September 17, 2019:
This past week we welcomed Bill Hall as our guest speaker, Bill not only entertained us with tales of his career in the hospitality industry, he also made a $1,000 donation to our Hurricane Dorian Relief Fund for the Bahamas.
Our club’s very own Bill Hall, owner of Hall’s Chophouse spoke to our members this past Tuesday. Patterson Smith brought Bill into our club 10 years ago and throughout his career, Bill has been part of 29 clubs in the U.S. as well as Hong Kong and Sydney.
Bill grew up in San Francisco in the family grocery business but was fired by his father after Bill fired the butcher who had been there 25 years. He has since been a cabin boy on hotelier Richard Swig’s yacht, parked cars and polished brass columns at the Fairmont and has run resorts in Napa Valley, Hilton Head Island, Vail and Pebble Beach. He came to South Carolina originally because of Judge Sol Blatt to be general manager of Palmetto Dunes.
After ending up back in San Francisco, his family (Bill, wife Jeanne, and sons Tommy and Billy) returned to Charleston to open a restaurant. Halls Chophouse opened on March 15, 2007, they made $58 dollars that first night. Now the payroll is $900,000 every 2 weeks, Sunday Brunch averages 600 people, and they have about 900 full time employees. His restaurants include Hall’s Chophouse, Slightly North of Broad, High Cotton, Rita’s Seaside Grille as well as No.5 Faber where our club meets.
Bill told the story of how he acquired No. 5 Faber. After he bought SNOB from Dick Elliott, the City informed him that the kitchen hoods were not properly vented and he would have to close if not corrected. Due to restrictions to on where he could run the vent ductwork, the only option was to run through this space so he bought. He did not want to buy it but the former owner said if you want air, you will buy it.
They now have Hall’s Chophouse in Charleston, Greenville, Greenville and now Nexton in Summerville. They are looking at Savannah for next location. Bill concluded that they love Charleston and never want to leave. He thanked our club and his staff at No. 5 Faber.
Submitted by Don Bause, Chairman Keyway Committee
IN OTHER MEETING NEWS
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- Steve Morse gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.
- Tiffany Vanek introduced visiting Rotarians & guests.
- President Sandy Morckel presented Health and Happiness.
- Past President Paul Stoney introduced our keynote speaker and fellow Rotarian, Bill Hall, who updated us on Hall’s Chophouse.
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MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY
September 24, 2019 | Issue 4941 | President: Sandy Morckel
COMING EVENTS
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- Sept. 24 – Chloe Tonney, Trident United Way
- Oct. 1 – Rob Powell, 350th Anniversary of Charlestowne Landing
- Oct. 8 – Mary Whyte, Portrait of American Veterans
- Oct. 15 – No Meeting
- Oct. 22 – Chris Singleton
- Oct. 29 – Mayoral Forum
NEWS BRIEFS
Rotary Club of Charleston History Moment
At each meeting, President Sandy plans to share some of the snippets of our club’s amazing 100 year history and our impact on Charleston and around the world. It will be a fun trip down memory lane and will also be shared in the Keyway.
THE 40’S (1943-1944)
With the war going on, Rotarian Waring urged Rotarians to get behind the scrap metal drive effort. A second International President, after Paul Harris, to speak to the Club was, Fernande Carbojal of Lima, Peru. Club members invited military personnel to meetings to be recognized.
Meal cost were raised from 90 cents to $1. Rotarians purchased over $500, 000 in War Bonds during this period. Rear Admiral James speaking to the Club said that the work ethic at the Navy Yard was excellent and rumors of loafing were exaggerated. A graduation for air raid wardens included five Rotarians and 69 Rotarians were members of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.
The Club finally adopted the standard constitution of Rotary International.
Rotarians Answers the Call for Hurricane Dorian – But We Can’t Stop Giving
This week, the Rotary Club of Charleston has just met the 2nd matching challenge of $1,500 laid out by Rob & Karen Byko, and we have now raised $12,730 toward RI’s Disaster Relief Fund, bringing aid to the people of the Bahamas during their time of need!!!
But there is more to be done! Friend of Rotary, Al Fasola, offered an additional $1,500, on top of his original challenge of $1,000 to bring our NEW FUNDRAISING GOAL TO $14,000!
We only need $635 in new donations to see this matching challenge gets fully funded!!!
Please consider making a contribution toward achieving our goal, no dollar amount is too small.
Thank you Bill Hall for your generous donation of $1,000 at Tuesday’s meeting. And a BIG thank you to Al Fasola for stepping up and helping Charleston Rotary Club knock this campaign right out of the park!
To make your donation online via secured PayPal or other service, please follow the link below.
https://7020.org/page/
US DONORS: For a 501c3 US Tax Exempt donation use any of the following
PayPal D7020 through Disaster Network Assistance
PayPal D6990 through District 6990 in Florida
District 7680 DAF No. 574 via Rotary International, add “District 7680 DAF No. 574, Abaco & Grand Bahama”
To make a donation by check, make your check payable to:
“The Rotary Foundation DAF”, and indicate “DAF Fund #574, Abaco and Grand Bahama” in the memo field. Bring your donation to the next Rotary meeting or simply drop it in the mail to:
Charleston Rotary Club/Hurricane Dorian Challenge
c/o Carroll Schweers
P.O. Box 21029
Charleston, SC 29413
50/50 Raffle Winner
The 50/50 Raffle continues this Tuesday with a 1 in 7 chance to win half the pot. Charlie Patrick’s wife, Hamidatu, had her number called, but did not draw the winning “yellow” ball, so bring your cash on Tuesday, Sept. 24 as the pot is $540 and will increase with your contributions! You do need to be present to win. Tickets are available at meetings – 1 for $5 or 3 for $10.
Corporate/Family Membership

As we strive to expand our membership, the Board has discussed and approved a new membership category. We are now able to offer Corporate/Family Memberships for members of the same business, organization or family. The primary member will pay full club dues of $550 every 6 months. Associate members can also join at a fee of $225 every 6 months including a one-time $100 initiation fee. Associate members will be responsible for paying the $25 meal fee for lunches attended unless the primary member is not in attendance then there is no charge for their meal. Associate members will have all of the benefits of being a Rotarian as the primary member. If you have a co-worker or immediate family member who would like to be a part of Rotary and join as an Associate member, please contact one of our membership chairs – Digit Matheny [email protected] or Heidi Finniff [email protected] to see how they can join.
Happy Birthday US Air Force
The United States Air Force celebrated its 72nd birthday this past week and our club celebrated with a special cake at last Tuesday’s meeting.
The United States Air Force is the aerial and space warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the five branches of the United States Armed Forces, and one of the seven American uniformed services. Initially formed as a part of the United States Army on 1 August 1907, the USAF was established as a separate branch of the U.S. Armed Forces on 18 September 1947 with the passing of the National Security Act of 1947. It is the youngest branch of the U.S. Armed Forces, and the fourth in order of precedence. The USAF is the largest and most technologically advanced air force in the world. The Air Force articulates its core missions as air and space superiority, global integrated intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, rapid global mobility, global strike, and command and control.
Happy Birthday, US Air Force!
Sign up for Rotary Leadership Institute
If you have been to a Rotary Leadership Institute (RLI) event recently, please consider coming to an event this year. The next RLI session is in Myrtle Beach (Conway), SC on Saturday, October 19.
RLI is a series of fast-paced, interactive, one-day courses offered to refine a Rotarian’s leadership skills and increase their base of knowledge in Rotary. Courses are fun, topical, interactive, and geared toward busy business and professional persons who want to be more effective leaders in their vocation and club. Participants will not learn everything about all of Rotary’s programs, but they will gain a greater appreciation for the avenues of service and programs of Rotary International.
The RLI session on October 19th will be at the Horry Georgetown Technical College, Building 300, Room 110, 2050 Highway 501 East, Conway, SC 29526. You can register on the district database calendar. Or, you can visit www.rli33.org for the latest RLI Schedule and Brochure as well as registration for this and other RLI events.
Host Tobias, our International Exchange Student
Do you have an extra room in your home?
We are still searching for a third host family for our incoming Rotary Youth Exchange student Tobias, who will be with our club for the 2019-2020 school year. He will be attending school downtown at the Charleston Charter for Math & Science and we are looking for a good family to house him from mid-March through June.
If you are able to help or if you have non-Rotary friends that may be interested in housing an exchange student, please see the information sheet below and contact Richard Sidebottom ([email protected] ) or Karen Clark ([email protected]) for more information.Host family information sheet:
https://yehub.net/cgi-bin/sys-pdf.cgi?PGID=LIB&RID=79&DBID=SC1
Dues Are Now Past Due
Dues statements for the July 1-December 31 period were distributed via email on June 10 and are now past due. Past due statements were emailed two weeks ago to those who haven’t made a payment. Please be sure to pay from this statement. If you did not receive a statement or have questions, please contact Carroll.
Our Club is on Social Media
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].
Proposed New Members
The following membership candidate has submitted an application and signed letter of agreement to the Historic Rotary Club of Charleston:
MJ Le – sponsor: Rob Byko, classification: Graphic Design
In the event you know MJ, please tell a member of the Board how she will serve the ideas of Rotary.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Kelsey Willey
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- JOINED: January 2018
- SPONSOR: Past President Paul Stoney
- MEMBERSHIP INVOLVEMENT: RCCF Advisory Committee, Community Service Committee and International Service Committee
- CLASSIFICATION: Law-Estate Planning
- PROFESSION: Attorney
- SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT YOURSELF: I am a probate attorney who has practiced in more than two-thirds of our state’s 46 probate courts. When I get some time off work, I love to go scuba diving!
- JOINED: January 2018
Birthdays
- Sept. 24 – Past President John Tecklenburg
- Sept. 26 – Past President Paul Stoney & Charlton Wieters
- Sept. 27 – Past President Dan Ravenel
- Sept. 28 – Amy Riley
- Sept. 29 – Catherine Jones
By the numbers
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- Attendance on September 17, 2019: 81
- Not in attendance: Baggs, Barry, Beam, Carico, Chico, Coghill, Cole, Cooper, E., Cooper, J., Cooper, M., Coxe, Deavenport, Dewey, Donnellon, Fellabom, Fink, Gill, Giovanniello, Jones, C., Jones, Z., Kaynard, Lucy, Mitchell, Raver, Riley, Rust, Seguer, Shahid, Sidebottom, Smith, M., Strickland, Taylor, Teller
- Out of Town Make-ups: Steve Dopp, York ME
WELLNESS TIP
Defuse Stress With Friendship
Fall is a good time to come back together after the summer scattering of vacations and busy schedules — a great time to relax with friends.
Soothe away stress by making contact in person or by phone with someone you care about, someone you haven’t talked to in a while because life got in the way. The positive emotions will make you feel good, and when joy and stress meet up, the joy wins out.
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.
- We’re on Instagram. 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: Sandy Morckel
- 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.