District Historian

As the new calendar year begins when Kiwanis celebrates its 106th birthday, Kiwanians will continue to bring more light and healing into our fractured world. This is a good time to reflect on the word "legacy" and its particular application to the Kiwanis Family.  
Sometimes we think only about the monetary value of a legacy, such as a gift of cash or stock from an estate bequest.  To be sure, such legacies bring value to our organization, especially when deceased Kiwanians include such donations in their estate plans.  
Recent examples of generous gifts to the New York District Foundation include those from Ivan Tarnapoll, 2002-03 Past Distinguished Lt. Governor of the Niagara Frontier West Division, and from 1976-77 Past International Vice President Steve Hart from the Bronx-Westchester South Division.
Nonetheless, we should also remember that every Kiwanian leaves a legacy, measured not by its monetary value, but rather its spiritual value. Author Steven Covey said leaving a legacy satisfies one's "spiritual need" to have a sense of meaning and purpose in their lives. Or as one philosopher put it, the greatest legacy anyone can make is a positive impact on the lives of others.
This is hardly a new revelation considering that the First of the Six Objects of Kiwanis adopted in 1924 placed priority on spiritual values. Membership committees frequently remind prospective new members that this object is the reason people can find joy impacting the lives of others, just by participating with others in "hands-on" Kiwanis service projects.
We find purpose and meaning in our lives when helping others, experiencing joy (selfless and everlasting) along with happiness (personal contentment and often fleeting).
In keeping with the role of district historian, I call your attention to the special generational legacies left by three deceased New York Kiwanians as the fathers of children who are leaving their own legacies to Kiwanis.
Charles Wall was a member of Hamburg Kiwanis and served as New York Kiwanis District Governor in 1960. He inspired his adopted daughter, Susan Ganey, to become District Governor in 1997-98, the first woman in the New York District ever to assume that important leadership role.
Merrick Kiwanian Steve Scharoff was District Governor in 1989-90. He inspired his daughter, Kim, to become a Kiwanis leader in her own right.  
In fact, on the day Kim was born, Past Governor Steve placed many proud "happy dollars" in his weekly club meeting basket. Before his passing, he expressed his joy having seen Kim's years of involvement in Kiwanis service leadership programs, the prelude to her becoming a Distinguished Kiwanis Lt. Governor from the Long Island South Central Division in 2010-11. Kim's current leadership positions on the District Foundation Board and work on other District Committees represent her father's "spiritual legacy" to Kiwanis.
A multi-generational legacy also continues in the Kiwanis Club of Troy. The recently deceased past Empire State Kiwanian editor W. Harry Prout was the son of 1963 Honorary Past Governor George H. Prout, grandfather to James Prout, a 2014-15 Distinguished Lieutenant Governor. Jim currently serves as the District's legal counsel and is the husband of current Van Rensselaer Lt. Gov. Wendy Prout. Together, they proudly boast having two daughters and a son-in-law who are Kiwanians.
I imagine there are many other Kiwanians in the New York District who are passing along their special Kiwanis legacy to sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, brothers and sisters. In these troubled times, we need many more. It may be the right time to acknowledge them, and invite others to gift an invaluable, non-monetary legacy to the future of Kiwanis and those we serve.

Column Posted on Web Site January 13, 2021