Buzz Trexler

Bruce Watt presents Bill Proffitt with the George F. Hixson Fellowship award at Alcoa Kiwanis.

Several years ago, Alcoa Kiwanians were gracious enough to let me into their fellowship to break bread and serve, but the invitation came during a time when I was also moving into ministry, and it made it difficult to serve. So, I had to bow out after about a year or so.

Recently, they extended an act of grace by letting me return — just in time for the civic club’s 55th anniversary.

On Monday, as they were celebrating 55 years of service, I watched and listened as charter members told stories of how the club came into being and how much they enjoyed serving their community. It reminded me of why nearly 20 years ago I felt drawn to join this community as managing editor of The Daily Times.

Vera Watson, who led the effort to recap the club’s 55-year history, told the group, “We’ve had a number of firsts: first in community, first in service, and I don’t know how much money we have given to the community.” Watson chided T.O. Hester, who joined the club in 1956, for being at the international convention in 1961 when delegates discussed allowing women to join, but voted the measure down. Women were allowed to join in 1987 and Watson, who joined Alcoa Kiwanis in 1989, noted she was the sixth female member at the time.

Bart Peak, who was a charter member in 1954, told the group, “I was recruited by two of my friends who I worked with at ALCOA,” recalling that of the 29 charter members, 18 of them were from the Aluminum Company of America. Peak explained that club rules prohibited more than two members from a single occupation, apparently seeking a diverse group. “So, we had to come up with creative occupations,” given the great number of metallurgists and engineers working at the plant.

Peak said that in the early days the lunchtime club met at Spike’s Restaurant, which was located at the current site of Shoney’s on Alcoa Highway at Wright Road. He recalled that another civic club decided that it, too, wanted to meet at Spike’s on the same day and time. The restaurant manager sought to accommodate both groups by putting up a partition. Peak recalled that the noise level from the other club was so high that Kiwanians couldn’t hear the speaker. Not long afterward, the Kiwanis program was a demonstration of what was then new audio technology known as stereophonic sound. The recording: A train roaring along the railroad tracks. The other club moved.

Ken Paxton, also a charter member, recalled that the birth of Alcoa Kiwanis was somewhat seeded by the Maryville club. “Maryville Kiwanis thought it was important to get people from ALCOA involved in Kiwanis,” Paxton recalled. “I don’t know of anything I would have rather been involved in, in terms of civic clubs.”

Some of the civic service actions recalled by Hestor included doing janitorial work at the Ronald McDonald House in Knoxville and recycling aluminum, the latter of which was alternated with Maryville Kiwanis.

And then there are the pancakes.

“I have thoroughly enjoyed the pancake breakfast through all the years,” Hester said.

Alcoa Kiwanis is known for its annual pancake breakfast where hundreds are served in a fairly systematic fashion, to say the least. Paxton recalled the early days of cooking for the community.

“Our first pancake system was at Alcoa First Methodist,” he said. “We cooked the pancakes on a stove in their kitchen, which had four burners.” At some point, Alcoa ingenuity apparently kicked in and an aluminum plate was fashioned to fit over the four burners and served as a full griddle.

Pancakes haven’t been the only fundraising ventures, Paxton said. The club has held video auctions, sold fire extinguishers and even brooms. Club members would ride down the road with brooms sticking out of car windows. The longtime member related one broom-selling visit where a man answered the door and a woman could be seen in the background. It was an easy sell, Paxton said. “I need a broom,” the man said. “That’s my mother-in-law and she needs a new one to ride on.”

The service, humor and somewhat self-deprecating attitude of club members — the single clap given to recognize a fellow club speaker or achievement — makes me feel quite at home, as does the club’s mission: “Serving Children of Blount County and the world … one child at a time.”

And so many who have served the club and the community for so long provide an example of humility in service, as was evidenced by Bill Proffitt, who on Monday was presented with the George F. Hixson Fellowship award. In announcing the award, Bruce Watt noted that Proffitt has not only been a longtime member of Alcoa Kiwanis, but also has a history of civic involvement.

“Talk about being shocked,” Proffitt said following the presentation. “I was looking around to see who would’ve deserved such an honor.”

And with that, I’ll give a “CLAP!”

Last Sunday, I went to a river baptism connected to my mom’s church, Roan Mountain United Methodist, and penned a column about it. There is also a video, but the date at the end of the video is wrong. It should read Sept. 13, but the video editor and I both missed it until it hit the larger computer screen. We’ve uploaded a corrected version, but for some reason the errant version is showing most of the time. Oh, well. Maybe it’ll straighten out at some point.

Here are short links to the column, photo gallery and video:

Photo gallery of “The Baptism of Rhodyjane”:
http://tr.im/rhodyjane_photos

Video of “The Baptism of Rhodyjane”:
http://bit.ly/rhodyjane

Faith Today column of “The Baptism of Rhodyjane” with links to photos
and video:
http://tr.im/rhodyjane_column

It was an incredible faith experience for me …

In a matter of weeks, scores of bicyclists will begin a 433.7-mile trek from Johnson City to Nashville to bring awareness to the need for “forever families” — families who are willing to adopt children in need.

About 80 cyclists will partake of a kickoff banquet Oct. 4 at the Carnegie Hotel in  Johnson City, departing that town 7 a.m. Oct 5 and traveling about 112 miles before arriving at the Alcoa Muncipal Building around 5 p.m.

Unlike other such rides, the Tennessee Adoption Tour is not a fund-raising event, but the goal is to raise an awareness. “The need for these children is not money — there’s plenty of foundations to help the kids — it’s getting the families to adopt the kids,” said Tour Director Jesse O’Hatnick.

Jim Norwood, of Harmony Adoptions, told Alcoa Kiwanis this week that the tour started five years ago with five riders and no sponsor. Today, there are a host of sponsors and riders are coming from seven other states and they all have a direct connection to adoption, either professionally or personally, Norwood said.

To find out more about the tour and how you can help someone make “A Journey Home,” go to www.adoptiontour.org.

I just read a story by The Associated Press concerning the Supreme Court of the United States hearing arguments in a case involving “Hillary: The Movie.”

Citizens United, a conservative group, wanted to air ads for the anti-Clinton movie and distribute it through video-on-demand services on local cable outlets during the 2008 Democratic primary campaign. However, the story explains that federal courts said the movie sounded like a long campaign ad and needed to be regulated as such.

According to The AP, the movie is filled with criticism about Hillary, including a statement from former Bill Clinton advisor Dick Morris saying she is “the closest thing we have in America to a European socialist.”

My first thought was this: What’s the difference between the anti-Clinton “Hillary: The Movie” and “Fahrenheit 9/11,” Michael Moore’s anti-Bush rant that was released in the middle of the 2004 presidential campaign? Well, the apparent difference is that campaign finance regulations do not apply to DVDs, theaters or the Internet. In those battlefields, the Red and Blue teams can spend away in the war for the minds of the voting public.

The conservative group was not allowed to broadcast TV ads for the movie, but it did get its message out by advertising on the Web, selling the DVD and showing the movie in a few theaters. Michael Moore gets his message out the same way.

I’ve never watched any of Moore’s movies and his garish Web site turns me off as soon as the page paints. The titles and related synopses leave me pleading, “Give me a break, Mikey.”

Sadly, the poor conservatives can’t get their own break. Truth is, they haven’t got a fighting chance when it comes to rolling out digital dollars and cash-cow celluloid pushers.

The Supreme Court of the United States could wipe away limits on spending by corporations and labor unions, but it’s way too late for a high court opinion to make any difference for the original intent of “Hillary: The Movie.”

Of course, Mrs. Clinton’s not the president, but she is the Secretary of State.

America’s fighting wars on the other side of the world, but there’s a continuing war here in Blount County that is sometimes ignored: The war on the home front that we call domestic violence.

Joani Shaver, executive director at Haven House, which serves victims of domestic violence, recently told Alcoa Kiwanis Club, “We’re seeing a horrendous rise because of the economy, but that’s no excuse.”

She explained that domestic abuse comes in many ways, not just physical. It includes emotional, psychological, economic and even spiritual. Each form leaves a devastating impact.

“Abuse is a very private crime, and most people don’t realize it’s going on,” Shaver said.

Haven House suffered a fire earlier this summer and is still in need of financial help to make repairs. According to its Web site, the shelter has raised only a fraction of the money needed to repair its gutted kitchen.

The 30-day shelter currently has 32 beds. “Our capacity is really limited,” she said, explaining that staffing is also an issue. “The problem is each one of those people … has a care plan, each has a safety plan.” With a staff of three, that can be a tough task.

But sheltering abuse victims and their children is not the only service Haven House provides. There are volunteer court advocates, transportation, and prevention programs as well.

Haven House is funded through federal grants, the ALCOA Foundation, Blount County government and United Way of Blount County, the latter of which she calls “our life blood.” Needless to say, the organization can use more help.

This is a topic very close to my heart, because my family has been caught in the web of domestic violence.

In the late 1960s, my mother, sister and I were victims in Florida during a time when law enforcement officers did not answer domestic violence calls. There was no place to turn. It was a remembrance of that battle which led me to become involved with Blount County’s Domestic Violence Task force in the 1990s, which also led to the establishment of a domestic violence unit. In March 2000, my 20-year-old niece was killed in a domestic violence incident in Richmond, Va., leaving a young child behind. It just goes to show that this war has no boundaries and has multiple levels of victimization.

A common epitaph on war memorials is along the lines of “lest we forget.” This need to remember that we have an ongoing war in Blount County is one of the reasons that we, as the newspaper of record in Blount County, publish domestic violence reports in Blount Records. Another reason: It’s common knowledge that one of the most dangerous calls to answer as a public safety officer is one involving domestic violence.

There’s no question that this is a war worth funding. As one lyricist wrote, “War is hell on the home front, too …”

Donna and I have a habit of watching NBC’s “Today Show” with our morning coffee. Believe me, I’m well aware of its conservative talk show reputation as “The Obama Network.”

Is it deserved? Maybe, maybe not; however, recently I couldn’t help but watch Matt Lauer smirk following an interview with conservative columnist Michelle Malkin. (Did he roll his eyes? Check out the clip on YouTube.) Malkin’s got a new book out with the incredible title of “Culture of Corruption: Obama and His Team of Tax Cheats, Crooks, and Cronies.” Lauer does a good job of peppering her with questions, but Malkin pretty much held her own.

But this brings up the whole question of bias in the media. Anyone with a mustard seed of intellect can tell you Fox is on the Right; CNN has the reputation of being on the Left; and other network news programs can leave you wondering “Who’s on First, What’s on Second, and Where’s Third?”

Truth be told, most viewers/readers have their own inherent biases and filters that they use (either consciously or subconsciously) when consuming news and information. Subsequently, they will assign bias — most often against their own viewpoint — whether it is reality or mere perception.

All of this brings to mind a University of Tennessee roundtable on the media and health care that I was asked to participate in sometime during the early 1990s. To the best of my recollection, other media representatives included a reporter from a major metropolitan daily and a young man from a mid- to large-size Tennessee newspaper. The conversation went something like this:

Health care worker: “We need your help in getting certain messages out to the public.”

Tennessee reporter: “You’re asking us to make the news. It’s our job to report the news, not make it,” the context of which was that to do so would include an element of bias.

At this point, I chime in with something along these lines: “Listen, if you claim that there is absolutely no bias in reporting, then you’re not fooling the readers, you’re only kidding yourself. It is only because we have an element of bias that tells us something is a news story. The challenge is to eliminate that bias and prevent a fair and balanced report.”

I thought I was standing alone when the reporter from the major metropolitan daily stood up — he was the size of a linebacker — and said this: “We know that every policymaker in the nation reads our newspaper every day. And when I walk down the streets of New York and see children with bloated bellies like they’re in some Third World country, it makes me want to do something. And you don’t change policy with one story. You change policy with one story, then another, and then another, until somebody does something.”

There was this sense that Diogenes had just found an honest journalist, for here was a reporter who was unabashedly practicing advocacy journalism. He was letting his bias loose upon the readers in hopes of effecting change and made no apologies for doing so — and that’s the difference. Journalists who obviously come at a subject from a particular point of view, but maintain they are being unbiased in their approach, are not fooling readers or viewers.  They only add to a growing general distrust of journalists.

When it comes to media bias, professionally trained journalists know that we all have biases. And since bias is the enemy to true journalism, the task is to recognize that bias and struggle to present the balanced report.

All we can do is run the good race — and we do.

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