September 13th

Our speaker, Dr. Keith Benson, from Riverbanks Zoo talked to us about the Flamingo project at the Zoo. Here he demonstrates his "air guitar"

Interact Club Members join us for breakfast.

Patty Cavanaugh presents our speaker with our unique Rotary Pin

Two Lynns enjoy a joke at breakfast


Last Week
September 13, 2006
Reporter – Blount Shepard
INTRODUCTIONS: Sgt. at Arms, Harvey Hoots had multiple visiting Rotarians and guests to introduce, and started the CART Fund Coins for Alzheimer’s Research. President Molly said that Harry Hafer is a Rotarian relocating to Columbia and has expressed an interest in joining our club. Please seek him out in the following weeks and make him feel at home (i.e. sign him up to help with the OKRA STRUT!). Ten Interact members joined Kelly Payne for breakfast.
IN OTHER ACTION: Lyman Whitehead shared some good humor during Health and Happiness. Ervin Ott is celebrating becoming 6’-4" on Friday, September 15th. Skee’s son is on his way home from Iraq!
Jim Jeffers held the Four Way Test which Bill Danielson passed with flying colors. I wonder if Jim knows that the Four Way Test was introduced to Rotary through industry when the President of Club Aluminum in Chicago brought it to RI from his company when he served as RI President.
Chuck Larson’s speaker for the Irmo Chamber lunch today is Sonny White, Midlands Tech President. Also, the Miss Greater Irmo pageant is this weekend at the Irmo Elementary auditorium.
President Molly gave last call to sign up for the Rotary Foundation luncheon with RI President, Bill Boyd, at the Radisson Columbiana (Bush River Road & I-20) on 9/22. Attendees should be there by 11:30 a.m. Lunch starts at 12:00 p.m. sharp. The next Club Board meeting is at Three Rivers Medical on Thursday, 9/21.
GUEST SPEAKER: Eddie Robinson introduced our guest speaker, Dr. Keith Benson from Riverbanks Zoo. Dr. Benson livened up breakfast with a power point presentation on the Flamingo Colony at Riverbanks.
Flamingos are an interesting bird with a name derived from "flame" to match their salmon pink coloration. With a history dating back 60 million years these creatures are survivors, but six known species are nonetheless extinct. There color is from eating caratenoid pigments that naturally come from shrimp and algae. They range from the Caribbean to Chile, SA. They are just like South Carolina tourists; they love to be in a crowd near shallow estuaries. Similarly, this setting seems to enhance the potential for breeding.
Riverbanks received 20 eggs this year from a flamingo colony in Hialeah, Fla. of which 13 have survived to adolescence. The highly informative and entertaining presentation ended when Chris Joye asked Dr. Benson if the flamingos would turn blue if they were fed blueberries. Dr. Benson was sorry to disappoint Chris saying that they would not, but he wished they could so they would be able to distinguish the boys from the girls!