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Rotascope

April 8, 2026


Meetings

April is Environment Month

4/9 GA Insurance Commissioner John F. King
4/16 GT Baseball Coach Danny Hall + Scholarship/Laws of Life Presentation
4/23 Waylon Parrigin on behalf of Chris Cathers - Brothers Keeper
4/30 Chris Hardman - Georgia Hotel + Lodging CEO
5/7 Supreme Court Justice Charlie Bethel
5/21 Consumer Reporter Dale Cardwell - When Business Meets the 4 Way Test
5/28 Memorial Day Meeting
6/4 Scott Bagwill

Events

4/18 Walk w a Doc featuring Phy Therapist Dr Kim Richards
4/22 Women of Roswell Rotary Club
4/29 "Pint for a Pint" blood drive for the American Red Cross
5/16 Walk w a Doc featuring Podiatrist Dr Paris Payton
5/25 Memorial Day Event
6/25 President Leslie Installation Party
9/14 Annual Golf, Tennis + Pickleball Tournament
10/18 Gold N Grass Farms / First Responders Farm Day

LEADERSHIP

President Trummie Patrick, III
President-Elect Leslie Bassett
Immediate PP Nancy Alterman
Treasurer Mike Agurkis
Secretary Katie Anderson
Membership Courtney Lott

PAST DISTRICT GOVERNORS

Cheryl Greenway 2012-13
Bob Hagan 2015-16
Gordon Owens 2024-25

ROTARY CLUB OF
Roswell

Thursdays, 12:15 pm
Roswell Area Park
Bill Johnson Community Activity Building
10495 Woodstock Road
Roswell, GA 30075

Rotary Online

https://roswellrotary.club
https://rotary6900.org/
https://rotary.org/

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text CLUBALERTS to
(833) 456-2829

Our Rotary Family
BIRTHDAYS

4/1 Charles Cameron
4/3 Paul Lang
4/5 James Broadway
4/6 Mike Hampton
4/6 Dave Schmit
4/6 John Connell
4/7 Vatsala Jajoo
4/8 Jordan Jedneski
4/8 Richard Stilley
4/10 Michael Byars
4/12 James Stone
4/16 Bob Clarkson
4/16 Bill Shore
4/17 Michael Thompson
4/20 Jonathan Crooks
4/20 Kenneth Davis
4/22 Thomas Campbell, Jr.
4/23 Will Colley
4/25 Michael Curling
4/28 Peter Saddler
4/29 Marcus Smith

YEARS OF SERVICE

4/1 Dave Schmit (22)
4/3 Ross Patton (2)
4/5 Joseph Gillespie (4)
4/7 Cheryl Greenway (32)
4/7 Donald Howard (43)
4/9 Bill Wolff (5)
4/11 Sandy Buhler (13)
4/12 Jon-Paul Croom (7)
9 years in Rotary
4/19 Dr. Kay Howell (8)
4/19 Jeffrey Meyers (8)
4/19 Hal Schlenger (8)
18 years in Rotary
4/19 Bill Shore (8)
41 years in Rotary
4/20 Lorraine Head (3)
26 years in Rotary
4/29 Leslie Bassett (6)
4/29 James Stone (6)

FAMILY OF ROTARY

Our membership cares deeply about the needs and concerns of our members. We don’t want to miss an opportunity to reach out in friendship when such concerns arise. The chairperson of this committee is Lynne Lindsey and all news should be directed to her at lynnehlindsay@outlook.com

President's Message


“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’” Martin Luther King Jr.

Have you ever been asked to do something that was not exactly what you had been preparing to do? Maybe a project at work was not in alignment with the career path that you imagined or maybe it was a need at your kids’ school that pulled you in despite having no experience, OR your Dad talked you into being President of the Roswell Rotary Club. HAHA

There is something compelling about a life that unfolds not by design, but by duty, when a life is shaped less by ambition and more by answering the call when it comes. This week, we have the privilege of hearing from Georgia’s Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John King, a man whose story reminds us that service is not a single decision, but a lifelong pattern of choices. Imagine a young man who first learns discipline not in a boardroom, but in uniform. A man who steps forward to serve his country, and through 40 years of military service, he rises to the position of Major General in the United States Army Reserve. In private life, he doesn’t retreat from service, but he doubles down. He becomes a sheriff, a respected leader of his community, walking alongside the very people he is sworn to serve. But here is the twist: just when that chapter seems complete, the call comes again.

This time, it’s not from a commander…it’s from the Governor of Georgia, Brian Kemp and the year is 2019. The assignment is different, but the responsibility is just as significant: step into a statewide role that touches every family, every business, every individual in Georgia. It’s a transition from boots on the ground to policy at the highest level, but the mission remains the same. Protect. Serve. Lead.

Today, that same commitment is evident in his leadership as Georgia’s Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner. In a role that blends regulation, consumer protection, and public safety, he continues to serve in ways that impact millions, while ensuring fair markets, protecting policyholders, and navigating the complexities of an ever-evolving insurance landscape. It’s not always visible work, but it is essential work. And it is carried out with the same mindset that defined his earlier years: show up, do the job, and serve people well.

And perhaps that’s where his story intersects most meaningfully with ours. Because if we’re honest, not every call to serve arrives at a convenient time. Not every opportunity to lead is one we eagerly seek out. I’ll admit when I stepped into the role of president of this club, I didn’t approach it with perfect enthusiasm or a fully formed vision of what it would become. Like many of us, I had other priorities, other pressures, and maybe not the exact mindset I should have had on day one.

But something changes when others begin to rely on you. And in that moment, service stops being an idea and becomes a responsibility. That’s what “Service Above Self” truly means. It’s not reserved for just a few of us. It lives in each of us and in the way we respond when we are called, whether we planned for it or not. It’s in the quiet decisions, the consistent effort, and the willingness to step forward when it would be easier to step back.

Because in the end, a life of service isn’t built on titles—it’s built on choices.

Sic Vos Non Vobis

Trummie Lee Patrick III

A Conversation with Georgia Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner John F. King

Date: Thursday, April 9, 2026
Time: 12:15
Location: Roswell Area Park
Woodstock Road
Bill Johnson Community Activity Building
Roswell, GA 30075

We are pleased to welcome John F. King , Georgia’s Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, as our speaker on April 9. Commissioner King was sworn into office on July 1, 2019, by Governor Brian Kemp, becoming the first Hispanic statewide official in Georgia’s history. He was elected to a full four‑year term in 2022 and continues to lead the state agency responsible for insurance regulation and fire safety. Commissioner King’s career began in 1985 as an Atlanta police officer, where he served in specialized units including Red Dog and Organized Crime/Intelligence. In 1987, he received the Chief’s Blue Star after being injured in the line of duty during a criminal attack involving a firearm. His law enforcement service also included assignments as a Task Force Agent with both the FBI and DEA. King later became Chief of Police for the City of Doraville, where he focused on community trust, multilingual accessibility, and youth crime‑prevention initiatives. [read more]

New Member Spotlight
Welcome Neil Anderson

Neil Anderson, a native of Nashville, Tennessee, chose to attend Georgia Tech for a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering, then Georgia State for an MBA in International Marketing. After joining ROTC on a US Navy scholarship, he spent five years on active duty at the Navy Supply Corps School in Athens, Georgia and on USS Batfish (SSN 681), a nuclear fast attack submarine.

After leaving the Navy he spent almost 30 years with Kimberly-Clark's Health Care Division in Roswell, developing their International Business for Europe, South America and Asia. His family moved to Brussels, Belgium, for three years to start up their European Health Care business…très bien!

Neil is married to Atlanta native Melissa (Missy) Anderson, who attended the University of Georgia, and they have two children, David and Katherine and six grandchildren (ages 3-12). Neil is most interested in service projects for Veterans and mentoring youth.

April 16-19, 2026
2026 District Conference- Lake Lanier Islands


Click Here to Register

April 22nd
Women of Roswell Rotary Social-Bulloch Hall Gift Shop


April 29
Pint for a Pint Blood Drive


And CLICK HERE to check out this cool "Blood Suckers" clip!

Gratitude Wall
Thank You to Behind the Scenes Givers

The true "Service Above Self" spirit cannot be overstated, as Chris/Tracy Archer, Sid Disher, Leslie Bassett, Amy/Terry Taylor, Langdon, and Jim/Cheryl stepped up instantly to solve an impromptu crisis for one of our long-standing international water project partners in Panama's Darien jungle.

Villagers there depend on subsistence farming to feed their families, and small engine-powered dugout canoes to get crops to market. With crops failing and the old engine giving out, Landy C was desperate. He is a friend to our club and to Rotary. For years he has helped Rotarians bringing clean water and health to thousands of his fellow villagers. He is a hero to us and them.

Langdon first heard the need, and it took all of a day for these wonderful Rotarians to form an ad hoc international project, funding the $3,000 motor purchase. Langdon not only donated but flew to Panama with the cash, bought the engine, and rented a truck to deliver it five hours away in the jungle. Amazing teamwork from an amazing group we are all privileged to know.

In his thank you video (District 6900 newsletter) Landy specifically mentions Rotary, and how much we have meant to him, his family, and the people of the region. "For a Roswell Rotarian, there's no safer place on earth than among the thousands of grateful friends in the "world's most dangerous jungle" — Darien.

Thanks to these quiet people of true action. Help me thank them!

Click Here for Video

Save the Date: June 25th
Installation Party Leslie Bassett


Upcoming Roswell Rotary Events
Save the Date: Find Your Spot and Help Us to Unite for GOOD


District 6900 Conference Lake Lanier Islands

Thursday April 16 - Sunday April 19
Add To Calendar

Women of Roswell Rotary
5:30-7:30pm
Wednesday, April 22
Bulloch Hall Gift Shop Porch
Add To Calendar

Pint for a Pint Blood Drive
Wed. April 29th 
Roswell Junction
Add To Calendar

Memorial Day Roswell

Monday May 25
Add To Calendar

Leslie Installation Party
Thursday, June 25 6pm - 9pm Time TBD
Add To Calendar

2026 Golf, Tennis, Pickleball Tournament
Monday, Sept. 14
Add To Calendar

Last Week at Roswell Rotary


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