Toastmasters

Steven King, of Pinehurst, was Toastmaster of the Evening at the club’s meeting Tuesday, Feb. 9.

Speakers included Paul Barnes, of Foxfire Village, who presented a speech on technical innovations in the railroad industry. Barnes is vice president of sales at Aberdeen & Rockfish Railroad.

Also speaking was Linda Carlson, of Carthage, who described her recent trip in the snowstorm from Vermont to Carthage, accompanied by her dogs and cat. Carlson was awarded “Best Speaker.”

Her husband, Garry Carlson, also of Carthage, won “Best Table Topic Speaker,” for an off-the-cuff speech on a new Olympic sport, “ice golf.”

Toastmasters meets the first three Tuesdays of the month at 7 p.m. at Sandhills Community College Van Dusen Hall, room 102.

For more information, http://tcots.freetoasthost.us.

Health Resources

Health Resources Network, a forum for health care professionals that provide services for seniors, will meet at noon Wednesday, Feb. 24, at Table on the Green at Midland Country Club.

The featured speaker, Lynne Drinkwater, is sales director for HomeChoice Network Inc. She will talk about the company’s services.

The second speaker is Cathy Milewski, CARE-Net coordinator, from the Foundation of FirstHealth. She will explain the services offered by CARE-net.

Those interested in attending should call Veronica Sanchez at (910) 944-1116.

Republican Women

The Moore Republican Women will meet Monday, March 1, at the Pinehurst Member’s Club.

The event begins at 11:30 a.m., and lunch is served at noon. The cost is $15, payable by cash, or check to PCC, LLC.

Call Pauli Curl at (910) 215-9796 to make reservations no later than Thursday, Feb. 25.

This month’s guest speaker will be Adm. Leighton W. Smith Jr., U.S. Navy (ret.)

Smith graduated from the Naval Academy in 1962 and received his wings in January 1964.  He retired from active service in October 1996.

As a naval aviator, Smith flew carrier-based, light attack jet aircraft during multiple deployments, including three cruises in waters off North Vietnam, where he flew more than 280 combat missions.

His military awards include many Distinguished Service Medals — more than 46 total.

In his retirement, Smith serves as a Distinguished Fellow at the Center for Naval Analysis, and is president of Leighton Smith Associates and vice president of Global Perspectives Inc., both international consulting firms.  In addition he is a member of several boards of trustees or directors of both charitable institutions and major corporations.

Men’s Fellowship

The Sandhills Men’s Fellowship welcomes back Mohsin Ali as its guest speaker Tuesday, Feb. 23.

His topic will be the role and impact of culture on international relations.

“Spouses and other interested women are invited to attend this breakfast,” says a spokesman.

As diplomatic editor for the Reuters News Agency in London, Ali covered major conferences and summit meetings around the world.

Later, for the Times of London, he reported on the White House, State Department, Defense Department and NASA.

Ali also served as a British Air Force officer on the Burma front in World War II. Upon his retirement in 1980, Ali was decorated as an Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II. He resides in Pinehurst with his wife, Delores Gregory.

Fellowship begins at 7:40 a.m. at the Pinehurst Member’s Club. Breakfast will follow at 8 a.m.

For more information, call Tom Stewart at (910) 295-9775.

Southern Pines Rotary

The Southern Pines Rotary Club welcomed two students from Pinecrest High School, Michael Adams, who came in first place, and Hannah Sellers, who was second place, in the District 7690 Rotary Against Drugs Speech Contest, at the weekly luncheon meeting Friday, Feb. 5.

Adams spoke to the group on the topic “What Must Be Done to Prevent Drug and Alcohol Abuse in the U.S.?”

Cathy Coats Harpster, youth projects chair of the Southern Pines Rotary Club, coordinated the contest. Judges included Jim Dodson, editor of PineStraw magazine and renowned author; Marcy Cooper, principal of Southern Pines Elementary School; and Adam Chalker, lifestyle coach. Adams will speak again on Saturday, Feb. 20, at Guilford Technical. If he is one of the top three winners there, he will proceed to Chapel Hill in March.

The contest is part of Rotary International’s worldwide efforts to prevent drug and alcohol abuse.

The contest was started after a 1988 research study of 143 adolescent drug prevention programs reported that peer programs are dramatically more effective in preventing and stopping drug use than all other interventions.

The contest encourages high school students to consider the seriousness and nature of drug and alcohol use; learn of current efforts to prevent drug abuse; discover what is and might be done in their communities to prevent drug abuse; listen and speak to their peers; and serve as mentors to middle and elementary school students.

Those interested in joining the Southern Pines Rotary Club should contact Carol Haney at (910) 692-2635.

MoCARS

The Moore County Amateur Radio Society (MoCARS) will hold its monthly meeting Thursday, Feb. 18, at 7 p.m. on the lower level of the Moore County Emergency Operations Center, 105 Saunders St., Carthage.

The meeting will focus on planning for technician and general class licensing courses, support for the Dressage in the Sandhills horse show in May and the annual Field Day in June.

The next VEC examination is scheduled for Saturday, March 27, at 10 a.m. at the Moore County Library, Carthage. The examination fee is $12 (cash only), and a copy of a photo ID plus copy of FCC license (if any) are required.

Contact Charles Wackerman at (910) 947-2707 for testing details.

Everyone with an interest in amateur radio is welcome to attend the monthly meetings, classes and examinations. MoCARS hosts a 2-meter net each Sunday and Wednesday evening at 8 p.m. on 147.240Mhz + offset + 91.5 tone. All licensed hams are invited to participate.

For further MoCARS information contact James Johnson at (910) 400-3019.