Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Rotarians urged to get more invovled

Jefferson D. Farris, Rotary District Governor, was the guest speaker of Allen Wimberly at the August 28, meeting of the Gurdon Rotary Club.

Farris joined Rotary in 1960 at Conway. Since that time he has also belonged to the clubs in Kansas City and Hot Springs Village. He served as president of both the Conway and the Hot Springs Village Rotary clubs.

He was born in Springdale, and graduated from Conway High School, and the University of Central Arkansas. He has graduate degrees from Vanderbilt (Peabody College), the University of Michigan, and the University of Arkansas.

He has been married to Patricia Camp Farris for 55 years. They have a son and two daughters, five grandsons and two great-grandchildren.

His early professional life was as a coach and teacher in Arkansas high schools. He joined the faculty of the University of Central Arkansas in 1960 and remained at the institution for the next 27 years. He served as a department chair, then as an academic dean, and was president of the University for the final 13 years.

After retirement he went to Kansas City and for four years was CEO of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Other accomplishments of Dr. Farris are, he has served on the boards for the Basketball Hall of Fame and the US Olympic Committee.

Dr. Farris encouraged the members of the Gurdon Rotary Club to remember what Rotary is all about. "Service before self", that is the motto. We shouldn't forget it and we shouldn't get so caught up in so many different other things, that we forget what is important and why we originally began to do something," said Dr. Farris.

Dr. Farris also said it was important to look for members who need Rotary.

Those are the ones who can really help and are sincere in doing it."

Dr. Farris went on to say, "Rotarians are men and women volunteering their efforts to improve the quality of life in their own communities and beyond their communities' borders. The world's Rotary clubs meet weekly and are non-political, non-religious, and open to all cultures, races, and creeds.

Rotarians initiate community projects that address many of today's most critical issues, such as violence, drug abuse, youth, AIDS, hunger, the environment, and illiteracy. Rotary clubs are autonomous and determine service projects based on local needs."

The main objective of Rotary is service in the community and throughout the world. Rotarians build goodwill and peace, provide humanitarian service, and encourage high ethical standards in all vocations.

Dr. Farris also commented on Rotary's efforts to try and end Polio.

"We are so close to finding a cure and that is important. I can remember when they weren't sure what caused or how to cure it and we weren't allowed to eat cantaloupes or go swimming. Now we know more about it and are close to finding a cure. Rotary has helped with that."

PolioPlus is Rotary's commitment to eradicating polio. Through the efforts of Rotary and its partners in the fight against polio, more than one billion children worldwide have been immunized since 1985. By 2005, Rotary's financial commitment will reach a half billion US dollars. Of equal significance is the huge volunteer army mobilized by Rotary International for social mobilization, vaccine transport and immunization activities.

In addition, Rotary also has the Rotary Foundation's educational programs. Which include Ambassadorial Scholarships, the world's largest privately funded source of international scholarships.

More than 1,300 scholarships are awarded annually for study in another land. Grants are also awarded for university teachers to serve in developing countries and for international exchanges of professionals.

The world's first service club was the Rotary Club of Chicago, Ill. The club was formed Feb. 23, 1905,by lawyer Paul P. Harris and three friends and a merchant, a coal dealer, and a mining engineer. Harris wished to recapture the friendly spirit he had felt in the small town where he had grown up.

The name "Rotary" was derived from the early practice of rotating meetings among members' offices.