April, 2006 My Fellow Rotarians - Rotary's Global History Fellowship

District 6440 Histories 2005
January 27-30 was the dates of the Presidents/District Retreat, held in Tucson, at the Doubletree Resort.
A long weekend of fun in the sun, outstanding golf and an unforgettable experience of being hosted for a
reception, by members of the Rotary Club of Tucson, on the evening of arrival, was enjoyed by the
District leadership and spouses in attendance. Super Bowl Sunday was ushered in with a pizza party.
Without question, the District Conference was the main event of the year, Location was The Abbey on
Lake Geneva, Fontana, Wisconsin, between March 31-April 2. In an effort to maximize attendance,
prices remained the same, as last year's even though the mail service, entertainment and presentation
was considerably upscale.
Special emphasis was placed upon interesting and informative programs, with the highlight being the
"Information Highway", presented at the Saturday AM Plenary Session. The format was a talk show
setting (replete with couches and lamps) in an informal style. There were five panelists who discussed a
variety of current topics focused on some of the dilemmas facing Rotary. An Ambassadorial Scholar
from Australia, Anita Savage, hosted the show. She did a marvelous job of moderating. It was PDG
Dick Budny who conceived this presentation and followed through with it.
PRI Director, Bill Ives, was the Presidents Representative assigned to the Conference and his remarks,
on Saturday night, moved all in attendance. Stressing what must be done and what the current state of
the organization is, was most stirring. The speakers at the Paul Harris Lunch, Riley and Pertle, gave a
visual presentation of their experiences flying around the world in a single-engine Cherokee aircraft.
The luncheon "headliner", on Saturday, was NFL referee, Jerry Markbreit, who dazzled all with his tales
from the gridiron. The spouse program on Saturday AM featured Trudi Temple, the founder of Market
Days. The Friday night entertainment was a Broadway Musical Review, with the "Opening Night"
entourage, whose selections brought back fond memories...
The international aspects of the Conference were impressive to all. With both the Inbound and Outbound
GSE Teams to the UK relating their experiences, as with the Ambassadorial Scholars and the Youth
Exchange contingent, one had to get the feeling that this is what Rotary is all about.
A total of 595 attended the Conference. It bears mention that this was the first Conference to accept
credit cards for payment of services. A commuter program was attempted, scheduling buses to
accommodate the district with transportation to the Abbey and return. In all, it is still being talked about.
The concluding event of the year was the RI Convention, June 11- 14, in Nice, France. Over 100
Rotarians and families represented our District, an excellent turnout by any standards. Contributing to
this was the fact that the District blocked 27 rooms, on a group basis, with RI and marketed these on a
first-come, first-served basis. One of the high points of the Convention was a gala reception for the 6440
contingent at the Abela Hotel, on Saturday evening, June 10. Seventy-five "RSVP" were received for the
affair. It was Stan Sherman who was responsible for the festivities.
In addition to the aforementioned major activities that comprised the 1994-95 Rotary year, no overview
would be complete without documenting the following "happenings": (A) District membership
increased in excess of 1%. (B) The Long Grove Rotary Club was chartered, on November 1. (C) The
Foundation goal of $200,000 was attained. (D) A check for $8,000, raised within the District, was
38