Glenn E. Estess  2004 - 2005

Glenn E. Estess, Sr. — RI President, 2004-05

Fellow Rotarians and Guests:

This is a day of extraordinary honor for my family and me. Rotary has been a part of the Estess family for many years.

I am one of seven brothers, and five of us have served our communities through Rotary. Four of us served as President of our respective clubs in three different states, within the United States.

Thus it is with a great deal of pride and thanksgiving that I stand here today to accept your election as President of this extraordinary organization, to serve during 2004-2005, the 100th Anniversary year.

I want to express my gratitude to President Bhichai Rattakul and President-elect Jonathan Majiyagbe for their warm and gracious "welcome" and for their advice as I have prepared for the months ahead.

President Bhichai has established a very high bar for all who follow him in this office. President-elect Jonathan will serve Rotary and Rotarians worldwide with the same dedication and commitment. I want to reaffirm my commitment to support President-elect Jonathan and his Board of Directors during the coming year.

I owe a debt of gratitude to many folks. Most of all I appreciate the support of my wife, Mary, for all the time she was home caring for the household as I "played Rotary." I am grateful for her willingness to be away from the eight grandchildren who are the centerpiece of our home. It was not a small sacrifice for her. Our three children and their families have been supportive of us and of our commitment to Rotary, with all the many obligations of time and travel involved.

I would be remiss, if I did not thank two past presidents, now deceased. Past RI President Frank Spain and Past RI President Roy Hickman both came from my hometown of Birmingham, Alabama.

I had the privilege of knowing both of them. Past President Roy lived close by and gave me an understanding of Rotary that whetted my desire to know more.

I was first inducted into Rotary in Jacksonville, Florida where Past RI President Ken Guernsey led the orientation before induction into that club. I learned much about Rotary through these experiences.

Whatever involvement I have experienced in Rotary in recent years results from the support I have had from the members of my home club, the Rotary Club of Shades Valley and the members of my home district, District 6860 in Alabama, USA.

I particularly want to thank the Nominating Committee for the confidence they expressed in selecting me for nomination. I will strive to fulfill the expectations of the many folk who have sent their good wishes.

I will work to build on the strong foundation prepared by the leadership of Rotary International that has preceded me in this position. I thank the Rotary Leadership at the club, district, and international levels who give so much of their time and efforts to make this great organization what it is today.

In the months ahead we must continue to focus on Membership Development and Retention. In my opinion, it is especially important for us to work on the retention of our membership. RI has been successful in recruiting new members, but too often we lose as many members each year as we induct.

Each person here for this convention has a commitment to Rotary and its ideals. For the most part, that commitment was developed after having been a member for a period of time. We need to share Rotary membership with others and of even greater need, we must offer the new member the opportunity for involvement that will encourage commitment to Rotary's premise of "Service above Self".

During the years past, I have represented Rotary in many settings. Time and again, non-Rotarians have told me of the significant impact Rotary has had in their lives — all as a result of the action of Rotarians with whom they have come in contact.

Your actions and my actions as we serve through Rotary have a much greater impact that we might imagine.

As I accept this great honor you have bestowed upon me to serve as your President in 2004-2005, I am reminded of a statement made by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. ………. Just as a bit of trivia ……..… Dr. King's wife comes from Uniontown, Alabama the same small Alabama town as my wife, Mary.

Dr. King, in his 1964 Acceptance Speech for the Nobel Peace Prize, said and I quote, "I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits."

I share that belief, and I also believe that Rotarians can achieve this goal through our service and through our support of The Rotary Foundation.

As I stand before you today, I too have the audacity to say that Rotary and its Foundation can help to make it possible for people everywhere to have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits. We can ensure that will happen by contributing to our Rotary Foundation, your Foundation —"Every Rotarian, Every Year."

The Rotary Foundation supports only those projects identified by Rotarians, funded by or through Rotarians, and implemented by Rotarians at the project site to help address the world's needs. It is our Foundation, our primary vehicle for eradicating polio, putting food in the stomachs of starving children, providing the gift of literacy, and doing so much to ensure dignity, equality, and freedom. With contributions from "Every Rotarian, Every Year" the Foundation can keep pace with the ever-increasing need for support of vital Rotary service projects.

I ask each of you today to be an instrument for peace and take the "Every Rotarian - Every Year" message to heart and to your Rotary clubs.

Soon our Centennial will be upon us and we must be prepared to "Celebrate" both our remarkable past and our plans for the future. President-elect Jonathan has described our Rotary's Century of Service as "peaks of the past and the foothills of the future". The future of this organization — and the new peaks that we will reach — is in our hands.

These are perilous times and will require the best of each of us during the future as we work to bring peace and safety to this world.

Rotary International needs the help and support of every Rotarian. As I prepare to lead Rotary in its Centennial year, I will seek your help and support to ensure that Rotary will be fully prepared to embark on a new century of service in 2005.

I look forward to meeting many of you in the days and months ahead as we continue to Sow the Seeds of Love and Lend a Hand to those around us.

Thank you.

fuente: Rotary International. www.rotary.org