October 1, 2019:
Local artist Mary Whyte spoke to our club at our at our October 8 meeting, giving us an advance look at her upcoming exhibit called “We the People: Portraits of Veterans in American.” The exhibit opens this month at City Gallery.
In 2010 watercolor artist Mary Whyte, a Charleston resident, launched what became a seven-year mission to paint 50 large format portraits of American military veterans. Mary painted one veteran from each state. The veterans selected spanned from World War Two thru to Iraq. The series is now complete and will have its national opening before a multi-year, cross country tour in Charleston’s City Gallery in Waterfront Park on October 25, 2019.
Before her comments at Rotary’s October 8, 2019 meeting, Mary was introduced by Major General James Livingston, a Medal of Honor winner, as a “national treasure”. vMary self-funded the project and executed it in total secrecy to keep it “pure” until it was complete. As she presented and discussed select pieces, Mary highlighted memorable characteristics and parts of the story of each veteran depicted.
Mary emerged from the entire experience observing that two themes dominated each veteran’s thoughts. First, is their commitment to “serving something greater than I.” Second, these veterans persevered without fear, both during their active duty service and as they faced personal challenges after leaving the military.
Mary pointed out that only 1% of America’s population serves in any of the five military branches; that 40,000 veterans are homeless – often related to PTSD and that single mothers are a significant portion of veterans.
Finally, Mary raised funds to pay for 32 of the subject veterans to attend the October 29th opening weekend. One funding source was the book We the People: Portraits of Veterans in America published by the University of South Carolina Press. To learn more about her work, the opening or the book, please visit marywhyte.com
Submitted by Dave Ekert, Keyway Committee
IN OTHER MEETING NEWS
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- Madeleine Frume gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.
- Karl Brady introduced visiting Rotarians & guests.
- President Sandy Morckel presented Health and Happiness.
- General Jim Livingston introduced our keynote speaker and internationally-renowned artist, Mary Whyte, who gave our members a sneak peek into her national exhibition and book – WE THE PEOPLE: Portraits of Veterans in America.
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MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY
October 15, 2019 | Issue 4943 | President: Sandy Morckel
COMING EVENTS
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- Oct. 15 – No Meeting
- Oct. 17 – Fall Social @ East Bay Biergarten, 5:30pm-7:30pm
- 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 40s (1947-1948)
The Club continued to beautify Marion Square and raised $10,000 for the effort and the City contributed $5000. The Club planted a live oak tree to honor General Charles Summerall. (Wonder if it is still there–should be at least 70 years old)? Paul Harris, founder of Rotary died, and the Club contributed to the Rotary Foundation in his honor. The Club founded another Rotary Club, that year at Summerville.
The District Conference was held in Charleston and the Club won for the first time the President’s Award for the District. The District had a $300 shortfall in District funding and our Club made up the difference. Club President Tyre Cockerham attended the Rotary International Convention and his expenses were paid for by the Club and while there he sent a note to our Club announcing his resignation from the Club and never returned to Charleston. (Ah! Those delights of San Francisco)?
Fall Social at East Bay Biergarten
Members are invited to join us for our Fall Social at the East Bay Biergarten (549 East Bay Street) on Thursday, Oct. 17 from 5:30-7:30 pm. We are not meeting for lunch that week so this is a great opportunity to enjoy fellowship and networking with fellow members. Members are encouraged to bring guests and/or prospective members. Light appetizers will be provided. Cash bar will be available for beverages.
One day. One Focus: Ending Polio
Thursday, October 24th is World Polio Day. Thousands of Rotary clubs around the world will hold events and fundraisers to recognize our progress in the global fight to end Polio. We’re closer than ever to eradicating Polio, but we are not done yet. Our club will have collection buckets on the tables at our meeting during Polio week (October 22), so please bring your donations (checks should be made payable to The Rotary Foundation) to contribute that day. Contributions made during that week are matched. In addition to individual donations, our club will be making a club donation to polio from the RCCF.
50/50 Raffle
The 50/50 Raffle will continue at our next meeting with a 1 in 9 chance. Current pot is $90, so bring your cash and let’s grow the pot. You do need to be present to win. Tickets are available at meetings – 1 for $5 or 3 for $10.
Board Member Nominations
We are seeking Board Members for the upcoming Rotary year. All eligible members will be contacted about serving on the Board in the upcoming year. If you are contacted by a member of the Nominating Committee, please give some serious thought to serving our club. It is a great way to learn more about Rotary, get involved, meet other Rotarians and give back to our club and community.
Outbound Youth Exchange Students Needed for 2020-2021
Our District’s Youth Exchange Program needs your support. The District would like to be able to send between 15 and 19 Outbound students a year on Exchange and receive the same number of Inbounds coming into our District. To do that, the District needs clubs, members and local schools to get involved that have not previously been involved. Children of Rotarians are eligible for this wonderful opportunity.
Preliminary Outbound applications are now being accepted for the 2020-21 year. Everyone’s help is needed to keep this program strong and change the lives of young people. Please contact Karl Riner, Karen Clark or Richard Sidebottom of our International Committee, if you have any questions or know of someone interested in participating.
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.
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:
Silva Goxhaj – sponsor: Robert Sullivan; classification: Banking/Business Development
In the event you know Silva, please tell a member of the Board how she will serve the ideas of Rotary.
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
Rob Byko
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- JOINED: February 26, 2018
- SPONSOR: President Sandy Morckel
- MEMBERSHIP INVOLVEMENT: Co-Chair PR Committee, Photographer, Social Media contributor
- CLASSIFICATION: Active, Real Estate
- PROFESSION: Realtor, Photographer. Service on Charleston County Public
Library’s Board of Trustees
- SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT YOURSELF: Grew up in NJ living, for a time, in an apartment above a tavern my Dad bought from his great aunt. His lifelong dream … Mom wasn’t very happy. After moving to Atlanta, I pick up a part-time job at The Omni arena. It was there I had the opportunity to drink a few beers with “Andre The Giant” and Rick Flair after a WCW event. And finally, the first time Karen brought me to Nassau to meet her parents we went off on a boat down to the Exuma Cays, a chain of largely uninhabited islands to the southeast of Nassau. It was there that I learned how to dive conch, remove it from the shell and skin it with my teeth. I passed the Bahamian “Are you worthy to date my daughter” test, some 35 years ago!
Birthdays
- Oct. 19 – Brian Johnson
- Oct. 22 – Jamie Cooper
- Oct. 27 – Michael Cooper
By the numbers
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- Attendance on September 17, 2019: 61
- Not in attendance: Allen, Altman, Barry, Beam, Bickley, Bini, Brack, Carico, Clary, Cohen, Cole, Cook, Cooper, E., Cooper, J., Cooper, M., Coxe, Devenport, DeGraff, Donnellon, Drafts, Dukes, Fink, Gill, Husser, Jamme, Jones, C., Kaynard, Lee, Lucy, Minson, Moring, Morse, Palmer, Patrick, Ravenel, Raver, Rust, Savage, Seguer, Sidebottom, Smith, H., Smith, M., Smith, P., Strickland, Taylor, Thomas, Vanek
- Out of Town Make-ups: None
WELLNESS TIP
A Checkup: The Eyes Have It
If you do one thing to improve your vision, take a cue from kids, who often need back-to-school vision exams. Schedule a checkup with your eye doctor.
A comprehensive exam should include an evaluation of how clearly you see, how well your eyes work together, and an assessment of your overall eye health.
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.