At the June 28-July 1, 2012, Kiwanis International Convention in New Orleans a highly significant event in our New York District History will occur: Our own favorite son, Tom DeJulio, our 1996-97 District Governor, will be elected the 96th president of Kiwanis International. Tom will be only the third New York District Kiwanis Leader to achieve the highest officer in our global organization in the 94 years since our 1918 formation as a district of Kiwanis International, the first being yours truly at the Washington, D.C. convention 25 years ago, in 1987, and the second being Jerry Christiano 16 years ago in 1996.
That 1987 convention was especially significant in Kiwanis history as the occasion at which at long last clubs were authorized to invite women to join Kiwanis. It was also only the second time in our history that a sitting U.S. President, Ronald Reagan, personally attended and addressed our convention, the first being Franklin D. Roosevelt who in 1936 addressed some 4,000 convention delegates assembled on the White House lawn. (Incidentally, that 1987 convention was during the term of Charlie Price, our first African-American district governor, and 25 years later, the upcoming convention at which Past Gov. Tom will be elected by a single unanimous ballot will be during the term of our current Gov. Bill Risbrook, only our second African-American governor.) But I digress ...
Our New York delegates in New Orleans will be on hand to celebrate Past Gov. Tom's and First Lady Dr. Rosemary's extraordinary and well-deserved culmination of a decades-long distinguished career in leadership roles at all Kiwanis levels. Their many years of service to our district and to worldwide Kiwanis have been highlighted by a long list of important elected offices and appointed positions, all most admirably performed and a constant source of great pride to our district and of great benefit to our organization.
As our favorite son assumes the office of president on Oct. 1, 2012, our New York Kiwanis hearts will swell with justifiable pride and reflected glory with every expectation born of experience of a wonderful turnaround year, 2012-13.
We trust that our delegation to New Orleans will be the largest in our history and that all in attendance and all New Yorkers unfortunately not able to be with us will join in wishing Past Gov. Tom and First Lady Dr. Ro a most successful Kiwanis year and safe travels. I cannot imagine a Kiwanis couple better qualified in every way to lead Kiwanis in these challenging times. We are blessed indeed that they have offered themselves to Kiwanis. Tom and Ro, Viva con dios.
Editor's Note: Of course one other President of Kiwanis International also came from New York: Charles Hixson, the first president of Kiwanis, a member of the Rochester club, the first Kiwanis club in New York State. He was elected president before the New York District had been created.
Column Posted on Web Site April 22, 2012
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