You have likely seen the ships as you look at the Neches River from a window of Edison Plaza or down the waterway from the nearby overpass. But did you know that Beaumont is one of only three ports in the United States and the only one on the Gulf Coast with a reserve fleet? Some people call it the "ghost fleet" or the "mothball fleet" but it is one of those unique features of Beaumont that is not well-known. Rotarians will learn about the BRF this week from Billy Greer, supervisor of the facility.
"The Beaumont Reserve Fleet (BRF) is an anchorage of the National Defense Reserve Fleet (NDRF) located on the Neches River in Beaumont, Texas. Originally one of eight NDRF fleet sites scattered across the country, BRF is currently one of three and the only the anchorage on the Gulf Coast."
- from the U.S. Department of Transportation Maritime Administration website: www.marad.dot.gov
As supervisor of the Ship Operations Office, Billy Greer is responsible for the management of the Ready Reserve Force vessels, two school ships, and administration of special projects. He is a graduate of the United States Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, New York, and began work with the Maritime Administration in 1980.
Sign up to take part in "Rotary Goes to School!" Instead of the normal lunch meeting, Rotarians will visit classrooms all across Beaumont and distribute a special book to every first grade student. Come take part!
To sign up for the school you would like to visit, click on this link: "ROTARY GOES TO SCHOOL"The list is filling up but there is still a place for you!
For all schools, the volunteers should arrive by Noon. Bring a photo id in order to clear a security check if needed. You will be given your Dr. Seuss hat and escorted to the classroom where you will find the books for the children.
As host club, we hope to have good representation. Please register to attend some or all of the Conference.
General schedule:
Friday, May 1 - Pre-Conference activities and tours will start at 1:00 p.m. Sign up for the "Shoot Down Polio!" Clay Shoot with proceeds to benefit the End Polio effort, or tours of local museums and attractions. We flip the switch for the official conference opening at the Beaumont Rotary Centennial Playground; then at dinner in the adjacent Beaumont Event Centre the spotlight will shine on district clubs for the Governor's Spotlight Awards.
Saturday, May 2 - The day will be full of presentations and collaborations about the good work being done across the District. There will be time to exchange ideas and share new plans. In the evening, the spotlight will focus on the District leadership at the traditional Governor's Dinner. We have some "top brass" showing up for the "top brass!" (Click on the attachment below for a sneak preview.) You don't want to miss this!
Sunday, May 3 - The spotlight will turn this morning to light up the great work being done by Rotarians collectively through the Rotary Foundation. You will be moved, motivated, and inspired. Plan to be here until around 11:00 a.m. when the lights will go dim on the 2015 Conference, but participants take the glow back to their respective clubs to continue to "Light Up Rotary!" across District 5910.
The 2015 District 5910 Conference is fast approaching and the committee in your Rotary club is working hard to insure that this event is as grand as it can be!
To put on such an event in the style that our Club does, with amazing food, fun and entertainment, we are asking for your assistance with financial support. We have designed various sponsorship packages which will, in turn, benefit your business with advertising to several local clubs in our area and those in other parts of the district as well. (Click on the image below to enlarge and view the package details.)
We believe the “Spotlight on District 5910" conference will be a huge success and we want you to be a part. Please consider becoming a sponsor by choosing one of the packages and become a sponsor to help us "Light Up Rotary" and District 5910 even brighter!
Phone me for more details or send your financial support along with your business logo to the Rotary office.
Bring by the office on Tuesday so we can deliver to the local Interact Clubs for their event on Wednesday evening.
They are joining together to do a project for children. They plan to put together some "candy tubes" and need paper tubes and individually wrapped hard or chewy candies (not chocolate).
Membership Lane Chair Craig Lively (at the podium) is celebrating as three new members are welcomed to the club. Left to right: Sponsor Ken Arola with new member Lon Felps, new member Monique Sennet (sponsor Lynn Castle was not able to be present), new member Allan Higgins and sponsor Rob Glassey flanked by President Vernon Pierce on the far right. What a great day! Welcome to Rotary, Lon, Monique and Allan!
The Rotary Club of Beaumont celebrated World Rotaract Week with members of both the Lamar University Rotaract and the Beaumont Rotaract (community) Club. A large number of members of both groups attended the Club meeting on March 11.
"Douglas Crumley sold his financial planning practice in Fair Oaks, CA"...and at "his wife’s suggestion, he joined a nearby Rotary Cub.“ ‘It will make you feel like you’re doing more than taking up space.' She was right. For the last year, he has been going to weekly breakfast meetings and volunteering in community service projects, for example, helping collect bikes donated to children living at a local orphanage.'I feel useful,' he said. 'It’s a wonderful group of men and women who inspire me, and we’ve become friends.'”
Right in the middle of the “holy season in Texas”, which begins on Texas Independence Day, March 2, and ends April 21 with the battle of San Jacinto, Harris County District Judge Mark Davidson preached to Rotarians Wednesday about the priceless historical records of our state and how they are under attack.
With a fervor born of a love of Texas history, Judge Davidson has explored district court records from before the Civil War to the present. Unfortunately, he has found many of them stored in hot attics; on floors; or under air conditioning vents. He has found some patched with duct tape.
In Galveston County, with a hurricane on the way, the District Clerk ordered the records to be shoved into garbage bags, 1½ blocks from the Gulf of Mexico, with predictable results.
But Judge Davidson has also made some wonderful discoveries:
1. The temporary restraining order Lyndon Baines Johnson tried to get against Coke Stevenson, whose offense was promising to investigate the possibility of election fraud.
2. The trial of Chief Big Tree (the model for Blue Duck in the great western novel – “Lonesome Dove”).
3. The record of the storming of San Antonio by the Mexican Army AFTER Santa Anna had signed surrender papers (at gunpoint). Most San Antonio citizens fled the attack but it was “court day” so the judges, lawyers and jurors reported for duty as usual. They fought the invading forces but, Judge Davidson told us, the lawyers lost.
4. Jack Johnson was jailed in Galveston for participating in an exhibition boxing match. But the jailers felt that was unfair so they treated him well – and gave him boxing lessons. He went on to become the first African American heavyweight champion of the world. His nickname was “the Galveston Giant”.
5. Judge Davidson would have found the murder trial records of John Wesley Hardin but they had been stolen, which is not unusual. He said such records are often sold on EBay for a few hundred dollars.
Perhaps the biggest surprise for us was that our own Jefferson County court records were transferred to a library in Liberty in 1972. It might make a good Rotary project for us to investigate how they are being kept. As Judge Davidson told us, preservation is not cheap; but those counties which have gone to the time and expense of doing so are very glad they have done it.
Sponsor ads appear on the website continuously and are included in the sidebar of the RotaryGrams each week. One will be spotlighted weekly to express our appreciation.
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.gif){kind=logo}
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.gif)
.JPG)
.jpg){kind=logo}