Capital Rotary Club

Our speaker at our meeting Wednesday, May 25^th was Mr. Bryan Stirling, Director of the South Carolina Department of Corrections. Governor Nikki Haley appointed Mr. Stirling as Director of the D.O.C effective October 1, 2013. He is responsible for a staff of over 5,700 employees at the Department of Corrections that operate 24 penal institutions across the state incarcerating more than 21,500 inmates.

Prior to joining the correctional system, Director Stirling served Governor Nikki Haley as her Chief of Staff from October, 2012 to September, 2013. From January, 2006 to October 2012, Director Stirling was a Deputy Attorney General for the State of South Carolina. He served as a Legislative Liaison reporting directly to the Attorney General.  Director Stirling entered public service after working as a lawyer in the private sector. From March, 2005 to January, 2006, he worked with McAngus Goudelock & Courie, LLC in Columbia, S.C. His areas of emphasis included Government Affairs, Civil Litigation, and Real Estate.  Director Stirling received his Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina Law School in 1996 and previously received a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from USC in 1991.

Our speaker at our meeting Wednesday, May 11th was General Les Eisner, USC Office of Economic Engagement. Gen Eisner is a graduate of Mercer University; Eisner graduated in 1976 with an Army commission in infantry. In 1979, he graduated from the Initial Entry Rotary Wing Course at Fort Rucker, Ala. In September 1985, he left the active Army to join the S.C. National Guard. He has held positions including platoon leader, operations officer, executive officer and battalion commander. In February 2006, Eisner became assistant adjutant general and was promoted to brigadier general. In January 2008, he was appointed as full-time deputy adjutant general and also served in a dual-hat assignment as deputy commanding general, Army National Guard at Air Defense Artillery Center, Fort Sill, Okla. Eisner was promoted to major general in August 2010.

General Eisner’s goals were to show tangible results in his first few years in research partnerships between USC faculty and other entities “that will be beneficial to everyone.” Sounds like part of the 4-Way Test to me!

Our speaker at our meeting Wednesday, April 27th was State Representative Nathan Ballentine, from district 71 which includes Richland and Lexington Counties.

Mr. Ballentine was born in Columbia, a 1992 graduate of the prestigious University of South Carolina, and resides in Chapin.  He is a vice president at Wells Fargo Home Mortgage and an active member of the Lake Murray/Irmo Rotary Club.

Our speaker at our meeting on Wednesday, April 13th was Mr. Andy Shain, report and editor of The State Newspaper. For several years, Andy covered USC basketball, football, and baseball and assisted in producing GoGamecocks.com.  He currently covers Governor Nikki Haley and related politics, plus the University of South Carolina.  Andy earned his Bachelor’s degree in journalism from Northwestern University.

If you follow South Carolina football, you know Tommy Suggs. Regarded as one of the school’s all-time greatest quarterbacks who played for the garnet and black from 1968-1970, Suggs may be more familiar to generations of fans as the color analyst for South Carolina’s radio broadcast for the last 40 years. As he begins his fifth decade behind the microphone, the 65 year old president and CEO of KeenanSuggs still has as much passion and excitement for South Carolina as the student section bouncing around to “Sandstorm.”  “It’s a lot of fun when you’re winning 11 games three years in a row,” Suggs said. “But it’s always fun. Over the years I’ve seen a lot of tremendous wins, gut-wrenching losses, great venues, and all the special things that keep you engaged.”Suggs and his wife, Jane, have been involved in philanthropic efforts for the university for many years, and there is a mutual respect between he and university administrators. “He’s a part of the family,” said athletics director Ray Tanner. “If Tommy wants to share something with me, question something that’s going on, or compliment something that’s happening, then I want to hear about it. It’s very much appreciated. I take the opportunity on occasion to ask him how he feels about certain things or get his perception of difference situations.”

Suggs led the Gamecocks to the 1969 ACC Championship and a berth in the Peach Bowl. He was named MVP of the 1970 Blue-Gray All-Star Classic and was inducted into the University’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 1989 and South Carolina State Hall of Fame in 1983. Suggs may also be famous for something fans won’t find in any of the record books as he explains he first pitched the idea for the iconic “2001” entrance for the Gamecocks after seeing Elvis Presley enter the stage to theme music at a concert in the Carolina Coliseum in the 1970s.

Source: http://www.gamecocksonline.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/082514aae.html