LCI DISTRICT GOVERNORS’ SCHOOL
(27-29 JUNE, 1997)
The District Governors’ School held during the 80th LCI Convention (1997) in Philadelphia was the most meaningful one for me.
The school, held over two days was remarkably well conducted. As district governors-elect, we learned of our roles and responsibilities, the administration of a district, and high profiling strategies to capture the hearts of every Lion. Most of all, I learned the importance of punctuality.
The opening session concluded with the formal introduction of the Lion dignitaries present. 1st Vice President Judge Howard L “Pat” Patterson Jr. introduced the 1997-1998 International Programs. The District Governor School and its programs were highly instructive and extremely useful for incoming district governors to run their districts. The speakers were well-qualified and dedicated Lions; they included past international presidents(PIPs), past international directors(PIDs), and staff from the Association. Almost every aspect of Lionism and the business of running the district was dealt with.
I came away with the conviction that no future district governors of any district should choose to miss this school if they sincerely and earnestly wanted to do a good job for their districts. It was hard work though to attend every single session of school. However, the wealth of knowledge acquired was well worth the time and effort. The leader of my group was PID Albert F “Al” Brandel (New York) and my teammates included district governors from MD22 (Maryland, Delaware), MD34 (Alabama), MD35 (Florida, Bahamas), MD39 (Idaho, Oregon), MD45 (Vermont), MD60 (Caribbean, West Indies), MD202 (New Zealand, Fiji Islands, Tonga American Samoa, Western Samoa, Cook Islands) and my counterpart, 308A (Singapore). There were thirty-four district governors-elect in this group.
The District Governors’ School and the Lions Clubs International Convention held over a span of four days were most memorable. I got to know many Lions who were there with a similar purpose to learning how they can be better leaders towards the “We Serve” Lions motto.
PS:
I have kept in touch with several of my teammates, (Past District Governors) from several countries; though the frequency of correspondence has lessened with each passing year. The fact that many district governors were elderly when they took office, could be a contributing factor that slowed down our correspondence. There were quite a number of them who were from New Zealand. In 2002, I took the opportunity to visit them. You can view the photographs of our meetings on my page: <DG Class '97-'98>
PS:
I have kept in touch with several of my teammates, (Past District Governors) from several countries; though the frequency of correspondence has lessened with each passing year. The fact that many district governors were elderly when they took office, could be a contributing factor that slowed down our correspondence. There were quite a number of them who were from New Zealand. In 2002, I took the opportunity to visit them. You can view the photographs of our meetings on my page: <DG Class '97-'98>