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members of the Hancock County Exchange Club.
Almost immediately, Mr. Thomas suggested to the club that the community needed patriotism and that he envisioned an avenue of flags along Highway 90 being a hallmark to introduce people to Bay St. Louis and Waveland and the Hancock County community in general.
The members purchased flags and solicited donations from area businesses totaling approximately 120 flags. Brackets were installed along Highway 90, and the first avenue of flags was erected on July 4, 1985.
The flags were displayed on Highway 90 from the Bay St. Louis bridge to Waveland and additionally along the downtown areas as well.
This fundraiser and patriotic display was continued for several years by the club until the City of Bay St. Louis installed center highway lighting along Highway 90 and installed flagpoles in conjunction therewith. This project was retired at that time. The flags were donated to the new project which was headed by Gene Schloegel.
The club continued to grow, and in 1986 the National Exchange Club changed its bylaws to allow female members. Up until that time there had been no female members allowed in the Exchange Club, and it was strictly a "male" club.
There were female auxiliaries associated with some of the clubs. However, we did not have one in the Hancock County club.
Carolyn Amacker was invited to be our first female member. She joined in 1986 and was elected to be the first female officer of an Exchange Club in the state of Mississippi. She was elected to the office of secretary.
That year she was also later nominated and elected as Exchangite of the Year. She probably is one of the first female recipients of the Exchangite of the Year Award since no women were allowed in the club until 1986.
The club continued to operate
today.
Over the years many fine youths of this community have been honored as both the Youth of the Month and Youth of the Year. Included in these are several local businessmen including Micky Lagasse and Micah Necaise.
Perhaps the largest accomplishment made by the club was with the cooperation of the other Gulf Coast clubs in founding the South Mississippi Exchange Club Family Child Center for the Prevention of Child Abuse in October of 1988.
This organization continues in existence and is still the main charitable organization supported by the Exchange Clubs on the Gulf Coast including our club.
Mike Haas, Sr., Mike Haas, Jr., Bill Stechmann and Bob Hubbard are the only four remaining charter members of the original 25 charter members of the Hancock County Exchange Club.
Mike Haas, Jr., Bob Hubbard and Bill Stechmann have all served as club presidents. Mike Haas, Jr. served as the president after the charter president, Tommy Brooks, had to resign, and later each of the three of us were honored by being selected as an Exchangite of the Year, as well. Some interesting facts that I was reminded of when I reviewed the club scrapbooks were the following:
1.	Mrs. Lisa Rodriguez was the first African-American member of the club and served as our first African-American club president, 1992-1993, as well.
2.	Michael Haas, Jr. and Barbie Haas are the only husband and wife past presidents and husband and wife past Exchangites of the Year.
3.	Bob Hubbard and Joey Temples both served two terms as president of the club.
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