Photo: Tracey Lohman with her father DG Larry Lohman
Welcome fellow Rotarians to 2022! As District Governor these past seven months have flown by. I have had the chance to spend time with clubs, both at their meetings as well as serving with them on their service projects. As a District we have taken time to celebrate our clubs, members and special friends. We have worked hard to develop our leaders of tomorrow and we have reached out to our youth to guide them to a life of Service Above Self. We also have taken the time to mourn and honor the memories of those we have lost. We, most of all, have stepped up to serve our communities locally and worldwide.
Yesterday is in the past and should never be forgotten! So what have we learned in the past six months, one year or two years? Can we apply what we have learned as we move forward? For some reason we believe that due to the Pandemic we must change the way we approach and live Rotary. Why? Couldn’t we also look at what we have learned and try to stretch that knowledge to fit today? Now think of the saying “reinvent the wheel”. Let us look at the wheel manufacturing history. Wheels themselves have been round since day one, just like the Rotary wheel, correct? Have wheel manufacturers tried changing a wheel from being round? The answer is no. What they have done has been to take and improve the product they know works. They do not completely change the product, but modify it to meet the needs of today.
So take a look at your club’s history and see what has made the club successful in the past. Take that success and stretch or modify it to work today. If you feel that you need change or need to “reinvent the wheel” for your club to move forward, please call me and let us see what we can do together.
For those who might not be aware, it is with sadness and deep respect I must share with you the passing of Dr. Donald Kwait, on January 22, 2022 in Northbrook, IL. Proud to call him one of our own, he was a world renown “Rotary Giant and Senior Leader” who was at the forefront of Rotary’s Polio Eradication effort. A retired dentist and long-time resident of Beachwood, OH this 65-year Rotarian served as President of the Rotary Club of Wickliffe in 1962 and was currently a member of the Rotary Club of Chagrin Highlands where he served as President in 1998-99. Donald Kwait served with honor and distinction as District 6630 Governor in 1969-70 and as Rotary International Director (1978-80), Treasurer (1979-80) and Trustee of The Rotary Foundation (1982-85). While serving on the RI Board, he was one of the team that administered the very first drops of the oral Polio Vaccine to children in the Philippines on 29 September 1979.
Not having had the personal privilege of knowing Don Kwait, I am learning how he was someone who lived his life with a commitment to service, to helping others, and to making this world a better place in which to live. A trusted friend and mentor to many, it has been shared that Don’s love for his wife Beatrice of 72 years and for his children, grandchildren and great grandchildren was beyond all else. Notes of condolence may be forwarded to the family at: 1000 Sunset Ridge Rd., Apt. 311, Northbrook, IL 60062.
We will be sharing additional background on his significant contributions and recognitions in the weeks to come but in the meantime, those who wish to honor the memory of Dr. Donald Kwait, the family has kindly suggested contributions to The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International www.rotary.org/en/donate Those contributions may be donor designated to Polio if you so wish. Lastly, to view the notice or the video recording of his funeral service conducted on January 23, you may visit the website of Shalom Memorial Funeral Home www.shalom2.com who handled the arrangements.
Let us not stop here, let us keep our wheel rolling through the next 5 months as we continue to Serve to Change Lives. Let us give support to the leadership of our clubs as they prepare for the coming year. Let us all come together to celebrate at our District’s Conference of Clubs scheduled for April 22-23 at the Sheraton Suites Akron/Cuyahoga Falls. Let us continue to celebrate at the Rotary International Convention in Houston, TX from June 4-8. Let us support our youth as they participate in the District 4-Way Test Speech Contest on April 9 at Theodore Roosevelt High School in Kent. Let us encourage our youth as we sponsor them to participate in Camp RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards) from June 12-16 at Baldwin Wallace University. Let us contribute to The Rotary Foundation, so that we can continue to provide service to our communities, whether locally, nationally, or internationally.
To find out more about these great events head over to our District Website rotarydistrict6630.org. I look forward to seeing and talking with all of you at club and district meetings, events and service projects.
Yours in Rotary Service,
Larry Lohman
2021-2022 Rotary International District 6630 Governor
Home Club: Rotary Club of Kent, OH USA
Cell: 330-322-2474 | Email: D6630DG2122@gmail.com | www.RotaryDistrict6630.org
