OKC ROTARY NEWS

January 28, 2025 | Volume 113 | No. 28
In-Person and Livestreamed from Christian Life Center - St. Luke's Methodist Church | 11:55
Livestream Available 11:55am

OAK: Bringing a Major Masterplan Development Back to your Hometown

Ryan McNeil - Veritas Development Founder
Tammy Fate - Greater Okla. City Chamber of Commerce Director of Retail Development and Recruitment

READ MORE
Chair of the Day: Karen Wicker
Invocation: Vered Harris
Introduction of Guests:   Kathryn Wilson Wheeler
Introduction of Teacher of the Month: Mark Neumeister
Teacher Greeter: Sherry Fair
New Rotarian Table Greeters: Brooke Haneborg, Paul Moore
Scanners/ Greeters:    Stephen Zahn, Emily Stratton
Registration:   Susan Adams, Wendi Wilson
Roving Microphone: Bailey Perkins Wright
Menu:   Honey Garlic Pork Loin-demi sauce; Blackened Chicken; Wild Rice; Broccoli; Mediterranean White Bean Salad; House Salad

Club 29 Breakfast

Quail Creek Country Club | 7:00am | Wingspan Room
2024-2025 Co-Chairs - Susan McVey and Bud Oehlert

Jan. 30, 2025 - Paul Monies, OK Watch, “Covering Politics and Policy in the Attention Economies”

reflections

Musings about our President Elect and the Four Way Test

by Burns Hargis

With Ross Plourde being the incoming President of Club 29, I thought a little background might be of interest. Ross is a long-time colleague of mine. We have been law partners off and on for 45 years. I say off and on because I was with the Bank of Oklahoma for 10 years and OSU for over 13 years.

It all began when the FDIC closed Penn Square Bank on July 5, 1982. My then law firm, Reynolds, Ridings, and Hargis, was the only approved FDIC law firm in Oklahoma, thanks to our Senior Partner, Norman Reynolds, who had represented the FDIC in an earlier matter. Norman was nearing retirement and left it up to me to decide whether to accept the engagement. I certainly knew nothing about closing a bank, but I didn’t let that little fact dissuade me. So began a decade-long chaotic journey.

Early on, I realized I needed help, lots of help. We were a small firm and were being swamped with matters arising out of Penn Square and other bank closings and all the attendant issues. I knew a commercial law professor at OCU law school named Alvin Harrell. I asked Al if we could hire some of his time and expertise. He said he really didn’t have the time but was very impressed with a recent graduate who was working at the Attorney General’s office named Ross Plourde. When I interviewed Ross, I too was impressed. He joined our firm in October 1983. He had a little adjustment from working for the state to private practice. He was to start on Columbus Day but asked if the office was closed for the observance. I assured him that the office would definitely be open!

Ross and I have been partners “off and on ever since.” In 1989, I decided to run for Governor. It was a curious decision after many years of closing banks, suing Directors while also Chairing the Department of Human Services Commission. (Most Republicans are not big fans of the “welfare department.”) I was appointed to the position by Governor Henry Bellmon, which is a job you get if you don’t give the Governor enough money! READ MORE

Announcements

=>Accounting Email Change

On July 1, 2024 the Rotary Club of Oklahoma City updated our accounting software to QuickBooks Online. With this change, the email address that sends your statements has been updated to: quickbooks@notification.intuit.com

Please add the above email address to your safe senders list and check your spam/junk folders for communications from the Rotary office. Quarterly statements were emailed and we appreciate your assistance to ensure timely payment.

Teacher of the Month

Cristy Gosset, choir teacher at Mayfield Middle School, will be introduced by Mark Neumeister. Cristy is the January 2025 Teacher of the Month.

Memorial Donation

The Rotary Club 29 Foundation gratefully acknowledges a memorial gift in memory of Ed Porter from Robert Clements.

Rotary District Grant

Each year, our club has the opportunity to apply for a district grant with District 5750 in which our club contributes 1/3 the cost of a project and the district provides the other 2/3rds of funding. This past May, our domestic service committee submitted a $6,514 grant to purchase a Vibe board for the Down Syndrome Association of Central Oklahoma. The vibe board has multifunctional capabilities that will support their educational endeavors, foster community, and advocacy efforts, and streamline administrative processes.

Currently DSACO serves almost 1,000 families in the central Oklahoma area and this device will help the reach more of those families and will also give them the opportunity to provide more services to educators and medical professionals by offering webinars and sessions. Thank you to Domestic Service Chair Jake Krattiger and the committee for completing this great project on behalf of our club and District 5750.

Pledge or Donate here!

RSVP - Rotarians and their Guests

In the News

If you have good news - honors, awards, new achievements - to share with the club, please let us know!

January Rotary Magazine - for Rotarian Subscribers

In 2009 Julie Mulligan was a few days into a Group Study Exchange trip to Nigeria when she was kidnapped at gunpoint. For two weeks, the Rotarian was shuttled from place to place by armed captors seeking a ransom. In this issue of Rotary magazine, Mulligan opens up about the experience and how nearly 16 years later, rather than withdrawing from the world, she is living an even more authentic life of Service Above Self.

Click here to read your digital copy of the January 2025 issue.

In another of this month’s features, we present expert advice on how Rotary members and the public can protect themselves from fraud schemes, which cost Americans a record $10 billion in 2023.
In the Our Clubs section, we introduce you to a Rotary club created for and by members with disabilities, including one Rotarian who started a soccer league in Uganda for visually impaired athletes.

Prefer to listen? Check out the Rotary Voices podcast for audio versions of the magazine's best storytelling, along with full episodes featuring bonus interviews.

2024-2025 Rotary International Theme

Rotary International President Stephanie Urchick announced that the 2024-25 presidential theme is "The Magic of Rotary" and called on members to recognize and amplify the organization’s power to save lives . "We are not going to end polio or bring peace to the world by waving a wand. It's up to you. You create the magic with every project completed, every dollar donated, and every new member."

Memorials

The Rotary Club 29 Foundation accepts gifts honoring loved ones.
Contribute here.

Auto-Pay offered for Rotary Club Invoices

If you would like to have a credit card on file to charge your Rotary CLUB invoices, please contact the rotary office.

Annual Dues Payment Offered

If you would like to switch from quarterly to annual billing for Rotary CLUB invoices, please contact the rotary office.

Upcoming Events

February 11, 2025 - Rotary AfterHours

April 23, 2025 - Rotary Club of Okla. City visits Rotary Club of Tulsa

Address Changes

Please report any changes in business or home here.

Rotary Club 29 Online Directory - APP available in the App/Play Store

Rotary Club 29 has an online membership directory which contains current content information for all club members. The link to access the Club 29 directory can be found at the top of the home page of okcrotary.com or by clicking here.

OKC Rotary has provided this tool as a convenience to help members stay in touch with one another. The online directory, just like the printed roster, should only be used for Rotary purposes. If you need help in accessing the directory, please email the office.