Category: Latest News

July 21, Indy Rotary: Allison Barber, WGU Indiana, Chancellor
Dr. Allison Barber is the chancellor of WGU Indiana, the state’s online, competency-based university. She champions college attainment for working Hoosiers who have some college but have not yet earned a degree. WGU Indiana also offers advanced degrees in business, education, health profession and technology.

An Indiana native, Allison’s portfolio includes more than 25 years of experience in education and public service. Prior to her position at WGU Indiana, Allison was the president of her own strategic communications firm in the Washington, D.C. area. She was also an adjunct professor at Georgetown University, teaching in the master’s program for Public Relations and Corporate Communications.

Allison spent more than seven years at the Department of Defense. She was the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Internal Communications and Public Liaison. In this position, she was responsible for the Department’s worldwide communications to the men and women of the military, and for community relations programs that linked citizens to members of the Armed Forces at home and abroad. Allison worked to establish the Pentagon Channel, created the New Media division for the Pentagon, and provided oversight to the Defense Media Center, Armed Forces Radio and Television, and Stars and Stripes newspaper. She was also responsible for national programs that protect and enhance the morale of the military members and their families.

John joined Rotary in 1976 and has served R.I. as district governor, committee member, delegate to and Chairman of the Council on Legislation, task force zone and area coordinator,  Aide to 2007-08 RI President, Chairman of the nominating committee 2011-12 , 2012-13 & 2014-15, International Assembly Training Leader (two years), Vice Chair of TRF  Stewardship Committee, Chairman of TRF Investment Committee and TRF Finance Committee, Vice Chairman of the Bangkok Convention Committee, Chairman of  Rotary’s  U.S.$200 Million Challenge Committee from 1 December 2007 thru 30 June 2012, as well as 2014 Chairman for IPPC and an advisor to the RI Communications Committee.

He has received RI.’s Service Above Self Award and The Rotary Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service and Distinguished Service Award. He and his wife, Judy, are Benefactors and members of the Arch Klumph Society of the Rotary Foundation. They have four children and six grandchildren.

July 7, Indy Rotary: Mark Blade, Rotary District Governor 6560 Induction Ceremony
Indianapolis Rotarian Mark Blade became 6560 District Governor on July 1, 2015 and will be “officially” installed on July 7, 2015. Mark has been an Indianapolis Rotarian since 2003.  He served as President of the Indianapolis Club from 2010-2011, He is a is a James Whitcomb Riley Fellow and Paul Harris Fellow. He has been or currently is a member of the  following committees: ZONE 30, Rotary District 6560, Alumni/Alumni Development, Council of Past District Governors, District Conference Planning Committee, District Conference  Planning Committee Chair, District Grants, District Support Team, Executive Leadership Team, Finance Committee, Rotary District 6560 Foundation, indianapolis District Liason,  Indianapolis Programs Committee.

Tom Linebarger became Chairman and CEO of Cummins Inc., the largest independent maker of diesel engines and related products in the world, on January 1, 2012.  Prior to becoming Chairman and CEO, he served as President and COO from 2008 to 2011, Executive Vice President and President, Power Generation Business from 2003 to 2008, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer from 2000 to 2003, and Vice President, Supply Chain Management from 1998 to 2000.

Tom grew up in California and in 1986 received joint undergraduate degrees in management engineering from Claremont McKenna College and mechanical engineering from Stanford University. He later returned to Stanford University to earn an MS in manufacturing systems from the School of Engineering and an MBA from the Graduate School of Business in 1993.

Senator Dick Lugar and Tom Lugar are two of the most respected members of the Rotary Club of Indianapolis. Their accomplishments on behalf of the club, the community, the state, and our nation are indisputable.  Dick was honored as the club’s Rotarian of the Century, and Tom served with distinction as club president.

Their presentation, “My Brother Dick…My Brother Tom” will focus on life with one of America’s favorite sons (Senator Dick Lugar) and Dick will discuss the life and career of Tom Lugar.

The discussion will include topics such as the Lugar family values, how they developed their amazing work ethics, who were their role models, how and when did they work together, their biggest career breaks, fondest family memories and the impact Rotary has had on their lives.

Rotarian, Phyllis Geeslin has been the President and CEO of the Benjamin Harrison Presidential Site since 1993. Under her leadership, the museum has undergone a far-reaching transformation. Phyllis has created a forward-thinking institution that mirrors much larger museums in our own community and across the nation. Under her direction, she has instilled a spirit that is intent on educating the state and nation of the vital message that is the extensive Harrison family legacy.

On April 22, 2015, Rotarian Jim McClelland retired as President and CEO of Goodwill Industries of Central Indiana after 41 years in that position. He continues to work part-time as an advisor to the Goodwill Industries Foundation.

During his career with the Indianapolis-based Goodwill, the organization grew from 558 to more than 3,200 employees and from $3 million to $130 million in annual revenue. Upon Jim’s retirement, the organization consisted of 57 retail stores, e-commerce operations, 10 commercial services sites employing over 300 people, and 10 charter high schools with a total of more than 3,200 students.

Hardwood Glory: Sports Legend John Wooden and His Hoosier Roots

John Wooden helped define college basketball in the 20th century and became an icon of American sports. Often overlooked is the fact that he was born and raised in Indiana, where he honed his basketball skills and launched his phenomenally successful college coaching career. In Hardwood Glory: A Life of John Wooden, a new biography from the Indiana Historical Society Press, author Barbara Olenyik Morrow examines the Hoosier roots of this famed UCLA coach. Her presentation will highlight Wooden’s early years and include photos from his days in Martinsville, West Lafayette, South Bend, and Terre Haute.

Barbara Olenyik Morrow is a graduate of Indiana University in Bloomington, where she received her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism. She worked for newspapers for many years, during which time she was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for editorial writing.

Edward A. Bensman was part of the April 1975 rescue mission for the Children of An Lac, a Vietnam Orphanage north of Saigon. The rescue was coordinated by civilians who organized in the United States and then went to Vietnam to perform the rescue in the heat of the final days. Many of the orphans have stayed in touch in the United States.

While American forces were in Vietnam, the U.S. Army’s First Division “adopted” the An Lac Orphanage, and as Vietnam was falling during the spring of 1975, many veterans then tried to move the orphanage again. Then, Captain Edward Bensman took leave from his assignment at Fort Benjamin Harrison to participate in the An Lac project.

The incident became the basis of a movie, The Children of An Lac, based on the true story of film actress Ina Balin and her efforts with American Red Cross volunteer Betty Tisdale (played by Shirley Jones) as well as Madame Vu Thi Ngai, a compassionate Vietnamese woman running the An Lac orphanage, to rescue 219 orphaned children and fly them out of the country before it fell to the communists in the spring of 1975