(civil law practice). Director, Rotary International, 1983-85. Member of the Rotary Club of Curitiba Oeste, Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil
Looking for reasons for a passion is to analyze, uselessly, emotions that reside in the human soul. Rotary is for me an adorable passion. I simply cultivate it. And this is enough. I believe, nevertheless, that a glance at my Rotarian past could suggest “why I am a Rotarian.” Besides providing me with opportunities for rendering humanitarian services, Rotary is for me a constant ethical warning and an agent of permanent re-education. Rotary has showed me the world as a community full of needs, which, without Rotary, I would perhaps never have seen. And the retrospect of these more than 30 years discloses a panorama of wealth in my modest life, wealth measured by the legion of friends and friendly persons that are spread at the four corners of the world. These friends and friendly persons reconcile me with myself, and this means I am very happy. This fortunate accountancy began when I was admitted in Rotary as one of the founders of the Rotary Club of Curitiba Oeste and its first secretary, and it will go until the end of my life, or so I hope. May it please God, so much fortune can also reach each of my dear fellow Rotarians.
[insurance-casualty), Director, Rotary International, 1967-69. Member of the Rotary Club of Fergus Falls, Minnesota, U.S.A.
Rotary came into my life on an unforgettable occasion in 1928 when our high school championship basketball team was honored at a Rotary meeting in Fargo, North Dakota, U.S.A. It was an exciting day because Past District Governor Norman Black, of the Fargo club, had been chosen at the International Convention in Ostend, Belgium, to become a director of Rotary International. Mr. Black was a leader in our church and widely known and respected. His beautiful bass singing voice made him famous in Rotary circles, and it was said that Norman was the first song leader of an international convention. At that same meeting, the Fargo club committed to filling a railroad car with Rotarians and wives to attend the International Convention in Minneapolis. In the intervening years, until 1935 when I became a Rotarian, I watched and admired Rotary and Rotarians with great interest. What a momentous year that was for me. Our first child was born, I was given my first management position - a Firestone store in Fergus Falls, Minnesota - and I was asked to become a Rotarian! My first exposure to an International President was in 1948, when Angus Mitchell of Melbourne, Australia, spoke to a large gathering in Fargo. That night a spark was lit in my life, one which would never die out. Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary, had passed away the year before, and all the clubs were asked to contribute $10 per member to be used by students of the world in promoting international understanding and goodwill. I volunteered to help solicit our members, and we were successful in achieving 100 percent participation. That was the beginning of my greatest interest in Rotary - The Rotary Foundation. The culmination of this interest came some 30 years later, when I became a Trustee of The Rotary Foundation. Rotary has been a focal point in my life, and has rewarded me richly, as club president, district governor, International Director, Trustee of the Foundation, in addition to many challenging assignments, such as chairman of Rotary's largest convention (Tokyo, 1978). Just when I needed to "Kindle the Spark Within" (the RI theme during the presidency of Nitish Laharry, 1962-63, Bombay, India), along came Polio- Plus, which gave me the opportunity to help our club become 100 percent in support of Rotary's biggest-ever project. After enjoying 55 years of enriching Rotary experiences, I can say: Many thanks, Rotary!
