Commander, US Navy, Surface Warfare Officer, Retired – 21 years active duty
- Shipboard Chief Engineer and Operations Officer
- Reserve Medical Programs Officer at Pentagon during Desert Shield/Desert Storm
- Member Tonkin Gulf Yacht Club
Vocational Teacher - North Carolina Schools – 18 years
Soccer Referee (Currently 30+years) officiating Club, High School, and College matches
Wife Melanie, Captain, Nurse Corps, US Navy, Retired – 24 years active duty
- Deployed on the hospital ship, USNS Comfort TAH-20 for 9 months during Desert Shield/Desert Storm -- Joel was Mr. Mom
- While at Naval Hospital, Bethesda, MD, as Assistant Department Head of the OB/GYN clinic, Melanie had to prepare the tray and then got stuck in the elevator with First Lady Barbara Bush
Son Evan lives in Wilmington NC, Asst. Manager Play-it-Again-Sports
Daughter Dr. Lauren Thornberry, US Navy Veteran. Podiatrist in Bluffton at Ankle & Foot Assoc.
Interesting fact – When they were stationed in Long Beach, California, Joel and Melanie moved aboard a 42’ sailboat. At the time Evan was 2 years old and Lauren moved aboard at the early age of one day old.
Wednesday we had the pleasure of welcoming a 49 year Rotarian and District Governor Nominee 2026-2027 to our club, Herman Dixon. Herman, who is also a Rotary Leadership Institute instructor (RLI), came with a page book from the RLI class and presented a riveting game of Rotary Jeopardy. Wow did we learn! Did you know the first Rotary President was not Paul Harris our founder? It was actually Silvester Schiele. Did you know the second Rotary club was founded in 1908 in San Francisco or the 4 way test was first created in 1932? Those and many other fun facts were on display and embedded in a very impressive Jeopardy Board. If we didn't know any better we would have thought Herman was Alex Trebek! Thank You Herman for a morning full of learning and congratulations on your District Governor 2026-2027 nomination.
What an exciting afternoon at River Ridge Academy on April 8. Thank you to Mrs. Perel for organizing Rotary International District 7770 4th grade Dictionary Project and allowing the Rotary Club of Bluffton SC, BLHS & HHI Interact Clubs, Celia Walter, Genesis Hernandez Cabrera, DG Mary Gunter Gasque, and Daniel Ciuffreda to speak about all things Rotary. We may have lost control of the room during our "Daring Dictionary Challenge" but we had a blast! A special thank you to Ken Gasque for ensuring our DG arrived safe and sound!
Regardless of issue, please let us know if something is going on to prevent you from attending our meetings. We have many members who can help, pray, or just call to lift your spirits.
Club Dues Invoices - please submit payment at your earliest convenience. Several Rotarians have outstanding balances from prior invoices - if you are unsure of who you are, please reach out to Don Kensey, Rotary Club of Bluffton Treasurer.
Do you worry about Alzheimer’s? We do not have a cure for Alzheimer’s disease, but we must find one. Finding a cure starts with you. Every year the CART (Coins for Alzheimer’s Research Trust) Fund gives research grants focused on finding a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.
Have you given to the CART Fund this year? The CART Fund is dedicated to raising funds to provide “seed” money for cutting edge, high impact research in hopes of finding a cure/prevention for Alzheimer’s disease. The goal of the CART Fund is to encourage exploratory and developmental Alzheimer’s disease research projects within the United States. This is accomplished by providing financial support for the early and conceptual plans of those projects that may not yet be supported by extensive preliminary data but have the potential to substantially advance biomedical research. These projects should be distinct from those designed to increase knowledge in a well-established area unless they intend to extend previous discoveries toward new directions or applications.
If you would you like to donate to the C.A.R.T. fund, please scan the code below:
The Bluffton Rotary Club has a YouTube Channel! You will find previous guest speakers and other fun videos, so be on the lookout for more content in the future. All you have to do is create a YouTube account and subscribe...with 80+ current members, we can do better than eight subscriber's!! Link:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8TYzr9_xUE8Jfy-lniTt1A
Did you know ClubRunner is now available on your mobile device app store for FREE?!? Once downloaded, use your ClubRunner log-in. This will give you instant access to our member directory, events, news and other important information. Here is a video that highlights some of the features: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFLu08meAHI&t=12s
.png)
