I have 17 more visit to complete my tour of our District Clubs. I have not found a weak or needy club yet. Every club I visit is strong and ready to serve their community and the world. Every club seems able to achieve the Rotary Club Citation for this year and were glad to have the guide to completing the citation that I sent earlier.
We have lost another Past District Governor as Howard Merser of the Greater Southwest Rotary Club of Lubbock passed away. His memorial service is set for October 22 at 10:00am at Second Baptist Church in Lubbock. He lead his club to invest in the District Apple Orchard at its beginning and was instrumental in getting the first Honor Flight off the ground. He was a distinguished veteran and served his country, his community and the world with honor.
I am trying to attend as many club functions as possible. I need to have a note from clubs that plan events so I can attend. I am attending the Metropolitan Lubbock Rotary Club Octoberfest tonight and will be in Littlefield for a great Chili Supper later this month. The Octoberfest in Dumas was rescheduled for the Spring after there were booking problems with their venue. Club events are a great way to connect with the community.
There will be a day of Foundation Training at the Lubbock Country Club lead by Rich Kaye, one or our Rotary Foundation Coordinators. This will be from noon to 4pm and will include lunch. This will be great training for club presidents, and club foundation chairs. Rich is involved in the Trust that provides matching funds for Rotarians working on their first PHF. I would like to see lots of folks at this training to get key information on supporting the using the Rotary Foundation to make a better world.
On November 8, we will be celebrating the work of the Rotary Foundation with a Dinner and Keynote address by our Zone Director Johrita Solari. You can register for this dinner on the district website probably just below this governor’s note. I want to see lots of Rotarians in Midland for this great time to connect.
Our Governor-Elect Bonnie Pendleton will be contacting all club President-Elects to get them ready for our Presidents Elect Training Seminar at the Hyatt Regency DFW Airport on February 27 –March 1 2020. This is a fantastic time to get great training and most importantly, make connections with president-elects from Texas and part of Oklahoma. This is a time that you will want to remember for years to come as you gain great friends and resources.
I was honored to install two new members of the Post Rotary Club on my visit with them. I have often been teased about getting a lot of chicken-fried-steak on my visit tour but that has not happened and Post Rotary had a great chicken-fried-steak lunch that I would return for any day. This club has bounced back from the loss of their President Kevin Wright in September. Their new president Lee Norman was already planning how to complete Kevin’s goals and the new members that day reflected Kevin’s desire to have a new member each month. A well connected club.
The Borger Rotary Club visit gave me the opportunity to visit with PDG Roger Sepulveda and his wife Jeanette. President and Assistant Governor Brandy Callahan had a fantastic welcome wagon that gave visitors lots of information about the club and Borger. I awarded Brandy the Super-Rotarian pin for working so hard to make Rotary great in her area.
President of the Borger Rotary Club Brandi Callahan with Governor Steve and First Lady Sandy Long. Look hard to see her Super Rotarian pin.
The Perryton Rotary Club was another great place that all should visit. I was honored to present a member with his first Paul Harris Fellow award. I think several more clubs will join the 100% PHF group this year. As I write this note today I see that Perryton has snow on the ground.
