Spartanburg Rotary Officer Installation 2021
Tuesday, July 13, 2021
By Joe C. Mullinax
The Rotary Club of Spartanburg inducted its new officers on Tuesday, July 13 at 12:30 pm at the Piedmont Club. The roster included: Cindy Kelly (President), William Joseph Gray (President-Elect), J. Derham Cole, Jr., Coby Cartrette Hennecy, Shelton Tate, Louis Smith, Samatha Nicholson Larkins, Chip McLeod, Ryan Edward Gaylord, Joe C. Mullinax, Lindsay Gosnell Garrity, Koger M. Bradford (Immediate Past President).
Outgoing President Koger Bradford is presented with a Golden Gavel for his service by incoming President Cindy Kelly.
“The Rotary Club of Spartanburg begins its 105th year of service to the Spartanburg community with the initiation of Cindy Kelly, Market President for TNB Financial Services, as our president for 2021-2022. Cindy has provided outstanding service as a member of our Board of Directors over the past three years and has already made an impact with the appointment of a new committee members and chairpersons for our important service projects.
Cindy is recognized as a business leader in our community. She is married to the Honorable Keith Kelly, Circuit Judge, and they have three daughters and three grandchildren. Cindy and Keith, who previously served as president of the Rotary Club of Woodruff, have been committed Rotarians for many years and between them have donated generously to the Rotary Foundation, achieving multiple Paul Harris fellowships for their contributions,” says outgoing Club President Koger Bradford.
Kelly follows in the footsteps of the Club’s first woman president, the Honorable Liz J. Patterson, who served on Spartanburg County Council, in the SC Sentate, the US House of Representatives, and as the Club’s President from 2010-11.
Kelly says, “As a member of the Interact Club at my school, I was often invited to attend the local Rotary meeting in Tryon, NC, where I lived. I was always treated with respect, dignity and genuine interest in who I was and what I wanted to be in the world. They made me see that the world was bigger than anything this young girl had ever seen. They made me believe that I could do anything. Rotary continued to open opportunities for me as an Exchange Student and through scholarships throughout my college career.
I had never considered that being in Rotary but was proud when Keith joined the local Rotary Club in Woodruff, in 1988. Women were not allowed as members of Rotary at that time, and spouses were considered ‘Rotary Ann’s’. My how times have changed! Fast forward through my working career, and I was finally able to find time to join the Rotary Club of Spartanburg in 2015. For most this would be just joining another service organization. For me, this was a momentous event. I was a part of something that I had revered as a young girl. Now I have my chance to be a person who makes a difference in someone else’s life. In my own way, Rotary is now my way of saying “THANK YOU” to the Rotary Club of Tryon for their kindness and encouragement.”
Kelly is very involved in the community and serves the following organizations: the USC Upstate Capital Development Board, Women Giving for Spartanburg Board of Directors, Chapman Cultural Center Development Board, Hope Center for Children – past board chair, and a graduate of Leadership Spartanburg. She and her husband have lived in Spartanburg County since 1987.
Kelly goes on to say, “The Rotary Club of Spartanburg is welcoming, informative and fun! Our programming is excellent, and there are many networking opportunities. We are an inclusive, diversified organization committed to being the change in the world. To quote our founder Paul Harris, ‘Rotary changes us and those we serve. I believe we can change the world one life at a time.’