President Andy’s e-mail March 10th, 2010

Did you know Edmond is home to the 11th annual Endeavor Games? The University of Central Oklahoma will present the event, a nationally recognized competition that allows all athletes with physical disabilities to participate in 11 sport competitions. The Games also provide training clinics for aspiring athletes of all ages and classifications.

Competitions include Powerlifting, Table Tennis, Wheelchair Basketball, Swimming, Sitting Volleyball, Cycling, Wheelchair Track & Field, Indoor/Outdoor Archery, Ambulatory Track & Field, and Shooting. The activities will take place on the UCO campus, at Edmond North High School, Cheyenne Middle School, or the Lake Arcadia Outdoor Adventure Recreation Center.

To discuss the Endeavor Games, and what they mean to Edmond, are Leigha Joiner and Casey Moore. Leigha Joiner has been with the University of Central Oklahoma since 2006 and is currently the Event Coordinator for UCO Sports & Recreation. She coordinates all of the special and sporting events for the designated Olympic and Paralympic Training Site. Joiner will be coordinating both the 11th annual UCO Endeavor Games and the 2010 Sitting Volleyball World Championship.

Leigha received both her Bachelor of Science in Marketing and Masters of Business Administration from Southern Nazarene University in Bethany. She is engaged to be married in December to U.S. Paralympic Archer, T.J. Pemberton.

Casey Moore has been with the University of Central Oklahoma since 2007 and currently serves as the Development Manager for the UCO Wellness Center. In this role, Moore is responsible for securing external funding to support the many initiatives of the Wellness Center. This includes Olympic & Paralympic initiatives, Healthy Campus programs, and capital projects among others.

Casey received his Bachelor of Science in Recreation Management from UCO and his Masters of Education in Sport Administration from Wichita State University. He is married to Jessica and has two children, Briley and Briggs.

Please welcome our special guests, Leigha Joiner and Casey Moore.

Andy

President Andy’s Newsletter March 3rd 2010

 A Night at the Opera

A world-renowned opera singer from Oklahoma? That’s right. Born and raised in Enid, Oklahoma, Leona Mitchell has performed around the world.

She has sung in opera houses in New York, London, Rome, Berlin, Vienna, Paris and Buenos Aires, to name just a few. She has worked with the world’s greatest conductors, including Zubin Mehta, Seiji Ozawa, and Kurt Masur. And she has recorded DVDs with the three great tenors: Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo and Jose Carreras.

Mitchell has performed in many of the great operas: from Bizet’s Carmen and Puccini’s La Boheme, to Verdi’s Il Trovatore and La Forza del Destino and Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, among many others. She sang the lead role in the first complete recording of Porgy and Bess. She has sung for five American Presidents: Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and Bill Clinton.

The tenth of fifteen children born to Hulon and Pearl Mitchell, Leona earned her bachelor’s degree in music from Oklahoma City University, and has received honorary degrees from the University of Oklahoma and Oklahoma City University. She spent 18 years as a leading Spinto Soprano at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. She belongs to The Oklahoma Hall of Fame, The Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame, The Jazz Hall of Fame and The Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame. In 2003, Governor Brad Henry named Mitchell the state’s Cultural Ambassador.

Despite the demands of her career, Mitchell has continually given so much of herself to her home state. What a great ambassador Oklahoma has in Leona Mitchell.

She is married to Elmer Bush, who also serves as her manager. They have one son, Elmer Bush, IV.

Please welcome to the Rotary Club of Edmond our special guest, Leona Mitchell.

Andy

President Andy’s e-mail February 24th

Have you ever met a true renaissance man? If not, that will change when you meet Chief Judge Robert H. Henry. His interests are diverse, ranging from cooking and gardening to history and art. An avid author, Judge Henry’s writings have been featured in numerous books, law reviews, magazines, and newspapers. He has received Oklahoma Nature Conservancy’s Conservationist of the Year, the Oklahoma Human Rights Commission Award, the National Conference of Christians and Jews Humanitarian of the Year. In November 2008, United States Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor presented him for induction into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

Judge Henry grew up in Shawnee, and received his B.A. and his J.D. from the University of Oklahoma. Shortly after his law school graduation, he commenced a decade long career in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. He chaired the Judiciary and Education Committees, while also practicing law in Shawnee.

In 1986, Henry was elected Attorney General of Oklahoma. He was so successful that, in 1990, he became the first candidate in Oklahoma history to run for that office unopposed.

Academia called in 1991. Henry became Dean of the Oklahoma City University School of Law. He immediately embarked on a successful fundraising campaign culminating in the construction of a new building to house the law school.

In 1994, President Bill Clinton nominated Henry to the bench. He was easily confirmed with bipartisan support and praise. He currently serves as Chief Judge of United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, the federal appellate court that covers Oklahoma, Kansas, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming and Utah.

Judge Henry has traveled worldwide promoting the rule of law. In 2005, Chief Justice William Rehnquist named Judge Henry Chair of the International Judicial Relations Committee. Justice O’Connor selected him to serve on the Advisory Board for the Judicial Outreach Program of the American Society of International Law. He sits on the Board of the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative and is Chair of the ABA’s Middle East/North Africa Law Council. He has been honored by the State Department’s Bureau of International Information Programs and by the Russian Council of Judges.

Recently, Judge Henry submitted his resignation from his lifetime appointment to the bench. On July 1, he will become President of Oklahoma City University.

Please give a warm Edmond Rotary welcome to my great and dear friend, Chief Judge Robert Henry.

Andy

President Andy’s e-mail February 17th

Did you know Oklahoma City All Sports Association has been an active part of the community since 1957? Did you know it was created to support and maintain the All-College Basketball Tournament, but that its mission now includes so many other events? Did you know it is annually responsible for bringing thousands of visitors to the community, who spend more than $30,000,000 in the metropolitan area?

Does having the NCAA Basketball Tournament here sound like fun? Or how about the Women’s College World Series? Or the Sooner State Games? Or the Big 12 Basketball Tournament? Or the Big 12 Baseball Championship? These events, and so many others, all are made possible because of the work of Oklahoma City All Sports Association.

Our special guest this week is Tim Brassfield, the Executive Director of Oklahoma City All Sports Association. Tim, who has now held that position for over 10 years, is a native Oklahoman. He is a member of Class XXI of Leadership OKC, and has served on its Alumni Board as well as on the Board of Directors of the Bricktown Association. He serves on the Oklahoma City Mayor’s City Sports Council, and co-chaired the OKC Chamber of Commerce Big League City Coalition, to assist in bringing National Basketball Association to Oklahoma City.

Tim lives in Norman with his wife, Lindsey, their sons, Travis and Brooks, and their daughter, Lainey. He is a Rotarian, a member of Club 29.

Please welcome Tim Brassfield to the Rotary Club of Edmond.

Andy

President Andy’s e-mail February 10th

Justice Steven W. Taylor has been a member of the judicial branch of Oklahoma’s state government for over 25 years. He was Associate District Judge from 1984 to 1994, and then served as District Judge from 1994 to 2004. As a trial judge, Taylor presided over more than 500 jury trials, including the Oklahoma City bombing case.

On September 23, 2004, Governor Brad Henry appointed Taylor as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Oklahoma. Justice Taylor represents the 2nd District, which includes his home in McAlester.

Here is an interesting bit of Oklahoma history. Although Justice Taylor is the twelfth person to represent the 2nd District on the Oklahoma Supreme Court, did you know he is only the third person to do so since 1932?

Justice Taylor’s public service started long before he became a judge. He served in the United States Marine Corps, attaining the rank of Major in the Judge Advocate General’s office. He was a member of the McAlester City Council for two years, and then was elected the youngest Mayor in the history of McAlester, a position held for two years.

His awards are numerous. He has been named Outstanding Young Oklahoman, McAlester Citizen of the Year, and Oklahoma State University Distinguished Alumnus. He received the Oklahoma Bar Association’s Award of Judicial Excellence, and has been inducted into the Oklahoma State University Hall of Fame and, just a few months ago, the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

A graduate of McAlester High School, Justice Taylor received his B.A. in political science from Oklahoma State University and his J.D. from the University of Oklahoma College of Law. He serves on the Boards of the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation, the Oklahoma City National Memorial and the Oklahoma Heritage Foundation. His wife, Mary, is a public school teacher in McAlester. The Taylors have one son.

Please give a warm welcome to a fellow Rotarian, Oklahoma Supreme Court Vice Chief Justice Steven Taylor.

Andy
–

President Andy’s e-mail February 3rd

Click here for bulletin: Rotarian February 3

Lieutenant Governor Jari Askins has been a leader in all branches of Oklahoma government. She has served as a Special Judge and as Deputy General Counsel to the Governor. Three weeks after her initial appointment to the Pardon and Parole Board, her fellow members elected her as the first woman ever to chair the board.

She is the first Democratic woman elected Lieutenant Governor, the first woman to become Democratic Leader of the Oklahoma House of Representatives, and the first woman to be elected State Representative from Southwest Oklahoma. She represented District 50 (Stephens, Comanche and Cotton Counties) in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, and served for twelve years.

Askins grew up in Duncan. She graduated from Duncan High School, received her BA in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma and earned a Juris Doctorate from the OU College of Law.

Our Lieutenant Governor has received numerous awards during her career in public service. Honors include “outstanding legislator” awards from dozens of organizations, the Oklahoma Wildlife Federation President’s Award, the Oklahoma Commission on the Status of Women Kate Barnard Award, and the “Commitment to Excellence Award” from the Oklahoma Academy. She was inducted into the Oklahoma Women’s Hall of Fame in 2001.

She is a director of Arvest Bank in Duncan and a member of the Duncan Noon Lions Club, the Duncan Chamber of Commerce, Leadership Oklahoma, the Oklahoma Academy of State Goals, and the First Christian Church.

I read somewhere that, since 2007, Jari Askins has attended several thousand meetings, conferences and events throughout Oklahoma. I believe it. In her fourth year as Lieutenant Governor, Askins has been active all around the state, promoting Oklahoma at every turn. I have come to know Lt. Gov. Askins, and greatly respect her hard work and dedication to Oklahoma, Oklahomans, and what she calls “Oklahoma Values of family, faith, honesty, hard work and education.” She regularly puts into practice our Rotary Motto of “Service Above Self.”

Please join me in welcoming to the Rotary Club of Edmond, Oklahoma’s 15th Lieutenant Governor, Jari Askins.

Andy

President Andy’s e-mail January 27th

Click here for bulletin: rotarian-january-27

Ken Miller has several titles. He graduated with a B.A. in Finance and Economics from Lipscomb University, received his M.B.A. from Pepperdine University, and earned a Ph.D. in Political Economics from the University of Oklahoma. Thus, he is known as Dr. Miller

But he is also known as Representative Miller. He is completing his third term in the Oklahoma House of Representatives. He chairs the House Appropriations and Budget Committee, perhaps the single most important committee in that chamber.

Our special guest carries yet another title. Some call him Professor Miller. He is a Professor of Economics at Oklahoma Christian University. He has won the Merrick Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching Free Enterprise, been listed in Who’s Who Among American Teachers, and received the Defender of Free Enterprise award by the Oklahoma State Chamber of Commerce.

A member of the Southern Economic Association and the Christian Business Faculty Association, Miller also serves on the Board of the Edmond Economic Development Authority. He is an alumnus of Leadership Edmond Class XVIII. Before his service in the State Legislature, Miller served in Governor Frank Keating’s administration as the Chairman of the Legislative Compensation Committee.

Please welcome our special guest, Ken Miller.

Andy

P.S. You guys are so generous. Last week, in response to the tragedy in Haiti, I announced we were purchasing a ShelterBox. Since then, thanks to numerous generous donations from Rotarians and non-Rotarians alike, we have been able to purchase two additional ShelterBoxes. One person who saw the newspaper story about our work in this regard, sent a donation and wrote: “Dear Edmond Rotary, Thank you for giving us Edmondites this opportunity to give a little and help a lot.” Let me add my thanks to all of my fellow Edmond Rotarians for all you do to make our community and world a better place

President Andy’s e-mail January 20th, 2010

A couple of my Democratic friends have thought we’ve had a few too many Republicans speak to our Rotary Club of Edmond. And a few of my Republican friends have wondered at all the Democrats who have spoken to us. I haven’t heard yet from any Independents, though I can guess what they might think.

Our special guest speaker this week has filled all three roles. From 1976 to 1990, Wes Watkins served as the Democratic Congressman from Oklahoma’s Third Congressional District (better known as “Little Dixie”). He stepped down from Congress to run for the Democratic nomination for Governor. In 1994, he was an Independent candidate for Governor. Two years later, he was again elected to Congress from the Third Congressional District, and served until retiring in 2002. Amazingly, no matter how he ran for office – as a Democrat, an Independent or a Republican – Watkins always carried the Third District.

A 1960 alumnus of Oklahoma State University, Watkins received a Master’s degree from OSU in 1961. He has been an Oklahoma leader his entire life. Named in his honor are the Wes Watkins Technology Center in Wetumka, the Wes Watkins Reservoir in McLoud, the Wes Watkins Agricultural Research and Extension Center in Lane, and the Wes Watkins Center in Stillwater, which houses Oklahoma State University’s School of International Studies.

Did you know that, among all who have served in the United States House of Representatives since the founding of the Republic, Wes Watkins is unique? He is the only Congressman to have served on all three of the major House committees that deal with financial matters. Serving on any is considered a “plum.” Some have served on two. But only Wes Watkins has served on the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on the Budget and the Committee on Ways and Means.

Wes’s wife, Lou, serves on the Board of Regents for the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges. They live in Stillwater, and remain quite active in their community and the state. They regularly give of themselves generously. Oklahoma is a better place because of their leadership.

Please give a warm welcome to our special guest speaker, Wes Watkins.

Andy

President Andy’s e-mail January 13th, 2010

Click here for bulletin: rotarian-january-13

What can I say about Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry that others haven’t already said? You know the personal background. He grew up in Shawnee, graduated from Shawnee High School, attended the University of Oklahoma as a President’s Leadership Scholar, and earned a bachelor’s degree in economics in 1985 and a law degree in 1988. He returned to Shawnee to practice law with his father, Charles Henry.

You know the family background. He married the former Kim Blain. The Henrys have three daughters: Leah, Laynie and Baylee.

You know the record. Henry spent 10 years in the Oklahoma State Senate, and chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee. He won a hotly contested runoff for the Democratic nomination for Governor in 2002, then won the general election against his heavily favored opponent. In 2006, Governor Henry won reelection by one of the largest margins in state history, receiving over 66% of the votes.

But here are some things you may not know. You may not know that Brad Henry is a hard worker, who takes care of the details others often ignore. He did this chairing the Senate Judiciary Committee, regularly making certain bills approved by the Legislature were constitutional. And he does this as Governor. For example, he personally interviews each person presented to him by the Judicial Nominating Commission before he decides who to appoint as a judge. This is a time consuming, but vital task.

You may not know how seriously he takes the teaching of part one of our Four-Way Test. I saw it firsthand on his Transition Team, when he put together his first budget. He took office in the midst of the worst budget crisis in state history, and had pledged to balance the budget without increasing taxes. He kept his word, doing so at a time when other newly elected governors around the country did otherwise.

You may not know how seriously he takes the teaching of the rest of our Four-Way Test. But I’ve seen first hand how he has transcended partisanship, how he has worked with people from both sides of the aisle to do what is best for Oklahoma.

In an age when political leaders all seem to have handlers, Brad Henry is the real thing. The Brad Henry you see in public is the Brad Henry you would see in private.

You may not know how seriously he takes the teaching of our Rotary Motto, Service Above Self. I’ve seen how Brad Henry puts it into practice. He likes to quote his uncle, Lloyd Henry, who said, “Public service is the rent you pay for the space you occupy.” This saying is a defining feature of Brad Henry.

I am proud to have Brad Henry as my Governor, and am honored to call Brad Henry my friend. Please give a warm Rotary Club of Edmond to the Governor of the State of Oklahoma, Brad Henry.

Andy

President Andy’s e-mail January 6th, 2010

Click here for bulletin: rotarian-january-61

Drew Edmondson has been a stalwart of Oklahoma law enforcement for several decades. Elected unopposed three times as Muskogee County District Attorney, he served as president of the Oklahoma District Attorneys Association and was selected as Outstanding District Attorney for the State of Oklahoma in 1985 and Outstanding Death Penalty Prosecutor in the 9th and 10th Circuits.

Edmondson was elected in 1994 as Oklahoma’s 15th Attorney General, and reelected in 1998, 2002 and 2006, winning more than 60% of the vote in his last two elections. In 2002-03, Edmondson served as President of the National Association of Attorneys General.

Among his many accomplishments as Attorney General are his work on reforming the death penalty appeals process, establishing victims’ services, recovering a $2 billion settlement from the tobacco industry, prosecuting corrupt officials, and vigorously representing Oklahoma citizens in telephone, gas and electric rate cases.

Edmondson served one term in the Oklahoma Legislature before entering the University of Tulsa School of Law in 1976. He received his undergraduate teaching degree from Northeastern State University, and graduated from Muskogee Central High School. He is a Navy veteran, having served in Vietnam.

His wife, Linda, is a medical social worker. They have two children and two grandchildren.

I have known Drew Edmondson for many years. He has represented Oklahoma well as its Attorney General. He regularly demonstrates the Rotary motto of Service Above Self, and exemplifies the ideals of public service.

Please welcome to the Rotary Club of Edmond, Oklahoma’s Attorney General, Drew Edmondson.

Andy