August 8 – Alexander Stewart, Governor, Rotary District 6740
LEXINGTON, KY – The Rotary Club of Lexington held its weekly meeting on Thursday, August 1, at The Mane on Main, Chase Bank building on Main St. The guest speaker was Alexander Stewart, Governor, Rotary District 6740.
This meeting will also be on Zoom. For the Zoom link please email, [email protected].
If you would like to have lunch, please contact [email protected] to reserve your meal.
The Rotary Club of Lexington welcomes Xandy Stewart, District Governor for Rotary District 6740. Xandy will articulate his overriding themes for District 6740’s coming year: Membership, Culture of Giving, Public Image, and New/Renewed Clubs.
Alexander C. Stewart II, known as Xandy, has been a member of the Maysville Rotary Club since November of 2003. He served as club president in 2007-2008 and again in 2010-2011. An Assistant District Governor from 2019 through 2022, he has received the Maysville Rotary Club Service Above Self award on two separate occasions. Xandy was selected as the District 6740 District Governor for Rotary year 2024-2025.
Xandy retired from the International Paper Maysville Mill after more than twenty-five years of service. He served as a production team member, transportation supervisor, logistics manager, and lead team member. He also retired from the Kentucky Army National Guard after nearly thirty-three years of service. He served in numerous assignments across the Commonwealth, which included battalion command with the 206th Engineer Battalion in Owensboro, and brigade command with the 149th Maneuver Enhancement Brigade in Richmond. He retired at the rank of Colonel and his awards include the Legion of Merit and the Meritorious Service Medal.
He is a graduate of Mason County High School, Maysville Community College, Morehead State University, and the Air War College. Xandy and his wife, Pam, celebrated their 43rd anniversary in July 2024 and are the parents of two grown children. He has a small farm where he raises beef cattle. His recreation activities involve running and traveling with family.
The efforts of DG Stewart during his term will be supported by Assistant Governors from each of District 6740’s ten areas, including our own Past President Bill Wilson. Bill also serves as District Membership Chair. Other Rotary Club of Lexington members providing their time and talent to the District are Judy Worth, District Training Officer; Martha Riddell, District New Generations Service; and Chris Hickey, District RYLA Chair.
Offer a warm Rotary Club of Lexington welcome to DG Stewart!
Rotary in Review
A BLUEPRINT FOR ACTION
Last week’s speaker was Alexander “Xandy” Stewart, the 2024-25 District Governor for Rotary District 6740. Xandy has served Rotary in eastern Kentucky for more than two decades, including being President of his Maysville Rotary Club twice and being an Assistant Governor for the District. He is a third generation Rotarian. He began his remarks by recognizing Past President Kim Johnson for her leadership of our Club, noting that under her direction we received one of fourteen District Rotary Citations in 2023-24 for meeting rigorous participation criteria.
Xandy next highlighted that that Rotary International is the leading service and philanthropic organization worldwide, with 1.4 million members representing 46,000 clubs in more than 200 countries and territories. Impressive numbers. However, he went on to note that there were 1.4 million Rotarians in the mid-1990’s when the world population was 5.5 billion people, compared to approximately 8 billion today. The world’s population has grown—Rotary’s membership has not kept pace.
Stewart reported that “6740 Big Four” is this year’s District theme. The four areas of focus are: Membership, Culture of Giving, Public Image, and New/Renewed Clubs. Actions to address these areas will have to be tailor-made for each club in the District in order to be effective. Clubs in the District range from the largest and oldest Club—the Rotary Club of Lexington—to clubs that have fewer than fifteen members. He emphasized that getting good work done by Rotary recognized is critical. For decades Rotary International (RI) has positioned itself as being quiet and behind-the-scenes, leading to a lack of common knowledge about our successes. Increased visibility is critical to growing membership and community awareness. This year’s RI President Stephanie Urchick has challenged each of the 529 District Governors to bring in four new or reconstituted clubs this year. Stewart’s focus is on creating or renewing clubs in Versailles, Midway, Millersburg, and Lancaster. He challenged our Club to assist in this endeavor. To grow our own membership, he thinks we need to look at our current membership and identify who in the community should be here but is not.
The District Governor mentioned that RI runs on money. He reported that polio is predicted to be eradicated within the next two years. He reminded Rotarians that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has provided a 2:1 match up to $100 million for each donation to Polio Eradication. He asked each Club member to donate $30 this year and every year to this effort, along with $100 to The Rotary Foundation, the fundraising arm of RI. A portion of these funds are returned to the District to fund District Grants and other projects. Stewart then announced that he has personally donated to our Club $30 to Polio Plus and $100 to the Rotary Foundation Annual Fund. Thank you District Governor Xandy for leading by example!
He concluded his remarks by reminding current Rotarians of the rich history and accomplishments of past Rotarians, together with the charge to uphold that heritage that began in our Club in 1915. We have a “blueprint for action” to help us achieve that charge.
– Paul B. Chewning
