Photography by Donna Huffman
nyone who has had to mail packages at The UPS Store has probably had the pleasure of doing business with John George. He greets you across the counter with a smile and friendly manner that reminds you of the chivalrous charm of a southern gentleman. John has recently been handed one of the highest honors a local Rotary Club can bestow upon one of their members. The Rotary Club of Bluffton voted, John, Rotarian of the Year for his dedication to Rotary and community involvement. The honor is presented to the Rotarian who best exemplifies the motto “Service Above Self,” both as a well-rounded Rotarian and as someone who transforms lives outside of Rotary. John has been a Rotarian in good standing for ten years, and has served his club in many ways.
He has concentrated on youth exchange activities. John and his wife Janet have been warm-hearted mentors, hosting young foreign exchange students in their home for a program sponsored by the Bluffton Rotary Club.
We were able to get up close and personal and go behind the scenes a bit with this delightful Bluffton Rotarian.
What sparked your interest in joining the Bluffton Rotary Club?
My father, L.M. George, was a member of the Rotary Club of Albany, GA for probably 30 years. He read the news from the wire reports at the beginning of every meeting. He inspired me to join Rotary.
Once you decided to join, what were your first steps?
I called the President of the Rotary Club of Bluffton, Dave Jennings, in June of 1997 and inquired about joining the club. I considered joining the Okatie club which was brand new at the time, but thought that getting a new club off the ground might involve too much effort for someone starting a new business. I found out quickly that our club insists on a lot of hands-on involvement. I attended the weekly meetings for about six months as a prospective member and worked at least four events before being inducted in early 1998.
How many members were in the club then?
Bill Slaughter was the new member services director at the time. Prominent members at that time, who are no longer with the club, included Forrest Baughman, Sal Belfatto, Bernie Findley, Bruce Griffin, Howard Ellis, Joe and Margaret (now Collins) Heil, Jerry Reeves, Charlie Pettis, Dianne Reynolds, Frank Rini, Doug Robertson, Tom Trout, Robert Trask, Tom Wing, and Al Whitley. Current members who were members at that time are Jack Alderman, Laura Barrett, Graham Bullock, Richard Coffield, Barry Connor, Dee Dee Graham, Bob Guinan, Jim Hale, Steve Halpern, Michael Henderson, Tommy Heyward, Sidney Jones, Deborah Karambelas, John Kinzer, Karen Lavery, Emmett McCracken, Mick Mikkelson, Ben Parker, Michael Reeves, John Sulka, Wendell Sutton, Steve Tilton, Pat Warner, Brooks Williams and Dan Wood.
What were your first club responsibilities?
I began to print the bulletin for our club meetings almost immediately after joining. I originally worked with Dianne Reynolds who compiled the contents for me to organize, lay out, proof and print. Our bulletin has gone from a weekly, single two-sided black and white page, to a weekly, two-sided 4 1⁄4” x 11” black and white card, to its current monthly full-color two double-sided pages booklet format. Recent bulletins may also now be viewed at our club website. Our current bulletins included articles and photos detailing Rotary work around the world and the much loved President’s Pen written by our President.
What do find extraordinary about the Bluffton Rotary Club?
I always liked the Bluffton club because it is a “working” club, not a club that just passes the hat when funds are needed to support a local charity or event. Our big yearly projects back then were the Oyster Roast in January, the Bluffton Village Festival in May and the Taste of the Lowcountry in October. The Oyster Roast rapidly grew so much that it became difficult to control due to the combination of large amounts of alcohol mixed with unlimited attendance and no fixed closing time. One year the police were called to shut us down twice before we finally got everyone calmed down. People were dancing on the tables that year.
The Bluffton Club members do a lot of low profile volunteer activities as well as the high profile. What are some of the less well known projects?
I can recall picking up trash on Burnt Church Rd. and down at All Joy Beach for many years. Bill Slaughter was always in charge of that activity in those years. We also roasted the oysters for the M.C. Riley Elementary School Oyster Roast in March back then. You weren’t allowed to have alcohol at school events, so we had to sneak our beer in. Our past presidents always marched in the Christmas Parade cleaning up behind the horses. The parade was still small with the drill team and the baby buggy brigade the big entries. Our club has grown over the last ten years. We do a lot more for the community, support more events and raise a lot more money for Bluffton.
After ten years in the Bluffton Rotary, please describe your most memorable endeavors.
I enjoyed serving as a Rotary Reader for 6 years at M.C. Riley Elementary School. In 2003, Sal Belfatto asked me to help him with the Youth Exchange Program. I agreed, as I am very interested in youth development. What I didn’t know, and quickly found out, was that Sal intended to leave the program the following year, so in 2004 I became the YEO for the Rotary Club of Bluffton. During that time we hosted students from Germany (2), India, Ecuador, Brazil and Argentina. We have sent students to Italy, Argentina, Sweden, Belgium and France. Tammy Sauter has taken the role of YEO for the 2007-08 Rotary year and I’ll assist her until she
is comfortable with the job.
I have also served on the club’s Board of Directors for 4 years, as both YEO and International Services Director. We have participated in several projects providing potable water sources in Honduras and starting up a library in Tonga.
John, thank you for being there when Rotary called on you, for your hard work and devotion to the ideals of Rotary, and congratulations on your accomplishments.
