Natchez Trace

It's Saturday and north of Jackson, MS, we have diverted off the interstate onto the Natchez Trace for a few miles. Here we stopped at a site overlooking the Ross Barnett Reservoir.

Bill and June McGown

We spent part of Friday with Bill and June McGown, former Charleston residents now living in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. In the photo they indicate the height reached by the water during hurricane Katrina. Bill and June treated us to lunch and a tour of the Ocean Springs and Biloxi gulf coast.

Ocean Springs, MS

Tonight we're staying near Ocean Springs, MS, after driving back through New Orleans and eastward. A large portion of our travel in late afternoon east of New Orleans was in the rain. Better weather tomorrow, we hope.

Elevator

One panel on the elevator doors at Louisiana's capitol building depicts Henry Clay Warmoth and four other governors. H. C. Warmoth is the second from the right.

Baton Rouge

We left New Orleans at 9:30 this morning and backtracked to Baton Rouge, where we are visiting the state capitol.

Lafayette Park

After this afternoon's PolioPlus workshop, where John and Sue Behrendt of Litchfield received special recognition for their contribution to polio eradication, Barbara and are playing hooky from the closing plenary session. Instead we are amidst a crowd of local residents gathered in Lafayette Park for an open air concert sponsored by the New Orleans Saints and others. The U. S. Navy Brass Band of New Orleans was the warmup act, and the featured artist will take the stage soon.

On To Bangkok

At Wednesday's plenary session and again at the "On to Bangkok" luncheon, incoming Rotary International President Kalyan Banerjee of the Rotary Club of Vapi, Gujarat, India, encouraged Rotarians to join him at next year's convention in Bangkok, Thailand.

Irwin Mayfield Septet

The Irwin Mayfield Septet has performed at prior plenary sessions and is entertaining delegates for the final time at the Wednesday morning session.

Plenary Session 4

The fourth plenary session is about to begin. Delegates from Thailand are distributing flags to those in the convention hall as part of this session's promotion of the 2012 convention in Bangkok.

On Tuesday night we dined at Arnaud's in the French Quarter in a host committee sponsored event. We were in a large upstairs banquet room at the restaurant. Afterward we took a few minutes to tour the Mardi Gras museum (shown here) also housed at the restaurant at the corner of Bourbon and Bienville Streets.

Microsoft founder Bill Gates addressed the Tuesday plenary session of the New Orleans convention, exhorting Rotarians to "keep polio front and center." "Polio eradication," Gates said, "is needed, it's right, it's urgent, and it's possible." He told the packed session that for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, polio eradication is the top priority in spending, voice, and creativity. Following Gates' address, Rotary Foundation Vice Chair John Germ told the audience that as of today Rotary's $200 million polio fund-raising campaign stands at $173,407,000. The campaign is scheduled to run through 6/30/2012.

Leadership Luncheon

RI President-elect Kalyan Banerjee addressed club presidents-elect and others at the President-elect's Leadership Luncheon in the convention center. His message was followed by the presentation of a song reflecting next year's Rotary theme, Reach Within to Embrace Humanity.

1800 Marengo Street

After the Heart of America Breakfast on Tuesday morning, we hopped on a street car and rode west on St. Charles Avenue where we stopped to view the house where a distant relative of mine lived at the time of his death in 1931. The house at 1800 Marengo Street was once the residence of Henry Clay Warmoth, who served briefly as governor of Louisiana during Reconstruction.

Polio Update

On the eve of Bill Gates' scheduled address to today's plenary session of the New Orleans convention, Foundation Vice Chair John Germ told revelers at Monday night's "Polio Unmasked" donor relations event that Rotary has thus far raised $173,353,000 toward the $200 million goal of the Gates Foundation challenge grant. Germ emphasized that, despite the nearness of the original goal, the Polio Plus campaign will continue through June 30, 2012, as planned.
William J. Warmoth
warmoth@consolidated.net

More Food!

More New Orleans cuisine is set before me as we attend a Rotary Foundation event at Mardi Gras World.

Rotary Projects

The House of Friendship (HOF) includes many booths featuring club and district projects around the world, as well as those of Rotary Action Groups formed to promote and coordinate various humanitarian efforts. I'm spending a few minutes in the HOF this afternoon, after the luncheon that followed today's plenary session. During the luncheon Barbara and I sat at the table hosted by Rotary International Director Sam Owori from Uganda.

Second Plenary Session

About one hour remains before the bell rings for the start of the 2nd plenary session. Rotarians are filtering into the hall, though not nearly so rapidly as for yesterday's opening session. Pre-session entertainment begins in 15 minutes.

Preservation Hall

We had ringside seats for Sunday night's opening set at Preservation Hall.

Garry and Jan

We met Garry and Jan Ernst strolling down Royal Street in the French Quarter.

Gumbo

Alligator sausage and seafood gumbo!

Red Fish Grill

We are dining this evening at the Red Fish Grill on Bourbon Street.

Convention Opened

The convention has formally opened with the presentation of the flags of more than 200 countries and geographic regions in the Rotary world. The ceremony was conducted by students from the South Central Rotary Youth Exchange program.

Ready for the Opening Session

The King'n Trio, a group of folk singer Rotarians from Grand Junction, Colorado, is providing entertainment before the opening plenary session begins. The massive hall is filling quickly.

Interfaith Service

Sunday started with the Interfaith Service in the convention center auditorium packed with Rotarians and guests.

John T Capps

On our way to Sunday morning's Interfaith Service we stopped by the convention administrative offices and said "hi" to John T. Capps, who is in charge of the Rotary Guides (aka Sergeants at Arms). Capps was one of the main speakers at this year's Land of Lincoln PETS.

The trip back to our hotel was short, as are most commutes to convention events, and the efficient shuttle bus system provided safe and reliable transportation. Bus trips provide an additional chance for Rotarians to meet each other and discuss club projects and issues.

A spacious patio next to the aquarium allowed Rotarians to view the river traffic while relaxing and enjoying the cool breeze on an otherwise hot and humid day.

The Saturday evening event was held at the Aquarium of the Americas and afforded attendees the opportunity to visit that facility.

At the "Evening of Fun, Food, Fellowship and Fins" event sponsored by host committee Rotarians sampled and variety of local dishes prepared and served by area Rotary clubs and districts.

Sounds of the South

At ten minutes after two we're seated as ready for the Sounds of the South concert sponsored by the host committee at the convention center.

HOF Opening Parade

At 12:15 pm Saturday the ceremonial grand opening of the House of Friendship was launched with a parade around the hall. Rotary dignitaries, host committee workers, and musicians participated to the delight of onlooking convention goers.

Internet Cafe

The computer terminals in the House of Friendship were all occupied as Rotarians checked their email messages. The House of Friendship opened at 10 am on Saturday and has been buzzing with activity.

Smart Badges

This year's RI convention uses "smart" badges. Missing are the plastic holders that many used to hold luncheon tickets, the printed inserts, and the ability to mount collected pins on the badge. Instead we have a hard plastic badge, custom printed at the registration desk after verifying the information on a computer display. An embedded chip stores ticketing information for RI-sponsored luncheons. My badge (on left) is shown on top of the bag used for registration materials.

Friday evening we strolled down Bourbon Street and through the French Quarter, past Arnaud's (where we are scheduled to eat on Tuesday night) and Preservation Hall (which we plan to visit on Sunday evening). We ended up at Jackson Square, part of which is shown in this photo.

Arrived in New Orleans

We arrived in New Orleans about 1 pm on Friday and promptly checked into our hotel. We then hiked to the convention center and picked up registration materials. Friday at registration tends to be fairly laid back, as the formal agenda of convention events has not yet begun. There were no waiting lines, and we were out of the convention center before 3 pm with our tickets and other materials. In the process we met and greeted incoming district governor Ron Schettler, past Rotary International presidents Frank Devlyn and Cliff Dochterman, and Rotary Foundation manager John Osterlund.

The Trip Begins

We loaded the car and pulled out of the driveway at 6:04 am on Thursday, May 19. The weather was overcast and chilly through Illinois, but it cleared somewhat and the temperature rose to the upper 70s as we passed through Missouri and Arkansas. By the time we stopped for the night in Byram, Mississippi, the thermometer read in the upper 80s.

Watch this space in May for reports of our trip to New Orleans for the 2011 Rotary International Convention.