ur Rotarian of the Day today is Ben Gorrell. Ben is native Tulsan, born January 19, 1947. He graduated from Edison High School here in Tulsa and the University of Kansas, where he earned a B.S. degree in aerospace engineering. He also obtained a masters degree in business administration. He is a Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), and a Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC). He is Vice-President of Rich & Cartmill, Inc.

He is married to Kathy, and they will celebrate 40 years of blissful marriage on June 6. They have two daughters: Charlotte (1973) and Shelley (1976), and four grandsons.

Ben enjoys jogging, skiing (water and snow), snowshoeing, hunting, fishing and geography.
He joined Southside Rotary on September 4, 1980, and was proposed by Bill Van Horn. He was president during the 1991-1992 Rotary year.

Ben is a member of Kirk of the Hills Presbyterian Church, Southern Oaks Neighborhood Association, and Independent Insurance Agents of Tulsa, Oklahoma and the USA.

Ben, thank you for arranging today’s program. We appreciate it.

This Week’s Program

Pamela Chew

ur speaker today is Pamela Chew, Associate Professor of Foreign Languages at the Tulsa Community College. She received a Rotary International Grant for University Teachers to teach at the University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji, in March 2005.

Pamela has had a long history with languages and cultures. She received an A.A. in romance languages from Cottey College in Nevada, Missouri, and both her B.A. and M.A. in French from the University of Missouri at Columbia. She spent her junior year of college abroad at the Institute for American Universities in Aix-en-Provence, France. She also attended the Instituto Tecnologico de Monterrey in Monterrey, Mexico, and the Centro Lorenzo de’Medici in Florence, Italy, where she has received multiple certifications in the Italian language.

Pamela has worked as an Italian, French, and Spanish adjunct instructor for colleges and programs throughout Tulsa, and as an ESL instructor for Catholic Charities and Occidental Petroleum. She has been with TCC since 1990. She has also volunteered with local middle schools, teaching Italian language and culture.

She has received numerous awards and grants, including the RI Grant for University Teachers in 2004, the International Professional Opportunity Development Grant to Italy from TCC in February 2009, and the Faculty Innovation Grant from TCC in April 2007. She was named the ESL Professional of the Year of Oklahoma in 2004 by the Oklahoma Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages. Pamela is also a Paul Harris Fellow.

Pamela, thank you so much for being with us today. The Rotary Club of Southside Tulsa welcomes you!

Southsider Quick Notes

Last week…
- Our ROD last week was Tom Wilson, and our speaker was Sister Ephrance Nuwamanya from Uganda.

- David Stephenson of Engineers in Action and Dr. Ruben Mamani presented us with a plaque as a thanks for building the water well in Konani, Bolivia.

- After a long, long, long, long, LONG time, we finally have our slate of new officers for 2009-2010:

• President: Keith James
• Vice President: Tom Wilson
• Administration: Larry Gilbert
• Treasurer: Pat Riehle
• Publicity: Teresa Wixson
• Membership: J. David Hughes
• Service: Phil Scott
• RI Foundation: Donna Petty

- The North Tulsa Club’s Ed Lacy Banquet will be April 14. The cost is $50, and Nolan Richardson is the keynote speaker.

- Thanks to the National Defense Authorization Act, all veterans, retirees, and active-duty military not in uniform can render the military-style hand salute during the playing of the National Anthem or the raising, lowering, or passing of the flag. So, those of our members who were in the military can hand-salute the flag when we say the Pledge of Allegiance.

- Ask Don if you need any information about the Mayor’s Employment Fair, which is May 2.

- We have a new way of keeping up with membership: a new membership software online via the District 6110 website. Go to http://www.6110times.org/, scroll down and look in the left column for the button that says “DaCdb.” Click on it, and it will take you to where you can login. Your login is your current email listed with RI, and your password is your Rotary membership ID number.

- We have a new fine! If you don’t get up and greet our visitors, you will be fined. If we do this right, our poor visitors will never get a chance to finish their lunches.

- Keith James let us know that our new district governor has an initiative to add 1,000 members to this district in 2010, so that we’ll have 6,110 members in district 6110.

- This year’s Be Wise Immunize is the 20th anniversary of the event! Talk to Bob Hinton if you were at the first few Be Wise Immunize events.

- Don? David? Have you guys gotten your dictionaries out yet?

- In May, we’ll be recognizing our 50-year members.

- We’ve been invited to a Partners in Education reception for Springdale Elementary. It’s Thursday, April 16, from 4:00-5:30 p.m. at the Tulsa Marriott Southern Hills, 1902 E. 71st. RSVP by Friday, April 10, with Melissa Torkelson (melissatorkleson@tulsachamber.com).

- Speaking of Springdale, they need test monitors between April 13-17, and they need three for each day. See Don or David Hughes to sign up.

- We got two more checks for RI from Larry Boyer and John Slater.

- Here’s the weekly update on Biscuit Acres:

• - We need to match the funds that Randy has committed (see below). Pledge, network, whatever you need to do. Get donations from outside the club.
• - Ben Estes as extra boxes and pledge cards if you need them.
• - Remember, the dog park opens on JUNE 6. Mark your calendars.
• - Randy Sullivan has committed up to $5,000 to Biscuit Acres for a challenge contribution to all members of Southside to COLLECTIVELY match his $5,000. Member contributions can be in the form of a pledge to the Southside Rotary Foundation and given to the Foundation over a period of months. $100 per person will get us there. Of course, a higher contribution will help those members who cannot do the $100. Members are encouraged to use the pledge form to receive commitments and contributions of all sizes from as many non-Rotarians as possible. Thank you, Randy, for this wonderful opportunity.

- Next week, our speaker will be Carol Nikkel of the Day Spring Villa.