Tennessee Society of St. Louis’ One Hundred Twenty Fifth Annual Banquet

The Tennessee Society of St. Louis held its One Hundred and Twenty Fifth Annual Banquet at the St. Louis Woman’s Club to promote fellowship of former Tennesseans residing in Missouri while honoring the state of Tennessee and the 7th President of the United States Andrew Jackson. The formal event began with cocktails and was followed by dinner, program, keynote address and live entertainment. Society President Vincent Stegman presided over the program.

Traditional toasts were offered by William McMahon to the Great State of Tennessee, Hunt Brown to President of the United States Andrew Jackson and Charles Burch to the Magnificent & Beautiful Ladies of Tennessee.

Guest speaker, Bob Rolfe serves as the commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development. The department is responsible for recruiting business and industry to the stare, supporting existing companies, expanding economic opportunities across rural Tennessee and boosting the state’s overall economic prosperity. Since March 2017 Tennessee’s global footprint has been increased under his leadership leading the efforts in the recruitment and expansion of more than 100 projects. Rolfe has more than three decades of experience in business and investment banking in Tennessee. He received his E.M.B.A. from Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University and his B.S. from the University of Alabama;s School of Commerce and Business Administration. He and his wife, Kathy, have been married for 36 yearsand have three children. Rolfe is a member of First Presbyterian Church in Nashville, where he has served as an elder for two decades.

Following the presentation, guests danced to the sounds of Trilogy. The band played long-standing favorites including The Tennessee Waltz and Rocky Top.

The Tennessee Society of St. Louis comprises one of the oldest State Societies in America. The objects and purposes of the Society is to unite ex-Tennesseans and the descendants of Tennesseans residing in the State of Missouri in closer fraternal relations and to promote friendly intercourse among them; to welcome and entertain on fitting occasions distinguished visitors from Tennessee; to provide suitable rendezvous for their meetings and gatherings of the Society; to celebrate appropriately memorable events in the history of the “Old Volunteer State” and to familiarize the members with the important and leading events in the history of the State of Tennessee and the lives of its most prominent citizens, and generally to do whatever will encourage good-fellowship of Tennesseans residing in the State of Missouri.