Left to right are commentators Don Broyles, Steve Patrick, Linda Tenant with moderator Jack Bailey. <

January 3, 2012

Putnam Rotarians were introspective today in their first meeting of 2012: Jack Bailey led a panel discussion of the past, present and future of the club to kick off a month of "awareness" of what the group is all about.

Don Broyles was a charter member of the Putnam group in 1995. Recruited by the club's grandsire Dr. Bill Ellis, Don put in two terms as its president.

"There have been suggestions of planting Rotary clubs in several local communities," Broyles said, "but we have not tried to branch out. Our club covers the entire county. Our members come from Poca, Buffalo, and Teays Valley -- and places adjacent and in between."

How have his perceptions of Rotary changed? "The more you are involved, the more you learn about Rotary," Broyles answered.

He had only vague ideas about the Rotary Foundation, until he saw its support for local efforts in international projects. Nor did he know about the Group Study Exchange untill he led a group to Australia in 2006.

Steve Patrick and Linda Tennant wanted to be active in the life of the community, and they saw that the local group was involved in a multitude of diverse projects. "There's something for every interest," said Patrick. "And it gives you a chance to exchange ideas and learn what's going on."

Tennant's first contact with the Putnam club came through Rotarians on the Chamber of Commerce education committee. "I have an engineering background," she said, "and I wasn't sure how I might fit in. Now, I'm a part of 'the family.'"

A long-standing practice of Rotary is to classify members by professional background in order to get a good mix of community leadership.

"It's not only the things being done," said Patrick, "but also the people involved. It seems like there are a lot of 'movers' and 'shakers' in this outfit."