OKC Rotary News

August 30, 2022 | Volume 111 | No. 8
In-Person and Livestreamed from Christian Life Center - St. Luke's United Methodist Church | 11:55
Link to the Livestream 11:55am

Kirk Slaughter, President and CEO - Oklahoma State Fair, Inc. and OKC Fairgrounds

Kirk Slaughter’s background includes working with the Oklahoma State Fair, equestrian/ag venues, fairgrounds, arenas, convention centers, sports authorities, destination marketing organizations and hotels. He has extensive experience in leading, operating, marketing, master planning, developing, financing, and expanding first class, equestrian venues, arenas, and hotels. Kirk’s goal is to deliver outstanding customer experiences and provide spotlessly clean and well-maintained facilities.

His background also includes a successful career within municipal government. Kirk participated in the development of the 614-room Omni Hotel in Fort Worth, the $540 million Dickies Arena, and over $150 million of capital investment at the Will Rogers Memorial Center. He also participated in the expansion of the Fort Worth Convention Center, the Waco Convention Center, and the Plano Centre.
Kirk is a native of Odessa, Texas, and he is a graduate of Texas Tech University. He is married to Holly who is employed by the American Paint Horse Association. Kirk is the father of two children ages 24 and 21.

Kirk and his family love living in Oklahoma and appreciate the wonderful welcome from the OKC community.

Chair of the Day: Peter Hodges
Invocation: Charlie Smith
Introduction of Guests: Christopher Lloyd
Pledge/National Anthem Leader: DiAnne Bryant
Attendance Scanning / Greeting: Dawn Byram, Richard Smith, Laura Moxley
Registration: Evan Walter, Bobby Mills
Roving Microphone: Donna Lawrence
Menu: Spinach salad; Greek Quinoa salad; Coq au Vin; Roasted Mediterranean Lamb Leg; Zucchini; Baby Potatoes

In The News

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

Club 29 Breakfast

Sept. 1, 2022
"Supply chain issues today"
Panel moderated by Dave Delana
Quail Creek Golf & Country Club | 7:00am | Wingspan Room

reflections

Live like an Interrobang

by Jim Priest

Several years ago I discovered a new punctuation mark: The “interrobang”. Right off I liked the name. It’s a “not officially recognized” punctuation mark but it’s used in a sentence to convey both a question and excitement, as in “Did you eat my cake?!” In writing it, you can put the question before the exclamation or vice versa. For fun, you can even combine the question mark and exclamation point into one mark that make a really interesting hybrid.

The interrobang isn’t actually new. Shakespeare used it in one of his plays. It’s also found in movie scripts and comic books through the decades. The Corpus of Contemporary American English contains 3500 examples of interrobangs. And Wiley Coyote used interrobangs a lot in the Road Runner cartoons.

But traditionalists wince at its use. It’s not officially recognized, they say, and should not be used. It breaks the rules. To which I say “pffff!?”

Linguist Marcel Iseli seems to agree with me and says this about the controversial interrobang:
Punctuation should evolve to keep up with the times, and the interrobang does actually have something to add to our understanding of a sentence. It adds a certain nuance to how we interpret a sentence, one that ordinary punctuation marks can’t satisfy. And, since punctuation’s only goal is to clarify sentences for us, any mark that expands on the intended tonality or inflection should be welcomed.

So what’s the point of all this blather about punctuation points? The point is this:
We should live life like an interrobang and encourage others to do the same. Be inquisitive. Ask questions. Live curiously and explore. And do all inquiring with enthusiasm and excitement. Live like a question mark combined with an exclamation point. READ MORE

Announcements

Sept. 19, 2022 Mike McAuliffe Memorial Golf Tournament

Registration and Sponsorships Available

Rotary Afterhous

Sept. 13, 2022 | 5:30-7:00
RestoreOKC Farm Stand
2222 NE 27th St.
Light appetizers & cocktails provided by Kindred Spirits

Cash Bar | Bring Guests

RSVP

Registration is open for the 2023 Rotary International Convention in Melbourne, Australia

Link to Registration

Rotary International Clubs - Active Membership ranked by size as of July 28, 2022

1. Vijayawada Midtown - India - 859
2. Birmingham - U.S. - 592
3. Oklahoma City - U.S. - 581
4. Atlanta - U.S. - 480
5. Baton Rouge - U.S. - 474
6. Nashville - U.S. - 473
7. San Diego - U.S. - 433
8. Madison - U.S. - 422
9. San Jose - U.S. - 421
10. Kota - India - 414
11. Wichita - U.S. - 367
12. Daejeon Mokhyang - Republic of Korea - 366
13. San Antonio - U.S. - 353
14. Karur - India - 349
15. Chattanooga - U.S. - 337
16. Tokyo - Japan - 336
17. Louisville - U.S. - 334
18. Bombay - India - 332
19. Seattle - U.S. - 328
20. Milwaukee - U.S. - 325

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.

Contact Information Changes

If you have any unreported contact information changes, such as business or residence addresses, or email, please submit them here.

FUTURE PROGRAMS

2022-2023 Program Schedule

Sept. 6, 2022 - Mayors' Panel - David Holt, Mick Cornett, Andy Coats, Ron Norick
"Past, Present, Future of Okla. City"
Sept. 13, 2022 - Shane Fernandez, President - BMX USA