Where Did That Come From?

Every week on the calendar slowly builds until you turn the page and see the stated meeting on the first Thursday of the month. That was definitely the case this month as we have been working since the beginning of the year on the program and outreach for First Responders Family Night at the lodge (an excellent program initiated by the Right Worshipful Grand Master). It has been months of calls, emails, meetings and overall coordination to bring this night to fruition. I am glad that the night is behind us but I am also proud of the work that we did to make it happen as everything went as it should (even with the extra 45 minutes added to my commute getting to the lodge) and all those present went on their way happy to have been a part of it.

All told, we had seven departments represented during the open meeting totaling over 235 years of service to the community (keep in mind that one brother served an astounding 70 years). What made the night even more special was the fact that of those men honored, two were members of the lodge, one became a member that night by way of transfer, and one approached me beforehand looking to transfer in. That is a pretty special honor and a tremendous compliment to the lodge that we are being sought out by these men.

Personally, I noticed a change in myself during the meeting as was later confirmed by one of the more senior brothers in the lodge when he stated that something must have changed because he could hear everything that was said throughout the evening. For the first time since I took office back in December, my voice was absent of any hesitance and I was presenting in such a way that commanded attention. I found my Masonic confidence. It wasn’t a conscious decision on my part it was just something that seemed to come out. Hopefully it came out in the right way although it seemed to have as the reviews were positive beyond the aforementioned volume aspect.

So it seems that last night was a turning point both for me but the same seemed to hold true for the lodge as well. We have been seeing a gradual increase in interest over the past few months, maybe even the past year, and now things seem to be accelerating into summer. And while we usually have a two month respite during the depth of the heat laden months, I hope that we remain busy, continue to pique people’s interest, and head into the fall with a group of brothers and candidates eager to get involved and contribute to the great work being done in and by the lodge, our lodge, my lodge.

Fiction Takes A Back Seat To Reality

Sometimes the title reveals very little about the story.

Every once in a while in your life you meet someone who is truly an astounding individual who has lived a life that you only read about in books or see in the movies (or in a beer commercial). And sometimes it takes a second meeting to realize how remarkable someone is. This was the case when Dr. Liann Francisco was invited back to our Rotary club as a presenter.

Liann is a woman who has lived two lives. After a successful career working with the government, primarily with the military but also included assignments with the Pentagon and US Marshall Service, she is now dedicating herself to electronic security and surveillance in the private sector. However, this was only the beginning of her entrepreneurial efforts as she has recently ventured into the field of aviation. I guess you could say she is revisiting the aviation industry but no one, at least anyone I know of, would pay to take a ride on Con Air (Liann was the engineer behind the design of the US Marshall’s primary method of air transportation… not the Nicholas Cage version).

Of course, you can’t accomplish as much as she had done and flipped her life upside down and inside out as many times as she has done without being a highly motivated and intellectually curious individual. Even in her spare time, Liann has pursued her pilot’s license, dive master certification, EMT certification, and is an USCG Boat Captain as well as a Black Belt in Tie Kwon Do. If that weren’t enough she is also an avid drummer and ham radio operator (if you don’t know what that is ask your parents or look it up).

I never knew all this when I first met Liann a few weeks ago when she came as a guest of our club’s president, Dr. Sherman Leis. We spoke a little about her former life working with the government and a little about her recent venture into aviation but nothing really beyond the type of conversation that one would have when first meeting another professional at a Rotary meeting for the first time. This is a perfect example of the fact that truly amazing people won’t say they are amazing… their brilliance only comes out when you take the time to get to know them.

This is also a prime reason why all clubs should welcome the people who accompany members to a meeting. Don’t let any preconceptions dictate reality. Great men and women are around us every day; it is up to us to discover their brilliance.

The same can be said for your fellow Rotarians any why it is so important for us all to give presentations not only about our professions but also about our passions and interests. We are quite the diverse group when you sit down and think about it and I have known many successful businesspeople in my life whose talents shown through in their other endeavors more so than their day to day jobs. Few people are able to combine the two, whether due to lack of courage, opportunity, or means, but sometimes you come across someone who has been able to do just that, someone like Liann.

It’s safe to say that she definitely gives the guy in the Dos Equis beer commercial a run for his money. Oh wait, that’s right, he isn’t real. It just goes to show that if you pay attention, get out there and meet people, you will find individuals that put fiction to shame.