Downtown Rotary

Serving Through Service in Jefferson City, MO
Downtown Rotary
Downtown Rotary

Monday, 12:00 Noon
Miller Performing Arts Center
214 E. Miller St. (at Madison St.)
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Mary Russell
Steve Renne
Patrick Hiatte
Lyn Konstant
Jason Jett
Heidi Vollet

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Downtown Rotary Heidi Doerhoff Vollet
 

Here's the pitch

Ehren

University of Missouri head softball coach (and Jefferson City native) Ehren Earleywine took members of the Rotary Club of Jefferson City inside the Mizzou softball program during remarks at the Club's meeting August 29 at the Miller Performing Arts Center in Jefferson City.
 
Ehren has led the Missouri softball team to three straight College World Series, three straight 50-win seasons and two Big 12 championships in the last three years. According to the university, "Missouri's top-ranked softball squad has Earleywine to credit for its rise to national prominence."
 
In his remarks and the following question-and-answer session, Ehren covered several points, among them:
  • Men's and women's different approaches: "Women have to feel good to play good, men have to play good to feel good. I try to encourage our players and build their self-confidence."
  • Recruiting: "Men want to know what their scholarship will be and when they can get to the pros. Women want to have a relationship with someone they can trust. Once you form that relationship and gain their trust, they're very coachable."
  • Academics (the softball team last year had the highest grade point average in the 37-year history of women's softball at MU): "We look at softball as a reward for academic success, not vice versa. We hold our kids to a high standard academically."
  • Meeting star-pitcher-to-be Chelsea Thomas: "She threw a pitch at 72 mph (the equivalent of a 100-mph pitch in baseball). I thought the radar gun was off, so I recalibrated it and the next pitch was 74 mph. I knew right then I had a chance to be a pretty good coach."
  • What's next: "Our success has given us a window of opportunity to recruit top talent. Two of the top five pitchers we identified from the high school class of 2013 have already committed to Mizzou."
  • The ultimate goal: "Too often we celebrate mediocrity. We don't just want to be good; we want to be great. We won't be satisfied until we win a national championship, and we will win a national championship."
Posted
 

It looks like war!

Greg

It definitely looked like war in Missouri 150 years ago as the state became the flash point in the Civil War. Greg Wolk, author of "Friend and Foe Alike - A Tour Guide to Missouri's Civil War", described the first campaigns in Missouri at the Rotary Club of Jefferson City August 22.
 
Federal commander (and Missouri Senator Thomas Hart Benton's son-in-law) John C. Fremont moved aggressively to oust the State Guard and other pro-Confederate forces from the state, Greg said, and even went so far as to issue a proclamation in 1861 freeing slaves owned by those considered in rebellion against the United States.
 
One hundred fifty years ago this year, a force estimated at 38,000 moved along the Pacific Railroad, and despite Fremont's being relieved of command of trans-Mississippi Union activity after friction with Washington, caused by the proclamation and some shady dealings by Fremont's friends, Missouri remained in the Union camp throughout the war.
 
Greg also discussed opportunities for touring Missouri Civil War sites, including those along the Gray Ghost Trail and other sites identified by Missouri's Civil War Heritage Foundation. Greg said his listing of the top three Civil War sites in Missouri would include the sites of the battles of Wilson's Creek, Lexington and Centralia. More information on these and other sites is available at the Civil War Traveler Web site.
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Perspective from Congress

Luetkemeyer

U.S. Rep. Blaine Luetkemeyer shared his insight into issues facing Congress in remarks to the Rotary Club of Jefferson City Aug. 15. Those issues include the deficit crisis, reform of entitlements and taxation, and getting the economy onto a firmer footing for expansion and job creation.
 
The Republican from St. Elizabeth told club members that "the recent downgrade in the United States' credit rating is more like a wake-up call than a kick in the gut, but the results will be felt throughout our economy" due to so many interest rates' being tied to rates paid on federal debt.
 
"We have to find ways to wean ourselves off deficit spending and grow revenues," Luetkemeyer said. "There are a lot of ideas, and there is a framework in place to reach the $1.5 trillion in reductions we need to make" to balance the federal budget.
 
And he encouraged Club members to become involved in regulatory and other issues. "If you don't like what's happening, push back," he said. "Be part of the decision-making process that helps move the country along."
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A work of heart

Saundra

That's how Saundra Allen described teaching for the almost 70 new teachers honored by the Rotary Club of Jefferson City at the Club's sixth annual New Teacher Appreciation Luncheon Aug. 11 at the Capitol Plaza.
 
"Your students may not remember everything you taught them, but they will remember how you made them feel," she said. "Just remember that they want to please you and do their best for you."
 
Saundra, who taught in area schools for 37 years, shared personal stories that indicated the effect a teacher can have on the lives of her students, and how students remember kindnesses over the years.
 
All of the new teachers, who represented every public school in Jefferson City, along with most of the parochial schools, were introduced by Dr. Brian Mitchell, Jefferson City's superintendent of schools and a member of the Rotary Club of Jefferson City.
 
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There's gold in them thar hills . . .

Dougan

. . . and attics and tales from grandparents and scribbled notes. Unearthing those nuggets of family and Missouri history is one of the goals of the Great Missouri Treasure Hunt, which runs through August. Missouri State Archivist John Dougan described the contest and its goals for members of the Jefferson City Rotary Club August 1.
 
John recalled his own grandmother's treasure chest, which contained artifacts that sparked tales of family history and the family's role in Missouri history. Impetus for the Great Missouri Treasure Hunt came in part from people doing genealogical research in the state archives, he said.
 
Treasures can include documents, images, audio-visual materials, artifacts, and structures. Entries must include an essay describing the significance of the treasure, which must relate to family history, Missouri history or the Civil War. They can come from state, county or local archives as well as family sources.
 
So start digging; you never know what historical gems you may unearth!
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Follow the leader

Sweeney

Ashley Victoria Sweeney, whom the Jefferson City Rotary Club sponsored to the recent Rotary Youth Leadership Academy, reported on her experiences at the Academy during the Club's meeting August 1. The Academy motivates young people by exposing them to Rotarians' community service projects.
 
"I got to do things that took me out of my comfort zone, and it made me want to do great things," Ashley said. "I love how enthusiastic Rotary is about helping people. Thank you for one of the best experiences of my entire life."
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Posterous theme by Cory Watilo.
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