Club History - 2024-2025 Elizabeth

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Below is a record of the second Rotary year of President Elizabeth McCoury, 2024-2025.

If you would like to go in chronological order, start at the bottom and scroll your way up.

Our informal Change-of-Officers ceremonies were held at Coastal Fermentory on June 25th.  First, Past District Governor Diane presented departing President Elizabeth with the Rotarian of the Year award, for serving as President not one but two years during some of the most challenging times in our club's history.  Next, PDG  Diane swore in Phil Harris, the President for the 2025-2026 Rotary Year.

Wrapping up the speakers in the 2024-2025 Rotary year were Carl Duffy educating us about human trafficking, Jeff Tanner talking about horse racing, Derek Lapisca telling us about his new business the Bird Girl Bottle Shop, Commissioner of the Revenue Tiffany Boyle of the City of Newport News, and nurse Nicole Duck on stroke.

On June 18th we met at the Brooks Crossing Innovation and Opportunity Center in downtown Newport News.  We got a brief tour of the facilities, heard from Director Larry Brunson about the many ways the facility is helping the less-advantaged people in the community, and got a glimpse of the great improvements that the City is bringing to this area.

On April 23rd we had another off-site meeting, this time at the new home of THRIVE.  We revisited their updated facility and heard about their rapid progress.

In the early portion of the calendar year we heard from John Frantz, who linked medicine with politics, Anthony Rogers, who spoke about the Peninsula Agency on Aging, Jay Paris of the "IV Watch" program, Susan Price talking about her furniture repair business, and Daniel Collins explaining what a "sustainable city" is.

Our meeting March 19th started in the David Student Union on the campus of Christopher Newport University, with a talk about our club's scholarship endowment at CNU, and the elite Bonner students that benefitted from the scholarships.  The meeting was kicked outdoors by a fire alarm, but since the weather was beautiful and mild, we happily continued with the meeting and heard from the four Bonner scholars.

On February 26th we had an early-evening social at Coastal Fermatory's "uptown" location in Newport News.  A social is slated to be a monthly happening in the club.

February 15th saw our annual "Charter Night," although this time it was really a charter day, being in the afternoon instead of at night.  The venue was the "farm" of Kevin and Nhu Yeargin near Windsor.  The miserable weather outside only emphasized how nice it was inside.

On December 21st we had our annual holiday party at the home of Adam and Jen Duncan.  Good food (all home-made!) and good fellowship.

Every year we ring the bell for the Salvation Army kettle in shifts, all day.  On the left we see the just-relieved Suki Pierce standing with Dale Mingleton, Howard Waters, and Phil Harris.  On the right are John Frantz and Diane Hagemann.

The following are meeting programs not described elsewhere:  Adam Hess spoke about Project LEAD in the Peninsula Health District; Ay Jordan, from Hampton Roads Transit, talked about the new options available in public transit; David Rosenthal, of the District 7600 Foundation leadership team, brought us up to date on Rotary's war on polio; Nicole Duck, Riverside Regional Stroke Program Coordinator, described the Stroke Smart City; Jeff Trimbur from the Rotary Club of Oyster Point gave us an update on the Mariners' Museum & Park Discovery Project; and Doreen Kopacz, Port Development Administrator for Newport News, spoke about current port development projects.

On November 14th our meeting was held at Hampton City Hall, in the 9th floor Real Time Crime Center.  The RTCC is a space where information gathered electronically from across the City can be displayed simultaneously, real time, to police and emergency officials so that reactions can be coordinated quickly and efficiently.  The technical presentation was made by Sergeant Chris Matthiae, with comments by Police Chief Jimmie Wideman.  We in the Rotary Club were astonished by the capabilities of the system.

On a warm Halloween's eve, we had a social get-together on the porch at the Smoke restaurant in Newport News.

Speakers in late summer not mentioned elsewhere include our own Dale Mingleton introducing us to his organization, the Newport News Public Schools Foundation; Marcie Bevins from Virginia Natural Gas; Katie Stodghill and Jess Archer describing the renovation of cabins in Virginia's state parks; Carol Minter from Soundscapes, an organization that teaches music to children; and Brian Cole, explaining about the importance of personal training and the development of small skeletal muscles.

October 12th saw a work day for a multi-club District Grant for the Mariners'  Museum.  In these photos we are scraping, sanding, and painting a play surface; and we are assembling game panels, all for the museum's children's play area.

While she was visiting, Joy Kline presented Bill Ziglar with a pin for reaching a Paul Harris Fellow plus five level in Foundation giving, and she welcomed John Frantz for graduating to the Paul Harris Society status in giving.

Each year, the Rotary District Governor is required to make an official visit to every club in the District.  September 11th found her making her visit to the Virginia Peninsula Club.  She talked about the year's theme, "The magic of Rotary," complete with props.

Kevin and Nhu Yeargin had us out to their new digs in Windsor--the occasion for the social was Kevin's birthday.

In early August we had an interactive visit from Brian Swets from the Newport News Department of Development.  He had us give our comments about what should be done in Newport News, with the intention that our comments would be incorporated into the upcoming comprehensive plan for the City.

Ted Mercer, a retired USAF Major General, is the CEO & Executive Director of The Virginia Commercial Space Flight Authority.  He told us about commercial space flight coming to Virginia.

We began the new 2024-2025 Rotary Year with DG Joy Kline swearing in Dale Mingilton as our newest member.  Dale is a transplant from a Colorado Rotary Club.

On July 10th the 2024-2025 Board of Officers and Directors were sworn in by Joy Kline, District Governor for 2024-2025.  This was followed by the swearing in of Elizabeth McCoury, who extends her presidency into the 2024-2025 Rotary year.