August 27, 2005
Last Week’s Program...
Club member and Owensboro Postmaster, Jim French, spoke to the Club about the challenges and opportunities facing the United States Postal Service. Jim has worked his way up through the postal service and has held positions in various post offices around the country. The Owensboro post office is the third largest mail distribution center in Kentucky. Our post office has 70 vehicles on the road each day delivering mail on routes throughout the city. Jim noted that like the country as a whole, the post office is in a time of change. He noted that Mr. Zip was introduced in 1963 when the post office initiated the zip code system for automating the mail service and speeding delivery. French noted that email and e-commerce are two of the biggest challenges to the post office and require the post office to be innovative in its products and services to remain strong and viable. In the most recent report, the post office had a 95% on-time delivery rate. In 2004, the post office enjoyed a 94% customer satisfaction rate. Nationally, the post office is the second largest employer in the United States behind Wal-Mart. It handles 200 billion pieces of mail each year and its revenue average between $60 and $70 billion a year. The U.S. Post Office handles 43% of the world’s mail volume and delivers to 140 million addresses six days a week. Despite the increase in volume, staffing at the post office is below the levels in 1985. Product innovations include on-line postage and labeling, simplified pricing, ways to track status of mail and "click and ship" which allows the customer to prepare and pay for postage from the customer’s personal computer. Jim noted that these electronic alternatives divert first-class mail from the post office and requires the service to find new revenue sources and new ways to reduce expenses. The post office has no general appropriation of tax dollars and operates entirely on its postage revenue. Despite the challenges, Jim said the post office expects to end 2005 in the black. Jim will soon be leaving our community to accept a position with a post office in Tennessee. We are sorry to lose him as a Rotarian but wish him the very best.
Thanks Jim!
Attendance: 94
Highest Attendance This Year: 108
Invocation, Pledge & 4-Way Test: Jeremy Bradford
Fellowship Report: Patty Ray
Introduction of Guests: Guest Rotarian, Steve Bright from Paducah
Thought for the Week: There is no key to happiness. The door is always open!
ROTARY ANNOUNCEMENTS...
• Indoor Playground contributions and/or pledges may be mailed to Jeff Ebelhar, Owensboro Rotary Foundation Treasurer, at the following address:
Jeff Ebelhar
100 W. Third Street
P.O. Box 1824
Owensboro, KY 42302-1824
YOUR PRESIDENT SPEAKS:
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
On September 1, 2005, our club will celebrate its 90th birthday! Since Rotary International is only 100 years old this year, that makes our club one of the oldest in the world. As we celebrate this important milestone, it is appropriate to reflect on our club’s history. In 1915, when a group of Owensboro businessmen investigated starting a local rotary club, initially, the international organization thought Owensboro was too small of a city to support a club. However, with the joint sponsorship of the Rotary Club of Louisville and the Rotary Club of Evansville, our club was formed with 33 charter members. Over the years, the club has held its meetings at the Rudd Hotel, the basement of the Masonic Temple, the Hotel Owensboro, Gabe’s Restaurant, Mary Mitchell School, the Riverpark Center and Owensboro Country Club. Early service projects included helping underwrite the Associated Charities, promoting the sale of Liberty Bonds during World War I and supporting handicapped children’s projects. Three of our members have served as District Governors: Lawrence Hager, Sr., (1938-1939); Tom Laswell (1959-1960); and Guy Hisle (1991-1992). In 1988 our club sponsored the chartering of the Owensboro Breakfast Rotary Club and inducted its first women members that same year. In 1994, the club partnered with the Hager Education Foundation to support Readifest, the very successful annual program to help K-8th grade students prepare for school each Fall.
We should be proud of our club’s long tradition of service to the community and to world-wide Rotary programs through our support of Rotary International. Here’s to the next 90 years!
Have a great week!
Bill
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO...
Frank Wagner - August 28
Bill McDonald - August 31
Charles Medley - September 1
Ted Smith - September 1
George Thacker, Jr. - September 2
ROTARY REMINDERS
• Don’t forget to make up your missed meetings at Daviess County Rotary, 7 a.m. on Tuesdays at Heavenly Ham Restaurant in Towne Square North.
• John Kurtz is the program chair for August.
• Clay Ford will be at the Fellowship Table during August.
• If you have an email address and are not receiving the Impetus online, or you have changed your email address, please send an email to
kim@mediaworksadvertising.com and you will be added to the Rotary email address list.
• Log on to Rotary’s website at www.owensbororotary.org. You’ll find our current member directory, photos of new members, past copies of the Impetus, some interesting history, and more!
Please mail any questions, suggestions, or comments regarding the Impetus to:
Mike Wallace
MediaWorks Advertising, Inc.
208 West 3rd Street
P.O. Box 1866
Owensboro, KY 42302
Phone: 270-684-4554
Fax: 270-684-7314
Email: mike@mediaworksadvertising.com
DEADLINE FOR ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO BE INCLUDED IN THE IMPETUS IS THE WEDNESDAY PRIOR TO MONDAY'S PUBLICATION DATE.
UPCOMING PROGRAMS
September 7: Martin H. Bush, PhD (New York City) - Owensboro Public Arts Commission's Riverbend Sculpture Biennial
September 14: TBD
September 21: TBD
September 28: TBD
2005 - 2006
OWENSBORO ROTARY CLUB OFFICERS
President: Bill Dexter
Vice President: John Kurtz
Past President: Pat McFarling
Secretary: Tish Correa-Osborne
Treasurer: Bob Nation
Directors: Tim Bradshaw, Patty Ray, Noel Maddox, John Kazlauskas, John Medley, and Sister Suzanne Sims
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