As we celebrate our nation's independence, we might want to ruminate on some interesting historical quotes about the meaning of freedom...

 

“My definition of a free society is a society where it is safe to be unpopular.” Adlai Stevenson, speech, Detroit, 1952.

 

“I hope we once again have reminded people that man is not free unless government is limited. There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: as government expands, liberty contracts.” Ronald Reagan.

 

“Certainly one of the chief guarantees of freedom under any government, no matter how popular and respected, is the right of citizens to keep and bear arms.” Hubert H. Humphrey.

 

“I think we’ve been through a period where too many people have been given to understand that if they have a problem, it’s the government’s job to cope with it. ‘I have a problem, I’ll get a grant.’ ‘I’m homeless, the government must house me.’ They’re casting their problem on society. And, you know, there is no such thing as society. There are individual men and women, and there are families. And no government can do anything except through people, and people must look to themselves first. It’s our duty to look after ourselves and then, also to look after our neighbour. People have got the entitlements too much in mind, without the obligations. There’s no such thing as entitlement, unless someone has first met an obligation.” – Margaret Thatcher.

John was born in Winchester, Virginia.  He was the second of four children in his family and the only boy.  Arizona has been his home for nearly 33 years.

 

John has resided in or visited ten foreign countries:  Vietnam, Japan, Australia, Cambodia, Germany, Austria, France, Holland, Italy, and the United Kingdom.  He is only fluent in English, but can effectively order beer in several languages.

 

In addition to Arizona, John has resided in Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Kansas and Pennsylvania.

 

As a boy, John dreamed of becoming an architect.  Instead, he spent most of his twenty years serving in the United States Army as a test pilot flying helicopters.  After retiring from the Army, he spent twenty-two years as a Project Manager at Boeing.

 

John is widowed following thirty-nine plus years married to his best friend, Betsy.  He has one son, one daughter, four grandsons and one granddaughter.  

 

Favorite vacation memories for John are of time spent in Duck, North Carolina where he says it is wonderful most any time of year.

 

John has hosted Rotary Group Study Exchange (GSE) and New Generations Service Exchange (NGSE) teams and still keeps up with all of them.  One of the GSE teams was from Scotland.  John has visited them there and they have come to Arizona a second time and stayed in his home.  He has kept up with a NGSE young man who is now the Rotaract Director for his District in Brazil.

 

Some of the most rewarding service projects for John involved painting and yard cleanup, which had a direct positive impact on those that were helped.

Each of two couples in Mesa West Rotary have been separated from one of their children for close to a year.

 

Dan and Colleen Coons' son, Nick Del'Ollio, was a Rotary Youth Exchange student in Taiwan this past academic year.  Dan, Colleen, and Ryan departed Saturday, June 29 to go to Taiwan to spend the last few days of his exchange with him.  They will have the opportunity to meet some of the people Nick has become close to during his exchange an see a tiny amount of the cultural immersion opportunity he had a chance to enjoy.  They will return to Arizona together on July 11.

 

Bryan and Donna Goetzenberger's daughter, Emilee spent the 2017-18 school year in Belgium.  She will be arriving home June 20.  Before Emilee leaves Europe, she will visit the Police headquarters in Paris to pick up Mesa West Rotarian Ed Koeneman's recovered wallet which was stolen from him on his family's recent tour of Europe.  The Goetzenbergers have had an established family tradition of enjoying weekend staycations at the Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park, Arizona.  That is where they plan to spend the weekend to welcome Emilee back to their close family.  

Past President Allan Cady and Polly attended a Session presented by Gift of Life International at the Rotary International Convention in Toronto the week of July 24.  

 

While there, they had the opportunity to spend time with the family of Omar Falcon Aburto. The Aburto family was home-hosted by Mesa West President Allan Cady and his wife, Polly during the USA Mexico Friendship Conference and Grant Exchange Workshop last October in Phoenix. They were reunited Tuesday, June 26 at the RI convention and enjoyed having dinner together that evening.  CLICK HERE to see the Facebook photo album of that reunion.

 

Allan and Polly will have a lot to share when they next attend Mesa West Rotary.  Odds are pretty good that club members can expect some interesting auction items were gathered on their adventure and will be available at a Mesa West Rotary meeting in the near future.

I don't know anyone who ever met Jerry Traylor who was not inspired and enriched in some way from that encounter.  I had the privilege of hearing his presentations at RYLA for many years.  I know he had a positive impact on countless young lives.  Most teens see themselves as seriously flawed in one way or another.  Seeing and hearing Jerry took away all their excuses for letting those flaws get in the way of dreaming large and achieving much!  

 

Jerry was diagnosed with cancer about a year ago and fought that last battle valiently, but was peaceful and ready to move on to his final reward when he passed from this life in hospice care on June 10, 2018.  I pulled my copy of his book, LIVE CAREFULLY off the shelf after hearing of his death.  Back in my RYLA days, every participant took a copy of this book home with them.  I plan to slowly re-read mine and remember my friend.  

 

A memorial service for Jerry will be held Saturday, July 14, 2018 (his 64th birthday) at Shepherd of the Hills Church, 16150 E. El Lago Blvd., Fountain Hills, Arizona.  The best way to honor Jerry will be to remember "the importance of caring in a life of significance."

Our 2018-19 District 5495 inbound exchange students will arrive at Sky Harbor on July 28.  The time of arrival is not yet known.  Mesa West Rotarians are encouraged to hold this date on their calendar and plan to be at the airport to give a warm Mesa West welcome  to Caio and his fellow inbound students.