Addressing literacy

I was saddened, but not surprised, to read in the March issue that the United States continues to falter in literacy as compared with the rest of the world (“How our literacy stacks up”). Extending the school year, focusing more on reading skills throughout the precollege years, and developing literacy programs for adults are all worthwhile goals, but they ignore the root of the problem. As a former teacher, I learned early that it is very difficult to teach anything when the proper attitude is not brought by the student to the classroom. What is being done to educate citizens about the responsibility of parents in preparing a child for school? A child who enters school with thousands of hours of television exposure and minimal hours’ exposure to books and enrichment activities is not ready to learn, and often resistant to learning. To ignore the role that the family and home environment play during the formative years is tantamount to giving a preteen a credit card and letting him loose at the local mall.
Tony Terrasi
Prescott, Ariz., USA

Thank you so much for your February feature focused on literacy [Global Outlook]. It came at just the right time. I ran the [Barack] Obama [U.S. presidential campaign] headquarters in this small community of 21,000 folks. Once the election was over, several of the volunteers called me to say that they had been motivated by President Obama to do more volunteer work, especially in literacy. That’s something near and dear to my heart, as I was president (1991-92) of the International Reading Association, mentioned in your feature. As an officer of the association, I traveled to Australia often, as I was so impressed by what they were doing in the area of literacy. I am going to investigate the CLE [concentrated language encounter] method and will approach my board at their next meeting to see if they are interested in starting a program. Judie Thelen
Cumberland, Md., USA

Good speaker?

The selection of Jane Goodall as a [2009 RI Convention] keynote speaker is unnecessarily divisive. Goodall is hyperpolitical and will no doubt pepper her keynote with political messages. This is antithetical to the thousands of weekly Rotary club meetings around the world, where politics are not discussed “between the bells.” It should not matter whether you agree or disagree with Goodall; the issue is that her selection places the imprimatur of Rotary on her views, many of which are not supported by the membership at large. Moreover, the coverage of Goodall in The Rotarian left out several aspects of her life that are noteworthy and extremely controversial. I sincerely hope that Rotary, in the future, seeks out speakers who are more in keeping with the Rotary ideals of fellowship and service, leaving politics to the rest of the world.
Kenneth G. English
Petaluma, Calif., USA

I was quite surprised by the cover photo on the March issue. Have you lost your senses? I understand that this is a charming picture, but it is quite culturally insensitive to many nations, including the one Jane Goodall was working in at the time of this photo. Many nations frown on women wearing shorts or even pants, and certainly they don’t approve of any leg showing above the knee. They also don’t go for shoulders and upper arms exposed. I would hope this was just a one-time lapse in judgment on your part. After seeing this photo, reading the article, and reflecting on this, I wonder if indeed she is the right person to be a convention keynote speaker.
MaryAnn Dalessi
Spokane, Wash., USA

Chief goals

The March issue introduced [RI President] John Kenny [“Great Scot”]. Each Rotarian ought to read carefully the words of this very courageous person, who explains his expectations, accomplishments, and visions of who we are as Rotarians. Mr. Kenny, you will be welcomed by many and hopefully able to inspire [with] the goals of your coming adventure. And no disrespect intended by referring to your presidential future in Rotary International by saying “adventure,” as you truly sound as if you will enjoy every moment.
Krim M. Ballentine
St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

Drink to your health

The Rotarians in Springfield, Mo., USA, who teamed up with the Ozarks Food Harvest [“The moveable feast,” February] in feeding the area’s rural communities with their pantry on wheels are to be commended, but I was appalled to see in the article pallets of soft drinks waiting to be loaded up for distribution. Soft drinks have absolutely no nutritional value and only contribute to obesity, malnutrition, and dental problems. As Rotarians are no doubt involved in many such humanitarian projects worldwide having to do with food and clean water, are there not certain criteria that should be followed concerning these types of issues? If not now, I hope so in the future.
Mike Kerr
Waikoloa, Hawaii, USA

A peaceful tomorrow

Coming home from Vancouver, B.C., Canada, I read with interest the RI president’s message in the February issue. Having seen many people in more than 60 countries on all the continents, I really agree that “as much as we are all different, we are all essentially the same,” and that “everyone, everywhere, sometimes needs help from others.” Rotary’s international service commitment gives us a way to help build a more peaceful tomorrow in every single part of our beautiful world.
Jaakko Paatero
Turku, Finland

Another standout

I was quite interested in the article in the December issue about Rotary’s century of conventions. I was disappointed that the 1990 RI Convention held in Portland, Ore., USA, was not listed as one of those that stand out. What was significant about that convention?
1. There were 21,055 attendees, at the time the second-largest attendance for a convention held in the United States.
2. Representatives were in attendance from the Rotary clubs in Budapest, Hungary; Prague; and Warsaw, Poland – clubs that had been disbanded prior to World War II and now for the first time were reunited with Rotary. And for the first time, the Rotary Club of Moscow was in attendance, the first club chartered in the Soviet Union.
3. Revenue from the convention exceeded expenses by close to $1 million. Rotary had been experiencing budget deficits for several years prior to 1990, and the profits from the 1990 convention enabled it to end the year in the black.
4. A convention satisfaction poll was given to each attendee. Over 95 percent of those responding indicated that it was the best convention ever attended.
5. The convention committee chair was [Past RI Vice President] William T. Sergeant, one of Rotary’s most highly regarded leaders. He [later] took on the chairmanship of the International PolioPlus Committee.
Incidentally, in 1911, Portland was also the site of the second convention, with 149 in attendance. At that time, there were 28 Rotary clubs in the United States. The idea was adopted at this convention that an official publication for Rotary be put in place. Additionally, the gearwheel was also [discussed] as the emblem of Rotary clubs.
Angelo Carella
1990 Convention Committee member
Portland, Ore., USA

Editor’s note: With 99 years of conventions to choose from, we had a tough time editing down our material to fit six pages in the magazine.

Senior drivers

I enjoyed the article on holding a meeting in a bar [In Focus, January]. My club’s meeting room is separated from the barroom by only a door, and we enjoy drinks before our meetings. A few may partake after the meeting, but there’s never been a case of overindulgence that I know of.
I do have an observation that might be worthy of concern to those of us in the upper senior-citizen age bracket. We old folks have at least two strikes against us if we’re involved in an auto accident: Statistics show that we senior citizens, on average, are involved in more accidents per 1,000 miles driven than younger drivers. Strike one! If a senior citizen is written up as drinking to any extent, whether at fault or not, that’s strike two! And if the case were to go to court as to who was at fault and which insurance company had to pay the damages, I think I could guess who would be adjudged at fault. It could cost the senior citizen his driver’s license. I decline the after-dinner libations.
Burton Mobley
Erie, Colo., USA

Clarification

Recent Arch C. Klumph Society inductee Ellen Kurtzman is a member of the Rotary E-Club of London Centenary, England.