Calendar of Events

Please Welcome Our Own Doug Johnson, M.D.


Tuesday, June 5, 2012

WE MEET AT RIVER CITY BREWING COMPANY
Lunch begins at noon ~ Meeting begins at 12:30 p.m.

Doug Johnson, M.D.

Dr. Douglas W. Johnson was born at the West Point Military Academy in New York, and traveled the world as an “Air Force brat” during his youth. After obtaining his B.S. degree at Virginia Tech, he received his M.D. degree from the Medical College of Virginia. His post-doctoral studies included an Internal Medicine internship at Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas, followed by his Radiation Oncology residency at Stanford University Medical Center, where he met Drs. Paryani and Wells. From 1983-87, he served as the Chairman of Radiation Oncology at the David Grant USAF Medical Center in California.

Upon leaving active duty in 1987, Doug brought his family to Jacksonville to join the Florida Radiation Oncology Group (FROG). He retired as a Colonel in the USAF reserves in 1999, after having served as a Radiation Oncology Consultant, Flight Surgeon, and Commander of David Grant USAF Medical Center.

Doug was Valedictorian of his high school class in Victorville, California, and has since received numerous honors and awards, including membership in the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society at Virginia Tech, MENSA, the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society, a USAF Patent Award for development of a device used in breast surgery operations, the USAF Meritorious Service Award, the ASTRO Clinical Investigator Travel Grant Award, and election to Fellowship in the American College of Radiology. In 2010 he was awarded the Tabari Award by the Flying Physicians Association, and voted Physician of the Year by the Oncure Medical Corporation.

Doug was Chief of Radiation Oncology at Baptist Medical Center from 1995-2003, and chair of the Institutional Review Committee from 2001-2004. From 2004-2006 he was elected Chief of the Baptist Medical Center Medical Staff, and currently is the Vice President for Clinical Affairs for Oncure Medical Corporation nationally. He has been active in the American Cancer Society as the Vice-President for Programs, Duval County. He is Board Certified in Radiation Oncology and is a member of a dozen major regional and national professional societies. Dr. Johnson previously held a faculty position with Stanford University as a Clinical Instructor in Radiation Oncology, and currently is an Assistant Professor of Oncology with the Mayo Medical School.

Doug has a major interest in clinical cancer research, is a Principal Investigator for the national Radiation Therapy Oncology Group and Children’s Oncology Groups, and heads up our FROG and Oncure research programs. He serves on national research strategy committees and has authored numerous protocols, as well as over 45 scientific publications. He has also served as a Quality Control consultant to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

Outside the office, you might catch him with his family at the beach, on the tennis courts, with a paintbrush at his easel, or at a local airport—he is an avid pilot with his commercial multi-engine instrument land and seaplane ratings and has built his own award-winning experimental aircraft.

Our Alhambra Fundraising Event 


Members In The News

The June issue of Automobile Magazine features an article about Bill Warner's Amelia Island Concours d'Elegance.  The event has raised just over $2 million in donations for hospice, spina bifida research, and Boys and Girls Clubs.  The entire article can be found at http://www.automobilemag.com/features/columns/1206_vile_gossip_hitting_the_lawn_concours_season_is_open/
The entire article can be found at http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012-05-26/story/1922-2012-tom-nehl-long-time-supporter-jacksonville-community-theater

Joy Hardaker was recently mentioned in the Times Union in an article about the 11th annual McGala at the Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa held on May 5.  The theme was "Believe The Magic".  Joy conducted an auction, and with the assistance of some talented Douglas Anderson students, they raised $60,000.  The entire article can be found at http://jacksonville.com/community/shorelines/2012-05-19/story/rooney-dress-codes-sometimes-require-decoding

Remembering Our Own
 
Rotarian’s Widow Travels to International Water Project Site dedicated in Memoriam 

Kathy Maurer, widow of Rotarian Don Maurer (who passed away in 2009), recently visited Guatemala and the site of a Rotary International Water Project that was completed in her husband’s honor.     Don was a member of Rotary Club South Jacksonville, was passionate for International Water Projects, and made frequent visits to Honduras and Guatemala overseeing the delivery of successful clean water and sanitation projects during the time he was a Rotarian.  
Don’s passing occurred, coincidentally, while on a Water Project site visit to Guatemala. A group of Rotarians from South Jacksonville and other friends and colleagues traveled to Guatemala the following year to dedicate that year’s Water Project in Don’s memory.  As part of the dedication, hand prints were left in the cement, and, during the recent trip made by Don’s widow, the scene was re-created so that her hand prints could join those honoring her late husband’s dedication to the project. 
Kathy Maurer described the experience … 
“My visit to El Adelanto last week was much more than I could have imagined. The committee members from the village who greeted me were so gracious and hospitable.  It was truly an honor to be among such wonderful people.  Although I was not ready to be present at the time the memorial was dedicated, I always wished I could have placed my hand print in the cement.  Well, I was granted that moment as a special mixture was made for my hand to join the others … my visit to El Adelanto was a most memorable experience in my life that I will cherish always.”  


 
Kathy Maurer, and her hand prints, in El Adelanto, Guatemala
 
Don Maurer left a legacy of hand prints made throughout the world while putting service above self. He will not be forgotten as a Rotarian, a friend, husband and father to those he left behind.











 
South Jacksonville Rotarians Don Maurer (on left) and PP James Chansler with the El Adelanto, Guatemala Water Committee at a project construction site in Spring, 2008.

The Buddy Holly Story

This Week We Will Be At The Alhambra

Tuesday, May 22, 2012
NO LUNCH MEETING THIS TUESDAY
Instead, we will be at the Alhambra Dinner Theatre



Between 1957 and 1959, one man changed popular music forever.  This is his story.  Join us for a rock and roll musical review with over 25 songs recreating the magic of Buddy Holly.   The incredible legacy of the young man with glasses, whose musical career spanned an all-to-brief period during the golden days of rock’ n’ roll.   Holly is described as "The single most influential creative force in early rock and roll."  
 
Years later in 1971 Don McLean released his single, "American Pie", to commemorate Buddy Holly's death and further accentuate the loss of the United States' innocence. 
 
Don McLean's song began with the reference to the tragedy as "The Day the Music Died".    
If you have not yet made reservations, call Patti (994-7355) to get your seat.  Tables have been reserved and seating will be together.
 
Members In Quote

Bill Warner is quoted in the Times Union article about the death of automotive legend Carroll Shelby.  The entire article can be found at http://jacksonville.com/news/florida/2012-05-11/story/automotive-legend-carroll-shelby-dead-age-89-was-appear-years-amelia

 Mary Goldsmith is pictured in the Jacksonville Business Journal attending the McGladrey VIP Party.  The picture can be seen at http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/slideshow/2012/05/10/inside-the-mcgladrey-vip-party--.html



Marcus Drewa was recently honored in his hometown of Weslaco, Texas.  Marcus was the FIRST Administrator at the Knapp Medical Center.....his wife, Freddie, was the FIRST patient admitted when she gave birth to the FIRST baby born, their son, Edwin, Jan 2, 1962.  However, Marcus and Freddie's first son, Malvern, was born 2 years earlier!


WEBMASTER NETWORK
In addition to the Rotary Roster, the district is in the process of building a District Webmasters Network to improve our communications within the district and to provide assistance and support to all the clubs in development and utilization of their websites.

Please feel free to log-in to the Rotary Roster – www.rotaryroster.org  (you must first establish a one-time account with a password). You will be able to create your own printable/e-mailable/savable directory as well as do custom and specialized searches of all clubs in the district.

Please Welcome Judge Mallory Cooper


Tuesday, May 15, 2012

WE MEET AT RIVER CITY BREWING COMPANY
Lunch begins at noon - Meeting begins at 12:30 p.m.

Meet Judge Mallory Cooper

Mallory Cooper was born when her father was in law school at the University of Florida. Her husband is a lawyer. Her husband’s brother is a lawyer. Her sister is a lawyer. Her brothers are lawyers. Her sister-in-law is a lawyer. Her son is in law school. So it’s no big surprise that Cooper herself has dabbled in law a little bit.
OK, she’s more than dabbled. She’s been a Duval County Court judge for the last five years and before that she was a prosecutor for the State Attorney’s Office for nearly a decade.

With a family steeped in law — her father, William Durden, went on to become a circuit judge — one would think Cooper would have been eager to establish her legal career since the first time she gripped a pencil in grade school and learned how to spell “L-A-W.” But life’s events and maybe even a little Southern tradition slowed her progress.
Sure she has hobbies that tend to gravitate to activities like cooking and decorating that make her a bona fide Southern gal. Her Coca-Cola Cake draws people from the nether regions of the county courthouse when she brings it to work. She is dead serious about decorating — especially during Christmas.

While she’s a bit reticent to divulge dates and time lines that could betray her age, Cooper hints that when she graduated Winthrop University near Rock Hill, S.C., women still took “traditional” jobs. Female lawyers were as common as snow flakes in Jacksonville.

These days, names like Sharon, Karen, Linda and Mallory hardly raise an eyebrow when attached to professional titles like attorney, doctor, mayor or judge. Times have changed, however, since her days in college.

“Winthrop was the state girls school at the time I went there,” said Cooper. “Clemson was the state boys school. At the time I was going, they were beginning to let the opposite sex attend each university as a day student. Of course, now they’re both totally coed.”

She put her merchandising degree to work in Charlotte for a year after college until she came back to hometown Jacksonville to teach third grade at Dinsmore Elementary. Along the way, she met and married husband Bill, who was attending law school in Gainesville. Uncle Sam interrupted Bill’s college plans with an invitation to the United States Marine Corps.

Cooper followed her groom from base to base around the Southeast, teaching grade school when she could find work. When Bill was sent to Vietnam, she came back to Jacksonville to teach fifth grade at Sherwood Forest Elementary School.

It wasn’t until her two children, Collins and Cameron, were in grade school did her legal career begin. Every week she commuted from Jacksonville to Florida State University to attend classes.

 Cooper’s hard work and dedication landed her a job at the State Attorney’s Office as a prosecutor in the juvenile and special assault units. After a decade of working for state attorneys Ed Austin and Harry Shorstein, she ran for a vacant county court seat against Kathy Sands (who is now a general master) and won. Commissioned Jan. 7, 1997, Cooper continued in juvenile court as a judge where she left off as a prosecutor.

As for plans beyond county court, Cooper has her eye on a circuit court position. She has the experience — she spent a year as a circuit judge by special appointment handing dependency cases — but it could be a matter of timing. The children are out of the house. Collins was a kicker on the 1996 Florida Gators national championship football team and has since moved on to law school. Cameron is a junior at the University of Georgia.

“I very much would like to excel in county court and then certainly look at whether circuit court would be an option,” she said. “I happen to think a lot of my strengths are appropriate for circuit court because of my work with juvenile dependency and delinquency and family law, which is very related to circuit court. So I think I have a lot of strengths that suit that work well.”

 
Rotary Alhambra Event
May 22, 2012

Join us in the Rotary Alhambra Event on May 22, 2012 for the "Buddy Holly Story".  Tickets are $75.00 for adults and $50.00 for children.  It is sure to be a great event!



News From The Board

At this past Board meeting, the following actions occurred:
Approved for your consideration into membership -  James Casey, sponsor is P Odette Struys and the classification is Investigative Consultations.  Anyone having an objection, please submit it to the Board in writing within ten (10) days.

Resignation from Wally McCullough was accepted with sincere regrets.  Wally and Nancy are spending more time at their home in NC.  As a long time member, Wally will truly be missed-we hope he will drop in for lunch whenever he is in town!

Charity Dollars awarded:
Dreams Come True
Angelwood, Inc
Sanctuary on 8th Street
Hart Felt Ministries
Ronald McDonald House
Women's Center of Jacksonville
Senior Life Foundation
House of Angels
Family Promise of Jacksonville


Also funded this year...EDDY Award, RYLA, Rotary Club of Brazil joint project, our on-going water project.


Total charity funds awarded this year  $14,150.  Congratulations to all!!!

Members Around Town

PP Jay Plotkin, as a former prosecutor, was recently interviewed by WJXT, Channel 4, regarding the Marissa Alexander trial.  She was found guilty of three counts of aggravated assault.


News You Can Use


As we approach the political season, here is a gentle reminder about our club's policy (no. 8)
 "Political Statements and Postions.  This club shall not adopr or advance any political agenda, make any partisan political statement, express an opinion on any political issue or support, promote or endorse any political candidate.  Further, this club shall not discuss the merits or demerits of any political candidate." 

Regarding Membership:

In order to avoid embarrassment, complete discretion should be employed when introducing a potential candidate for membership.   Until the application has completed the circuit through the Membership and Classification Committees, and passed through the Board, the candidate should not be presented as "looking for a club to join" or "hoping to be a member soon" at any meeting.


Please Welcome Jim Clark

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

WE MEET AT RIVER CITY BREWING COMPANY
Lunch begins at noon - Meeting begins at 12:30 p.m.




Meet Jim Clark


James “Jim” Clark has built his own life around improving life for children and is considered one of the leading child advocates in the area.  He’s a licensed social worker and national speaker on topics including children’s mental health and raising positive children.

Since 1998, Jim has been the president and Chief Executive Officer of Daniel Memorial, Inc., Florida’s oldest child-serving agency.  He leads the staff to help an average of 1,000 children and families a day through programs including intervention, foster care and adoption.   

Jim is on the forefront of shaping government policies concerning children.  He designed and tested Florida’s Statewide Inpatient Prevention Program at Daniel.  The state has since adopted the program as its standard approach for dealing with serious emotional problems in children requiring out-of-home-care.

Another program lead by Jim at Daniel is the Independent Living Program, which helps abandoned and homeless teenagers so they can go on to become successful adults instead of falling into the same cycles of poverty, violence or homelessness that affected their parents.  The program has become a model for the entire country.

Jim works to ensure that children and children’s related issues are a top political priority in Jacksonville and the surrounding areas.  In 2001, he co-founded the Jacksonville Kids’ Coalition. The organization educates elected officials, candidates and voters.

Jim’s other accolades include: serving as the chair of the State Advisory Group for Juvenile Justice, being a board of trustees member for the Florida Coalition for Children, serving as the chair of the District IV Juvenile Justice Board, being a member of the Duval County Juvenile Justice Council, being a member of the Alliance for Children and Families, serving as an advisor to the National Independent Living Association and being a member of the National Black Child Development Institute.





Rotary Alhambra Event
May 22, 2012

Join us in the Rotary Alhambra Event on May 22, 2012 for the "Buddy Holly Story".  Tickets are $75.00 for adults and $50.00 for children.  It is sure to be a great event!



Rotary Literacy Project
The well-known and well-attended “Box-A-Go-Go” is in its final week.  “Books-A-Go-Go” Executive Director, Betty Metz, was our guest at the April 3 meeting to remind us about the importance of placing a child’s first book in the hands of children who would not receive one otherwise.  Contributing books (new or gently used, age appropriate for a first time reader) and donations will make our Spring Literacy Project even more successful than last fall!  (Donations can be made directly to Patti or they can be charged to your account.)  Thanks! 



 
TPC Players Championship 
Discounted Tickets for D6970 Rotary Club Members
THE PLAYERS Championship is offering District 6970 Rotary Clubs a private, specially priced ticket program allowing members the opportunity to purchase 2012 PLAYERS Championship tickets at a substantially discounted rate. In addition, for each ticket purchased, THE PLAYERS will make a $2.00 donation to the Rotary Foundation for Polio Plus. Members can purchase good any one day grounds tickets for $35.00, regularly $55.00! Because these tickets are good any one day, there are no worries if you are not sure which day you would like to attend as these tickets are good any one day, Thursday – Sunday (May 10-13). This program is not limited to Rotary members and there is no limit to the number of tickets one member can purchase. Youth, 18 and younger, are admitted free when accompanied by a ticketed adult. To purchase, go to the link listed below and enter the promo code, ROTARY1. Tickets will be emailed to you after the purchase is complete. Your Ticketmaster link: https://oss.ticketmaster.com/html/go.htmI?l=EN&t=pgaplayers&o=20025&g=156
Thank you for your support of THE PLAYERS Championship as we endeavor to showcase Northeast Florida and improve the lives of those in our community.

Mark Your Calenders
  • Final week for our "Books-A-Go-Go" drive
  • TPC - Rotary Discount - May 10th - 13th
  • Rotary Alhambra Event - May 22nd  
  
Charity Dollars In Action

Here is a GREAT update on what our Club has been supporting for several years with $1,000-$2,000 annual charitable grants to the World Affairs Council’s high school educational program.  Our Jacksonville academic team competition’s winners (Stanton) got the kind of experience described below while in Washington to compete nationally. We'll have an update on the results soon!
 
Greetings Council Directors,
Please visit the homepage of the World Affairs Council website to see our Stanton students with the Chinese Ambassador at last weekend’s National Academic WorldQuest competition in Washington, D.C.  The teams arrived at Georgetown University Friday afternoon. The Embassy of the People's Republic of China hosted the Academic WorldQuest Competitors Saturday evening and Ambassador Zhang Yesui gave his observations on the US-China relationship. Following Saturday’s competition, the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia hosted the WorldQuest Competitors for an afternoon reception.  What a unique experience for these students and it makes all the dedicated support of Tuesday’s local adult WorldQuest even more meaningful.  

 Members In The News 
Carolyn Gentry, EVE Awards coordinator, was recently quoted in the Floirda Times Union regarding the EVE Awards finalist.  The article, in its entirety, can be found at http://jacksonville.com/news/2012-04-29/story/judges-select-12-eve-finalists

Neil McGuinness is credited with helping with the Times Union article, Blood, Mystery and Intrigue in Mayport's 450-year History: The Intrigue of Mayport Follows Ribault, War Efforts and Ghosts.  The entire article can be found at http://jacksonville.com/news/metro/2012-04-30/story/blood-mystery-and-intrigue-mayports-450-year-history

Welcome New Member
Welcome our newest member, Lynn Betros.  Lynn is a Development Associate for Nemours.  Lynn and her husband, Jeff, have been married for 25 years and live on Hideaway Dr.  They have 3 sons, one plays football for Wake Forest, one for Cornell and their youngest son attends Bartram High School.