November 6, 2018 – This week’s speaker was a perfect fit for the Historic Rotary Club of Charleston. Owen Clary gave an entertaining and enlightening talk on South Carolina History. Mr. Clary taught History at the US Coast Guard Academy and is current member our club as well as a 44 year Rotarian with 43 years of perfect attendance. He enjoys travel and has visited 111 countries, but clearly still loves his native state. He began in song with “Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in Morning” and a quotation from Ben Robertson’s Pulitzer Prize nominated book “Red Hills and Cotton” of a grandmother comparing heaven to Carolina on an early May morning.

Owen said “We are going to use the words first, largest, oldest, number one, only, wealthiest, juxtaposed with the words last, worst, smallest, poorest, 49th, and craziest to relate some of the events and features of this triangular shaped state. This small state, which ranks way down in size, is one of the smallest among our 50 states (40th to be exact). Small, yes, but a state which has had a larger than life influence on the nation’s history. First, some of those fabulous firsts or hackneyed historical highlights for South Carolina:
- First and longest railroad in the nation (1830)
- First operational canal, Santee (1799-1850)
- Oldest prescription drugstore (1780)
- More golf courses than any other state (340)
- More Revolutionary battles and skirmishes than any other state – 137
- Oldest municipal college, College of Charleston (1770)
- The Dock Street Theatre in 1736 was the first theater in US
- First shot of the Civil War
Owen listed many more highlights before going into the “ludicrous laughable lasts or embarrassments” for our state:
- We were the last state to be readmitted to the Union after the War;
- The last stretch of US Highway #l from Maine to Florida to be paved was the 50 mile stretch from Columbia, SC, to Aiken in 1936;
- We have produced such ludicrous politician such as “Pitchfork” Ben Tillman and Alvin Greene which have made us the laughing stock of the nation;
- 46 years later, in 1966, we were the last state to officially adopt the 19th amendment which gave the women the right to vote.
- For 160 years we were the only state which would not grant a divorce-that changed only in 1948;
- We are the only state to have a tombstone imbedded in the walls of the rotunda of the capitol building;
- And speaking of our state capitol building we have not repaired the damage done in 1865 by Yankee cannon balls-instead we place huge brass stars on the damaged walls of the building;
- We kept the poll tax in effect until 1948 which suppressed voting rights;
- One of the last states to integrated our public schools and universities;
During the nullification crisis of the 1830’s one Carolinian coined the epitaph that “South Carolina is too small to be a country but too large to be an insane asylum”. Yes our state is crazy, different and unique. Owen cited the many nicknames for our state and its citizens including the Palmetto State, the Rebellion State, the Iodine State, and Sandlappers.

South Carolina is home to significant contributors to the field of science, architecture, and industry. Many famous and infamous politicians have hailed from South Carolina. Carolina’s gifts to the world of cuisine include fried okra, shrimp and grits, Dukes Mayonnaise, benne wafers, Beaufort or Frogmore stew, chicken bog, and hopping john. Dizzy Gillespie, James Brown, Chubby Checker, Steven Colbert, and Hootie and the Blowfish are all SC natives.
Yes, as Carolinians, we have been maligned, kicked, laughed at, called buffoons, made the butt of jokes, pushed down, endured military occupation by England and the Yankees, been jeered off the stage, scoffed at, and written off as rednecks. But as Ben Robertson states, he could not have been more prouder to be a Carolinian than when he sat with his grandmother shelling peas under the shade of that china berry tree in the back yard, and she would start humming softly the tune of Dixie Land.
Jeff Webb, Keyway Committee
IN OTHER MEETING NEWS
- Jeff Weber gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.
- Peter Arnstein introduced our Visiting Rotarians and guests.
- President Alex Dallis presented Health and Happiness.
- Jim Geffert introduced our keynote speaker, Fellow Club Member and Historian Owen Clary, who discussed South Carolina history and its intricacies.
MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY
November 13, 2018 | Issue 4910 | President: Alex Dallis
COMING EVENTS
- Nov. 13 – Veteran’s Day Meeting; Vicki Johnson of Charleston Fisher House (Meeting location – High Cotton)
- Nov. 16 – Trident United Way Day of Caring at Windwood Farms, Awendaw
- Nov. 20 – No Meeting — Happy Thanksgiving!
- Nov. 28 – Stuart Williams, College of Charleston, Impact Entrepreneurialism
- Dec. 1 – Holiday Shopping for Senior Giving Project
- Dec. 4 – Senator Sandy Senn, I-526 project / Board Elections
- Dec. 8 – Holiday Parade of Boats!!
- Dec. 11 – Holiday Luncheon / Holiday Wrapping for Seniors
- Dec. 12 – Holiday Party for Seniors
- Dec. 14 – Salvation Army Bell Ringing
- Dec. 18 & 25 – No Meeting — Happy Holidays!
NEWS BRIEFS
Meeting this Tuesday Moved to High Cotton

The lunch meeting this Tuesday, November 13 will be held at High Cotton, which is located at 199 East Bay Street. It is directly across East Bay from our normal Faber Street location. Park in the same lots as usual and walk across East Bay Street.
Program Committee Meeting
The next meeting of the Program Committee is scheduled for Tuesday, Nov. 27th immediately following our Rotary meeting. All Rotarians are welcomed to attend and participate on this committee. The committee is actively taking speaker suggestions to fill slots during the last 6 months of this Rotary year. If you are not able to attend the meeting, please contact our Program Chair, Jim Geffert, at [email protected] with any suggestions you have for speakers.
Trident United Way Day of Caring Service Project
Our club will again be participating in the Trident United Way Day of Caring on Friday, November 16. Volunteers will clean, landscape and beautify the 120 acres of the campus of Windwood Family Services in Awendaw. Windwood Farm is a residential home for boys located on the Wando River serving boys ages 6-16 who have been victims of abuse, neglect or trauma. We will be trimming trees and hedges, planting new flower beds, laying pine straw, picking weeks and much more. Volunteers will also be treated to a lunch and be able to interact with the boys. We are sharing the volunteer slots with another business, so 4-5 Rotary Volunteers are needed from 9:30am-3:30pm. This time is flexible and volunteers can leave after lunch, if need be. The address is 4857 Windwood Farm Road, Awendaw, SC 29429. Please contact Kerby Teller at [email protected] to volunteer or for more information.
Rotary Foundation Giving
The District March is Back …. Effective November 10 through December 31, 2018, Rotarians will receive 1 recognition point for every dollar when a contribution of at least $100 up to $500 is made. This is a limited time offer. The points are available and will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis. When the points are gone — they are GONE! Please contact our Rotary Foundation Chair, Karl Riner at [email protected] to take advantage of the program.
Board Member Nominations
In line with the Constitution and By-Laws of the Rotary Club of Charleston, the secretary shall supply each member in good standing with a roster giving the names of those members who are eligible to serve on the Board of Directors. The below list reflects those eligible members who have agreed to serve, if elected.
The By-Laws were revised in June 2017 and state that to be eligible for election to the Board of Directors, a selectee, must be a member in good standing of the Rotary Club of Charleston (with no current dues delinquencies) and must be a member of the Rotary Club of Charleston for at least twelve (12) months as of October 1 of the year in which the election is to occur and met all requirements of a Blue Badge member. Additionally, the selectee must have exhibited regular and reliable attendance of at least 70% (including make-ups) over the past twelve (12) months and must not have served on the Board in the prior twelve (12) months unless otherwise permitted herein. A member must also have actively participated in a committee of the Club, as determined by the nominating committee. If elected, a member must agree to become a sustaining member of the Rotary Foundation and agree to attend at least one of the following District meetings: District Convention, District Assembly or District Foundation Meeting.
The list of eligible members shall be presented to the members of the Club who shall by ballot each indicate their first through fourth preferences from the below list of eligible members to serve on the Board of Directors for the coming year. Each member, in attendance at the annual meeting, or by proxy previously submitted, shall have four (4) votes to elect the four (4) new Board Members. The annual meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 4.
Rotary members who are to remain on the Board of Directors during the 2019-2020 year are: Alex Dallis, Sandy Morckel, Rob Dewey, Karl Riner, Heidi Finniff and Kerby Teller. Outgoing members are: Trey Lucy, Peter Shahid and Lisa Van Bergen.
The following members have been assigned by President Alex Dallis and Nominating Chairperson David Burt to the Nominating Committee: John Channell, Tammy Coghill, Richard Sidebottom, Paul Stoney and Alissa Lietzow.
Members Eligible and Willing to Serve:
Don Baus
Karl Brady
Tom Giovanniello
Digit Matheny
Jack Mitchell
Charlie Palmer
Beth Savage
Paul Stoney
Robert Sullivan
Jeff Webb
Shark Tank Program Seeking Volunteers
The James Simons Entrepreneurship/Shark Tank program is kicking off again for the 2018-2019 school year. The Historic Charleston Downtown Rotary has been staffing this project with volunteers since it began in 2016. We have a number of returning volunteers for this year but are also seeking some “new blood”. There are a number of ways to volunteer. Please read below and contact Tim Donnellon at [email protected] if you are able to help in any of the following ways:
#1 – Mentors , one to be assigned to each group (1-4 kids per group, 4 or 5 groups total. The mentor will work with their selected group through the semester (4 months) to advise and help keep the student’s projects on track. In terms of volunteer hours per person the mentor commitment is probably 1-2 hours per week ; they are only needed to be physically present at the school twice, on two Friday mornings (exact dates TBD) .
#2 Classroom speakers – In addition to mentors, volunteers to provide presentations on their particular areas of expertise. This is a one time per volunteer request, the time slot is roughly 1 hour on a Friday morning between 10 am and 11:30 am. Topics are open ended but should relate to helping the students understand various aspects of business, ideally each presentation can relate to the businesses that the volunteer is involved with. Products, services, marketing, sales, finance, presentation skills, negotiation, etc…
# 3 Sharks – We also will need 3 or more volunteers to perform as the “sharks”. This is the final part of each project where the students present their ideas and get immediate feedback from the shark tank on pros/cons of their ideas, including whether or not they would be willing to invest in their proposed businesses and how.
#4 Businesses – open for site visits we are seeking local businesses that are available for a one time field trip/visit from a small group (2-5 kids). This part of the program will involve the student groups visiting a business, learning what they do, and then returning to class and developing on their own presentation which explains the business. Their presentations will be practiced in front of a camera to develop their understanding of business as well as their presentation skills, and then eventually presented. This is being done in conjunction with a local organization that is providing the filming resources – their website is here: http://jemagwga.com/
Boat Parade Boat Raffle Tickets
Let’s sell some tickets!! Boat Raffle tickets are being distributed at weekly meetings. All members are encouraged to sell a couple of tickets. If you haven’t picked up your tickets, please be sure to see Doug Holmes at the next meeting. Our website to purchase boat raffle tickets, as well as event tickets as gone live! Please pass the below link to family, friends, co-workers, business associates.
Boat Parade Sponsorships Available
With the temperatures finally starting to cool off, we can all finally start thinking about the winter holidays! The Boat Parade committee has already been hard at work the last few months to make this year’s event successful. This year the funds we raise will be used next year, which is our Club’s 100th Anniversary Year. And, we hope to be able to make our 100th year a year that will leave a historic legacy of positive change in our community.
Sandy and the PR committee have be working to partner with the major media outlets to promote the Boat Parade Party. This has afforded us to be able to really bring value to our sponsorship levels for the event. We hope that you and/or the company you work for will support our event by purchasing a sponsorship level that works for you. If you have any questions or need sponsorship information, please reach out to Heidi Finniff at 216-744-6565. Remember … the quicker you sign up to sponsor the more time we have to promote you!
Marker Boats Needed for Holiday Parade of Boats
Marker Boats are needed to assist with the Holiday Parade of Boats. The marker boats have flashing lights and help the decorated boats stay on course and out of trouble. Marker boats need to be on stationed and anchored by 5 PM. As soon as the last boat in the parade goes by their station, marker boats can up anchor and head for home — usually no later than 8PM. Marker boats are given a GPS location and are assigned according to their home port. The boat does need to be large enough to provide some protection from the elements and to have friends on board for the best viewing of the whole parade. Marker Boat Captains are required to attend a Captains Meeting the Wednesday before the Parade and all are invited to the Awards Ceremony/Party on Sunday after the Parade.
If you are interested or want further information, please contact Dick Howell at 843-437-6241 or [email protected].
Youth Exchange Host Family Needed December – February
Our club is seeking a host family for our Inbound Rotary Exchange student from December 2018 – February 2019. Our Club’s Inbound student, Lucia Violani, who is from Italy, is 17 years old and attending the Charleston Charter School for Math & Science. Please note that having other school age children in your home is not a requirement for hosting.
As you know, the secondary student program offers an opportunity for you and your family to experience firsthand the richness and diversity of a culture different from your own, and for you to exemplify American values and culture to a foreign visitor. Approximately 25,000 high school students from around the world participate in this program each year. The good will of American host families in opening their homes to these young international visitors is vital to this program’s success. The health, safety, and well-being of the young people who participate in this program are our highest priority. A host family has many responsibilities, the most important of which is properly caring for an international student during the course of his/her program. The student is a guest in your home and how you relate with this student will create a lasting image of our country and its people. It also offers you and your family a unique, rewarding and enjoyable experience.
Please let Karen Clark now as soon as possible if you are able to consider this Hosting opportunity. If you are interested, either Karen or Richard Sidebottom will contact you to discuss further. We appreciate your consideration and thank you for your support of this great program!
Our Club is on Instagram
Our club launched an Instagram account this week. Please be sure to follow us at @ChasRotaryClub, which is our Twitter handle, as well.
Members are encourage to follow all of our social media channels and share posts with their followers too! We also need members to send us picture of anything they do that relates to Rotary – service projects, meetings, events, etc. We would love to keep our accounts full of smiling Rotarians! Photos can be send to Mike Sottak, [email protected], or Rob Byko, [email protected].
Join the PR Committee and Earn Service Hours, too! (Fame, notoriety and recognition from your peers is FREE!)
We’re looking for 3 to 4 Rotarians to help us spread the word about our Club through various communications channels. Your contributions will reach countless Club members, family and friends, as well as the local community at-large more than 36-times a year! Your feature stories and timely coverage of Rotary Club events may also be picked up by District, National and International Rotary news channels.
Don’t worry if your’re not an expert techie, can’t write like Hemingway and Pat Conroy, or wield a camera like Steve McCurry or Annie Leibovitz – our super-qualified A-team will be right there to support your efforts with training and guidance you’ll need to see your by-line and photo-credit circulation grow to an epic scale.
Social Media Manager: Work with team members, committee heads and the Board on developing, publishing and promoting social media content for the Club. Active channels now include Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube. Familiarity with these or emerging platforms will be helpful, as will knowledge of what makes for successful SM content. Experience with search optimization techniques will earn you immediate MVP status. While your own exposure to Social Media is helpful, it is not essential. The team will gladly train our e-challenged volunteers, too!
Keyway Production Manager: Work with co-chairs, Keyway editor and our content development team to publish our weekly newsletter on club web site. Familiarity with web publishing and content managing systems (e.g WordPress) a plus.
Keyway Content Developers: Copywriters & storytellers who can develop short-form, original content including summary articles, possibly combined with team-generated photos and/video content, to provide coverage of weekly meetings and presenters, as well as occasionally produce special features on past or upcoming club events, special projects and fundraisers.
So if you are interested in maximizing your Rotary experience, this is your chance to create an immediate and long-lasting impact on how our Club is regarded by current and prospective members. You will also be shaping how our Club will be recognized by our peers, our community and by Rotary International for the good work of our members.
Join the Charleston Rotary Press Corps and help generate that buzz! Contact Mike Sottak, [email protected], or Rob Byko, [email protected], for more information.
MEMBER NEWS
Member News

Congratulations to our newest Rotarian – Campbell Coxe! Campbell was inducted into our club this past Tuesday. Heidi Finniff introduced and sponsored Campbell, who will hold the classification of Law/Estate Planning. We welcome Campbell into our Rotary family!
Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the family of Past President Johnny Jordan. One week after his death, his wife of 56 years, Mary, passed away unexpectedly.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Karl L. Brady, Jr.
- Joined: 2016
- Sponsor: Scott Wachter
- Membership Involvement: Salvation Army Bell Ringing Chair; Paul Harris Fellow
- Classification: Eleemosynary/Executive
- Profession: Director of Development, The Salvation Army of Charleston
- Something Unique About Yourself: I am an Eagle Scout, but I started out as a Tiger Club in the first grade! I’m one of the rare few who did the entire journey from Tiger to Eagle and earned what my friends and I like to call the 18 year old “Triple Crown” (so called because of the three knots you get to wear on your Boy Scout uniform): Arrow of Light (for crossing over from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts), God and Country Religious Emblem, and Eagle Scout.
Birthdays
- Nov. 20 – Jeanne Jamme
- Nov. 22 – Past President Alissa Lietzow
- Nov. 24 – Jack Mitchell
By the numbers
Attendance on November 6, 2018: 58
Not in attendance: Baggs, Bailey, Barry, Barton, Beam, Berlin, Bishop, Bodkin, Brack, Bullard, Buzon, Carico, Channell, Chico, Coe, Cole, Cooper, E., Cooper, J., Cooper, M., Deavenport, Dewey, Donnellon, Dopp, Drafts, Echols, Embry, Gill, Giovanniello, Hudnall, Husser, Jones, C., Kerrigan, Kohli, Krumwiede, LaMotte, Lee, Livingston, Lucy, Marty, Matheny, McVicker, Minson, Mitchell, Plotner, Ravenel, Raver, Riley, Rust, Saboe, Schmidt, Seguer, Shahid, Sidebottom, Smith, H., Smith, M., Stokes, Stoney, Strickland, Sullivan, Taylor, T., Taylor, E., Tecklenburg, John, Tecklenburg, Joseph, Tecklenburg, P., Thomas, Uram, Welborn, Whitaker
Out of Town Make-ups: None
WELLNESS TIP
Eat your autumn colors!
Autumn is the season of warm, earthy colors; think deep greens, dark yellows and brilliant oranges. The more colorful the fruit or vegetable, the better it is for your health and your immune system.
AREA CLUB MEETINGS
Mondays
- Summerville – Oakbrook: 7:30 a.m., Monday, Westcott County Club, 5000 Wescott Club Drive, North Charleston
- North Charleston: 12:30 a.m., Monday, Hilton Garden Inn, 5265 International Blvd, North Charleston.
- Summerville Evening: 5:30 p.m., Monday, Montreux Bar and Grill, 127 W. Richardson Ave., Summerville
Tuesdays
- East Cooper Breakfast: 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Cooper River Room at Waterfront Park, Mount Pleasant
- Charleston: 12:30 p.m., Tuesday, Hall’s Signature Events, 5 Faber, Charleston
- Goose Creek: 12:45 m. Tuesday, Gilligan’s, 219 St. James Ave., Goose Creek
Wednesdays
- Daniel Island: 7:30 a.m. Wednesday, Daniel Island Club, 600 Island Park Dr., Daniel Island
- St. John’s Parish (John’s Island): 7:45 a.m. Wednesday, 2817 Maybank Highway, Unit 1, John’s Island
- Mount Pleasant: 12:30 p.m., Wednesday, Harbor Breeze Restaurant, 176 Patriots Point Road, Mount Pleasant
- Summerville: 1 p.m. Wednesday, Sticky Fingers, Summerville
Thursdays
- North Charleston Breakfast: 7:30 a.m. Thursday, Embassy Suites, 5055 International Blvd., North Charleston
- Moncks Corner: 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Gilligan’s Restaurant, Moncks Corner
- St. Andrews (West Ashley): 12:30 p.m., Thursday, Bessinger’s BBQ, 1602 Savannah Highway, Charleston.
Fridays
- Charleston Breakfast: 7:30 a.m., Friday, Harbour Club, 35 Prioleau St., Charleston
SOCIAL MEDIA
Our Rotary club actively uses social media — and we encourage you to interact with us through social media.
- We’re on Facebook. Take a look at our page and be sure to “like us”.
- We’re on Twitter. You can follow us @chasrotaryclub.
ABOUT THE KEYWAY
The Keyway has been published weekly as a newsletter for the Rotary Club of Charleston for more than 90 years.
- President: Alex Dallis
- Keyway editor: Don Baus [email protected]
- Executive secretary: Carroll Schweers, [email protected]
- Mailing address: Rotary Club of Charleston, P.O. Box 21029 ,Charleston, SC 29413-1029
- Copyright 2018, Rotary Club of Charleston. All rights reserved.