By Bob Cassidy

I’m sure you have heard the expression “Rotary is what you make it.” well let me tell you; It’s true and I’m living proof of it. There have been millions and millions of Rotarians since 1905 and about 1,400,000 more today. They have one thing in common; their Rotary stories are all different. Some are short and sweet and others long and involved. But most are only meaningful to the individual Rotarian they happened to. Others are well-known and even world-famous. I got to thinking about that, a lot! I know it’s true but how do I convince today’s Rotarians that it’s true? The only thing I could think of is to write about the one Rotary story I really know; my own. But who would let me ramble on about my experiences? And then it happened, our current newsletter editor approached me and asked me if I would like to write a column for our newsletter. I could give it whatever title I wanted and select whatever subject matter that interested me. Wow … talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth! And almost without thinking, I said I would. What you are reading is Part 1 of several about “One man’s Journey Through Rotary” – “My” Journey Through Rotary.