Kinston Rotary Club honors health director, swears in new president

Left: Kinston banker Jeremy Jones, left, was sworn in Thursday as president of the Rotary Club of Kinston, taking over from Bob Griffin, right, who piloted the club during an usual year shaped by the coronavirus pandemic.

Right: Lenoir County Health Director Pam Brown expresses her gratitude to the Rotary Club of Kinston after being named a Paul Harris Fellow by outgoing club president Bob Griffin, at left.

Pam Brown hasn’t let her emotions get the better of her while battling a global pandemic as Lenoir County’s health director, but an honor bestowed on her Thursday by the Rotary Club of Kinston did bring a tear to her eye.

Brown was named a Paul Harris Fellow by the club and outgoing president Bob Griffin. A Paul Harris Fellow designation represents a $1,000 donation to the Rotary International Foundation, which uses the funds for charitable work that includes eradicating polio, ensuring clean water sources and improving literacy worldwide.

Griffin, as outgoing club president, had the option of accepting the designation himself or awarding it to a deserving member of the community. The attorney whose clients include Lenoir County government said he had to look no farther than the county health department, in light of the work the health director has done to keep Lenoir County residents informed about and protected against the coronavirus.

Griffin’s praise of Brown threatened to “make me cry,” the health director said as she accepted the surprise honor. “I thought I was asked to come here to talk about vaccinations,” she said.

The presentation to Brown was one of several highlights of the meeting, considered the first of the club’s 2021-2022 year.

As Griffin stepped down, local banker Jeremy Jones moved into the role of the club’s 102nd president. In his acceptance speech, Jones looked forward to the face-to-face meetings, the fundraisers and the community service work that were put on hold the previous year by Covid-related public health restrictions. The club began meeting in person in May.

Also sworn in as 2021-2022 officers were Edward Chisolm, president elect; Bob Griffin, past president; Dr. Rusty Hunt, vice president; Brenda Canup, secretary; and Michael Whitfield, treasurer.

Sworn in as members of the 2021-2022 Board of Directors were Patrick Holmes, Jeanne Kennedy, Margaret Williams, Edward Chisolm, Dawn Stroud, Jon Clemmons, Anthony Lawson and Joe Tyson.

The Rotary Club of Kinston meets at 1 p.m. each Thursday at King’s restaurant.