2018 Celebration of Life

If I was in Northeast Texas today doing the Celebration of Life, I would tell you about Carl.  We met when we were both visitors to the Rotary Club in Angel Fire, New Mexico.  He was 19 years older than me; I was pretty new to Rotary and he had several decades of Rotary perfect attendance.  We found that we both had a love for church, the mountains, art, and music; he was generous and kind; he loved his wife and family.  One day we met up on a walk and right away I noticed his ball cap and instantly realized we were on opposite ends of the political spectrum.  But he and I lived by the motto, “Service above Self”.  Our friendship never wavered because we were bound together by the strong bond of Rotary, service and compassion.

As I began to receive the notices of these men and women of our district who have died this past year, I felt as if I was reading from Tom Brokaw’s book, The Greatest Generation.  I came late to know these Rotarians and like many of us who read newspaper obituaries, we marvel at what we don’t know, even about people we thought we knew.  Often we are privileged to see only a slight glimpse of others, and then upon their death, we find ourselves wishing we had taken more time to get to know them even better.

The notices you submitted put me in a predicament; they came as printed newspaper obituaries; some came simply as names with dates of birth and death with a photo; others came with glowing testaments from friends and family and included great detail.  In order to be fair, I will share these men and women as a group, and then we will call their names with their images on the screen and allow their club members and family to stand for a moment as someone receives a rose to thank them for a lifetime of service. We may not know any, or many of the men and women we remember today but we are bound together in a unique way that mentors us and inspires us to live the best life we are able.  They exemplify the values that caused us to be part of this organization.  Many of you know them as friends and coworkers as they are “Service above Self” people. 
 

We remember these men and women who have served their communities, districts, and internationally as Rotarians.  In reading their obituaries, I have been touched by their experience and skills that they shared as Rotarians. 
 

Their average age is 83.92; The US national life expectancy this year is 78.74 years.  Join Rotary and live longer could be our slogan. The earlies birth was in 1921 and most recent, 1954. And, with 24 on to glory, we have virtually given thanks for the equivalent of an active highly experienced Rotary club.
 

Together they are Aggies, Longhorns, Bears, Red Raiders, Cornhuskers, Rams, Pioneers, Mountaineers, Boilermakers, Mules or Black Knights, Huskies, and Bearkats.  My nephew is the mascot of the Atlanta Braves and I just imagined all these men and women in mascot costumes enjoying a celebration together. 
 

They majored in: horticulture, genetics, education, architecture, engineering, computer science, chemistry, business administration, law, biology, agriculture administration, marketing, criminal justice and accounting.  Even one was a Southwest Conference Heavy Weight Wrestling Champion; another was the 1949 A&M class president.
 

They are Republicans and Democrats and Independents. They are patriotic serving in the U.S. Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines; they served in World War 2, Korea, Viet Nam; even one with 6 years as a POW; there were two Colonels, a Flight Surgeon, Hospital Commander, and a Lieutenant Colonel.