President's Monthly Report ~ 1/13/19

We have great members in our Club.  This was brought home with the passing of Tom Andrews…it caused me to reflect on the members we have lost this year.  Frank Zunno.  Schuy Lininger.  Past member Yvonne Ervin and Tom Andrews.

Frank who passed away at 95 was a World War II Veteran.  Involved in Military intelligence, law enforcement and the development of the International crime collaborative Interpol.

 

Schuy who passed at 95 was also in WWII, but was among the last of a generation, in the Calvary.  He took over a family business, the Lodge on the Desert and turned it into a Tucson destination.  He was a City Councilman, ran for Mayor and gave back to the community and his industry.

 

Yvonne, 59, was a reporter and a Jazz diva.  She brought Jazz and the Jazz festival to Tucson.

 

Tom, 70, was also a Veteran, a pilot and a military flight instructor.  He was an engineer, an avid astronomer and an operations expert that in his last position ran the operations of Tucson International Airport.

 

There was a strong turn-out of Rotarians at Tom’s Memorial Service and at Yvonne’s Jazz tribute as well.  A special tip of the hat to the members that figured out how to be at both.  It was noted at Tom’s Memorial service that he left us too soon. Both Tom and Yvonne died too young. Frank and Schuy were blessed with long lives.

 

I was personally blessed to have had the opportunity to get to know all of these members.  They all had a story and they all had wisdom to pass on.  What we all have as members of Rotary is the opportunity to personally get to know ALL of the members of our Remarkable Rotary Club:  To seek out their stories, to gain from their wisdom and to better understand ourselves, and the world, as mirrored in the experience of others.

 

We are a big Club and it can be daunting to reach out.  Use your time at Rotary meetings to sit at different tables, meet members you don’t know, both older and younger.  Our 15-minute weekly fellowship over our meal is not enough to get to know a member.  Consider it an introduction.

 

Get involved with our fellowship groups, go to home hospitality, attend our replacement mixers, get involved in committee work, go to a work project, get engaged in our Car Show or simply take the initiative to get together with another member for a cup of coffee or meal! 

 

All of these opportunities create connections; they make our large Club smaller and more personal.  Most importantly they give you time to really get to know your fellow members.  You will be amazed by their stories and our Remarkable Club.

 

YIR,
Chuck Sawyer
President 2018-2019