By David Taylor / Managing Editor
It was the suggestion of Betty Street, another Pilot who was the founder of Betty’s Haven, that Julie Fallin join the Pilot Club organization.
“She asked me why I wasn’t in the Pilot Club. I told her I didn’t even know what the Pilot Club was,” Fallin said that’s when she began to search the internet, which was still in its infancy, and by irony, found out the mission of the organization. Pilot’s central focus is on brain-related issues.
“My grandmother was suffering from dementia at the time and eventually passed from the advanced stages of the disease,” she said.
It was then that she resolutely decided to join the San Jacinto Pilot Club of North Shore in 2006.
Last weekend, her journey through service in the club reached its pinnacle when she was sworn in as the new District Governor that overseas the 29 clubs around the state and its 700-plus members.
She served last year as the District Governor-elect, and at the 88th Annual Texas District Pilot International convention, her ascension to the governorship was automatic. Pilot Club International was formed in 1921 and at the 2025 Pilot International Annual Convention at Leadership Conference, she will also be installed to the 2025-2026 International Administrative Council on July 23-26, 2025, in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Fallin was raised in Baytown and lived in the unincorporated area of east Houston known as North Shore.
She and her husband were building a home in Baytown, but despite the move, she remained faithful to her original club and focused on socializing with the other numerous clubs in her area.
“At this convention, we vote on our budget for the upcoming year, have officer training, and breakouts for projects, fundraisers, membership and leadership,” she said.
Other business included the vote for officers in her cabinet for the coming year. Fallin will assume the leadership role as governor on July 1.
Those characteristics of Pilot are already in her toolbox.
“I’ve learned many of those along the way,” she said. She served on the board of directors for Betty’s Haven, a shelter for abused women,
After being asked to serve as fundraising coordinator for the Texas District, she realized she liked serving on the district level. Since that time, she has served in every officer position in her club, club Public Relations Director, club Membership Director, District Fundraising Coordinator (twice), District Lt. Governor, District Treasurer (2 years), PI Scholarship Committee Chair (twice), serving her second year as a member of the PI Scholarship Committee, and is now serving as District Governor-Elect.
“Pilots also focus on mentoring our youth in leadership and service through our Anchor Clubs,” she said. The local chapter is attached to North Shore Senior High School where they boast more than 100 young ladies in the club.
“They are an active bunch volunteering for numerous projects including the Houston Food Bank,” she said.
Fallin will be celebrated and congratulated at her local club on Sunday at their annual Puzzle Party at the Hampton Inn and Suites East Beltway 8 at 14120 Karissa Court, in Houston. The 2025 Puzzle Competition plays into the healthy brain mantra. Competitive teams of at least four, work against other teams solving either 500 or 1,000 piece puzzles in a two-hour timeframe. The money raised will be expended on the community and scholarships. Doors open at 2 p.m. with a competition start time at 3 p.m.
“It’s not as hard as it sounds,” she smiled. “We had an 8-year-old on the winning team the first year of the fundraiser.”
A portion of the funds will be donated to autism research and support to commemorate Autism Awareness Month in April.
Fallin said they will provide snacks for competitors.
Only a few slots remain and competitive teams can register on the club’s Facebook page under San Jacinto Pilot Club.
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