Volume LXVIII, Number 008
PROGRAM this Wednesday, August 24th will be a Club Assembly led by President Jake Jones.
REMEMBER that we will not meet Wednesday August 31st because we will participate in the United Way Kick Off Campaign at Del'avant, 8 a.m. Tuesday, August 30th.
PROGRAM last week was brought to us by Raylene Carter and introduced by Immediate Past President George Henry and featured Dr. Richard Prior, the Music Director and Conductor (maestro) of the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra. The following was written by our own Raylene Carter for your travelling editor. We think that she could well be our next bulletin editor with talent like this! PLEASE thank her when you see her for the following: "George Henry introduced Dr. Richard Prior, Conductor and Music Director of the LaGrange Symphony Orchestra, since July of 2015. Richard thanked everyone for having him speak and said that over his career he had spoken with several Rotary clubs in various states and communities. He mentioned the Rotary motto of Service Above Self and said that he very much felt that was true for him in his role as a conductor with his orchestras and his students. Richard was energetic, witty and kept the audience engaged. He said he would be auditioning 450 students in the coming days for spots in both the Emory University and the Emory Youth Symphony. He loves the dynamics of the podium and the musicians on stage and likes to tell his students “without me you are nothing.” He laughed and said that new students, particularly high school, initially see him as a tyrannical beast but that he has their attention in that moment in a way he may ever have it again. He went on to say that, he also tells them that “without you” I am nothing as without their talents and energy he would just be “a person waving white stick around.” Richard said the same is true in life. No matter what you bring in to any forum, a conductor or leader, etc. is just a conduit to bring together the talent that makes everything else happen. Richard complemented the LaGrange Symphony and the Board of Directors as being talented and passion groups. He briefly discussed the coming season, Elemental Forces, so named because he believes music is an elemental force in the same way as Air, Fire, Water and Earth. He said all of us are invested in music in that we all have opinions about it, music touches our lives in concerts, worship, riding in our cars. It is universal and truly an elemental force. He urged the members to “make us a part of your life this year” and “don’t miss a note.” He ended his remarks by saying that “without an audience, we (the orchestra members) are nothing. A live orchestra concert relies on the audience, the musicians and the conductor “sharing the experience.” Richard answered questions regarding how he composed a piece of music, what inspired him to become a composer, the use of software in composing, the hardest and most fun part of his job (Hardest was spending so much time in preparatory stage and then there is “a” performance. Most Fun --At that one moment what you have worked on for months is alive.) When asked about instruments he played, Richard said he played on piano and cello and smiled and said he was neither a pianist nor a cellist. He grew up in England in cathedral choirs, singing rich choral music every day. He elaborated that you were always given an instrument to play so that when voice was “shot” as you grew out of adolescence you were not be devoid of music. His sons, ages 7 and 11, have both taken piano with one taking violin and one taking cello but he said he is not forcing them to do so. He did stress the importance for there to be music in schools and such programs as those offered by the LaGrange Symphony in our Youth Orchestra and Strings Project. Richard said that, when faced with budget issues, schools often cut out middle school music because the high school programs are doing so well. Then he asked, “where do you think these high school students are coming from?” He stressed it had to start with the younger generation. In addition, he acknowledged that students do not attend Emory to major in music but to be doctors, lawyers and business people. However, they participate in the music programs because of the richness it gives their lives."
We also had our own George Henry send us some information about last week, too, and we thank him.
ALSO: We only know the following through the same good offices of our Raylene:
Guest List
Rev. Helen Henry, guest and Rotarianne of George Henry; Bettie Biggs, guest and Rotarianne of Ed Biggs; Fran Nichols, guest and Rotarianne of Roy Nichols; Willie Mae Callaway, guest of Edna Foster; Guests of the LSO included Board Members: Deion Dean; Joeline Davidson; Joyce Morgan-Young (a former member of our club); Kim Banks; Mary Lynn Faress; Dee Dee Williams; Lauranne Buchanan; and Gary Mayer. Guests of the Club included : Mark Davis, LaGrange College; Jeremy Andrews, Troup County News; Peyton Hanners, Troup County News; and Karin Thompson.
General Announcements
1. United Way Breakfast will be held at 8:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 30, 2016 at Del’Avant. Reservations are required. There will be a sign-up sheet at the desk at the next Rotary meeting. There will be no Rotary meeting on Wednesday of that same week.
Happy Dollars
1. John Asbell - $1 in honor of the Leadership Troup board and the new youth class of 40 high school students recently introduced during a reception at the Chamber. $1 in honor of the new year at THINC . On Monday the THINC board welcomed buses in both the morning and afternoon to celebrate the new students at THINC. The board, representing members of the business community then spoke with the students regarding careers and mentored them about their futures.
2. Martha Allred -celebrating that her daughter Sarah is safe and dry in Baton Rouge and reminded everyone to give to the Red Cross to aid the victims of the devastating flooding.
3. Trey Long – mentioned the upcoming HYPE sponsored Dog Bark. The event is Saturday, September 10 at Granger Park. Sponsorships are available. You can bring you dog or you can register to walk with an “adoptable” dog.
4. Dalton Hammond - $5 – gave the money “just because he is happy”
Paul Harris Award Presentation
Patty Youngblood presented a Paul Harris Award to Fran Nichols. Roy honored her with this on the occasion of their 50th wedding anniversary and did the honors of pinning Fran. this is the highest honor Rotary can bestow and is therefore very meaningful for a Rotarian to honor someone with a Paul Harris, but also for what it means to making a difference in the world.
New Member Induction
Sondra Bowie introduced James Van Schoor, her neighbor, and son-in-law of Taylor and Judy Merrill. James and his wife, Katie, met in college and they have three daughters. Katie, who grew up here, of course, we now know professionally as Mercer Van Schoor, television reporter and news star. [We think James is a Manager of Dairy Queen]
AGAIN, your editor thanks Raylene Carter for all the good information. We thought we could find a place on our travels last week to do the bulletin before today, but did not manage it, so we are even more grateful to Raylene and George for having sent us this information last week so that we could get it ready to send out today!
"All the Rotary News that Fits, We Print”