Today’s ROD is David Hughes. His father, David L. Hughes, became a Southsider right after the club’s charter, served as Club Service Director in 1960-61 and as Vice President in 1961-62. David’s mother was a Rotary Ann back at a time when ladies could only be involved in Rotary in that organization.
David was proposed by Harold Lamprich and inducted into Southside on October 1, 1992. He is an R.I. Benefactor, Paul Harris Fellow, and Southside Star. He has served as President, in many Club Director positions, and spearheaded our work with our adopted school Springdale Elementary.
David is a real estate broker licensed with Prudential Detrick Realty, where he has achieved membership in the Chairman’s Circle and presently in the Honors Society. He has been a director of both the Greater Tulsa Association of REALTORS and the Oklahoma Association of REALTORS.
David plays trumpet and fluegel horn in the Asbury New Covenant Orchestra. He played for many years with the gospel big band, Tulsa Praise Orchestra, but travels and a very aggressive performance schedule forced him to remember that he has a wife deserving of his time!
Leslie is his wife of 29 years; they have two sons, David and Mike, a daughter Hillary, and a daughter-in-law, Jennifer. They have lived in their home since 1986 which was the Cabin Grill and Lounge for Tulsa Commercial Airport in the 1940′s.
They love the old historic home particularly since David’s father was a bomber pilot in WWII & David enjoyed skydiving in the late 60′s, and began flying in the ’70s.
David loves riding his Harley, watching football, and playing volleyball in their front yard with Leslie and all the grown kids, but really looks forward to continuing the family’s favorite pastime again this summer, which is tent camping.
This Week’s Program
Maj. Dan Rooney
Major Dan Rooney is the founder of the Folds of Honor Foundation and Patriot Golf Day, an F-16 pilot in the Oklahoma National Guard, a golf course owner, a residential developer, and a PGA Professional.
Folds of Honor, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, provides scholarships to the spouses and children of military service members disabled or killed in service. Patriot Golf Day, Folds of Honor’s flagship fundraising event, and one of the largest grassroots fundraising efforts in sports history, is a collaborative effort with the PGA and the United States Golf Association. In its first two years, Patriot Golf Day raised $3 million in donations from golfers nationwide, which has resulted in the awarding of almost 500 scholarships.
For his work with Folds of Honor, Rooney has received the White House’s Presidential Volunteer Service Award, the Air National Guard’s Distinguished Service Medal, the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, and the PGA of America’s first-ever Patriot Award. He has also been recognized as one of People Magazine’s 2008 Heroes of the Year and one of ABC World News Tonight’s Persons of the Year for 2008.
A major in the Air National Guard and a decorated military aviator, Rooney has served three combat tours in Iraq. He is a two-time recipient of the coveted “Top Gun” award and was honored with the “Spirit of the Attack” award as a top graduate of F-16 training. He has received many decorations to include the Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Medal, Anti-terrorism Medal, Combat Readiness Medal, and Air Expeditionary Medal.
Rooney has continued his golf career as a majority owner of the historic Grand Haven (MI) Golf Club, ranked in the “Top 50 Public Courses in the Nation” by Golf Digest. Rooney is an owner of The Patriot, a Robert Trent Jones, Jr.-designed course currently under construction near Tulsa, OK. The Patriot will soon be the home to the Folds of Honor Foundation headquarters. A percentage of all profits, guest play, as well as member contributions from The Patriot will directly benefit the Folds of Honor Foundation.
Dan and his wife, Jacqy, live in Broken Arrow and are the parents to four daughters: Victoria, Tatum, Mia, and Reese.
Major Rooney, thank you for being with us today. Tulsa Southside Rotary welcomes you!
Southsider Quick Notes
Last week…
- Our ROD last week was Glenn Burnett and our speaker was Kostis Protopapas with the Tulsa Opera.
- Sadly, Ken Bays passed away Tuesday morning. His service will be Saturday, March 27, at 1 p.m. at Asbury Methodist Church. Please keep his family in your prayers.
- The Henry Bellmon Awards will be held September 16 at the Mayo Hotel. If we sell all the corporate tables that we want, then only 100 individual tickets will remain (again, at $125 apiece). Make your reservations now!
- If you want to pick up some Topeca coffee for the fundraiser, see Josh Butts. We’re supposed to buy or sell 20 bags apiece.
- Monthly statements have gone out, and quarterly dues are due in April!
- Several of our new members got their blue badges last week! Congratulations, guys!
- Biscuit Acres will celebrate its first anniversary on June 6. John Benjamin reported that it is completely constructed now, with the fence, shade sails, brick entrances, etc. A volunteer association is being formed to recruit and train volunteers, and the drainage will be fixed soon. All in all, it’s been a great project and John Benjamin has done a great job making sure everything got done. Thank you, John!
- We will not be having a breakout meeting with the firemen this year.
- The board also approved taking 225 kids from Springdale Elementary to a baseball game on May 5! That will be our meeting that week, so sign up to go! It’s a 10 a.m. game, so we should have the kids back at school around 2 p.m. It will cost around $2,000 for the whole thing, so if you could donate some money, we’d really appreciate it!
- Be sure to check the Upcoming Programs for our speaker list through the Change of Horses (June 2010). Information on it is subject to change, but we’ll do our best to keep it updated!
- Next week, our speaker will be Steve Edgar, talking about his climb of Mt. Kilimanjaro.
