Royer speaks on significance over success
Mike Royer could tell stories for hours on end, but his favorite ones are about the people who have most impacted the way he lives.
Royer, a newscaster for Alabama’s 13, spoke to the Homewood Chamber of Commerce at its Nov. 18 luncheon about highlights from his Spirit of Alabama series, starting with the current week’s spotlight on UAB optometry professor Tammy Than’s 50th marathon in her 50th state.
“I get to do stories like that every day,” Royer said.
Next up, Royer painted a picture of Mary B. Farr, an 88-year-old woman who walked daily to pick up tin cans. She was on a fixed income, but she used the cans to raise money for her church. What she brought in was enough to fund its youth program.
“She taught me something about sacrificial giving, giving when you don’t think you have the means to do it,” Royer said.
Next among his influences was his friend Lou Wheeler. Eight days before dying from cancer, Wheeler took Royer aside and told him to listen carefully. Think about moving from success to significance, he said.
“When you die, there will be nothing in your obituary about your lake house or your 401(k), but maybe there will be something about what you did to make a difference in the lives of others,” Royer recalled him saying.
Using these and other stories, Royer encouraged those at the luncheon to look for ways to be significant in the lives of others.
Preview of the December luncheon:
Dr. Ray Watts, president of UAB, will speak at the Dec. 16 luncheon, to be held at The Club starting at 11:30 a.m.
A Birmingham native and graduate of West End High School, Watts earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering at UAB in 1976 before graduating from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis as valedictorian of his class. He completed a neurology residency, medical internship and clinical fellowships at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, followed by a two-year medical staff fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. Before returning to UAB in 2003, he was part of a team that helped to create an internationally renowned research and clinical center for Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders at Emory University in Atlanta.
At UAB, Dr. Watts served as the chairman of the Department of Neurology originally. In 2010 he became senior vice president and dean of the School of Medicine at UAB, and he was named president in 2013.
For luncheon tickets, visit homewoodchamber.com.