Joseph L. Kagle, Jr. Rotary Essays

This is fun! It was worth the work.

     We knew each other before the actual meeting face to face. We planned our joining in service long before any action was completed. We signed an historic document knowing full well what was to be done in the near future but not what was possible with this new twinning of two different organizations with similar goals. In over one hundred years of Rotary’s history, this was the first official joining of an eClub, an internet body of dedicated Rotarians, and a terra Club, an evening dinner body of dedicated Rotarians. In the air, across the land, over the seas, this was a meeting of minds and spirits, in Paul Harris’ words, in an “undiscovered country.”

     The trip to the Rotary Club of Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands, British West Indies, by some members of the Rotary eClub of the Southwest, USA (with members in many countries, continents, time zones and cultures) was awesome in its beauty. The airplane cuts through blue on blue, a sky of light blue and a richer, deeper blue of the sea. All around were guardians of the island in the form of emerald-green coral reefs. The distant island slowly rushed toward us, as the plane slowed and lowered itself to the only earth in view within this vast body of water, the Atlantic Ocean. The sound of the motors was like a drum roll to prepare us for the handshakes of Walter Gardner, a broker who is this year’s President, and John Lawson, a communications specialist, President-Elect, 2007-2008. Our delegation is Rev. Ryofu Pussel, a German-born Buddhist monk from Japan and President of the eClub (and RGHF member), Beth Wexler, with a classification of realtor, from Arizona and President-Elect, 2007-2008, and Joe Kagle, a professor of art from Texas, member of the eClub and President of Rotary Global History in 2007-2009.

     Almost like a mirror of this joining of two clubs in service and fellowship, the airplane was two entities as it came in for a landing, the actual plane and its shadow upon the waters.  One is not complete without the other, a physical object and its virtual companion. When the wheels touched the runway of Providenciales, the two became one. Ryofu and Kagle (and his wife Anne) came this day; Beth (and her young friend Giana)  the next, but on both days the first action as the eClub members touched the land was handshakes and embraces between the members of each Club. Many bodies helped to load the three hundred dictionaries (which had been brought as luggage by the eClub members) into John Lawson’s truck this first day, and again the next when Beth and Giana brought 200 more.

     That first night a celebration of fellowship took place when more members of the Rotary Club of Providenciales joined the greeters. We met Raymond St. Jacques Cushnie, senior architectural technologist, and Betty Maclaine, submarine operator, plus Immediate Past President Karen, Rolf, and many, many more.

     A trip of this proportion must have many elements to fill the free time (which was limited and rationed out between service jobs of importance): tours of the island and its richness, time to walk Grace Bay Beach. the “most beautiful beach in the world,” swim in clean, clear waters, dine on conch and other delicacies, and share adventures with Rotarians; and to plan for the work time, an eClub project of delivering dictionaries to three schools for the third-grade children of the island and a Providenciales Rotary annual service of eye-examinations for one school (which would be repeated and expanded after the eClub members left for home).

     On the second night, a foundation fund-raiser was held and papers were signed to make the twinning legal and official, beside a pool in a decorated, Classical portico in the midst of tropical flowers, palms and cactus. More stories were shared, more plans for service were discussed, and more friendships were born. President Walter and President Ryofu were the signers but everyone there was a participant, a shadow for those who could not attend.

    On the third day, Ryofu gave a speech at the “Ports of Call.” His message of “Service Above Self Equals Happiness” was warmly received by the attending Rotarians and non-Rotarians.

     On an exhausting fourth day, the dictionaries (a project with a history in the eClub) were jointly given out by both clubs. The smiles and “thank you’s” were gifts from the third-grade children. “Professor Joe” gave an educational session on “gestalt thinking” through a simple game of elementary mathematics and a magic trick which kept the children’s attention on the lesson. He allowed the children to become the “teacher” when they guessed the answers. Ryofu, a superb photographer, moved skillfully around the room, taking pictures of the children, their joy, the teachers, and the volunteers of the two clubs working as one.  This took from eight to twelve. The members of the Rotary Club of Providenciales went back to work, some eClub members needed time to relax on the beach while others slept in their rooms to be alert for the evening gatherings, while President Walter, President-Elect John, President Ryofu and President-Elect Beth attended a joint meeting to plan for service projects in the future. All this was accomplished after Captain Betty took the eClub members out to marvel at the third largest barrier reef in the world in her “life’s dream,” her submarine.

     On the fifth day, eye examinations were held, fifteen minutes for each child who had been identified as needing glasses. Since there were 36 children, this took all the morning and most of the afternoon. No longer did it matter who did what, how the two club’s members partnered to get the work done, or who lead and who followed. What is important is the children. The optometrist, Dr. Julian Petrucci, donated his time for this day, as did the two brokers, the realtor, the priest, the college professor, an architect, a retired registered nurse, a civil engineer and Giana, a sixteen year old who had come with Beth  to find a new way of exploring an island. As Ryofu commented, “What better way is there to introduce a young person to the world of Rotary than involving her with a hands-on Rotary project or two?” Giana’s smile during the laborious examinations complimented Dr. Julian’s kind patience as she pointed to the charts so that the children could get the correct prescription glasses (which were also donated by the local Rotary).

     On the sixth day, Ryofu spent the morning and early afternoon touring all the schools that the Rotarians had visited in the days before to say a simple, “Thank you.” It was to follow up on the Rotary projects, with the addition of a needs-analysis. In the evening, Ryofu, Beth and Giana joined the Provo Rotary Club’s Membership Committee meeting. Both groups shared experiences grounded in ‘terra’ and ‘eClub’ membership issues (in particular, new member evaluation and mentoring which, when successfully implemented, would lead to member retention.)

     On the seventh day, the eClub Rotarians attended the weekly Provo Rotary Club’s dinner meeting (on a time of semi-rest, falling on Thanksgiving Day.) Ryofu was the main speaker with the topic; “Virtual Rotary.” Beth, the eClub’s President-Elect, added her comments to ensure continuity. Interwoven into the meeting were gestures of friendship, like giving Certificates of Appreciation from the Provo Rotary Club to Giana, Anne, Beth, Joe and Ryofu. A visiting delegation of Rotarians from England (using this special occasion as their ‘make up’) said that they were “amazed by the eClub’s concept of a truly global, successful twinning project between a ‘virtual’ and a ‘terra’ Rotary Club, joining hands in ‘Service Above Self.’’ Everyone was filled with a smile of realization around the knowledge that Rotary is truly ‘one big family,’ still united around the ideal of ‘Rotary Beyond Borders.’

   And so the days went, meetings, planning for the future, fellowship, service to those who needed help on the island, some rest times on the beach and in the simple hotel rooms with spectacular views of sand, ocean and clear blue. The more that we worked together, found areas of mutual interest and knowledge together, shared fellowship together and explained life choices together, the more that the distinction between a “terra Rotary club” and an “eRotary Club” seemed to make less difference. “Virtual” and “real” became word distinctions, not actual ones. It was like the 18^th and 19^th century friendships which were born and based upon meeting face to face joined with letter writing to get below the surface of confrontation.  

     As each of the eClub members took their respective flights back to their homes and the island Rotarians returned to their routine of work, the shadow of the airplane on the water was now a real symbol of an historic partnership between a land-based Rotary club and an electronic-based Rotary club. As many of the members of both organizations voiced, “This is the way that the 21^st century will move, joining the best of virtual communications with the best of physical contacts.” Also the more that this partnership is based upon joint service, with some members of the eClub joining with the members of the terra Club while other members of each club sharing their expertise, knowledge and wisdom as shadows for the bodies in action, the better for each. As Giana said, “This is fun! It was worth the work.” It takes a sixteen-year old to cut to the essence of something that might be history-making.  

Narrative by Joe Kagle

Photographs by Ryofu Pussel (photos to follow by the end of December 2007)

November 2007.