Point Clear Rotary Club

🔔 A Quick Reminder to Stay Connected

This is a friendly reminder to check in online and make sure you’re plugged into our club’s digital touchpoints. Taking a few moments to review updates, announcements, and upcoming events helps ensure everyone stays aligned and informed.

This week is a great opportunity to try it out, as Katie will be out next week. Staying connected online will help maintain continuity and keep communication flowing smoothly while she’s away.

As we continue to strengthen our communication infrastructure, please take a moment to confirm your email address at the check-in desk when you pick up your name badge. Accurate contact information enables us to deliver timely, high-impact updates that keep our membership aligned and informed.

This Week at Point Clear Rotary: PR Is Not Spin—It’s Storytelling with Integrity

We are pleased to welcome Sonny Brewer, an accomplished editor, novelist, and literary champion with deep roots in the Gulf Coast, as our speaker at tomorrow’s meeting.

Originally from Columbus, Mississippi, Sonny Brewer has built a remarkable career shaped by storytelling, perseverance, and an unwavering commitment to the written word. He is the founder of Over the Transom, the beloved independent bookstore in Fairhope that has long served as a cultural hub for readers and writers alike.

Sonny is the author of several acclaimed novels, including The Poet of Tolstoy Park, A Sound Like Thunder, Cormac: The Tale of a Dog Gone Missing, and The Widow and the Tree. In addition to his fiction work, he edited the popular Stories from the Blue Moon Café anthologies (Volumes I–IV) as well as Don’t Quit Your Day Job: Acclaimed Authors and the Day Jobs They Quit, a collection that speaks to the perseverance behind creative success.

His editorial leadership spans a wide range of publications. Sonny has served as editor-in-chief of Mobile Bay Monthly and at MacAdam/Cage Publishing, and he founded and published The Eastern Quarterly. He has also contributed editorial leadership to The Southern Bard and The Red Bluff Review. Today, he continues to support emerging and established writers through his work with the Fairhope Center for Writing Arts, offering professional editing services and mentorship.

Adding to his story is a career path that reflects resilience and real-world perspective. Before becoming a literary mainstay, Sonny held a variety of jobs—from flipping burgers at a small-town drive-in to working as a carpenter, teacher, service station attendant, coffeehouse manager, and used tire salesman. These experiences inform his writing and reinforce a powerful message about persistence, adaptability, and lifelong learning.

We look forward to a compelling conversation that blends literature, life experience, and the value of following one’s passion—no matter the starting point.

🌍 Newsletter Fun Fact

Rotary created Rotary Action Groups (RAGs) to bring together members from around the world who share common passions and professional expertise. These global groups focus on areas such as literacy, clean water, health, peacebuilding, and economic development—empowering Rotarians to collaborate beyond club and district boundaries to create meaningful, sustainable impact. RAGs are a powerful example of how Rotary transforms individual interests into collective action.

If you want to gather honey, don’t kick over the beehive.

Dale Carnegie

Upcoming Speakers:

Jan 29 – Noah Funderburg hosts Sonny Brewer : PowerPoint on Henry Stuart, Move Tolstoy Park

Feb 5 – Chesley and Georgianna hosts Diane Thomas : Coal Ash Action Group

Fab 12 – Mike Barry

Feb 19 – Bill Booher

Feb 26 – Burt Sonenstein hosts, Judy Niemeyer, CRS @ Ashurst & Niemeyer

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📋 Club Member Directory

Per member request, we’ve included a list of current club members below. This list can also always be found and updated in DACdb for your convenience.

Allegri, Chesley R	A	Bagwell, David A.	H
Anderson, Diane C.	A	Baugh, Kathy	H
Barry, Michael E	A	Brandon, Patric J.	H
Booher, C. Wm (Bill) Jr.	A	Braswell, Louis E.	H
Bunch, Wayne	H	Britton, Dan	H
Cain, Lee Ann	A	Burkett, Thomas E.	H
Cameron, Sam	A	Cameron, David C.	H
Cane, P Grey III	A	Carley, Gerald G	H
Carey, Katherine B	A	Crawford, Henry	H
Cassady, Max	A	Fellers, Paul H. Jr.	H
Catrino, Georgianna	A	Fleury, Hubert A.	H
Cerf, Larry	A	Haley, Pat III	H
Ciaccio, Philip	A	Howell, John B.	H
Cowart, Yann D	A	Jones, Harvey E.	H
Currie, James F.	A	Kingrea, Richard	H
Daniell, David	A	Lane, Fleetwood T.	H
Daniell, James R.	A	Lo Porto, Trisha	H
Daniell, Rita	A	Lott, Frank	H
Day, Ashley	A	Lyon, Richard	H
DeLapp, James A.	A	Maples, Richard	H
DeVaney, James O III	A	McGilberry, Joe H.	H
Dohn, Carolyn	A	Meehan, Irene A.	H
Dorriety, CFA, William G.	A	Meyercord, Champ	H
Douglass, Scott	A	Nelson, Craig	H
Fenn, Scott	A	Pike, Isadore	H
Funchess, Steve	A	Platt, Rod	H
Funderburg, Joseph N.	A	Redditt, Grey Jr.	H
Gasbarro, Anthony	A	Rowe, Benjamin T.	H
Hadley, Howard	A	Sahlstrom, Richard C	H
Hale, Ross P.	A	Skinner, Edwin C.	H
Hamil, Anthony K.	A	Smith, Henry Maclin	H
Hanafourde, David G	A	Stein, Susan W.	H
Helms, Charles C Sr	A	Stewart, C. Richard	H
Hogg, Thomas M	A	Strange, Joe O.	H
Hope, Mary Shannon	A	Swanzy, Clay Jr.	H
Kaiser, Herbert E.	A	Tonsmeire, Arthur C.	H
Kendall, Martha Wentz	A
Kirkpatrick, Richard Mark	A
Lewis, T. David	A
Longfield, Steve	A
Lott, Thomas	H
Lupton , George M III	A
Matus, John A. Jr.	A
McGuire, Timothy E	A
McNair, William R.	A
Nelson, David William	A
O’Connor, Kerry J.	A
Orcutt, Paul W	A
Payne, Nathan	A
Poser, Walter	A
Radcliff, Self	A
Rivers, James P	A
Ross, Jenny	A
Ross, MD, David C.	A
Schemmel, Jeff	A
Sibal, John	A
Smith, Prentiss	A
Sonenstein, Burt	A
Strachan, Gregory E	A
Trice , Elizabeth Barry	A
vanLingen, Pete	A
Webb, Phillip	A
Weber, Alvin Jay	A
Weeks, Leslie G.	A
Ewell, Stephen A	A