ur Rotarian of the Day today is Russ Robinson. Russ has been a Rotarian since May 1983. He was proposed by his former business partner, Norman C. Cross, Jr. Before joining Southside Rotary in June 2007, he was a member of the Southeast Tulsa Rotary Club for 23 years. He served as Club President of the Southeast Club in 1995-96 and is the Recipient of the Vocational Service Award and the Rotary Foundation District Service Award. He is also the treasurer for District 6110.

Russ attended the University of Tulsa and holds a Bachelor of Science in accounting from East Central State University. He is a certified public accountant, having passed the CPA exam in 1970. He is the managing partner of Cross and Robinson Certified Public Accountants.

As a native Oklahoman, Russell has served and been involved with the following organizations:

• Trustee for The Meals on Wheels Endowment Fund
• Past President and Board Member of Cedar Ridge Country Club
• Board Member of the Margaret Hudson Foundation
• Board Member of the Byrd Community School
• Board of Trustees of Southern Hills Church of Christ
• Member of the Tulsa Memorial Area Planning Council
• Member of the City of Tulsa Civil Service Commission
• Treasurer of the Fairway Villas Homeowners’ Association
• Board Member of Forest Park South Homeowners’ Association
• Treasurer for several political campaigns

Russell has been married to Joyce, his high school sweetheart, for 45 years. They have two grown children, a son, Matthew, and a daughter, Whitney. They are the proud grandparents of 5 grandchildren, including 3-year old triplets. He is an avid golfer, and when not taking care of grandkids, he and Joyce enjoy traveling.

Russ, thank you for setting up our program today! It’s good to have you in the club.

This Week’s Program

A.C. Moncrief

oday’s speaker is A.C. Moncrief, the current governor for District 6110. A.C. is a graduate of the University of Arkansas, and he went straight to Malawi in central Africa after graduation, as a volunteer in the U.S. Peace Corps. Later, he became a successful high school football coach and wrote the book More Than a Game. He has traveled to more than 33 countries, speaks a little French, a little more Spanish, and is fluent in Chinyanja, a Bantu language.

He has been married for 40 years to his wife, Doris. They have two daughters, Tracy and Alison. They have three grandsons: Scott, age 12, Riley, age 3, and Caden, age four months. All will receive Paul Harris designations this year. Outside of his family, A.C. considers Rotary and the Peace Corps to be the most satisfying and stimulating experiences of his life.

He was invited to join the Rotary Club in Russellville, Arkansas, in 1977, representing the travel industry. During his year as president, the Russellville club broke the 100-member barrier and started participating in International Student Exchanges.

In 1991, A.C. entered the banking industry in Ozark, Arkansas, and while he served as president there, the club reached a new high in members. In 1998, his career in banking and finance moved to Van Buren, Arkansas, where he again served as club president. Along with starting the Student Exchange, the club accepted the challenge to increase their number of Paul Harris Fellows from 14 to the current level of 55. These achievements, plus the receiving of “Service Above Self” awards from Russellville and Van Buren, were special, personal highlights of this time period.

A.C., a multiple Paul Harris Fellow, has served Rotary as an assistant district governor, district trainer, bulletin editor for the Ozark and Van Buren clubs, and he has been a frequent speaker at District Assembly and conferences. He has served on multiple community and Chamber of Commerce boards.

A.C., thank you for being with us today. The Rotary Club of Southside Tulsa welcomes you!

Southsider Quick Notes

Last week…
- Our ROD last week was Brett Brough, and our speaker was Marcia Mitchell with the Little Light House.

- We have a potential new member, proposed by Tom Wenrick. Speak now or forever hold your peace:

• Neill McCown
  Classification: Active/Retired Insurance

- The Rotary Institute meeting will be here in Tulsa Sept. 10-13.

• The main meeting will be Friday, Sept. 11, at 12:00 p.m. at the Southern Hills Marriott. We’ll be having our weekly meeting there, so there will NOT be a meeting at Ti Amo’s on Thursday, Sept. 10.
• There will also be a breakfast and a lunch on Saturday. The cost is $25 apiece.
• If you’d like to be a Rotary greeter at the airport, or if you’d like to help transport people to and from the hotel, there are sign-up sheets for Sept. 8-10 and 13.

- Tom Wenrick and Steve Gray have proposed two members each. Hooray!

- Dues for the first quarter and Change of Horses are due. If you haven’t paid up, see Tracy Raines or Jack Koehle.

- Also, Scotch and Cigar Night will be October 23. Tom Wilson will not be repeating his magnificent fall of last year, but it should be a fun event all the same!

- Bob Winters is back with the sports report! Here is his analysis of Arkansas and TU.

• For Arkansas: Bobby Petrino should have a better year than his 5-7 of last year. The freshmen from last year are now sophomores; they have a better transfer quarterback and a good running back and offensive line. The offensive line and the wide receivers should be strengths, but the defensive line, defensive backs, and kicking team are big weaknesses. Plus, Arkansas has a tough schedule, playing Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and LSU, to name a few.
• For TU: Last season, they went 11-3. Can they match it this year? They have some tough opponents, including New Mexico, Boise State, Houston, and OU, and they are looking for a talented quarterback. The offensive line could be a weakness, but the wide receivers and running back are definite strengths. The defensive line is much improved, and the linebackers are a big strength. However, whether or not the defensive backs are a strength remains to be seen. Plus, they need to replace their kicker.

- Jessica Cox is our new membership chair, and we’ve got some updates on how this membership drive is going to work. Medhi says it will be $5 for guest meals now, so it will be much less expensive to invite somebody. Our team information is now on the website, and team leaders need to remind their teammates to bring guests. We’ll be updating our membership brochure PDF, and creating a club blue book to educate guests on what Rotary is and what we do.

- Be sure to check the website for our speaker list through November. Information on it is subject to change, but we’ll do our best to keep it updated!

- Next week, our speaker is Mike Klimne.