3/10: Judge Richard Gergel

March 10, 2020:

At this week’s meeting US District Judge Richard Gergel visited the club and discussed his recent book about a noted civil rights supporter in the 1940’s, Judge Waties Waring.  Also in this issue of The Keyway are some great photos from our fantastic 100th Anniversary Gala. Enjoy. 

US District Judge Richard Gergel was our guest this week and gave and engaging talk about his book, Unexampled Courage: The Blinding of Sgt. Isaac Woodard and the Awakening of President Harry S. Truman and Judge J. Waties Waring. 

Gergel was intrigued by Judge Waring, who served in his same seat from 1941-1952, and began researching him soon after he was appointed in 2010. Judge Waring was one of the first of the heroic civil rights judges and played a major role in the ending of Jim Crow and school segregation. Waring was a Charleston patrician, not likely to be a leader in the civil rights movement, but the Woodard case caused him to change.

At the end of World War II, 900,000 black veterans who served their country returned to the abhorrent Jim Crow South which seemingly had not changed since Reconstruction. One of these men was Sgt Isaac Woodard. In February 1946, Woodard was returning home to Goldsboro NC on a bus from Fort Gordon Georgia. After Woodard had an argument with the bus driver, the driver contacted the police at a stop in Batesburg, SC. The police removed Woodard from the bus, arrested, and beat him with night sticks. The next morning Woodard awoke in jail and could not see – he was blinded for life. The case made national news and was picked by the Orson Wells weekly radio show. President Truman asked to meet with Walter White of the NAACP and others to discuss the case. Upon hearing the story and how the state of South Carolina had not acted upon the case, Truman was enraged, and the following day wrote Attorney General Tom Clark demanding that the case be investigated and prosecuted. Charges were filed against Batesburg police chief Lynwood Shull and the trial was held in Waring’s court in Charleston. An all-white jury acquitted Shull after 28 minutes of deliberation, which deeply angered Waring. 

Waring began to read and study the writings of W.J. Cash and others about the plight of African Americans in the segregated South. In 1951 he was part of the three-judge panel hearing a desegregation case known as Briggs vs. Elliot. The panel ruled 2-1 for the defendants, but the case – and Waring’s dissent- would be the foundation for the argument in the US Supreme Court argument in Brown vs. Board of Education decision. 

After his presentation, Judge Gergel took some questions from the group and stayed after the meeting to autograph copies of his book. 

Submitted by Jeff Webb, Keyway Committee 

 IN OTHER MEETING NEWS

• • • • • Charlie Palmer gave the Invocation and led us in the pledge.  
        • Hilton Smith welcomed all visiting Rotarians & guests.  
        • President Sandy Morckel presented Health and Happiness.
        • Peter Shahid welcomed and introduced our guest speaker, Federal Judge Richard Gergel, who joined us for a discussion on his book: Unexampled Courage: The Blinding of Sgt. Isaac Woodard and the Awakening of President Harry Truman and Judge J. Waties Waring.

MORE IN THIS WEEK’S KEYWAY

March 17, 2020 | Issue 4958 | President: Sandy Morckel

COMING EVENTS

• • Mar. 17 – No Meeting
  • March 24 – Mt. Pleasant Mayor, Will Haynie
  • March 31 – Catherine Brack, “The Gaillard – the Upcoming Year”
  • April 7 – No Meeting

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 80’s (the Forty years ago decade)(1982-1986)

We mourned the loss of the 88 year old honorary member of our Club, Gen. Mark Clark. In the mid ‘80s we focused on education buy establishing a new committee which is still in existence, Excellence in Education, which honors teachers and students. One outstanding speaker was our own Club member and city police Chief Reuben Greenberg, who had become nationally known by appearing on “60 Minutes.” We rang the bell for Salvation Army and took in $635, and also raised $1,200 for the Webb Cripple Children’s Center. One Rotarian, Ken Johnson, decorated his table with candelabra and champagne and charged $50 for other Rotarians to sit there and donated the money to the Webb Center.

Meeting Reminders

We do NOT meet this coming Tuesday, March 17. 

January Dues Past Due

January –June Rotary dues are now PAST DUE. Past due statements were emailed last week. If you received a notice, please make payment as soon as possible.   

50/50 Raffle 

The 50/50 Raffle continues at our weekly meeting on March 24.  Members will have a 1 in 8 chance to win. The pot will start at $224. 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. 

Photo Gallery from Rotary 100th Anniversary Gala

We’ve got two great photo galleries up on Facebook to see and share the pictures from our fantastic evening.

Check out this Photo Gallery on our Facebook page for a ton of great photos from the event.

And this one from our Photo Booth set-up that was a lot to fun for all our members and guests.

Get Your Rotary 100 Anniversary Apparel

Rotary 100th Anniversary Commemorative gear is now on sale! Don Oswalt and our PR Team showcased a golf shirt and tee-shirt in varying colors and sizes, along with a baseball cap, all with our 100th anniversary logo. We encourage every Rotarian to purchase one or more of the special merchandise and wear it proudly at every Rotary function or volunteer activity in which we participate. Golf shirts will be available for $45, tee-shirts for $20 and hats for $20.  You can purchase these items online here or at the Rotary Meetings over the next 2 weeks. We will place the group order for all items at the beginning of February.

 

District 7770 All Club Conference Cancelled

Message from District Governor Johnny Moore:

If you have been keeping up with the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) situation, you are aware of the many steps being taken to limit its spread. We have been closely monitoring events and information as they become available. One of the most recent recommendations is “social distancing” in an effort to reduce or avoid the spread of infection. We also understand that the most at-risk population is the age group of 60+ and those with other health concerns. Of course, in Rotary, we have a high percentage of members in that 60+ group.

With all these considerations in mind, with concern for the health and welfare of our members and with input from members of the District Executive Committee, I have made the decision to cancel All Club Conference 2020. For several weeks I have felt the burden of this impending decision. However, when the time came to act, I found the decision to be much less difficult than I had expected. And, I firmly believe this is the right thing to do.

We will find another way to celebrate our success. I appreciate your understanding and support of this decision and look forward to seeing you again in the future.

So, what if you have registered for the conference, have hotel reservations or have contributed to the meal packing event? Here is what you can do:

1. For your registration fees there are two options. First, you can request a refund of your registration fees by sending the request to [email protected]. Refunds will be processed once per week and paid by check. The second option is to notify us, again at [email protected], that you would like to donate those fees to PolioPlus. In this option you will receive Foundation credit for your PolioPlus contribution, and your donation will be matched 2 to 1 by the Gates Foundation to help end this terrible disease.
2. If you reserved your room at the Hilton Columbia Center using our room block code, then your room will be cancelled; and no action is required on your part. If you are in doubt, please call the hotel directly at 803-744-7800. There will be no cancellation penalty. If you reserved without using the room block code, then you MUST call the number above to cancel your reservation.
3. If you donated to the Rise Against Hunger meal packing event there are a couple of options here, as well. First, depending on where you made the contribution, you can allow your donation to remain with Rise Against Hunger for a future District 7770 meal packing event (which we hope to have as soon as possible); or it can remain with the District, again to support a future meal packing event. The second option would be to request a refund. For a refund of donations made to the District Treasurer, please email the request to [email protected]. For a refund of donations made to Rise Against Hunger, please let us know by emailing me at [email protected]. I will work out the details of the refund procedure with them.

Thank you for all you have done to make this a great year for District 7770. You’ve probably heard me say that the District is only a collection of the clubs that make it up. Therefore, the District is only as good as the clubs that make it up. At the same time, each clubs is only as good as the Rotarians that make it up. And, I promise you, we are a GREAT District because of the GREAT Clubs made up of GREAT Rotarians!

Thank you for your understanding and support!

Johnny Moore
District 7770
District Governor 2019-2020

 

Rotary District 7770 Cruise for CART

Rotary District 7770 is sponsoring a cruise in October 2020 to support the CART Fund. $100 of each ticket will be donated to CART (Coins for Alzheimer’s Research Trust) to fund research to find a cure for Alzheimer’s. We are inviting every Rotarian regardless of club or district affiliation to join in this opportunity to raise money for CART. Since its inception, the CART Fund has given $8.2 million in research grants. Children and non-Rotarians are also invited to participate in this cruise.

October might seem like a long way off, but deposits are due by February 10, 2020. The final payment is not due until June 25, 2020. Pricing is dependent on your choice of cabin. Every Rotarian should have received an email with an attachment with detailed information. The District website also has listed the pricing as well as the information sheet which needs to be included with your deposit. 

The cruise will depart from Charleston the afternoon of Saturday, October 17, 2020 and return to Charleston the morning of Saturday, October 24, 2020. The ship will be the Carnival Sunshine, which is new to Charleston. The ports of call will be Bermuda and Princess Cays. On one of the nights at sea, we will have a party for those participating in the fundraiser.

This will be a wonderful opportunity to have a great time, enjoy the fellowship of old friends, meet new friends and support the CART Fund.

 

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. 

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].

 

Member News

Our thoughts and prayers are with Past President Anita Zucker as her mother, Rose Goldberg, passed away last week.  Our most heartfelt condolences to her and her family

Also, keep Kelsey Willey in your thoughts and prayers as she was in the hospital last week and is recovering at home.  

Congratulations to Steve Dopp, owner of the Francis Marion, who was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Historic Hotels of America.

Welcome to our newest Rotarian – Leah Donaldson!  Leah was sponsored by Past President Alissa Lietzow and will hold the classification of Non-Profit Executive.  We are excited to have Leah as a member!

With much regret, the Board accepted the resignations of Jonathan Campaigne and Jack Mitchell.  We wish them both all the best in their retirement. We will miss them!

In advance of Water Missions Walk for Water, there will be a celebration of life for Molly Greene at Seacoast in Mt. Pleasant on Thursday, March 19. Molly’s good work impacted the lives of thousands in communities throughout the world. She truly lived a life dedicated to Service Above Self.

Proposed New Members

The following membership candidates have submitted an application and signed letter of agreement to the Historic Rotary Club of Charleston:

Karla Coombs – sponsor:  Heidi Finniff; classification: 

 Megan Fink – sponsor:  Skip Fink; classification:  Non-Profit Marketing 

Leslie “Les” Perkins – sponsor:  Digit Matheny; classification: Engineering/IT

In the event you know Karla, please tell a member of the Board how she will serve the ideas of Rotary.

MEMBER SPOTLIGHT

Digit Matheny

• • • JOINED: 2008 
    • SPONSOR: Don Oswalt
    • MEMBERSHIP INVOLVEMENT: Current Board Member, District 7770 Membership Chair, Past President, Past Board Member, 100 Year Anniversary Committee, RLI Graduate, PHS, PHF, Rotary Benefactor, Rotary Bequest Society, District Long Range Planning, District CART Fund, 
    • CLASSIFICATION: Marketing/Business Development
    • PROFESSION: Real Estate Advisor, Caroline One Real Estate
    • SOMETHING UNIQUE ABOUT YOURSELF:  I have traveled to 43 of the 49 states on the North American Continent and the District of Columbia. 

Birthdays

• • 3/18 – Sue Sommer-Kresse
  • 3/21 – Leslie Fellabom
  • 3/27 – Kelsey Willey
  • 3/28 – Sam Steinburg

By the numbers

• • Attendance on  February 18, 2020: 67
  • Not in attendance: Not in attendance:  Allen, Altman, Baus, Beam, Berry, Bickley, Carico, Ceccato, Clark, Coghill, Cole, Cooper, E., Cooper, M., Coxe, Crouch, Deavenport, DeGraff, Dopp, Drafts, Fellabom, Frume, Gill, Giovanniello, Hanger, Jones, Lucy, Minson, Morelli, Moring, Oswalt, Patrick, Ravenel, Rust, Savage, Sottak, Strickland, Taylor, Tecklenburg, John, Tecklenburg, P., Teller, Triantafyllidid, Vanek, Willey
  • Out of Town Make-ups: None

WELLNESS TIP

Gradually Transition Into the Time Change 

To minimize the impact of the switch to daylight saving time, make gradual adjustments. Go to bed and put your children to bed 15 minutes early, starting several days before the change. Make an extra effort to be well-rested the week before the time change.

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