Recap from the Aug 14th, 2023 Meeting.
Meeting Run by: President- Megan Francis
Invocation: Brad Bark
Welcome to our guests: From Eastern Iowa Community College- Lisa Weigel, Deya Leza, Jeremy Pickard, and Valerie Marrow. Mike Ruby’s daughter, Ellen Rager. Dustin Joy from The Pearl Button Museum, and The Speaker’s wife, Pheobe Phillips.
Welcome to our members participating in our meeting through Zoom, Melanie Alexander, Carol Webb, Barth Donald, Kim Warren, Michelle Kelman, and guest Mary Jo Finchum.
Happy News/Announcements: All Happy News funds go towards our scholarship awards.
Jessica Pfab- Jessica was excited to sit beside an FBI agent during lunch and not get arrested.
Club News:
- Follow the Rotary Club of Muscatine’s Facebook page, @MuscatineRotaryClub.
- ACH forms are available for easy payment of dues.
- A reminder the next Mobile Food Pantry distribution is Tuesday, September 5th. Please volunteer if you are available.
- Almost Friday Fest- Rotary will have a food tent at Almost Friday Events at the last two summer events on August 24th and September 28th.
Presentation-
Harlan Phillips- Escape from Alcatraz
Born and raised in Iowa. Graduated from Muscatine, Iowa High School in 1949. Received a BA degree from the University of Northern Iowa in 1953. He also did graduate studies at the University of California, Berkeley.
After successfully coaching championship high school football and basketball teams at Adel Iowa high school, he entered the FBI as a Special Agent in April 1955. After training school, he had assignments in Los Angeles and San Francisco, including the Berkeley and Oakland Resident Agencies. He served as Criminal Supervisor in San Francisco and subsequently was assigned to FBI headquarters conducting investigations for the White House. This also included periods on the Inspection Staff and as a New Agent's Counselor at Quantico, Va. While at FBIHQ, he coached an FBI basketball team that won the city championship and presented the trophy to J. Edgar Hoover.
Later assignments included Knoxville and Birmingham as Assistant Agent in Charge, and then was the Agent in Charge at St. Louis, Indianapolis, and Omaha. He retired in August 1981 and promptly started as an investigative consultant for Northern Natural Gas Co. based in Omaha, Nebraska, until 1985. He operated his own private investigative agency in eastern Iowa from 1985 to 1994.
Since 1994 he has been semi-retired in Bella Vista, Arkansas but continued to perform contract investigative work for the FBI.
He has been active in the ex-FBI Agents Society since 1981
He has been involved in the Rotary Club, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the Bella Vista Community Church. In 1994 he received an Outstanding Achievement Award from the University of Northern Iowa, his alma mater, and was inducted into the Muscatine High School Hall of Honor in 2005.
Hobbies include golf and flying as a licensed private pilot.
He is married, his wife being the former Phoebe Lee. They have four children, eight grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.
Harlan shared pictures and stories from his investigation of the 1962 Escape from Alcatraz.
Missed today’s meeting? Use the link below to enjoy a recording of the presentation.
Passcode: Rotary#1
Upcoming Meetings- August 21st- Hancher Season Preview, August 28th- Clint Christopher/ School Year Kick off