The Rotary Club of Beaumont, TX, is a large and diverse fellowship of inspired business, professional, and civic leaders with significant community connections that foster the ideals of Service Above Self and high ethical standards.
If you are attending in person, we ask that you use this linkto make a reservation by Monday, February 6, 2023.
Please join us as our District Governor makes her final official club visit for the year to our club to deliver an impressive message entitled "The Year to Imagine".
Demetress Harrell
2022-2023 District Governor
District 5910
Demetress Curl-Harrell is a resident of Lufkin, Texas where she is a notably active community leader. Demetress is married to Demetrius R. Harrell, her exceptional friend and supportive mate for 34 years. Demetress strives for excellence in her daily life as she promotes the value of self-worth among her colleagues and spiritual peers. Demetress serves as the Chief Executive Officer for Hospice in the Pines, Incorporated where she has been employed since 1993, Demetress has also been an adjunct instructor for Angelina Community College for the past seventeen years where she motivates the educational endeavors of her many students. Demetress holds a Bachelor’s degree with double majors in Social Work and Sociology, a Masters of Arts in Community Counseling and has obtained multiple hours in her pursuit of a PhD in Public Health Administration. Demetress recently achieved a certification from Yale University in Healthcare management and has a DEI certificate from the USF Muma College of Business. Demetress is a strong advocate in her community supporting many service programs, local projects and civic organizations. Demetress has been a featured keynote speaker for various groups including Hospice, Healthcare and other business-related forums nationally as well as internationally. Demetress was appointed as a Hospice Ambassador by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization this April 2021 and has been a key representative on the United States Capitol Hill for many years.
While end of life care is a great passion, it is Demetress’ civic work that defines her service above self attributes. Since 1998 Demetress has been a member of the Angelina Rotary club of Lufkin where she served as President in 2006 and 2015. Demetress has held many District roles from Membership Chair to Assistant Governor yet today she is in the most invaluable role as District Governor 2022-2023. Demetress also held the distinguished role of RI Assistant Rotary Coordinator of Membership before being selected as a District Governor candidate. Demetress is still in awe of her most recent Rotary appointment as District Governor Elect which has truly captured the essence of her commitment to Rotary service. Demetress is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow receiving her ruby stone and a member of the Paul Harris Society. She was most honored to present her mother with a Paul Harris Fellow some years ago and will anticipate to present one for her husband during her installation. While this rotary leader serves on many Boards, Committee’s and Alliances, she attributes her hard work to the service model learned in the Rotary action initiatives.
Demetress is an Executive Board Chair of the CHI St. Luke’s Hospital Board of Directors (Common Spirit) and is also appointed to the CHI Hospital Texas Division Board Advisory, She also serves on the Texas and New Mexico Hospice Board of Director as Vice President, National
Hospice and Palliative Care CEO steering committee and is a National Hospice Ambassador, Texas Non-Profit Hospice Alliance, National Association of Social Work/Texas Nomination’s Chair and any more healthcare affiliations. She serves on many local and civic committees as well.
This young lady has been honored with many awards and accolades to include the 2017 Chamber of Commerce Athena Award, TXNMHO Board President Director of the year, Angelina Chamber of Commerce Healthcare Professional of the Year, Rotary Roll of Fame award, and best featured presenter for Hospice care; however, Demetress believes that God is the highest award recipient and presenter. This May of 2022, Demetress received the McKnight’s “Woman of Distinction Hall of Honor” award in Chicago for her amazing work in Healthcare & Hospice.
Demetress is a devoted member of the First Missionary Baptist Church; Demetress is a Sunday School instructor. Demetress has spoken to many groups around East Texas.
Demetress is the founder of the Sherman and Mandy Curl Memorial Scholarship Foundation along with her husband, and since 1999 this scholarship has provided financial aid to graduating seniors around the schools near her residence.
Demetress has also been very devoted to her parents as an only child. This woman continues to commit to making a difference in the lives of others.
Demetress has also written three books and many publications.
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February 8, 2023
Invocation
Cindy Cherry
Retired
Pledges to USA & Texas Flags
Mary Poole
Marketing Consultant
Baptist Hospitals Southeast Texas
Introduction of Guests
Jes Prince
Broker/Owner
Principality Properties
Introduction of Speaker
Joanne Brown
Major Gifts Officer
Lamar University
Please volunteer for Head Table responsibilities through the
"Show Your Colors" Flag Project for Presidents Day
22
New Member Orientation; MCM Elegante, 10:30 a.m.; Rotary Office STE 213
23
Rotary After Hours- Madison's 5:30-7:00
28
Board of Directors Meeting; 11:30 a.m.; MCM Elegante- Fountainview Room
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February 15, 2022: Rotary Goes to Work!
No meeting at the Elegante on February 15, 2022.
Where will YOU attend YOUR meeting? Spots are filling up!
Our 1.2 million-member organization started with the vision of one man—Paul P. Harris. The Chicago attorney formed one of the world’s first service organizations, the Rotary Club of Chicago, on 23 February 1905 as a place where professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas and form meaningful, lifelong friendships. Rotary’s name came from the group’s early practice of rotating meetings among the offices of each member.
In the initial years of the organization, Rotarians learned about one another and the various diverse professions of the members by meeting in the offices, factories, businesses and firms of the club members. How about doing as one of the original members did back in the early 1900s?
RAH will be held February 23, 2023 at Madison's at 5:30-7:00 P.M. Come enjoy a wonderful evening, prepared by Amanda Ellis and the Rotary After Hours committee!
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T. KELSEY LAMB, SR. AWARD FOR BUSINESE ETHICS
Nomination Information: February 8th is the deadline for nominations.
The T. Kelsey Lamb, Sr. Award for Business Ethics is presented annually to a Beaumont Rotarian who consistently exhibits the highest ethical standards represented by the Rotary Four-Way Test in his or her chosen vocation.
T. Kelsey Lamb, Sr.
1942-43 President of the Rotary Club of Beaumont
The original criteria for the award explains:
Nominees must be a member in good standing of the Rotary Club of Beaumont.
Nominees will have exhibited high ethical standards in their chosen vocation arising from a specific incident or by their consistent actions over a period of time.
First presented in 1996, the T. Kelsey Lamb, Sr. Award for Business Ethics has annually recognized some of the Club's outstanding members. In 2022, this prestigious honor was presented to Mary Poole.
President Brad Brown presented the T. Kelsey Lamb, Sr. Award for Business Ethics to 2022 recipient Mary Poole. (Brad Brown, Mary Poole, John Lee)
An annual tradition since 1996, the Award is named in honor of the late T. Kelsey Lamb, Sr. who served as 1942-43 President of our club and as 1951-52 District Governor. It is presented to a Beaumont Rotarian who consistently exhibits the highest ethical standards represented by the Rotary 4-Way Test in his or her chosen profession.
RECIPIENTS
1996 Thomas K. Lamb, Jr.
1997 Benny Hughes, Jr.
1998 Lum Edwards, Jr.
1999 Douglas E. Steinman, Jr.
2000 Dan Hallmark
2001 Roberta Applegate
2002 Floyd McSpadden
2003 Floyd McSpadden
2004 Charlie Weinbaum, Jr.
2005 Alex Broussard & James Broussard
2006 Jeff Dyson
2007 Earl Hines
2008 Larry Beaulieu
2009 Gerald Condon
2010 Charles "Chuck" Mason
2011 Jerry Carl White (posthumously)
2012 Patrick Anderson
2013 Enrique "Henry" Venta
2014 Tim Sudela
2015 Joe Domino, Robert Turner &
Jimmy Simmons
2016 Becky Mason
2017 Dana Timaeus
2018 Steven R. Lucas
2019 Phil Dunlap
2020 Rebekah Maxwell
2021 Randy Shelton
2022 Mary Poole
Our Club will award the coveted honor at the February 22nd meeting. The deadline for submitting a nomination is Friday, February 8, 2023.
Sharae Bassett-Reed grew up in Beaumont, Texas and graduated from West Brook High School and Lamar University. She then attended Thurgood Marshall School of Law at Texas Southern University in Houston, Texas. After passing the Texas Bar exam, she returned to Beaumont to accept a job with the City of Beaumont in the City Attorney’s office. She worked in the city’s legal office for twelve years in a number of positions until assuming her current position in January 2022. She is the first woman to hold that position.
Mrs. Bassett-Reed told us there were several people who influenced her growing up, beginning with her mother. She said that her mom gave her the confidence to feel good about herself. Her aunt taught her about self-love. Her second-grade teacher, Mrs. Kibble, called these gifts. Mrs. Kibble selected her to give a speech at the end-of-year assembly. While she had always been able to talk, and had always memorized her parts for church programs, and everyone else’s parts in case they forgot theirs, this time she felt fear. She had reached the age where she was concerned about what people thought about her. Mrs. Kibble pulled her aside and told her a story about a little girl who attended school with armed guards, because she was breaking new ground, attending a school she had not been allowed to attend previously. She had to be brave. Mrs. Kibble told Sharae that she was giving her that same gift of courage. Sharae said her fear went away and she was able to give the speech after that.
In seventh grade, Sharae was asked to come to the Principle’s office. The Principle told her that she had heard she was a good speaker and writer and encouraged her to enter a competition at Rice University. At the competition, she and her partner coasted into the finals. Then they heard one of the other teams talk during a practice round and decided if they faced that team in the finals, they would lose. The Principle overheard them and gave them one of the best pep talks she ever received. They faced that team in the finals the next day, and she didn’t recall who won the competition, but they gave their talk with confidence and felt very good about their performance.
After Sharae had a child of her own and was struggling in her second year of law school, her mother sent her a package with a gift of a picture of her in a frame shaped like a stop sign, and over it was the word “Unstoppable.” She also wrote a short note that said, “if you feel like you can’t go on any longer, do what you need to do for your child.” She realized her mother had done the same thing for her and her siblings.
She then listed several women that influenced her life from their accomplishments. Then she told about how Tyrone Cooper had taken a chance on her and two other women straight out of law school in 2011. These three women were called the Cooper Angels by everyone except Mr. Cooper. He mentored each of them until the other two left for new opportunities. She said though she didn’t realize it, he began to slowly and methodically groom her to become the next City Attorney. In the fall of 2021, he walked into her office and said, “OK, you’re ready. It’s time for me to go.” She asked if there was anything he needed her to do while he was out. “You’re not hearing me” he said. “I’m leaving because you’re ready to do the job.” She told him she didn’t want the job, and she then listed all the reasons why she was unqualified and why the council would think the same thing and not choose her. Besides, she was a woman, and a woman had never held the job. He asked her several legal questions and after answering them effortlessly, she asked him why he was asking her things he already knew. He said to show her that she was qualified for the job.
With his endorsement, she was chosen for the job. Her first weeks on the job, she received some hate mail and nasty calls. But she persevered, was confident and calm during council meetings. She said she loves the job and is doing her best to be a good “First” woman to hold the job of Beaumont City Attorney so that a second woman will have an easier time in the job when that happens.
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