KeyWay

This Week’s Program: GA Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger

Join us this Friday as we welcome Brad Raffensperger , Georgia’s 29th Secretary of State, for a timely and substantive conversation on elections, governance, and public service.  Before his statewide role, Raffensperger served on the Johns Creek City Council and in the Georgia House of Representatives. He also brings private-sector leadership experience as a Professional Engineer, General Contractor, and founder of construction and structural engineering firms operating across the Southeast.

First elected in 2018 and re-elected in 2022, Secretary Raffensperger has prioritized secure and accessible elections across the state. Under his leadership, Georgia implemented a statewide voting system with auditable paper ballots, expanded accountability measures for counties, and strengthened voter roll maintenance. His office also oversaw one of the largest voting system implementations in U.S. history, delivered on time and on budget.

Members can expect a discussion grounded in operational execution, election integrity, and the responsibilities of public leadership.

JOIN ONLINE:  Zoom Link - Click here Meeting ID: 874 0116 4307 Passcode: Service | One tap mobile: +13052241968

KeyWay Report
Don Schewe on The Information Explosion

The Rotary Club of Atlanta West End met at Atlanta Technical College for a regular meeting presided over by President Victoria Seals, with President-Elect Chris Hempfling serving as program chair. The featured speaker was Dr. Don Schewe, long time AWER stalwart, former AWER President and for a more than a decade the AWER Treasurer. Don’s a product of the public schools of Nebraska and has had a huge career as a historian, culminating in his selection by President Jimmy Carter himself to be the first President of the highly prestigious Jimmy Carter Presidential Library. His fascinating presentation for about 23 minutes covered thousands of years of the use of words to record history and facts of governments, their regimes and even business transactions. At the Keyway Editors request, Don summarized this exceedingly well-researched millennia of how people and institutions record and communicate about all aspects of life - see below.

The Information Explosion

     Human Beings are the only animals that can transmit information over time and space. They can do this because they developed the ability to read and write. The earliest know form of writing is traced to the Mesopotamian valley around 3000 BCE. Between that time and King Solomon, about 2000 years, the amount of information man had accumulated about doubled. From then on, however, information began to accumulate at a much faster rate. By 1 CE it had doubled again, and 500 years later doubled again. Today scientists estimate that the amount of information we accumulate doubles every ten years.

     Accumulated information, however, is useful only if we can use it—that is, we do something useful with it. Knowing the earth was round and not flat was only of value when someone sailed west far enough to return to where they started—that enable trade to develop. Knowledge (the use of information) develops at a rate similar to the accumulation of information. Historians estimate that knowledge doubles along with information. One indication of this is the growth of encyclopedias. By the 21st century, we are being bombarded with new knowledge at a prodigious rate, and this causes some people to resist the spread of, or the implementation of, this new knowledge. In the Industrial Revolution, Ludites sabotaged the machines they saw as taking away their jobs.

     One example is the changing view of history. In the early 20th century the focus was on “Great White Dead Guys”—in American History it was George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abe Lincoln, etc. But the new knowledge (and the new ways of manipulating the multiplying information) allowed Historians to study people beyond the “Great Guys”. By 1980 Black History was an accepted area of study in college, and ten years later Women’s History joined the curriculum. It was no longer possible to depict slavery as a gentle, benign institution, or women as better off in the kitchen, happily raising their children. And some reacted against that, because it made them uncomfortable.

The meeting also included several club updates. Leonard Pope was inducted as a new member! Progress was reported on the peace pole project, with installation anticipated later in March.

The meeting reinforced a core principle aligned with Rotary’s mission: access to information alone is insufficient. The transformation of information into knowledge requires disciplined judgment, thoughtful interpretation, and responsible application. As information continues to expand, the responsibility to use it wisely remains firmly within the human domain.

— KeyWay Reporters: Neil Shorthouse, Chris Hempfling, Jared Evans, and Don Schewe

New Member Welcome
Leonard Pope

On March 13, 2026, the Rotary Club of Atlanta West End proudly inducted Leonard Pope as a new member. A Georgia native and former NFL tight end, Leonard built an outstanding football career through talent, discipline, and perseverance, playing for the University of Georgia and later in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals, Kansas City Chiefs, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Chicago Bears. Beyond athletics, Leonard is widely respected for his character, including his heroic rescue of a child from drowning in his hometown of Americus. Today, he continues to give back through mentorship and community service. We are honored to welcome Leonard to AWER and look forward to his fellowship and service.

Day Trip to the Equal Justice Initiative Sites

On March 15, 2026, members and friends of the Rotary Club of Atlanta West End traveled to Montgomery, Alabama for a day of reflection, learning, and fellowship centered on the history of civil rights in the United States. The group visited three sites created by the Equal Justice Initiative: the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, the Legacy Museum, and the Freedom Monument Sculpture Park. Each site offered a sobering and instructive examination of slavery, racial terror, segregation, and mass incarceration, while inviting continued reflection on the pursuit of justice.

This experience was organized in partnership with Indivisible Cobb and brought together community members committed to learning from the past and applying those lessons forward. For our Rotarians, the trip served as a reminder that effective service requires not only action, but also disciplined understanding of the communities and histories we engage.

Thank you to club VIP Rose Caplan for organizing a successful event. We are grateful to all who participated in this meaningful journey. Experiences like this strengthen fellowship and deepen our shared commitment to Service Above Self.

To view photos from the day, please visit our Facebook page.

Calander, Agenda, Connections, & Four-Way Test

Never a Bad Time to Catch Up (ON DUES)!

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