I have been a Missouri Rotarian for many years, and I have always been proud of my relevant Rotary district, which is now District 6040. And in thinking about the achievements of District 6040, just prior to Marc Horner’s installation as district governor, I jotted down some accomplishments that are clearly unique and important.
One of the clubs in our district, Kansas City, was one of the first 16 Rotary clubs in the world, and it participated in the first Rotary convention during August of 1910 in Chicago. That convention formed the National Association of Rotary Clubs, which ultimately became Rotary International, and due to the good work of the new association, Rotary has become the large and significant organization we know and enjoy today. There is no way to overstate the importance of the first convention, and the Kansas City club was a leader in that significant event!
Rotary has held an annual convention every year since the first one in 1910, and our district has hosted two of them, which is an unusual achievement. In addition, our district has provided three RI presidents, which is even more unusual, and it has provided four RI directors in the past 40 years, which I believe is more than any other district in the world. It even hosted a Rotary international assembly in 1992! And moreover, our district has provided two presiding officers for the triennial meetings of the RI council on legislation, and it has successfully proposed more important legislative proposals than any other district! Wow! Our district has been a leader!
The Rotary Foundation was first proposed by Arch Klumph in 1917, and the very first contribution to TRF was made by the Kansas City club! Our district has continued with its generous support of TRF, and it was again one of the leading districts in our Rotary zone for the 2018-19 Rotary year. Also, the Kimbrough gift of almost a million dollars to the annual fund three years ago was one of the largest unrestricted gifts of the year to TRF, and there is now a committed bequest from a Rotarian in our district that was the highest commitment ever made to TRF at the time of its receipt. No doubt that from the first gift to the largest gift has been truly historical for our district!
An additional source of pride for our district is the 1985 Rotary convention in Kansas City was the first convention to promote the PolioPlus program, just approved by the RI board earlier in the year, and one of the primary speakers was Dr. Albert Sabin. As a result, the kickoff for PolioPlus was the convention in Kansas City! And Dick Burnett, an RI director from our district, was an early leader of the Rotary Peace Centers Committee, and he is known as the architect of the peace centers program.
Need I say more? Our Rotary district is clearly a premier district!!!