Follow Me

Blake DuBose

Commanding General visits Capital Rotary

 2nd Row Left Box, District Interest  Comments Off on Commanding General visits Capital Rotary
Nov 242014
 

Our speaker on Wednesday morning was Major General Bradley A. Becker, the Commanding General, U.S. Army Training Center and Fort Jackson.  General Becker was commissioned in May 1986, following graduation from the University of California at Davis. From June 2012 to August 2013, General Becker served as the Deputy Director for Joint Training, Joint Force Development, Joint Staff J7, where he worked closely with NATO’s Allied Command Transformation and other multinational partners.  Other joint assignments include a tour as Chief, Commander’s Initiatives Group, U.S. Forces – Iraq, from June 2009 to July 2010; and special assistant to the Commander, United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, U.S. Forces Korea, Eighth U.S. Army, Korea, from November 2008 to June 2009.  General Becker also served as the Deputy Commanding General – West, 25th Infantry Division, U.S. Division – Center, during Operation New Dawn, Iraq, from December 2010 to December 2011.  From July 2007 to October 2008, General Becker served as the Commander, 3rd Battlefield Coordination Detachment, Eighth U.S. Army, Korea.  General Becker also served as commander of 2nd Battalion, 8th Field Artillery, 25th Infantry Division, Fort Lewis, Washington, and led that unit during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

His awards include the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, the Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Army Achievement Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters.  He has earned the Combat Action Badge, Parachutist and Air Assault identification badges, and is Ranger qualified.

Major General Bradley A. Becker Fort Jackson

New Member Joins Capital Rotary Ranks

 Uncategorized  Comments Off on New Member Joins Capital Rotary Ranks
Nov 212014
 

Craig Lemrow (center) is welcomed into Columbia’s Capital Rotary Club by president Mark Bokesch (right) and sponsor Bryan Goodyear. Lemrow, a former member and past president of the Lexington, SC Rotary Club, graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and earned an MBA in Finance at the University of North Florida.

He is a senior business systems analyst in information technology for the Aflac Group in Columbia with experience in customer service, training, technical writing, installation services, technical assistance, marketing, product management, marketing communications and contract administration. He’s also been a real estate agent/broker, a military aviator and is a retired officer in the Naval Reserve.

Craig Lemrow capital rotary club columbia

Nov 142014
 

Capital Rotary Club members John Guignard (left) and Jenks Mikell (center) huddle with third-grade students at Arden Elementary School after distributing paperback dictionaries as part of the club’s annual participation in The Dictionary Project.

The project, begun by a non-profit organization in Charleston in 1995, aims to help students become good writers, active readers, creative thinkers and resourceful learners by providing them with their own personal dictionary.

Capital Rotary donated dictionaries to 840 students in 12 Richland County District One schools for 2014-15. Over the past 10 years, the club has purchased and given dictionaries to 10,500 third-graders in the Columbia area.

A number of clubs in South Carolina and throughout the country are Dictionary Project sponsors. One of Rotary International’s six major goals is improving basic education and literacy.

Happy Arden Elementary Students

Historical Perspective from Museum Director

 Uncategorized  Comments Off on Historical Perspective from Museum Director
Nov 122014
 

Our speaker on Wednesday morning was Allen Roberson, Director of the SC Confederate Relic Room & Military Museum.  Born and raised in Belton, SC, Mr. Roberson attended Clemson University, but graduated from USC with a BA in English and History.  He attended graduate school at USC, earning a graduate certificate in museum administration.

In 2001, Mr. Roberson began his career at the McKissick Museum and worked for the Department of Archives and History. He later worked as the Collections Curator at the US Marine Corps Museum at Parris Island.  Hired as Director in 1998 by SC Budget and Control Board, Mr. Roberson has worked to restructure, revitalize and relocate the SC Confederate Relic Room & Military Museum.

Capital Rotary Tours Nephron Pharmaceuticals

 2nd Row Right Box, District Interest, Events  Comments Off on Capital Rotary Tours Nephron Pharmaceuticals
Oct 292014
 

Nephron Pharmaceuticals Corporation CEO Lou Kennedy (far right) conducts a tour for Capital Rotary Club members during a field trip to the 408,000 square foot West Columbia facility. Though still in start-up stages, Nephron represents a $313 million investment and presently has over 100 employees at the SC location. It will manufacture and distribute respiratory products, eye drops that are preservative and additive free, sterile injectable drugs and oral vaccines. Capital Rotary periodically tours various points of interest throughout the community.

IMG_6403


Capital Rotary Adds New Member

 2nd Row Right Box, District Interest, Family of Rotary  Comments Off on Capital Rotary Adds New Member
Oct 092014
 

Denise Holland, CEO of Harvest Hope Food Bank, is welcomed as the newest member of Columbia’s Capital Rotary Club by president Mark Bokesch (right) and by Chip Hardy, her sponsor for induction. Denise is a past board chair of the South Carolina Association for Non-Profits and worked for the American Red Cross for 16 years. A Palmetto State native and University of South Carolina graduate, Denise also has been a volunteer for the Souper Bowl of Caring and for Airport High’s School Improvement Council.

Denise Holland photo

Banking Professor visits Capital Rotary

 Uncategorized  Comments Off on Banking Professor visits Capital Rotary
Oct 092014
 

Our speaker on Wednesday morning was Mr. Timothy Koch who currently serves as the President of the Graduate School of Banking in Colorado and Professor of Finance & Banking at the University of South Carolina.  Mr. Koch earned his Bachelors of Arts degree in Math & Economics from Wartburg College and both his Master’s and Doctoral degree in Economics from Purdue University.

Mr. Koch is an, “Experienced researcher, author and presenter on topics of bank-performance analysis, risk management, the pricing of fixed-income securities, equities and financial futures and public finance. Co-author of Bank Management, a leading college textbook in its seventh edition, and Community Banking: From Crisis to Prosperity, a guide for bank directors and senior bank managers to thrive in the coming years. Frequent speaker to banking audiences around the country.”

SC State Fair visits Capital Rotary

 2nd Row Right Box, District Interest  Comments Off on SC State Fair visits Capital Rotary
Oct 012014
 

Our speaker on Wednesday morning was Mr. Gary Goodman, General Manager of the South Carolina State Fair.  The SC State Fair is one of the only non-profit state fairs in the United States and they distribute their excesses to young people in South Carolina in the form of college scholarships – similar to the Capital Rotary wreath sales proceeds.

SC State Fair Dates: October 8 – 19, 2014
For more information: http://www.scstatefair.org

sc-fair

Executive Director of Richland County Public Libraries

 Uncategorized  Comments Off on Executive Director of Richland County Public Libraries
Sep 242014
 

Our speaker on Wednesday morning was Ms. Melanie Huggins, Executive Director of Richland County Public Libraries.  Melanie has done a tremendous job with our libraries since joining our community in 2009 from St. Paul Library System.  In addition to her work in the library community, she serves on the City Center Partnership’s Board of Directors and chairs the group’s Marketing and Special Events Committee. Huggins was recognized with the Executive Excellence Award from the South Carolina Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America in April for her support of the marketing and communications function that resulted in successful rebranding effort.

Melanie earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Winthrop University and a Master’s degree in Library & Information Science from the University of South Carolina.

Columbia Police Chief speaks to Capital Rotary

 Uncategorized  Comments Off on Columbia Police Chief speaks to Capital Rotary
Sep 182014
 

Our speaker on Wednesday morning was Chief Skip Holbrook of the City of Columbia Police Department. Holbrook, along with his wife of 26 years and two of his three children — the third is a student at Marshall University — came to Columbia back in April from Huntington, W. Va., where he has served as police chief since 2007.  Lots more on Chief Holbrook in this week’s Free Times @ http://www.free-times.com/pdf/091014/#p=20

1

Photo courtesy of The State

© Copyright 2013-2025 by Capital Rotary Club Website by POSITUS Consulting, llc