The Rotary Club of Thomasville had 50 members in attendance last week, and we were reminded as to why Classification Talks are important. The talk is not for members to just get to know each other better. It is also hoped that the audience will be encouraged and inspired by something the speaker says. Scooter Grubbs was able to do this in his 2.0 talk last week. Scooter quoted former House Speaker Newt Gingrich as saying, “If all the people we have to deal with were Rotarians, the world would be a much better place.” To have outsiders praise the good work our organization does, is high praise indeed. Let us continue to take advantage of the opportunities Rotary opens to us.

The program speaker was James “Jack” Hadley, owner of the Jack Hadley Black History Museum. Assisting Jack was Melanie Martin, Director of Pre-College Programs at Thomas University. The duo gave a history of the museum and the latest acquisition of the museum, the Imperial Hotel. The hotel was built in 1949 and operated until 1969. It was the only hotel in Thomasville where traveling African Americans could be accommodated. It was listed in “The Green Book,” which was a guide for African American travelers on hotels, restaurants, and shops that would serve them during the Jim Crow era. The museum is working to completely restore the hotel. The goal is to have it once again be a positive force in the community.