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No Meeting This Week Enjoy Your Labor Day Holiday Weekend
After earning her law degree from Emory School of Law in 2012, Hannah served as an Assistant District Attorney for DeKalb County, and next in Cobb County's Trial Division. In 2019 Hannah became the chief over the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Unit, leading the investigation and prosecution of cases across Georgia.
Honoring Civil Rights Veteran John Lewis in Decatur
On Saturday, August 24, a statue honoring the late U.S. Congressman John Lewis was unveiled outside the historic DeKalb Courthouse, where Decatur Rotary meets. The bronze statue was commissioned from world-renowned sculptor Basil Watson. It replaces a stone obelisk erected in 1908 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy. In 2020 Decatur High students formed the Beacon Hill Black Alliance for Human Rights and advocated for the obelisk's removal.
To learn more about Congressman Lewis, read the New Georgia Encyclopedia entry here.
To learn more about the United Daughters of the Confederacy, read the New Georgia Encyclopedia entry here.
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Save Your Spot Now: District Conference on Jekyll Island, April 24-27, 2025
Next spring, all three Georgia Rotary districts will come together for a “united” conference April 24-27, 2025, on Jekyll Island. This is the first time all three districts are meeting together, and more than 1,000 Rotarians are expected to “take over” Jekyll.
You can reserve your hotel room now, and register for the conference, at the website here.
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Milestones
Club Anniversaries
Marvin Fralish, 35 years
Bryan Downs, 28 years
Barbara Tedrow, 24 years
Jean O'Callaghan, 16 years
September Birthdays
Chet Burge, 10 years
Leo Ladefian, 7 years
Kelly Caudle, 5 years
Adam Laverack, 1 year
Dan DeWoskin, Sept. 1
Andrea Arnold, Sept. 2
Gyimah Whitaker, Sept. 3
James Smith, Sept. 8
Jason Conn, Sept. 8
Shara Sanders, Sept. 8
Vee Nelson, Sept. 18
Eric Lucas, Sept. 22
Stacey Stevens, Sept. 22
Selma Doganson, of Sweden, arrived in July to begin the school year in Decatur. She introduced herself to the club with a presentation about her life in Sweden and included some initial observations of Georgia culture. Selma noticed how much more friendly people are here than back at home. But she was dismayed by how much plastic we use!
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Guests
Marion Curry introduced her guest and prospective club member, Wendy Dean, a disability advocate at the Georgia Advocacy Office.
Guests of the club included Selma Doganson, our Rotary Youth Exchange student for 2024-25, along with her host family mom, Jennifer McMillan; and one of our 2024-25 Exchange outbound students, Riley Paré, who is headed to Italy, along with her father, Mike Paré.
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Speaker Recap: Maurice Kenner, Public Defender
Maurice Kenner, Public Defender for the Atlanta Judicial Circuit of Fulton County, Spoke at the Aug. 23 Meeting.
Providing a thorough overview of the role of public defenders in the many types of courts, Maurice Kenner said his office aims to help people become more productive citizens, and to be “a safety net, not a fish net.” He discussed an educational initiative, the Ladders Program, which matches participants with social workers specializing in various areas. Its aim is to break the cycle of behavior that leads to incarceration, and to empower the participants.
Scenes from around the room at our most recent meeting. Individuals are identified from left to right.
Herb McCoy and Todd Speed
Guest Wendy Dean and Mary Ann Cathopoulis
Bob Wilson and Jennifer Topple
Jennifer McMillan (Selma’s host “mom”), inbound exchange student Selma Doganson, outbound exchange student Riley Paré, and Mike Paré (Riley’s dad)
Thank You to Our Club Sponsors
We are grateful for the support of our local sponsors, and we encourage our members to support them in return.
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