Lt. Gen. Mark C. Nowland is the Commander, 12th Air Force, Air Combat Command, and Commander, Air Forces Southern, U.S. Southern Command, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona. Twelfth Air Force ensures the readiness of seven active duty wings and one direct reporting unit for contingency operations, and oversees 15 gained Air Reserve Component units totaling more than 360 aircraft and 20,300 Airmen. As the air and space component to U.S. Southern Command, Air Forces Southern conducts security cooperation and provides air, space and cyberspace capabilities throughout the 31 nations of Latin America and the Caribbean.

General Nowland is a 1985 graduate from the U.S. Air Force Academy. He previously commanded at the squadron and wing levels and served on the Joint Staff and two Air Force major-command staffs. The general has flown combat operations in support of operations Southern Watch and Iraqi Freedom. He is also a graduate of the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies and was a National Security Fellow at the Olin Institute at Harvard University. Prior to his current assignment, General Nowland was the Chief of Staff, U.S. Southern Command, Miami, Fla.

General Nowland is a command pilot with more than 3,600 flying hours, primarily in the F-15C, A-10, T-37, and T-38.

The meeting started out with our new President, ELLIE PATTERSON, opening things up. HUGH THOMPSON then gave a morning memorial statement about his father in law and former Rotary President and Honorary Member, KELLY HANSEN. He was quite a man; father, husband, friend and doctor to many. RUBY PECKFORD, an International Media Consultant gave our inspiration. GARY HIRSCH played “God Bless America” on the keyboard and ROB LAMASTER of Make-A-Wish foundation gave the pledge and song. We had something new when JIM LUBINSKI offered the “Family Membership” category to the club and he introduced JOSH and MATT EWING of Gibson’s Office Supply to the club. Happy birthdays went to ANGELA MOORE, Moore Masunas & Moore, P.L.L.C attorney, MATT BLAIR, owner of Cirrus Visual and JIM LUBINSKI, general manager of Bookmans.

 

CLIFF BOWMAN, #1 A-10 pilot, introduced the guests. JIM LUBINSKI presented TIM DAUGHENBAUGH with his blue badge, congrats TIM!  Past President, PHIL GUTT was presented with his past President’s badge and theme banner. PHIL did a remarkable job with all the work he did for the club and community. We love you PHIL.

 

It was then President ELLIE’s turn to introduce her new board – this is a very capable group of people. We will be in good hands this coming year. ELLIE then spoke about her trip to the 107^th RI Convention in Seoul, Korea whose theme was “Rotary Serving Humanity”. Their tag line was Services above Selfies. ELLIE’S husband, Tom Patterson, also took part in the presentation and spoke about the DMZ, Buddhism and Confucianism. ELLIE and Tom were fantastic in showing the club how the trip went. The Koreans really work hard at their jobs and their immaculate city really shows their national pride.

 

The meeting was closed with a toast from our newly crowned President. 

President’s Reflections. 

 

One hundred years ago, the Father of the Rotary Foundation, Arch C. Klumph, who described himself as a man who “thinks Rotary, sleeps Rotary, and dreams Rotary,” had a vision to establish an endowment that would have global impact. Now, as I take on the daunting position of the 95^th President of Rotary Club of Tucson during this centennial year of the Rotary Foundation, I’m already thinking, sleeping and dreaming Rotary, 24/7.

 

When I first joined Rotary a little over 6 years ago and saw President Marianne Freitas on the podium, calm, cool and collected, I thought what an overwhelming position that must be. Next came Joni Condit, an equally calm, cool and collected President and then the skilled Presidents that followed: Jim Lubinski, Dave Gallaher, Mary Martin and most recently, Phil Gutt, who has just joined the Past Presidents’ category. All of them so professional, each uniquely qualified to serve the term of President and guiding us expertly from year to year, executing strategic measures and strengthening our membership as well as introducing new ideas and implementing them while always acknowledging our members in deserving and special ways.  And now here I am, feeling honored, nervous and reminding myself, in the words of Billie Jean King, “pressure is a privilege.”

 

With an outstanding Board of Directors, the dedicated and hardworking Committee Chairs and their committee members, an invaluable professional as our Executive director along with her assistant, and the best members that one could want in a dynamic Rotary Club, I know our Rotary Club of Tucson will have a 2016-2017 winning “10.” We will continue to be a leader in Doing Good in The World, the simple explanation Arch Klumph gave for creating the Rotary Foundation. I’m thinking, sleeping and dreaming Rotary. I bet you are too.