Stories
Rotary Club of Dallas Lights Up Dallas for Veterans |
Your Generosity at Work Supporting the Dallas Police Department’s Community Outreach
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Rotary Club of Dallas Lights Up Dallas for Veterans
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Rotary Club of Dallas Builds Peace One Young Person at A Time Through the Rotary Youth Exchange |
Media Recognizes RCD and Winners of its Service Above Self Teachers Awards
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Rotary Club of Dallas Hosts Positive Inter ‘Action‘ Between Police and Children (and Their Parents!)
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Rotary Club of Dallas Raises Funds to End Polio at 4th Annual Pints for Polio
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AUSTRIAN GLÜHWEIN EVENT BENEFITS SHELTERBOX AID TO UKRAINE
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One Year In: Rotary Club of Dallas Supports ShelterBox’s Continued Aid to Ukraine |
Rotary Club of Dallas Centennial Project Continues to Deliver to the Community |
The Rotary Club of Dallas and Safer Dallas Honor and Support Unsung Public Servants for Years of Selfless Service Making Dallas a Safer Place
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Dallas Rotarians Pitching-in to Cultivate Hope
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Dallas Rotarians Save Families from Evictions
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Dallas Backs the Blue on the GreenThe 7th Annual Charity Golf Tournament, hosted by The Rotary Club of Dallas benefitting Safer Dallas Better Dallas, took place on Monday, May 2, 2022, at the Brookhaven Country Club. We had a full tournament with 144 players, a huge turnout of volunteers from the Rotary Club of Dallas, and lots of fun guests, police officers, and attendees! Many of the players were members of the police force with SWAT and Equestrian forces attending to show their support of our event. |
Dual ProgramWe had two speakers at our meeting on March 2nd- Michael Pugh and our newest honorary member Charles Haley, an NFL superstar. |
EsposureFor many of us we were introduced to the world of esports by Danny Martin, co-founder and CEO of Esposure, at our meeting on January 26th. After graduating from high school in Lancaster he attended the University of Texas-San Antonio where he studied business management and entrepreneurship while honing his computer skills. |
The CliburnThe Rotary Club of Dallas is honored to have Jacques Marquis, President & CEO of The Cliburn, speak on December 15, 2021 at the Park City Club. We are thrilled that a piano presentation will also be enjoyed by all members and guests. For the 2022, 16th Annual Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, applications increased 34% with 51 Countries represented. |
Share the WarmthThe Rotary Club of Dallas recently collected donated new and gently used blankets for The Bridge Homeless Recovery Shelter located in downtown Dallas.
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Community BBQOn Saturday November 13, 2021, The Rotary Club of Dallas joined forces with the Dallas Police Department and the Joppee Community to host a BBQ for the neighborhood.
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17th Annual Salute to America's VeteransThe Rotary Club of Dallas held its 17th Annual Salute to America’s Veterans on November 10th at the Frontiers of Flight Museum. It was in celebration of Veterans Day, originally as Armistice Day, November 11, 1919 - 102 years on November 11, 2021. It was the 246 anniversary of the Marine Corp which was created in 1775 by a resolution of the Continental Congress. Since that date many thousand men have borne the name “Marine”.
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Cookies for Cops - Take 2Beginning with packaging 70 dozen cookies during our lunch meeting on November 3rd, Rotary Club of Dallas members delivered to North Central and Northwest substations of the Dallas Police Department.
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The Future of RestaurantsOn October 27th we welcomed to the podium Ray Washburne. He is a Dallas product having graduated from Highland Park High (Go Scots!) and SMU. He is a co-founder and co-owner of the M Crowd Restaurant Group which owns and operates restaurants around the US including the MiCocina chain. Interestingly he observed that there is not a worker shortage in America but that wage offerings are not high enough. |
3rd Annual Pints for PolioThis year's event was held at PT Neighborhood Pizzeria on Lemmon Avenue. We had a very special guest attend our event – Michelle Provan. Her father was a polio survivor and she saw what polio could do personally. That was why she was so excited to attend and support the cause. I encourage you to clink on the video link here and watch. https://youtu.be/7ZjMOJ4JfOk
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Branching OutThe Rotary Club of Dallas participated with The Ferguson Road Initiative to help in planting trees at White Rock Hills Park. The Ferguson Road Initiative is focused on the beautification of East Dallas through the collaborative support of the Texas Trees Foundation, Dallas Parks and Recreation, Atmos Energy, and the City of Dallas the effort focused on planting 50 new trees at the park.
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Not in My CityAccording to a 2016 report from the Statewide Human Trafficking Mapping Project of Texas, there are more than 300,000 victims of human trafficking in Texas, including 79,000 minors and youth victims of sex trafficking and nearly 234,000 adult victims of labor trafficking. |
Victorian Fencing DemoOur program on September 22nd was presented by members of the Victorian Fencing Society. While the art of fencing remains a popular sport and a competition in the Olympic Games it was pretty serious business in and 17 and 18 hundreds. Duels were fought with swords to avenge attacks on gentlemen's honors or the honors of their ladies. Fortunately more often than not the results were not fatal.
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Serve to Change LivesOn September 15th we welcomed the annual visit from the District Governor of District 5810 Max Duplant. She is a most enthusiastic person who reminded us that she has been in training for her position for two and one half years. For those of you who know her she has been a very active Rotarian for several years including serving as president of two clubs in our district. |
RCD Service In The NewsThe Rotary Club of Dallas joined Carry The Load on Friday, September 10 for a National Day of Service and Remembrance volunteering to beautify sacred grounds at the DFW National Cemetery.
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Health Wildcatters accelerator unveils its newest cohort
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TV Reporter Robert Riggs Relates Horrific Crime StoryWell-known television reporter Robert Riggs presented a jaw-dropping review of past crimes which he captures on his podcast True Crime, including one by Texas serial killer Kenneth Allen McDuff. McDuff was convicted in 1966 of torturing and murdering three teens -- two boys and a girl -- in Fort Worth. McDuff broke the girl's neck with a broomstick and he became known as the Broomstick Murderer. |
Back the Blue BreakfastOn Friday, September 3rd, our Rotarians drove to Dallas’ North Central Police Station to surprise their Crime Response Team with a huge and healthy breakfast, as well as snacks for the day. Event planning began when the CRT lieutenant called Kimberly Bowen, a local resident who helps the station’s officers in a variety of ways. For this request, she accidentally met one of our Rotarians who helped move this request forward to make it happen. Accidents do happen, and ready Rotarians make the best of them!
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Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights MuseumOur meeting on August 18th was a little different. We gathered at the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum for lunch followed by a presentation by Mary Pat Higgins, its president and CEO. She not only gave a brief history of the museum's life in Dallas but also described the various exhibits which includes interactive holograms of Holocaust survivors and concentration camp photos. |
Service Above Self Teacher AwardsAugust 11th marked one of the club's special annual events as we recognized and awarded $2,500 to three outstanding teachers in the DISD. |
Teaching America Freedom Foundation at Valley ForgeAt our meeting on July 14th Steve Cotton presented a program on the Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. Through the technological wonder of Zoom we were able to hear from David Harmer,an executive with the foundation,Trasa Cobern, a retired, award winning high school history teacher and Luke Blasek, a student at Norte Dame and founder of "Speak for America." |
Shattering the Stigma- Empower SurvivorsOn June 23rd Wendy Hanna, Executive Director of The Turning Point, spoke to the Club on the topic "Shattering the Stigma-Empowering Survivors." She received her BA degree from Oklahoma State University and came to her present leadership position from Children's Medical Center.
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DREAM Team AwardsOur meeting on May 16th was a special annual event at which we recognize our DREAM Team scholars for the 2020-2021 school year. First to speak was the Assistant Principal of Woodrow Wilson High School, Stephen Wood, who reported that despite the problems created by the Covid virus that 93% of Woodrow's seniors graduated. The good news continued from there. |
Heritage AuctionsTo those of you who are fans of "Antiques Roadshow" our meeting on June 9th was a special treat. Meredith Meuwly with Heritage Auctions gave us an overview of the world of auctioning and of appraising art, furniture and documents among numerous items of value. |
Cryptocurrency 101At our meeting on June 2nd your reporter felt transported back to the beginning of my sophomore algebra class which boggled my mind for several weeks. Arnold Spenser gave us a peek into the world of cryptocurrency which dispenses with any country's legal tender and any exterior regulation. At present there are upwards of 5000 such media with the most well known being Bitcoin.
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British Invasion Circa 1941The Club was introduced to a little known feature of North Texas at our meeting on May 26th. Bill Hutmacher, a member of of the No.1 British Flying Training School Museum's board described how a flying school was opened in Terrell from 1941 to 1945 to train pilots for the RAF. Because of our neutrality in 1941 the trainees had to resign from the RAF and be trained by civilians. |
Klyde Warren ParkKit Sawers is a woman on the go with a formidable academic background followed by heading up a number of not for profits charities. She earned a BA degree from UVA and then received her JD from SMU. She oversaw the Bickel & Brewer Foundation and was an organizer of the Super Bowl which was held at the AT&T Stadium. After serving as the chief development officer for the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas she became the executive director of the Klyde Warren Park in 2018. |
Admiral Patrick WalshThe speaker at our April 28th meeting was Dallas's own Patrick Walsh. After graduating from Jesuit High School, Admiral Walsh commenced his distinguished career in the United States Navy, culminating in command of the Pacific Fleet of the US Navy prior to his retirement. He has a particularly salient insight into his topic "The Pacific Landscape is Changing: Challenges and Realities." |
Musicals and Marketing in the Age of CovidMichael Richman, vice-president for marketing at The Dallas Summer Musicals was our speaker on April 21st on the topic " Musicals and Marketing in the Age of Covid." The DSM has a long history as one of the stellar entertainment venues in Big D. From 1941 to 1950 musicals and operettas were performed at the open air State Fair Bandshell. In 1951 productions were moved to the State Fair Music Hall. In 2016 the DSM and the Winspear Hall partnered in the national group "Broadway Across America." |
Fair Park FirstBrian Luallen presented plans for Fair Park's development for up to 20 years in the future. The project named Fair Park First contemplates major changes in the acreage which the City owns. Several aspects have specific goals in mind. There will be a real effort to make the premises more inviting to the residents in close proximity. Another object will be to provide attractions to draw Dallasites to the park year round. Much of the park currently devoted to vehicle parking will be converted to green spaces for recreation and picnic areas. |
A Year in the Life of a Covid ScoutOn March 24th Sam Thompson spoke on the topic "A Year in the Life of a Covid Scout." Although the Boy Scouts of America predates the Spanish Flu pandemic of 1919-1920 this year's pandemic presented new challenges to Scouting which have not been confronted before. Sam has served as the director of the Cub Scout program at BSA 's national headquarters in Irving and has served as the CEO of the Circle Ten Council since 2017.
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Dallas Rotary Club FoundationAt our meeting on March 17th Dennis Connally, chair of The Dallas Rotary Club Foundation, gave a report on the current state of our charitable arm of the Club's finances.
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State Fair of TexasOn March 10th the daughter of an Illinois dairy farmer enlightened us with 10 items which we may not have known about the State Fair of Texas. It's not as far-fetched as it might sound because Gina Norris has served as chair of the State Fair Board of Directors since 2019. She has been involved over the years in many organizations in Dallas which promote learning opportunities. |
White Rock Center of HopeOn March 3rd Ms.Tracee Bond , the interim director of the White Rock Center of Hope, was our speaker. The Center is supported among others by the Boy Scouts of America and John Gilbert, the District Executive for BSA was a club visitor. Charlie Moerle has been involved with Scouts in helping supply food to the Center. |
DPD Challenges and How the community can helpThanks to John Forest and Gary Griffith we had Dallas's new Chief of Police Eddie Garcia as our speaker on February 24th. Chief Garcia comes from San Jose, California where he served in the police department for 29 years, rising to its chief for the past 5 years. |
David JohnsonDavid Johnson, our favorite DFW market analyst and prognosticator, spoke to the club on February 10th with his insights on the affect of Covid 19 on the business economy. Succinctly stated he observed that strong companies prospered while small concerns are going under leaving workers unemployed for jobs that won't ever return. |
We Need a New Marshall PlanOn February 3rd the club welcomed Larry James, a former member and the director of City Square. The focus of City Square is helping marginalized people . To address poverty he suggested that the country needs a new Marshall Plan, a large scale infusion into a devastated Europe at the end of World War II. He also emphasized that in most cases those who live in poverty are just like the more prosperous strata of society but lacking in privilege and opportunity. |
IN THE NEWS: Spreading Smiles_A Garland dentist expands her practice - to her native GhanaPHOTO Elizabeth Acquaye-Kwarteng, 40, and her husband, Isaac Kwarteng, 41, are co-directors of the nonprofit Healing Hearts & Hands.(Ben Torres / Special Contributor) Elizabeth Acquaye-Kwarteng remembers standing in line as a small child with her great-grandmother in Ghana, awaiting her turn to receive a cluster of inoculations from a visiting medical group. “This is somebody who didn’t know me who took time out of their schedule to come and bless my life,” recalls the Garland dentist, who immigrated to the United States in 1989. “That motivated me to say, ‘Why can’t I do that for somebody else?’” She has. Inspired by charitable work she did in Mexico while studying at Baylor College of Dentistry, Acquaye-Kwarteng conducted her first health clinic in her native land in 2009. Her great-aunt, who has since relocated to Atlanta, recruited a couple of nurses, and they all visited an orphanage where Acquaye-Kwarteng did cleanings, removed rotted baby teeth and handed out toothbrushes and toothpaste. That first trip was fortuitous — she met her future husband, Isaac Kwarteng, who instantly offered not only to help with her efforts but also to expand them. The couple began collecting and distributing clothing, shoes and toys as well as dental care products to the needy in Ghana. They registered a nonprofit, Healing Hearts & Hands, in the United States and Ghana. |
IN THE NEWS: Geocachers Explore the City's History Through a High-Tech Treasure HuntGeocachers Explore the City's History Through a High-Tech Treasure Hunt BY: STEVE WALKER | DALLAS OBSERVER You may have heard of geocaching, a high-tech treasure hunt; geocachers, often just called “cachers,” like to say they “use multi-million-dollar satellites to find Tupperware in the woods.” And actually, that’s pretty accurate. Geocaches are all around you. You've probably parked your car next to one more than once and never known it. They exist in the woods, in urban settings, even at the bottom of the ocean and the top of Mount Everest. In fact, there is a geocache circling the Earth right now aboard the International Space Station. A geocache is usually a container, often hidden in plain sight, that at a minimum must contain a log that the geocacher can sign to prove he or she found the cache. Geocaches are searched by geographical coordinates — latitude and longitude — and are cataloged on websites dedicated to the game. The most common one is geocaching.com, but there are others. Once you find and sign a geocache, you can log the find on the website using a free or premium account. |
How Healthcare Providers Respond to a PandemicOn January 27th we heard from Steve Love who chairs the Dallas Fort Worth Hospital Council which consists of 90 member hospital units in the Metroplex area, His topic was " How Has North Texas Fared With Covid-19." Although hospitals are in competition with one another they have come together in the fight to defeat the Covid pandemic, the first which the world has confronted in over 100 years. As a part of this effort the hospital CEO's meet on line to exchange information on protocols, tracking ways to insure adequate staffing, beds and PPE. |
DFW RoundtableOn January 20th, Roger Kaplan , Sean McCarthy and Kelly Ann Sutton looked at "Covid and the DFW Economy." Roger reported that the pandemic has devastated the restaurant business throughout the US as well as in Texas which has lost 10,000 establishments and 250,000 employees. He predicted that a recovery will not come sooner than late 2021 when vaccination rates become much higher.
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Does Dallas Have What It Takes To Be a Global City?On January 13th Jim Falk, president of The Dallas-Fort Worth World Affairs Council, spoke to the club on the topic of making Dallas a more international city. Although he will soon retire he is in a unique position to address this concern having served in this position for nearly 20 years. This is not a new issue as there have been a number of studies and papers generated over the years. |
The Voice of The Dallas Mavs on 103.3We started the New Year on January 6th with a presentation from Chuck Cooperstein the voice of the Dallas Mavericks on 103.3 FM for the past sixteen years. Everyone has been affected in multiple ways since the advent of COVID 19 but as a sportscaster he has faced some problems unique to his profession such as having his view of the action at a game limited to what can be seen on television. Until March 16th he was imbedded with the team in their away games. Also since NBA teams have limited access to players there are no longer locker room interviews and Chuck has not been able to meet newly acquired Mavericks.
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This Used To Be DallasDid you know that the City of Dallas moved city hall so that Adolphus Busch could build his hotel on the site he selected?...
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Making Music in a Masked WorldFor the second time Kim Noltemy, President and CEO of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, graced our podium on December 9th to bring us a status report on the symphony's activities. Like all enterprises,public and private, COVID 19 has brought about dramatic changes.
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Crow Museum of Asian ArtDallas has been very fortunate to have had many generous philanthropists over the years, among them Trammell and Margaret Crow who created the Crow Museum of Asian Art from their extensive collection of Chinese and Eastern art in 1998.
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Sports 2020 & BeyondOur speaker on November 18th was the Metroplex's well known sports icon Norm Hitzges. An always entertaining story teller he told about growing up and attending harness races with his father which explains his life-long passion for horse racing. |
16th Annual Salute to Americas VeteransThe 16th Annual Salute to America's Veterans program honors the contributions of veterans across the generations for maintaining our freedom and liberty and raises much needed financial assistance for two organizations that transform the lives of our active military, our veterans and their families. The George W. Bush Institute – Military Service Initiative and USO DFW. Watch the FULL PROGRAM HERE -
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The American Flag: Facts You Never KnewOn November 4th Byron Cain told us about "The American Flag: Facts You Never Knew." True to his word we learned that we were among the first countries to adopt a national flag which the Continental Congress did on June 14, 1777. Over the years 4 Congressional acts and 2 presidential orders affected the "Stars and Stripes." Thirteen stripes became permanent in 1799, but configuration of the stars on the blue field was not established until President William Taft entered an executive order.
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IN THE NEWS: Hubert Zajicek named Bio North
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IN THE NEWS: The Crowther Group on Top 100 Fastest GrowingThe Crowther Group makes the SMU Cox Dallas Top 100 Fastest Growing, Privately Held Companies in Dallas Area List |
IN THE NEWS: My Roots_D MagMy Roots |
Polio- Then and NowA trip down memory lane usually recalls happy events from the past but for those of us who were born before 1950 Keith Mankin's presentation "Polio- Then and Now" reminded us of the scourge of polio which kept us away from summer activities before the development of vaccines.
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32nd Congressional ForumWhenever we have candidates for elected positions at a club meeting there is sure to be enough action to keep everyone awake. Hearing from the candidates for the 32nd Congressional District was no exception but with some additional wrinkles. |
Texas Central TrainOn October 7th Dr. Carlos Aguilar, Director of the Texas Central High Speed Rail System told the club about the future of high speed rail service in the state in the near future. Texas Central will provide service from Dallas to Houston with a stop in Bryan/College Station. On 236 miles of track trains will complete one way travel in 90 minutes at speeds of between 186 and 200 miles an hour on its own trackage with no vehicular crossings. The engineering design is well tested on the Japanese light rail system which has operated for 40 years without any fatal accidents.
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RI Diversity, Equity, and InclusionVictor Barnes, a member of RI's Senior Management Team, brought our message on September 30th on the topic "Diversity, Equity and Inclusion."
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Club AssemblyPresident Jim Frankiewicz invited multiple club members to speak on hot club topics for the club assembly held on September 23rd.
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Servant Leadership Dr. Kent KeithDr. Kent Keith he has served as an attorney, Hawaii state government official, high tech park developer, YMCA executive, full-time author, president of two private universities, and CEO of two non-profit organizations—the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership in the US, and the Greenleaf Centre for Servant Leadership (Asia) in Singapore. |
Dallas Water Brings HopeSufficient potable water and adequate sanitation are issues which confront the Third World and Rotarians have answered the call for assistance. On August 26th Walter Hughes, Jr., a member of the Rotary Club of Rocky Mount,Virginia and a recipient of Rotary's Vocational Service Leadership Award, spoke to the club about ongoing work in Ghana and Uganda. Our grant projects and dental care are well known to him as well as our members who participate.
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Creativity, It's What Brings About ChangeOn August 19th Dr. Jeanne Tunks, associate professor emerita at the University of North Texas, brought our program "Creativity, It's What Brings About Change." The creative process addresses a multiplicity of topics relating to our lives -both tangible and intangible. The hallmark of creativity as described by Dr. Tunks is the product of inspiration that brings about something new and valuable. For example novelty in art and architecture arise out of the creative mind.
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Service Above Self Teacher AwardsOn August 12th we celebrated our 28th Anniversary for recognizing outstanding teachers in the Dallas ISD. Of course COVID 19 caused the program to be quite different since it had to be on line . Nonetheless we heard moving tributes about this year's winners as well as testimonials from each one about their calling to public education. |
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IN THE NEWS: Changing Course to Promote Health Care: ‘Heath Hacker’ Confronts COVID19Changing course to promote health care: ‘health hacker’ confronts COVID-19 |
IN THE NEWS: The Health Hacking Crisis Network’s COVID Book ContestThe Health Hacking Crisis Network’s COVID-19 Book Contest |
Mayor Eric JohnsonMayor Eric Johnson will be joining us to discuss some of the big issues he sees as Dallas prepares to enter the new budget year, of particular interest is where the city council is headed with Police Department budget and its support and police reform measures. Watch the FULL PROGRAM - CLICK HERE |
Do We Now Have a Republican/Trump US Supreme Court?On July 22nd Dr. Joe Kobylka, incoming chair of the Political Science Department at SMU, spoke on the intriguing topic "Do We Now Have a Republican/Trump US Supreme Court?" His focus was on the current Court consisting of six men and three women of whom six are Roman Catholic and three are Jewish, and five of whom lean toward conservatism while the remaining four tend toward liberalism. |
Governor Special Merit AwardPDG Beverly Grogan honored The Rotary Club of Dallas' Salute to America's Veterans project with a new award, the Governor Special Merit Award |
Does The News Still Exist?On July 15th we got a "blast from the past" from retired journalist, Byron Harris. Many of us remember his 42 years as a reporter on Channel 8,WFAA-TV. His investigative business and economic reporting landed him four Edward R. Murrow Awards, two Peabody Awards and six DuPont Columbia batons. Not too surprisingly he lamented the fact that so many people get their news from "news feeds" which often lack the professionalism of journalists and the gatekeeping which fact checking used to require. |
Dallas Truth, Racial Healing and TransformationOn July 8th we heard from Jerry Hawkins, Executive Director of Dallas's Truth,Racial Healing and Transformation organization.
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Coronavirus Was NO Fun!The news media are constantly filled with stories about the coronavirus, COVID 19, but fortunately many of us weren't personally aware of anyone that was a victim- that is until our June 17th meeting.
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Strategy Outlook and UpdateScott Wren. Senior Global Market Strategist for Wells Fargo brought our program on June 3rd. He shared his views on market strategy and his outlook for the US and world economies. One has to admire his courage given that after the Dow Jones reached an all time high on February 19th it has suffered the worst quarterly contraction since World War II. And who could have predicted last week's gain of over 1700 points.
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Maintaining Civil Society in an Age of Social DistancingOn May 27th we welcomed back Dr. Robert Hunt as our speaker. His remarks were titled "Maintaining Civil Society in an Age of Social Distancing."As we are keeping physical distancing from others except for family we are no less socially connected by the internet.Too often we are not empathetic toward those we do not know as well as those with whom we interact.
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Court Appointed Special Advocates
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Texas 2036On May 13th Margaret Spellings brought a message to our club about the "Texas 2036" project named after the bicentennial of Texas independence. The initiative brings together well-known Texas leaders in politics and business to examine the status of various critical matrixes of life in Texas and where appropriate to suggest means for improvement over the next 16 years in anticipation of celebrating the first 200 years.
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Staying Mentally Well During Times of CrisisOn May 6th Vanita Halliburton presented "Staying Mentally Well During Times of Crisis" which seems fitting as we all endure confinement in our homes and separation from friends and family in person. Ms. Halliburton is a co-founder and executive chairman of the Grant Halliburton Foundation which was established in 2006 following the death of her son by suicide.
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The Witch of Wall StreetOn April 15th the "Wizard of Words" Michael Brundy presented an interesting and entertaining biography of Henrietta Robinson Green a/k/a "The Witch of Wall Street."
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COVID19: Separating Facts From MythsYou can hardly get anymore topical than our meeting on April 8th presented by Dr. Jaime Davidson. He spoke on "Separating Facts From Myths" relating to the Covid 19 virus.
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Matt's Rotary JourneyMatt Gerber Rotarian, The Rotary Club of Dallas ShelterBox USA Board Member Matt Gerber grew up in Rotary. Although he was born into a farming family in Oregon with no connection to the organization, a Rotarian and neighbor invited him to apply to be a Youth Exchange Student. |
Global Impact through Healthcare innovation in North a TexasOur own Hubert Zajicek chaired our March 4th meeting which dealt with innovations in healthcare. Hubert heads up Health Wildcatters that provides start up capital to nascent businesses, primarily in the health field,in researching and developing viable products and services. His company has provided support to 68 companies. Representatives of three of them described their enterprises.
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Safer Dallas Public Recognition AwardsA huge crowd attended our annual joint meeting and celebration with Safer Dallas Better Dallas at Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children.
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Fair Park Reshaping a Dallas Crown JewelFair Park has begun it's exciting new and expanded activities under the direction of Fair Park First, the outside agency selected by the city to bring new life to the state jewel. Brian Luallen, it's executive director, explained the non-profit organization oversees the management and stewardship of Fair Park, a 277-acre Dallas City Park, and National Historic Landmark. |
Human Trafficking: The Solution in the Dark
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A Pencil and a Pocketknife: Confessions of a War Correspondent |
Chasing Down Bonnie and ClydeAt our meeting on January 22nd Karen Blumenthal, a well-known Dallas author, spoke about the lives and exploits of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow as related in her new bookBonnie and Clyde: The Making of a Legend.
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What is Our Biggest Threat in The DFW?At our last meeting of the first decade of the 21st century our speaker was Thomas Petrowski. His has been a multifaceted career in service to our country beginning as a Green Beret, followed by a law degree and JAG service, then Special Ops action and investigating crimes committed during the Saddam Husain regime in Iraq. He joined the FBI as a Special Agent and taught at its training facility at Quantico.
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Teenage Ninja to Mutant Turtle: Becoming the Real RaphaelOn December 11th Kenn Scott gave us an entertaining autobiographical sketch beginning as a 12 year old being slammed to the floor by a seventh grade bully named Chase. Then and there he resolved to make sure that such would never happen again. For those of you old enough to remember Charles Atlas it was reminiscent of the 97 pound weakling that got sand kicked in his face.
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New Era: Cultivation, Construction, and ConductorsOn December 4th Kim Noltemy, President and CEO of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, gave us an update on goings on at the orches-tra. Under the baton of Jaap van Zweden the DSO achieved Top Ten status among US symphonies.
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Present and Future Economic TrendsMarc Giannoni, Senior Vice President and Director of the Federal Reserve Bank Of Dallas discussed the present and future economic trends at our meeting on November 20th. He observed that current indicators show a stable but slowing economy in the US and worldwide. |
Salute to America's VeteransOn behalf of the Rotary Club of Dallas, the DFW USO, the George W. Bush Institute and our 175 veteran guests in attendance, we wanted to express our sincerest appreciation for your support. We hope that you share in our pride because without the support of you, our efforts would be fruitless. |
Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights MuseumOn October 23rd Mary Pat Higgins, president of the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum, spoke to the club about the museum's new home. As she described the Holocaust Wing it brought to mind the words of George Santayana that "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it. |
Trends in Digital TechnologyOur meeting on October 16th was brought to us by "home grown talent" consisting of our own members Ed Bardwell, Robert Cerga and Jim Frankiewicz on the topic of trends in digital technology. Your reporter must confess that I thought Ed was talking about me when he told the story about the grandfather and his 5 year old grandson with an I-pad. |
FC DallasOn October 2nd the club got a large dose of entrepreneurial vision, a deep commitment to to universal game of soccer and a heaping amount of enthusiasm from our speakers Dan Hunt, the owner of FC Dallas, and well-known sports reporter and now the vice-president for communications and media for the franchise Gina Miller. |
Loving Hard To Love ParentsOn September 25th Dr. Paul Chafetz spoke about the tensions and pitfalls which can exist between adult children and their aging parents. He has over 30 years of counseling experience with the transitions that take place as children are required to take over functions previously performed by a parent including management of finances and taking care of medical and housing needs.
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DG Beverly Grogan VisitOn September 18th we were visited by District Governor Beverly Grogan. She reported on the "New Rotary" which includes some major changes such as a deletion of the attendance requirements while also liberalizing"make ups" for those who seek to have perfect attendance by allowing credit for any meeting attended within the Rotary Year. Promoting e-clubs and meeting time flexibility are also new. |
Dr. Benson UT DallasDr. Richard Benson, president of UTDallas, presented the fascinating history, dramatic progress and future of the school as it celebrates 50 years of history.
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The Cost of Living High: America’s Opioid EpidemicAll of us are familiar with the scourge that our country is currently suffering from painkilling opiates. On July 10th Jeff Simon provided greater insight into the way such drugs operate on the body, the false and deceptive claims made by drug manufacturers and wholesale distributors, and the monetary costs incurred from lost production, medical and rehabilitation treatment, and law enforcement in addition to the astounding loss of life attributed to opiate drug overdoses. |
Kids Prosper KidsThe word enthusiasm comes from the Greek language meaning God-filled and indeed both its original meaning and its current meaning of excitement describe our speaker on June 19th, Kimberli Brackett. She related how she inspired elementary age students in Prosper ISD to form "Kids Prosper Kids" to connect with children in Ghana by raising money to provide school supplies and clothing.
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Next Dallas MayorAs you read this the identity of the next mayor of Dallas, the highest elected official in city government is no longer in doubt. But such was not the case at our meeting on June 5th. The run-off candidates Eric Johnson and Scott Griggs were on the dais to answer questions about their visions for the future of Dallas ably presided over by moderator Teresa Woodard- all three native born Dallasites.
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The Ten Commandments of Crisis CommunicationWhat we say to others is not always what they hear. Preparation and sensitivity were two key points in Merrie Spaeth's presentation at our meeting on May 8th. It is inevitable that crises will occur in both the private and public sectors.
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Miles for FreedomIt is always tragic when an innocent person goes to prison as our speaker on February 27th, Richard Miles, did for 15 years before being released. Frequently it is a DNA test which conclusively shows that a convicted person was the victim of an erroneous identification by an eye witness.
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10th Annual Safer Dallas Awards"Be the Inspiration" is RI's motto for the year and our meeting on February 13th was truly inspirational as we joined Safer Dallas in our 10th annual Dallas Police Dept. Distinguished Service Award to Officer Mark Lutz and our Public Safety Leader Award to Mitchell Glieber, president of the State Fair of Texas.
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The Great Western TrailAs a Rotarian in Vernon, Texas Sylvia Mahoney first heard of The Great Western Trail. At our meeting on January 23rd she related her journey in learning about and helping to preserve this part of Western history. You may recall that her experiences appeared in The Rotarian magazine last year.
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Dr. Joe May ChancellorDr. Joe May, Chancellor of the Dallas County Community College District, spoke to our Club at our meeting on January 16th, DCCCD currently serves 140,000 students at its 7 campuses, 80,000 of whom are pursuing traditional academic programs.
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North Korea Human RightsThe remarks of our speaker at the August 22nd meeting, Lindsay Lloyd of the George Bush Institute, suggest that any accolades for North Korea's current leader, Kim Jong Un, may be premature. As part of this dynastic regime- the most repressive in the world as reported by the UN Commission of Inquiry which Lloyd characterized as an indictment- each citizen is given a loyalty rating.
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Experiencing an International Rotary Outreach ProjectExperiencing an International Rotary Outreach Project Reflections on why global giving is important from Ghana Team Member and Rotary Club of Dallas Board Member Ted Fields,DDS |