By prearrangement, we didn’t fly directly home. When we reached Boston we transferred to the Delta desk, and flew to Gulfport, MS, to take part in Rotary District 6840’s District Conference and help present a Service Above Self Award to a Rotarian whose work made a huge difference in bringing back his home town of Slidell after Katrina.
I first met Don O’Bryan in the months after Katrina when I first came down to Louisiana to help with the clean up. In the days following the storm, he had called the two presidents of the two local Rotary clubs, and recommended to each of them that the clubs work together to help rebuild. They both agreed, but each stipulated that Don should chair the resulting committee.
Rotary Rebuilds Slidell ended up working for two years to rebuild 13 non-profits in the city of Slidell. The non-profit raised $2.5 million, and Don O’B gave two years of his life to the effort. He wasn’t alone, of course, but he was the spark plug, the nag, the innovator, the conscience of the work.
I have always felt that Rotary International never properly noted the Rotarians in the Gulf who did so much after their neighborhoods and their way of life was destroyed. For example, the special issue of the “Rotarian” magazine dedicated to Katrina was all about Rotarians who got on an airplane and flew down here for a few weeks, not about those who were working to rebuild despite having lost their own home or business and certainly way of life. But I have also always felt that the District itself didn’t do enough to promote itself. For example, no one in the District has ever received a Service Above Self award for the work they did after Katrina.
Until now.
Last summer my classmate Governor Don Bryan and I both nominated Don O’Bryan (don’t get the two Dons mixed up; it’s easy to do!) for the award. News came in January that Don O’B had won, and 6840’s District Conference was the best time to award it (even if not convenient for the Helmans!).
As it turned out it wasn’t convenient for Don O’B either — a grandson graduated from college yesterday, and all his wife Nancy said was that they “had” to come to the DisCon luncheon. He was not convinced, but Nancy held firm. She also arranged for much of the family gathered for the graduation to come along as well, but to stay outside until the award speech was well underway.
Don O’B was surprised to see Frank and me at the DisCon, but too polite to make much of it. We enjoyed our lunch together — I also don’t think he noticed that we maneuvered the seating to be down front. When the time came. PDG Don and I went to the microphone, I explained what a Service Above Self Award was and then invited Nancy to bring Don O’B up on stage. That’s when he first saw his family and when he realized what was going on.
He is so deserving of the honor. As a rule, I hate surprises, but this one came off perfectly, and a Rotarian who has done so much was properly thanked in front of his peers — and his children and grandchildren. It was a wonderful day.
martyhelman 