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Looking Back and Ahead in Rotary With Ted Bird..
January, 2009
January is a time when it is customary to look back and forward at the same time. Who better to do that with than our Club Historian, Ted Bird?
Ted shared a memory that he thought was typical of Rotary. The Board of Directors, ten men at the time, met at Hoisington Realty and voted on an issue. The result was a nine to one vote in favor. They asked the one person why he did not vote for it. After he calmly and rationally explained his reasons, a revote was called and the motion was defeated ten to nothing.
Ted has seen many changes in Rotary, but much that also stays the same. Rotary was perceived as a business man's club where men got together to drink martinis and lunch even though they also were engaged in working on projects such as The Deer Park, the first Willow Park pavilion and bus shelters for rural school children. Now, there are not just business men but leaders of community and non-profit organizations. There are also women, which Ted feels is the best thing that has happened to Rotary.
Another change, reflecting the changes in society, is that chains and large corporations are not interested in having their executives working for communities in the same way as in the past.
One of the problems is getting younger members into clubs, not just Rotary. Many organizations are having this problem. The Catamount Rotary Club seems to do better because it is early in the day and early in the week. Perhaps at some point, the two clubs might merge again if there was a place big enough to provide breakfast to them.
However, even though there does not seem to be the same commitment to organizations as in the past, the work that Rotary does world wide is so important that Rotary will continue. It may change, but change is important.
Meanwhile, there is much material about the Bennington Club's past in the archives that are stored in several places. Ted could do with an assistant or two to help him spend an afternoon sifting through the material and see what should be kept and what discarded. Volunteers, now is your chance.
By: Sally Sugarman - Bennington Rotary Club Member
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