Why I Am A Rotarian
January 6, 2006
Why
I Am a Rotarian. The reasons change with passing time.
In 1950, it was because two businessmen I respected had
invited me to join, and the leading business and
professional men in town elected me to membership in the
Rotary Club of California, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
For several years,
it was the warm fellowship in the club, the excellent
singing, and a series of community service projects,
which attracted me. In 1955, at the 50th Anniversary
Convention in Chicago, I discovered for the first time
the wonderment of the internationality of Rotary.
Perhaps that is when I truly became “a Rotarian.”
With passing
years, new doors opened up... serving as a District
Governor, then a Director of R.I., serving twice as
Chairman of the Council on Legislation, and serving as
Aides to two Presidents. And each time, we made new
friends and Rotary took on a deeper meaning as we
watched Rotarians perform remarkable acts of "Service
Above Self."
In 1987, the Rotarians of
the world made me their worldwide President. Their
response, not just in the magnificent PolioPlus
campaign, but in extension and membership development,
in infusing new life into Vocational Service and
Rotaract, and finally in surmounting the obstacle of
gender in our membership, proved most fulfilling. The
chance to play a leadership role was indeed exciting.
Why do I continue a loyal,
working Rotarian after 55 years? Rotary's steady growth
in numbers and in service, despite wars and economic
reversals, confirmed my judgment that there was a
universal, timeless appeal to the combination of
friendliness and commitment to service, which had
attracted, then held me, as a Rotarian.
And the sense of
usefulness is still there, not only in the projects of
my club, but in the world arena, where challenges
abound, where Rotarians have growing roles to play, and
where the future of mankind is yet to be determined.
Charles
C. Keller
(Law-Corporate Practice)
President, Rotary International, 1987-88
The Rotary Club of California, Pennsylvania
USA
