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Many politicians become honorary
members of Rotary Clubs. Some may see the title as ‘useful’ for
political purposes or simply another honor to be added to the list.
However, every once in a while, real Rotarians become Politicians.
Current RI President Rattakul is an obvious example – Senator Richard
Lugar is another.
Richard Lugar joined his home city
Rotary
Club of Indianapolis in 1957 aged just 25. Ten years later
Rotarian Lugar was elected mayor of the city before becoming an Indiana
Senator in 1977.
Lugar played a key role in the
Community Service activities of the club in the 1960’s working with
agencies involved in antipoverty programs. He also served on the club’s
Board of Directors. Lugar’s mayoral election victory in 1967 was partly
credited to his Rotary connections and Dick Lugar would continue to
develop policy to eradicate unemployment ably assisted by Indianapolis
Rotarians. Lugar would be a popular speaker at Rotary Club meetings
throughout his terms of office between 1967 and 1975 on subjects as
diverse as energy, the environment and unemployment and continued to
speak annually to the club when elected to the
US
Senate. |
Lugar was just speaker at the club’s
75th Anniversary Dinner where he talked about the impact
Rotary had made on his life.
Dick Lugar’s speech to the club on
February 13th 1991 focussed on the ensuing Gulf War against
Iraq and Lugar (controversially at the time) argued that Saddam Hussein
had to be removed from power. The impressive presence of Lugar at the
Rotary Club meeting attracted about 25 peace protestors who managed to
interrupt the Senator’s speech and some had to be forcibly removed from
the meeting.
Source – The Rotary Club of
Indianapolis by E Bruce Geehoed
Calum Thomson |
