Historians who continue this project

RICHARDS PARKER LYON - RGHF Member and historian

Napa, California, USA

Richards P. Lyon was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth. It was more likely a Rotary Wheel merging with the Boy Scout Oath and Laws. His boyhood was not unusual for an American boy of that time with the privilege of loving forceful parents, weathering the Crash of 29, who taught that you live one day at a time, with the goal of being "effective" each of those days.

...Education was a must in the Lyon family, and somehow, with dad’s help plus odd jobs like slinging hash, Dick went to Stanford University. A tall boy and an athlete, he became a teammate of Hank Luisetti, a basketball legend who would revolutionize the game.

In 1938, there would be an interruption in Dick’s Stanford life that would take him and his brother Ted on a worldwide trip for eight months.

That spring his grandmother Richards died of kidney failure. Dick and Ted were each to receive $800, a hefty sum in those days, but it could only be spent for riding bicycles all over Europe. Quite a bounty and quite a trip, to say the least.

Dad and mom, faced with a commitment for their two boys, decided that the $1,600 could be stretched. Dad found help from Paul Harris, founder of the Rotary, then established in 57 countries. (see letter, top right) The boys were made Rotary Ambassadors of Goodwill, and the tour was expanded to include Japan, China and the Philippines, after which they traveled by ship to Marseilles, France. (Napa Valley Register)  COMPLETE ARTICLE

Many high school and college students are asked to read The Education of Henry Adams by Henry Adams.  Many would say that it is the seminal book on the subject.  Well, I am here to tell you now, a wonderful book entitled, “A Process Mind.” and subtitled, “A Timeless Journey of Identifying Problems and Creating Effective Solutions.” by Richards P. Lyon M.D. has replaced or stands shoulder to shoulder with the education of Henry Adams. COMPLETE ARTICLE (the late Jean Sweeney, RGHF member)

Harvey Lyon and Rotary in German

Posted 26 June 2011 by Jack M. B. Selway