1 October 2005
Inventor, engineer, executive, humanitarian, scientist,
businessman - Past RI President Hugh M. Archer was all those
things and more, making him one of Rotary's "renaissance
men." He will be remembered in Rotary Global History for many
firsts - including the year he served simultaneously as RI
president and RI general secretary due to a reorganization.
As a result, he traveled less than most RI presidents, but
his impact was still felt far and wide.
On 15 July, *1989-90 RI President Hugh Archer died in
Dearborn, Mich., USA, survived by his wife of 65 years, Mary
Jane. Many Rotarians will remember Hugh and his little brown
"lunch bag." He liked to set it out on top of a lectern
during his year as president-elect and reflect on the early
days of Rotary. Hugh believed that Rotarians enjoyed their
meetings, enjoyed service, enjoyed informality, and enjoyed
getting to know one another. The RI theme for his year was
pure Hugh Archerism: Enjoy Rotary.
Hugh was born in Dover, N.J., USA., in 1916. Although his
parents had limited formal education, Hugh remembered his
father as a mechanical genius. He must have inherited his
father's aptitude for scientific skills. In 1937, Hugh
graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy,
N.Y., USA, where he had earned a four-year scholarship.
Hugh married Mary Jane Reed in 1940, and they had three
daughters. While his family was his greatest love, he also
enjoyed inventing. Six of his innovations have been
registered with the U.S. Patent Office, and two were the
basis of his plastics extrusion company in Romulus, Mich.
His work in Dearborn brought him in close contact with
giants of the U.S. motor industry. When he became RI
president, he continued on a first-name basis with top motor
industry executives, including former Michigan Gov. George
Romney, who spoke at the 1990 RI Convention in Portland,
Ore., USA.
Hugh's favorite hobby was ham radio, in which he and fellow
amateurs shared their experiences and friendships over the
radio waves. He even became the chair of ROAR (Rotarians of
Amateur Radio), an international RI fellowship.
Serving as both president and general secretary placed an
extraordinary burden on Hugh, but his experience as a top
executive for a scientific and manufacturing firm served him
well. He had to be a decisive leader. Hugh's actions
paralleled his business experience: He concentrated on
putting the right people - whether staff or volunteers - in
the appropriate positions and then gave them free rein to
accomplish their goals. He could not afford to micromanage,
nor was it his style.
Hugh was always ready for a challenge. When a new venue for
a meal had to be found on short notice at the International
Assembly, the customary buffets and special luncheons were
eaten under tents.
Hugh was fond of saying to Rotarians "all you have to know,
you can learn in kindergarten." It was no coincidence that
the Rev. Robert Fulghum, author of the bestselling book
All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, was
a convention speaker in 1990.
That year, tears of joy were shed when Rotarians from clubs
in Budapest, Hungary; Prague; and Warsaw, Poland, were
welcomed back after nearly half a century. Even more
monumental, the Rotary Club of Moscow became the first ever
founded in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
Thousands of Rotarians cheered and waved small flags of the
Soviet Union and their former republics. It was a poignant
moment that Hugh - like most Rotarians - would never forget.
Hugh Archer was a man of many talents, and a man of courage
and determination. He was committed to the belief that we
should Enjoy Rotary, but he was also willing to make
difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions for the overall
good of the organization.
He was a man for his time.
William T. Sergeant is a past RI vice president and
chair of the International PolioPlus Committee.
