President’s Message

Dear fellow Rotarians,

This month is a milestone in Rotary’s history – our 100th anniversary. Few other organizations have reached this landmark achievement. We’ve survived a century of change, but Rotarians have always been up to the challenge. Despite two world wars, regional conflicts, uncertain economies and unpredictable politics, Rotarians have been united by the Rotary motto of Service Above Self. For nearly 100 years, these three words have been our guiding light.

Rotary started as the inspiration of one man, Paul P. Harris. On 23 February 1905, the young lawyer met with three business associates in a small office in downtown Chicago. The group chatted about the weather, their relatives back home, and about starting a "booster club." This unassuming group of friends would eventually lay the groundwork for the world’s first service organization.

Paul Harris is an example of how one person can change the course of history. His pioneering vision gave rise to the concept of volunteerism at a time when there was little concern for the "common man." The group of four eventually grew and expanded across borders to form an international organization dedicated to humanitarian service and peace. Rotary is historic in that it has transcended geographic, religious, racial, political, social and other barriers.

I feel privileged to serve as your president during the centennial year. As a Rotarian who grew up in a small rural community, I can relate to Paul Harris and his desire to make friends and help his neighbors. I chose the RI theme Celebrate Rotary so that each club could commemorate the centennial its own special way. Our anniversary is a golden opportunity to raise awareness and publicize the good works of Rotary.

Rotary club members are ordinary people who accomplish extraordinary things – sometimes through sheer force of will. Thanks to The Rotary Foundation of RI, Rotarians have provided more than $1.4 billion for service projects in more than 166 countries. Rotary supports the world’s largest privately funded international scholarship program and sponsors one of the world’s most popular youth exchange programs. We have been leaders in the global fight against polio, saving millions of children from this crippling disease. It is our birthday gift to the children of the world.

Few organizations reach their 100th anniversary, illustrating the tremendous need for Rotary over the years. But our centennial is not just a time to reflect upon our past accomplishments. It is also a time to look to the future, to set new goals and face new challenges. We must continue to dedicate ourselves to world peace, promote high ethical standards and seek new opportunities for service.

One hundred years ago, Paul Harris took the first steps on our journey of service. As we enter our second century of service, we must continue to evolve and grow as an organization. I encourage Rotarians to raise the bar and reinvent the Rotary wheel. With more than 1.2 million members in 166 countries, we have incredible potential to change the world.

RI President James L. Bomar Jr. (1979-80) described Rotary’s founding fathers as the "builders of eternity." Rotary is truly ageless in that its legacy lives on through millions of people who have benefited from our projects and programs. Let us Celebrate Rotary by creating a better world and a better future. The next 100 years holds even greater challenges – and greater promise.

Glenn E. Estess Sr.

President, Rotary International

Rotary Won Over its Earliest Critics

By David C. Forward

As Rotary clubs grew exponentially in the 1920's and 1930's, not all of attention the movement received was positive. Among the most outspoken critics of Rotary were authors George Bernard Shaw and Sinclair Lewis.

This book excerpt details how Rotary ultimately won the public image battle over its critics. Excerpt from A Century of Service: The Story of Rotary International © 2003 Rotary International.

"As the Rotary movement spread across America and Britain, it became a favorite target for cynical writers and social critics. One newspaper editorial opined: ‘The Rotary club is composed of businessmen. The functions of a Rotary club are summed up in one word — talk. That is about all the members of the club do. The Rotary club never takes any action. Its members simply talk, or listen while others talk’."

"Where is Rotary going? It is going to lunch," sneered playwright George Bernard Shaw.

Rotary's most outspoken critics in the 1920s and 1930s included Shaw, Sinclair Lewis, Clarence Darrow, H. L. Mencken, and G. K. Chesterton. Mencken, the acerbic editor of the American Mercury, wrote of his contempt for Rotary's "commercial civilization."

He also derided Rotarians for their habit of greeting one another by their first names or nicknames: "The first Rotarian was the first man to call John the Baptist, 'Jack,'" he scoffed.

Sinclair Lewis touched on the same point in his 1920 novel Main Street but it was his 1922 novel, Babbitt, that caused howls of protest from Rotarians.

In it, the title character was a bumbling middle-class small-town businessman who was a follower, whose weekly highlight was the backslapping singing camaraderie of like-minded men at his booster club.

Taking their lead from such famous authors, other writers joined in the parody parade with potshots of their own. They were rarely scathing attacks, but Babbitt, especially, was such a best seller that the criticism endured for decades.

By then, the word Babbitt had even entered the official national vernacular. Dictionaries started including it, with the definition in Webster's New Collegiate: "A business or professional man who conforms unthinkingly to prevailing middle class standards."

When in 1934 another dictionary leaked that it was considering equating its own definition of Babbitt with Rotarian, Editor Leland D. Case of The Rotarian had had enough.

One steamy August morning he took matters into his own hands and paid an unannounced visit to Sinclair Lewis' summer home in Vermont.

"Who the hell're you, and what do you want?" growled the sleepy cynic as he opened the door in his blue pajamas. Case explained that he edited Rotary's magazine in Chicago and had come to find out what Lewis disliked about Rotarians.

"Sit down," Lewis commanded. "First, we'll have breakfast. Then we'll talk."

When they got to the discussion, Lewis stated his first objection: "I don't like their singing!"

"Neither do I," Case concurred. "What else?"

"Calling strangers by their first names," Lewis continued. "I visited a Rotary club near here and right away they were calling me 'Sinclair,' something I hadn't heard since I last saw my mother."

Case knew that Lewis hailed from the tiny town of Sauk Center, Minn. He told him the story of Rotary's founder, Paul Harris, another young man from a small village who felt lonely in the big city and how using the nicknames and first names of his new friends enhanced their camaraderie.

The amicable meeting lasted all morning. When Case arrived back at his Chicago office, he found a telegram from Lewis saying that their chat had "made me approve of Rotary."

Case later persuaded Lewis, Darrow, Mencken, and Shaw to write for The Rotarian, and nobody ever heard a sarcastic remark about Rotary from them again.

On its Centennial, Rotary Offers Many Reasons to Join

There are a variety of reasons why people elect to become Rotarians.

Professional Networking

A founding principle of Rotary was to meet periodically to enjoy camaraderie and enlarge one’s circle of business and professional acquaintances. As the oldest service club in the world, Rotary club members represent a cross-section of the community’s owners, executives, managers, political leaders, and professionals — people who make decisions and influence policy.

Service Opportunities

Club members have many opportunities for humanitarian service, both locally and internationally. Service programs address such concerns as health care, hunger, poverty, illiteracy, and the environment. Rotarians experience the fulfillment that comes from giving back to the community.

International Awareness

With more than 32,000 Rotary clubs in 166 countries, Rotarians gain an understanding of humanitarian issues through international service projects and exchange programs. One of Rotary’s highest objectives is to build goodwill and peace throughout the world.

Friendship

Rotary was founded on fellowship, an ideal that remains a major attraction of membership today. Club members enjoy the camaraderie with like-minded professionals, and club projects offer additional opportunities to develop enduring friendships. Rotary club members who travel have friendly contacts in almost every city in the world.

Good Citizenship

Weekly Rotary club programs keep members informed about what is taking place in the community, nation, and world and motivated to make a difference.

Family Foundations

Rotary sponsors some of the world’s largest youth exchange, educational exchange, and scholarship programs. Rotary clubs provide innovative training opportunities and mentoring for young leaders and involve family members in a wide range of social and service activities.

Entertainment

Social activities give Rotarians a chance to let loose and have fun. Every Rotary club and district hosts parties and activities that offer diversions from today’s demanding professional and personal schedules. Conferences, conventions, assemblies, and social events provide entertainment as well as Rotary information, education, and service.

Ethical Environment

From the earliest days of the organization, Rotarians were concerned with promoting high ethical standards in their professional lives. One of the world’s most widely printed and quoted statements of business ethics is The 4-Way Test, which was created in 1932 by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor when he was asked to take charge of a company that was facing bankruptcy.

The 24-word test for employees to follow in their business and professional lives became the guide for sales, production, advertising, and all relations with dealers and customers, and the survival of the company is credited to this simple philosophy. Adopted by Rotary in 1943, the 4-Way Test has been translated into more than a hundred languages and published in thousands of ways.

It asks the following four questions of the things we think, say or do:

1) Is it the TRUTH?

2) Is it FAIR to all concerned?

3) Will it BUILD GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

4) Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?



Leadership Development

Rotary is an organization of successful professionals. Team building, fundraising, public speaking, planning, organization, and communication are just a sampling of the leadership skills that club members can exercise and enhance. Being a Rotary leader provides further experience in learning how to motivate, inspire, and guide others.

Diversity in Membership

Rotary’s classification system ensures that a club’s membership represents a variety of the community’s professional men and women, including leaders in business, industry, the arts, government, sports, the military, and religion. Rotary clubs are nonpolitical, nonreligious, and open to all cultures, races, and creeds.

Membership offers benefits

Tullahoma Rotarians are business and professional leaders who take an active role in their communities while greatly enriching their personal and professional lives. The club contains a diverse group of professional leaders from the community. The club’s goal is to have members who are a progressive representation of the community’s business, vocational and professional interests.

To find out more about the Tullahoma Noon Rotary Club contact membership chair Jaine Coley at 455-2000 or visit the club’s Web site at www.tullahomanoonrotaryclub.org.

For information on the Sunrise Rotary Club, contact membership chairman Dot Watson at 455-5014 or visit the club Web site at www.tullahomasunriserotary.org.

Rotarians Involved in Free Clinic

"Partners for Healing," a free medical clinic for uninsured workers, provides Rotarians in Coffee County a way to practice "service above self."

Of the 43 million Americans who are said to have no health insurance, 19,000 are believed to live in a four-county area which includes Coffee County.

While "Partners for Healing" is not sponsored by any of the three Coffee County Rotary Clubs — Tullahoma Noon, Tullahoma Sunrise, and Manchester, there are at least 16 Rotarians, who not only helped to found the venture, but also are actively involved in its operations.

A feasibility study was conducted by a steering committee, headed by Rotarians, Rev. Bill Starnes and industrialist Fran Marcum, with Dr. James Lindsay.

Day-to-day volunteer and community support coordinator Dot Watson is a Rotarian, as are 12 board members. Rotarians Dr. Keith Robison, Tom Watson and Bill Bates, plus seven Interact students provide weekly and other special services.

The clinic is patterned on "Volunteers in Medicine," a free clinic started several years ago by Dr. Jack McConnell on Hilton Head Island.

Open part-time for only two and a half years, Partners for Healing clinic has already provided primary health care and assistance for 550 adults and children during more than 1,500 office visits. An average of 146 patients is seen each month, with the most prevalent diagnosis being, hypertension, diabetes and depression.

The clinic operates with four part-time paid positions, including a clinic administrator, two nurse practitioners and one nurse. Three physicians volunteer on-site time, and 30 physician specialists, including three in surrounding counties, support the work of the clinic by taking referrals. Thirteen nurses volunteer at the clinic, and each month 60 individuals from throughout the community provide more than 600 volunteer hours. Local hospitals and other providers contribute laboratory, radiology and other diagnostic testing.

According to organizers, the clinic has benefited area hospitals by reducing the number of non-emergency visits to emergency rooms.

Partners for Healing works closely with the local Health Department, Mental Health Center, Motlow Community College nursing program, the Multi-County Cancer Support Network and other local social agencies.

The clinic receives medication assistance through pharmaceutical patient assistance programs, and passes along outdated medications to the Motlow nursing program to be used in clinical classes.

With funding from a vitamin grant, the clinic offers nutritional counseling for one of the number one health issues in America, obesity.

Grants, churches, and individual contributors provide primary funding for the clinic, with local hospitals, businesses and civic organizations, including all three Rotary Clubs, also contributing.

In-kind donations of equipment, supplies, and services, as well as special fundraisers sponsored by local organizations provide additional support.

Partners for Healing held it first major fundraiser this year, "Purse String Power for Healing", with guest speaker Tennessee First Lady Andrea Conte Bredesen. Approximately, $17,000 was raised.

Partners for Healing has proven to be an extraordinary community collaboration and full fills the prediction of Dr. Jack McConnell, who predicted such an endeavor could "make a community out of a town."

Tennessee Commissioner of Health, Dr. Kenneth Robinson called Coffee County, "a community of caring people," and the clinic, a project "not frequently seen in small towns."

Rotarians have played a vital role in providing free primary health care for deserving workers and their families in the community.

Many Tullahoma Rotarians have been Elevated to Paul Harris Fellow Status

Anyone who contributes - or in whose name is contributed a gift of $1,000 or more to the Annual Programs Fund may become a Paul Harris Fellow. Each new Paul Harris Fellow receives a commemorative certificate, a Paul Harris Fellow pin, and a medallion. Donors are eligible for Paul Harris Fellow recognition when their cumulative giving reaches $1,000. Paul Harris Fellow recipients are recognized at the annual Sweetheart Banquet in February.

At present, there are 135 past and present members of the Tullahoma Noon Rotary Club who have received the designation and at publication time two more were to be announced.

Photo: 32 of Tullahoma’s Paul Harris Fellows gather for a group photograph.

Current fellows are:

Robert (Bob) Couch Allan R. Crouch * Floyd Mitchell * Robert F. Scott * William Locker Brown John W. Harton Jr. * G. Nelson Forrester Malcolm W. Hazelip John Parish L. B. Jennings * Jimmy Farrar Bill Starnes Ralph Kilts Chester Furlong * James G. Mitchell H. L. Noblitt * Jack Dayton Tom Hampton William S. Housholder Fred Juer * William Sanders III * Jack R. Thomas Clarke Woodfin George Orr W. E. Stephens Jr. * R. J. Hayes Maximillian Lamont Robert Ratcliffe Joe A. Williams Clyde Smith Jr. Thomas Ballou Bill Keene William Rennhack Jack Anthony Murray Brown James H. Henry II Joe Lester Jack Thoma Nat Washburn Brian A. Bacon Bill R. Bates King Bird Karl Boehm Tony Graham Doyle Richardson

A. Frank Glass Mike Greene Kim Klonaris Sam Pate Claude Snoddy * Marlon Trimble Thomas R. Ward Pat Welsh Robert L. Young Jim Devlin Claire Eoff * Stan McNabb Hunter Norris David Prescott Richard A. Slater E. Bracton Thoma F. Monroe Whitaker Ron Young Harry Nisbett William Sanders IV Bill R. Tipps Jimmie Bearden Steve Ennis Dick Fewell Robin Hines Jerry Kennedy Randy Smith Rogers Starr Tom Watson James Artman Garland Honeycutt Art Walker Milner Carden Steve Cope George Dangler Charles Parish Steve Worsham Terry Craig John P. Hartin Fran Marcum Frank Passarello Bill Clubertson Ray Knowis Bill Stone Busch Thoma Rusty Barton

Jim Bratcher Diane Bryant Jim Carson III Don Crownover Robert Dietz Jim Fuqua Lee Gossick Sam Harper Lisa Hayes Coolidge Holt Frank Jackson David Johnson Mike Milam Jim Murphy Jim Nicholson John Parish Jr. Robert Parish Richard Shasteen Michael TeVrucht Phil Trimble David Wilson Jim Woodard William C. Bates Claud Chellstorp David Denton Paul R. Larson John Rickman Alan B. Sweeton G. Nelson Forrester Al Hennigan Sylvia Jones Ann M. Knowis C. Michael Locke Samuel A. Mann John Miller Mickey G. Miller Francis M. Painter Ward Protsman Tina M. Rose Friends of Jack Thoma Elwanda Vibbert William Yoder George Vibbert Courtney D. Vaughn

Tullahoma Rotary Club the City’s Oldest Civic Club

Preliminary work on a Rotary Club for the community was undertaken in the fall of 1921.

A number of citizens assembled in the room now occupied by Davis Insurance Agency, and a committee of Rotarians from Nashville acquainted them with facts about the organization. Interest was so great that it was decided to form a club in Tullahoma.

In February of 1922, the district Governor, Graham T. Hall, of Nashville, notified the local group that he would visit Tullahoma to deliver a club charter.

Mr. Hall visited Lewisburg, where he delivered the charter to the club there at noon, and then was picked up by W.J. Sanders, Jr. and the late G.W. Stegall and driven by car to Tullahoma, where he presented the charter that evening.

The following day, Mr. Hall went to McMinnville by train and presented the charter to the club there at noon. Thus, three of the state’s neighbor Rotary clubs received their charters within a 25-hour period.

First officers to serve the Tullahoma Club were G. S. Lannon, Jr. president; Charles L. Moffatt, treasurer, and W. Sanders, secretary.

These officers were elected to serve from the date of the charter until the last of June. At a later date, they were re-elected from July, 1922, through June of 1923.

Dot and Bob Couch one of the husband and wife teams and both Paul Harris Fellows.

Rotary Club Programs Aid a Wide Variety of Organizations

The object of Rotary is "Service above self." This phrase was first coined by Ben Collins, president of the Rotary Club of Minneapolis, Minn., in 1910 and was later adopted as part of the official motto of Rotary.

Tullahoma Rotarians have contributed time, service and financial support to numerous programs and organizations.

In 1985, Rotary International created PolioPlus — a program to immunize all the world’s children against polio by 2005. To date, the Polio-Plus program has committed over $500 million to the protection of more than two billion children in 122 countries. These funds are providing much needed polio vaccine, operational support, laboratory equipment, medical personnel, and educational materials for health workers and parents.

PolioPlus is one of the most ambitious humanitarian undertakings made by a private entity. It will serve as a paradigm for public/private collaborations in the fight against disease.

Interact is a Rotary-sponsored service club for young people ages 14-18. The program gives young people an opportunity to participate in fun, meaningful service projects while developing leadership skills and meeting new friends. Through service activities, Interactors learn the importance of developing leadership skills and personal integrity; demonstrating helpfulness and respect for others; and advancing international understanding and goodwill. The club advisor is Dean Rodenbeck. For more information about Interact contact Rodenbeck or Principal Greg Carter at Tullahoma High School.

The following is a partial list of other club’s benevolent efforts over the past seven years:

ALS Foundation American Legion Boys State Books for Babies Boy Scouts Contact Life Line Creating Educational Opportunities Disaster Relief Fund East Lincoln Elementary 5th grade Fellowship of Christian Athletes Hands-on-Science Center Hasak Orphanage

Haven of Hope Hogar Victoria Orphanage Horse Play International Firefighters J. Bomar Scholarship Fund Mayor’s Youth Council Motlow State Community College Partners for Healing Project Graduation RAD (Rape, Aggression, Defense) Class Scholarships THS Explorer Post

THS Rotary Track Meet THS Singers THS Swim Team THS Wrestling Tullahoma Day Care Center Tullahoma Senior Citizens Underpass Landscaping Project United Way Vocational Awards Youth Exchange

Sunrise Club Established 13 Years Ago this August

The Sunrise Rotary Club began on Aug. 31, 1992, sponsored by the Tullahoma
Noon Rotary Club.

The first meetings were at the Ponderosa Restaurant, moving later to Alexander's and then to its present location at St. Barnabas' Episcopal Church.

The club presently has 51 members, including founding members Ann Cline, Bob Couch, Marcia Everett, Joe
Loggins, George Orr, John Parker, K.C. Reddy, William
Rennhack, Roland Segroves and John Stubbs.

Past presidents are William Rennack, 92-93; Dave Pickering, 93-94; Roland Segroves, 94-95; Joe Loggins, 96-97; Marsha Everette, 97-98; Jim Conley, 98-99; Tom Bentley, 99-2000; Roy Eckert, 01-02; Shawn McBride, 02-03, and John Stubbs, 03-04.

The current president is Brenda Cannon to be followed next year by Howard Kirksey.

The club meets each Tuesday at 6:45 a.m. at St.
Barnabas' Episcopal Church at 707 SE Atlantic St. in
Tullahoma. Visitors or prospective members always welcome.
The club’s mailing address
is P. O. Box 191 Tullahoma 37388.

Photo: Dot Watson, left, Sunrise Rotary Club membership chairman, and club president Brenda Cannon take time out during the club’s annual pancake breakfast fundraiser. Held at Applebee’s in November, the event raised $3,000 the club is using to support community activities that improve the quality of life for local residents.

Sunrise Rotary Club Activities Spread Past Tullahoma City Limits

What sets the Tullahoma Sunrise Rotary Club apart from other Rotary Clubs? Much, according to club president Brenda Cannon.

Joining in the 100th Anniversary celebration of Rotary International, the Sunrise Rotary Club has much to celebrate. All celebrations are centered around improving the quality of life for citizens in Tullahoma, spilling into neighboring Manchester as well as supporting international projects.

The club’s influence reaches elementary students to high school students to adult learners who have earned their high school diplomas through a GED program to Motlow College students as well as students enrolled at the Tennessee Technology Center in Shelbyville. Its influence can be seen around town as Rotarians go about their busy lives.

"The grassroots to celebrating Rotary and its global missions are through service to our local community and its citizens," Cannon said. "The 100th Anniversary of Rotary International brings to the forefront of every community the passion and purpose of local Rotarians, who are your neighbors, co-workers, peers, and friends.

To many, an early morning meeting is beyond comprehension. To the club’s 51 members, it’s what they do and what they enjoy doing, weekly.

"My sister visited the club during the holidays," Cannon said. "She kept asking, "Why do you get up so early (4:30 a.m. each Tuesday) for Rotary?" My reply was simple, "I meet my friends at Rotary!"

Friendships are a major component within the club. Beyond friendships, Rotary is a place where people grow, expand, and cultivate the desire to serve others as Rotarian pledge service above self.

"We invite new members into the club, and are constantly seeking and recruiting them," Cannon said. "The club meets each Tuesday at 6:45 a.m. at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Tullahoma. Visitors are guaranteed good food, good fun, and good fellowship. We’ll toss in a good program to boot!"

Photo: Sunrise Rotarian John Stubbs, left, congratulates Vincent Guilliams, one of the first persons to make a solo flight after having completed the Sunrise Rotary Club’s Pilot 101 program. Joining in the celebration is pilot instructor Phil Maywald. Started over two years ago, the program provides free student lessons ending with a solo flight for deserving area high school students. To date, seven students have successfully completed the program.

Rotary Emblem Nearly as Old as Rotary Itself

The emblem – known as the Rotary wheel or gearwheel – has been around nearly as long as Rotary itself.

To Rotarians past and present, the Rotary wheel has evoked the image of a well-oiled, efficient machine, working for the service of mankind.

Rotary’s emblem not only distinguishes Rotary in the community, but also helps Rotarians identify each other and find clubs when traveling.

The Rotary emblem, like Rotary’s name, is a registered trademark, protected throughout the world by Rotary International. These trademarks, among numerous others owned by RI, are commonly referred to as the “Rotary Marks.”

RI encourages Rotary clubs, Rotary districts and other Rotary entities to use the Rotary emblem in conjunction with the name of their clubs and districts when they host or organize local projects or events.