ROTARY DISTRICT 7770
On Tuesday, September 4, 2012 we had the pleasure of having our District Governor, Ed Duryea, as the guest speaker. District Governor Duryea has been a Rotary member for over 37 years. He joined the club in March 1975 under the recommendation of Mr. George Forsyth. He is a ten star Rotarian and a member of the Paul Harris Society. He continues to live in Beaufort with his wife of 38 years, Cindy Duryea.
Mr. Duryea gave an inspirational speech and explained why he chose “Peace through Service” as the district’s theme for 2012-2013. He stated that he had made a pledge to himself at a very early age that he did not want to live life with regrets or reach the final stages of life without accomplishing his goals. He said he made this decision after visiting his grandmother in a nursing home. He said he saw many patients that were in their final stages of life. Many were sick and had not had the opportunity to accomplish their dreams.
Mr. Duryea went on to tell 3 more amazing stories about how the Rotary Club has played a significant part in helping him find peace through service. He stated because he constantly worked on a Rotary committee, performing service projects, or volunteering at a local charity or school, the club became his 2nd family. Rotary had been there for him during a time when he and his 8-year old son Hunley were in a terrible boating accident on July 4, 1990. The boat capsized and Hunley’s face was severely injured by the blade on the boat’s motor. He had to be rush to MUSC for extensive surgery. While waiting in the emergency room, Mr. Duryea said he did not know if his son was going to live or die. During his son’s hospital stay, Mr. Duryea’s Rotary family was there with him, providing resources and support and gave him a sense of peace in his spirit.
Then he fast forwarded to 2009 when he was able to go on a Rotary mission to Nigeria to provide vaccinations for the polio virus. He said what he witnessed when he got there was remarkable. He saw first-hand how Rotary was changing the world. In Nigeria, Rotary has built bathrooms for local schools, built wells so local villages can have clean water, and provided vaccinations to decrease the spread of the polio virus.
District Governor Duryea completed his speech by asking the audience: Would you like to have peace in your life?