Why I Am A Rotarian
NOVEMBER 14, 2006
 My
grandfather was a Rotarian. He died in 1924, and the one picture
we have of him clearly shows his Rotary pin on the lapel of his
suit jacket. My father took his place when he took over the
business in 1925, and at that time he was the youngest Rotarian
in the US.
When I was growing up, my father
was no longer active in Rotary and I had only a sketchy idea of
what Rotary was? In 1976 I joined Rotary in South Bend, Indiana.
My motives were less than pure; I was doing fund-raising and
public relations work,
and I thought this would be a good way to meet
people.
I was correct. When I moved to
Pittsburgh, joining the Downtown Rotary Club was second only to
finding a place to live. I quickly discovered that one of the
joys of Rotary was that anywhere you went in the world, there
were Rotarians, and you were welcome. I also discovered that
working for and in the community was the best way to get to know
the community, whether Pittsburgh or Lagos, Nigeria.
Over the years I have belonged
to Rotary clubs in different countries on different continents.
I am currently a member of an eClub, because I live on an island
thousands of miles from a traditional Rotary group. And we are
exploring new ways of being Rotarians and being a Rotary club,
serving a range of communities and
getting to know one
another electronically.
Service above self
- absolutely. But
Paul Harris said that the motivating force for Rotary was
fellowship, coming together in friendship, and from that,
working together to serve others comes naturally. Whether small
clubs of 20 members or big clubs of 300+ or electronic clubs
(where I have yet to meet another member in the flesh), the
fellowship of Rotary, is why Rotary continues to be an important
part of my life.
Fr.
John R. Sheehan, SJ
Chaplain – Kwajalein
Rotary eClub of The Southwest,
USA
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