, a pat on the back, a nod, a smile, and casual conversations are all ingredients that add to the camaraderie of Rotary and we cannot do that. Yes we are Service Above Self but we are also a tight knit group of friends. Zoom helps but cannot replace the real thing. We cannot have certain fund raisers. This, of course, is due to safety reasons. These fundraisers are Service Above Self moments that help define us. And finally, it seems that certain committees are reluctant to initiate Zoom meetings. This may be because, like the ‘not meeting as a club’ issue, key but subtle communication markers like a nod of the head, a shrug, the furrow of the brow, or a smile are lost; these are all the necessary ingredients for committee planning; we can’t do it, yet we continue on. What we have achieved was a successful “virtual” Hunger Walk, breaking records and expectations by bringing in $45,000 while, at the same time, utilizing a completely different approach for the raising of money; a successful Polio Plus campaign called Purple Pinkie Day brought in $2,125 yielding in matching funds $19,125; yes, that’s right, our club helped generate $19,125! and a Heart 2 Heart participation in a project called PAZo a PAZito, which is was working in conjunction with Rotary and Rotoract clubs in Mexico by helping young students with the emotional battles of school which has resulted in a abnormally high number of suicides. There are a couple of District Grants in the works. And finally, a number of members were very generous with their time by providing Thanksgiving and Christmas meals to stranded international university students. I do think people see the good over the bad, and that is why we are holding together as a club.
What happens in the months to come? We have vaccinations occurring. Will that allow for some of us to meet in person again? Will wonderful springtime weather have us eating breakfast outdoors at the Monteagle Inn? We shall see.
As I conclude this letter, I want to point out that it is being published on our new website. This website is crowning achievement in itself. It will contain all the information our members need, plus all the news, event links, project links, and website blog links for our connected clubs such as Rotaract and Interact. It will contain more photos than ever before, and generally be a platform to reflect the greatness of our club to the outside world.
Until next time,
Best Always,
Woody
Hunger Walk Funds Flowing to Local Food Pantries
John Noffsinger, the 2020 Hunger Walk Chair, reports that the total fund raised during this year’s event is $46,189.00, netting $41,061.00 after expenses.
The CAC Food Pantry will receive $18,000 total over the next 4 quarters.
Pantry Food Purchases $8,000
Project KItchen2Table Consumable Supplies $2000
Project Farm2Folks $6,000
Project Freezers $2,000 (District Grant)
CAC K2Table Project
CAC Tray Sealer funded with District Grant
CAC food delivered
AND the Grundy County Food Bank will receive $16,150 over the next 4 quarters.
Pantry Food Purchases $12,000
Project Pallet Truck $4,150 (District Grant)
Golf a No-Go
Due to the pandemic and our concern for the well-being of our friends and neighbors, we have decided to build up excitement about our annual golf tournament and drive a hole-in-one next summer, 2021. Stay tuned (and healthy)!
Monteagle-Sewanee Rotary Club's Hunger Walk
Do you know anything about the Monteagle Sewanee Rotary Club's upcoming Hunger Walk? The first person to email me (maykamalick@gmail.com) with the correct answers to the following questions (ALL of them should be answered correctly) will receive a gift certificate to the Blue Chair. All instructions must be followed carefully to win. Hunger Walk organizers (you know who you are) may not participate. No phone calls please, and only emails to the address listed above will be accepted. Please include the following in the Subject line: Answers to SM Rotary Puzzle for week of 7-19. Deadline to win is Tuesday 7-21 at noon. All answers must be according to the Hunger Walk website. Hint: There is a link to the that website in this post. Winner will be announced on this site.
1. What are the three main ways you can get involved?
2. Complete this sentence: More than 1 in ________ children in our area go to bed hungry.
3. What links are on either side of the link to our Monteagle-Sewanee Rotary Club site?
4. How many meals does one donated dollar provide according to the site?
Good luck to the winner of this week's puzzle on our site!
Learn more and register for the Hunger Walk today!
Going Strong via Zoom and in Person
The Monteagle-Sewanee Rotary Club is going strong weekly with live meetings (at the Sewanee Inn) that are Zoom-broadcasted. Join us Thursdays at 8:00 a.m.
2nd Annual Chili Cook-off a Hot Success: $9,500 Raised!
Saturday, March 7th, the Monteagle-Sewanee Rotary Club hosted the 2nd annual Chili Cook-Off and what a great day it was!
Saturday, March 7th, the Monteagle-Sewanee Rotary Club hosted the 2nd annual Chili Cook-Off and what a great day it was! Once again, we welcomed a large and enthusiastic crowd. Students, community cooks and professional chefs entered 21 teams. Approximately 200 people came to sample chili and homemade cornbread and enjoy the fun!
The success of this fundraising event is shared by many. I’d like to thank all of you. From our sponsors to ticket buyers to the people and businesses who donated services and items for the event, I am in awe of your generosity. A special thank you to our judges – John McCardell, Karl Sjolund, Henry Lodge, Caroline Sweetin and Nellie Fagan for your tasting and professionalism in selecting the prize winning chilis! First place was award to Theta Kappa Phi Sorority; Second place award went to Good Night and Have a Pleasant Tomorrow; and Third place went to The Blue Chair/Tavern. People’s Choice Award was won overwhelmingly by Enrique Madico’s Latin American Chili.
Thank you to our generous sponsors: Habanero sponsors - University of the South Board of Regents, Lodge Manufacturing, and Richard Courtney of Fridrich & Clark. Cayenne sponsors - Woody’s Bicycles and John and Bonnie McCardell. Jalapeno sponsors – Goodson Wealth Management, Sewanee Summer Music Festival, Tower Bank, Jessica and Joey Favaloro, and Charlie and Melanie Kettle. Chili sponsors – Monteagle Wine & Spirits, Village Wine & Liquors, Sewanee Market, Anne Chenoweth/Village Realtors, The Frame Gallery, Sewanee Inn, Blue Oak Projects, LLC, Janet Cooper, Bob Askew Art, University Realty, Jay & Laurie Fisher, Rhea & Nancy Bowden, Greg Maloof, Jodi McCullah, John & Kathy Solomon, Rich Wyckoff, Studio Interiors, Inc., May Kamalick, John & Tan Hille, Amy Burns, Kathy Henslee, Dan & Carolyn Hatfield, Citizens Tri County Bank, Monteagle Inn & Retreat Center.
Many thanks to The Blue Chair and Tavern, Chef Rick at McClurg Dining Hall, and Mountain Goat Market for donating gifts in kind.
Heartfelt thanks to all the members of our Rotary Club and the University Rotaract Club for making this event successful. The energy that you brought to the fundraiser was appreciated. Everyone was dedicated to making this fundraiser a huge success.
Kathy Henslee
2020 Chili Cook-Off Chairman
Monteagle-Sewanee Rotary Club