LAST WEEK AT ROTARY


 
Last week, Mandarin Rotarians heard from Joan Hakala and Mary Jenette Howle of the Southern Genealogist's Exchange Society (soon to be the North Florida Genealogical Society). The women shared the importance of the field, tips for documenting one's own family histories, and helpful resources. More information about their organization can be found here.


 
Immediate Past President Jim Johns accepted the Club Excellence Award (formerly Rotary Citation) on behalf of the Rotary Club of Mandarin, in honor of the 2024-2025 year. The Club Excellence Award recognizes clubs that work towards and achieve goals such as increasing membership, developing service projects, supporting The Rotary Foundation, and promoting Rotary in their communities. 
SPEAKER - SEPTEMBER 16, 2025 - TIM GILMORE

Tim Gilmore teaches Literature and Writing at Florida State College at Jacksonville, where he was awarded a 2018 Distinguished Faculty Award. The Cultural Council of Greater Jacksonville named Gilmore the 2018 Literary Artist of the Year. He is the founder of JaxbyJax, a literary arts festival built on the theme of “Jacksonville Writers Writing Jacksonville,” and the writer and creator of www.jaxpsychogeo.com, a project that explores the centrality of the South in more than 650 nonfiction narratives from his hometown, Jacksonville, Florida. Recently, Gilmore has been exploring the enigmatic Memphis Wood, a prolific fiber artist who called Mandarin home and was named the "First Lady of Art in Jacksonville" in 1985 by the City of Jacksonville. Gilmore holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Florida.
LAST WEEK AT ROTARY


By Day: Mandarin Rotarians enjoyed an engaging presentation by Greg McGarity, President & CEO of Gator Bowl Sports. As Rotarian Mac Coble described him, "Greg is a walking encyclopedia of college sports and the college football playoffs..."

By Night: Mandarin Rotarians gathered for an evening of fun, food, and fellowship at what was apparently also a covert monthly social since no pictures were submitted. A big thank you to Mark & Max for spearheading a wonderful get-together!
SPEAKER - SEPTEMBER 9, 2025

JOAN HAKALA & MARY JENETTE HOWLE

The SGES library contains over 6,000 books, periodicals, and magazines. In addition, their collection contains maps, family histories, and over 100,000 obituaries from Jacksonville and the surrounding regions. Ancestry.com access is available during regular business hours.


The Southern Genealogist's Exchange Society's mission is to continually add to the genealogical knowledge base of their members, expose the general public to genealogy pursuits, to assist the individual in the compilation of family histories, record and preserve genealogical records, and to consistently further the interest in accurate genealogical research methods.
Mandarin - The Friendliest Club in District 6970

Welcome to the Rotary Club of Mandarin - aka Mandarin Rotary.
"The Friendliest Club in District 6970"

Mandarin Rotary origins go back to 1975, and we have several founding members who are still active in our club.

Please join our weekly meetings every Tuesday morning at the Ramada Inn and Conference Center.  Details on the right side of this page --> Meeting Location.

We look forward to seeing our members every week, and we invite interested residents of the area to join us for a free breakfast and get to know our members, goals, and missions. 

Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders united worldwide who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world.

Rotary club membership represents a cross-section of the community's business and professional men and women. The world's Rotary clubs meet weekly and are nonpolitical, nonreligious, and open to all cultures, races, and creeds.