The Beaumont Rotary Club held its regular weekly meeting with the invocation, pledges, introductions of visiting Rotarians and guests, and club announcements. Members were reminded by Rotarian of the Day, Dan Jeans, of the upcoming annual golf tournament on October 3 at Maple Avenue Golf Course, including sponsorship opportunities and the chance to win $100,000 on Hole No. 7. The club also emphasized Rotary International’s membership challenge encouraging each Rotarian to bring in one new member during the upcoming year. The meeting also celebrated the Beaumont Rotary Club receiving the Club Excellence Award from District 5910, presented by Dana Espinal who is the Governor Elect for Rotary District 5910.

The featured speaker was Bobby Beaver, who writes under the pen name Billy Augustine, and he shared the story behind his book, Four Funerals in Mamou. The book was inspired by family memories and experiences surrounding trips to Mamou and other locations important to his family. Bobby discussed his nearly 10-year writing journey, explaining that the project began as an attempt to document true family stories before eventually evolving into a work of fiction. He created the main character, Dewey Fontenot, to provide a narrative structure that allowed him to share family experiences and memories in a more engaging way.

Bobby read several excerpts from the book, including passages featuring Beaumont, Mamou, and Fred’s Lounge, and described how these real-life locations helped shape the story. He shared how writing about his family, childhood, and East Texas culture allowed him to preserve memories while also connecting with people and communities represented in the book. He also discussed the challenges of writing and self-editing, the importance of friends and family who supported the project, and the process of completing the approximately 275-page book. He concluded by sharing that he is already working on another book about two brothers pursuing their dreams of becoming musicians in Crystal Beach.

The program provided an entertaining and personal look at the inspiration behind Four Funerals in Mamou while highlighting the importance of family, storytelling, and preserving memories. In honor of the program, a donation was announced to Rotary’s Basic Education and Literacy efforts in Bobby’s name. The meeting concluded with reminders about next week’s speaker, Kate Thorne, president of the Junior League of Beaumont, as well as opportunities for members and guests to become more involved with Rotary. The meeting closed with the recitation of the Rotary Four-Way Test.