News and Events

President’s Distinguished for 16 Straight Years!

The Will Rogers Club celebrated 16 straight years of achieving President’s Distinguished at a party held at the Golden Corral on July 9, 2024. This is a great honor, achieved by only a very few clubs in the world. Will Rogers is one of the top three clubs in District 16 having achieved a comparable level of success.

Ron Mixer, District 16 Director, delivers a keynote address to those attending the event.

Group photo taken at the event.

Andy Craig Receives Ziglar Master Coach Certification

Andy Craig was one of four persons that was recently honored for receiving the “Ziglar Master Coach Certification”. Will Rogers is honored to have a professional public speaker in its ranks. Congratulations to Andy!

The Will Rogers Club is also proud of our own member Andy Craig for placing 3rd at the Oklahoma Toastmasters District Conference held on April 20, 2024. He did the very best he has ever done…& now is more than ever ready to continue winning with more competitions and speeches and events…international is still in his sight!

New Members Welcomed into the Club

Barbara Crockett, President, formally inducted three of its most recent members into the club at a meeting held on June 11, 2024. The new members bring in a lot of enthusiasm and talent into the club.

From left to right, Cheryl Hull, Caleb Lear, Cathy Smythe, and Barbara Crockett, Past President

Easter at the Piano

Sandy Knox, professional pianist, and 18-year member of Will Rogers Toastmasters performed her “Easter at the Piano” program 17 places this year. She performs regularly at various venues around the Tulsa area. Toastmasters has helped her tremendously when speaking with her audiences. Attending weekly Toastmasters meeting has also increased her confidence in all aspects of her life, including performance.

Christmas Party

Our annual Christmas Party was held on December 5, 2023 at the home of Ray Poudrier. The food was superb and everyone had a good time. Appreciation goes to the Poudriers for hosting this annual event.

International Speech Contest

A special meeting was held on October 3, 2023 to listen to the finalists from the Toastmasters International Speech Contest. Members were invited to listen and to judge each of the six finalists and to compare with the ultimate announced winners. We also celebrated the occasion by bringing food from the various countries from our ancestral background. The food was excellent and everyone enjoyed the occasion. A number of our members have recent ancestral connections to Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Germany, India, Mexico, Nepal, Taiwan, and Viet Nam. We cherish the diversity of our club members!

75th Anniversary Party a Huge Success!

Around 50 people met at Golden Corral on August 22, 2023 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the Will Rogers Toastmasters Club on August 20, 1948. The event was attended by current members, past members, District 16 officials and Channel 6 news. The party was an epic event, and a considerable amount of credit goes to Sandy Knox who was the principal organizer of the event. There were many photos taken and a few will be shared below.

Past President Sandy Bach, DTM, presents a special gift to Sandy Knox who organized the event.

Attendees meeting in a decorated room with a patriotic theme.

District Director Ray Willis, DTM, congratulates The Will Rogers Club for its success.

Congratulations to Chandra Nandikolla

Congratulations to Chandra Nandikolla, DTM, for recently receiving an MBA degree from the University of Oklahoma. He has worked hard over the past four years and his dream for receiving an MBA has been achieved. Chandra credits Will Rogers members for their encouragement and for the high standards promoted by the club. Chandra is the past Program Quality Director for District 16.

Andy Craig Shines at the District Conference

Andy Craig, DTM, “knocked it out of the park” at the District Conference held on April 29, 2023 with his speech “Choosing to Win”. His 30-minute presentation was well-received and we are proud to have him represent the Will Rogers Club.

Andy Craig, DTM, is presented an award certificate by Chanda Nandikolla, DTM, Program Quality Director, and also a member of the Will Rogers Club

Meet the Most Patriotic and Enthusiastic Member!

President Andy Craig said it so well at our July 6 meeting when introducing Jon Danh as the Toastmaster for the evening. Jon is an immigrant to this country from Viet Nam and has become a proud citizen of the United States.

Andy Craig Joins Professional Speakers Bureau International

The Will Rogers Club is proud to announce that Andy Craig has joined Professional Speakers Bureau International as one of its elite speakers. Andy is an international keynote speaker and trainer. This is indeed a true honor for Andy and our congratulations! The link below provides additional details.

Www.TerrificSpeakers.com/andy-craig

Andy Craig’s New Book

Andy Craig has written a new book that is available on Amazon. His book is entitled Passion Power: Discover the 3 Indispensable Keys to Your Success! Andy Craig walks you through the three key areas in creating the success you seek in life. He starts with the question: “Are you settling?” He shares his own journey in the pursuit of his desires in life. He continues and discusses the 3 keys to empowering your success. (1) Your Past. Break through the bondage that has held you captive in your past. (2) Your Provision. Uncover the hidden resources you have in your provision. (3) Your Purpose. Unleash what you were created for with your purpose. Follow these three keys to wield your Passion Power and fuel the achievement of your hidden desires.

Early reviews of the book were very positive.

New Members

The Will Rogers Club welcomes several new members to the club. These include: Caleb Lear, Cathy Smythe, Cheryl Hull, Roye Carroll, Makila Steed, and Steve Brody.

Caleb Lear. Caleb joins Toastmasters with a goal of developing his leadership skills. He is a mechanical engineer working for a local company.

Cathy Smythe. Cathy joins Toastmasters with a goal of improving confidence in public speaking. She is retired from Deloitte, an officer manager at her church, and currently running for a state House of Representatives seat from District 98.

Cheryl Hull. Cheryl joins Toastmasters with a goal of improving her speaking skills. She was a model, tap dancer, and beauty contestant as a teenager. She spent much of her professional career in the restaurant business and later went on to become a dietician. She has already agreed to be the new Secretary for the club.

Roye Carroll. Roye joins Toastmasters with a goal of improving his skills and confidence as a speaker. He already brings a lot of skill as an impromptu speaker.

Makila Steed. Makila works for HICORP, which is a local advertising company. She is a former Toastmaster. She is joining Will Rogers with a goal of improving her speaking and leadership skills as well as improving self-confidence.

Steve Brody. Steve Brody joins Will Rogers with a goal of improving his leadership skills and self-confidence. He is a local contractor. The picture below shows that Steve won the Best Speaker award when giving his icebreaker speech.