Elmer Harris, former chief executive officer of Alabama Power Company, offered the club some personal advice on leadership. Elmer, in addition to this tenure at APCO, has witnessed examples of leadership through his other corporate and Auburn University board experiences. Among his many testimonials, he credited Auburn Rotarian (and former College of Engineering dean) Grady Cox as his best professor. He talked of his flying days with the Alabama Air National Guard, which included the necessity of bailing out of a crashing airplane. Of that experience, Elmer noted, “I have one more take off than landing in my career.”