Frank Deaver Rotary Editorials

     “There are few organizations that last 100 years – and the fact that Rotary has reached this important milestone is a sign that the world is in great need of what Rotary has to offer – service, fellowship, world understanding, and peace.”

     Those are the words of President Glenn Estess, who presided over the centennial year of Rotary International.  Most succinctly he summarized the four areas of Rotary strength.  They are not idle words, for they define what Rotary is all about. We have much to offer, and President Glenn has challenged us to live up to that potential.

     As an application of his challenge, let us consider the four contributions that Rotary can and must make to society.

     Service.  Rotarians serve – both in community projects and internationally.  Whether it be library books and scholarships, potable water and sanitary facilities, disaster relief and reconstruction, emergency medical care and immunizations – these services and more are offered by Rotarians.

     A natural disaster in any corner of the world finds Rotarians already nearby.  While relief organizations assemble supplies and travel great distances, Rotary assistance from area clubs and districts is instantaneous.  And when the newsworthy events of a disaster disappear from the media, Rotarians are still on-site, offering their service.

     Fellowship.  At the club level, Rotary offers its members acquaintance and friendship with people they otherwise would not know.  Our circle of acquaintances might otherwise be limited to neighbors on our street, colleagues at our place of employment, and perhaps those with whom we worship.  But through Rotary, our circle of friends is enlarged to include business and professional leaders from across our community.

     District Rotary meetings extend that circle of friendship into a larger geographic region.  And as we travel to some distant land, that identifying Rotary pin that we wear is our key to fellowship opportunities with an even larger circle of friends.  When we gather at Osaka or Chicago for an International Convention, Rotary offers friendship and fellowship that spans languages and cultures worldwide.

     World Understanding.  Paul Harris extended the merits of friendship to include understanding.  Friendship, he said, “was the foundation rock on which Rotary was built, and tolerance is the element that holds it together.”  As our circle of friends is enlarged, we more clearly understand and appreciate the multi-culturism of our world.

     Perhaps world understanding is best demonstrated through the Rotary programs of Group Study Exchange and International Scholarships.  Young scholars and young professionals are immersed for a time in a society other than their own. At an impressionable age, they have opportunity for insights that lead to world understanding.

     Peace.  Is it really possible for our world to find the formula for lasting peace?  National leaders, international diplomats, and military forces have not been successful.  Greed and hatred have repeatedly led to combat.  But with enlarged friendship and understanding, is not peace more attainable?

     In 1982, while British and Argentine forces fought over the Falkland (Malvinas) Islands, Rotarians from both countries pressed for a peaceful settlement.  Rotary-sponsored Israeli and Arab scholars study together and discover personal friendship.  Rotary, Paul Harris said, “is a microcosm of a world at peace, a model that nations would do well to follow.”

     As we stand on the threshold of Rotary’s second hundred years, it is only fitting that we reflect on the words of the Centennial Logo.  Looking back on “A Century of Service,” we look forward to “A New Century of Success.”  That success, and its degree, can be influenced by what President Estess said we can offer – service, fellowship, world understanding, and peace.