At the Saturday, February 8th PolioPlus fundraiser, one of our esteemed colleagues, Peg Johnston, 27-year Club 31 Rotarian, was awarded a Paul Harris bust for her tireless work on Rotary’s 35-year campaign to eradicate polio from the planet. This is but one of Peg’s many awards for her varied forms of exemplary service to Rotary. This bust was originally awarded to Rotarians Grant and Marlene Wilkins in 1997 at an Arizona district conference for their legendary polio eradication work. This award will be a traveling award that Marlene, the Rotary Club of Denver and our District 5450 have determined will periodically be granted to a Rotarian in the district who exemplifies the dedication to polio eradication that Grant and Marlene demonstrated for us to follow. Congratulations Peg and thank you for your continued work to eradicate Polio!
COMMENTS FOR PAUL HARRIS POLIO AWARD | Saturday, February 8, 2020
Read by Greg Podd, Past RI Vice President
Written by Seth Patterson, Past President, Rotary Club of Denver
I have the distinct honor this afternoon of presenting an award to a Rotarian in our District who, other than Grant and Marlene Wilkins, has probably done as much or more than any other to eradicate polio. But first, a little preface about Grant and Marlene.
As you may recall, on May 19, 2018, the day that my District Conference opened, our dear friend and inspiring Rotary leader, Grant Wilkins passed. Grant was a champion of eradicating polio from the very beginning, having contracted polio on a business trip as a young businessman with a wife and three young children at home. Although Grant’s throat muscles became paralyzed, he was blessed and after months of therapy, he recovered his ability to eat solid food and speak and he lived a blessed life for the next 67 years. Unfortunately, although his wife Diane only visited Grant after he was released from the polio isolation ward, she contracted polio and within 24 hours became paralyzed from the neck down. Diane spent two and a half years in an iron lung in the hospital and another eleven years at home with a portable chest respirator, where she was an amazingly cheerful and very involved parent.
Several months later while calling on a Denver customer, Grant was truly blessed when Marlene Siems became a part of his life. Grant noticed Marlene’s ever-present smile, asked her out and after several months, on Grant’s 39th birthday, they married and enjoyed over 50 wonderful years of marriage that included many personal and Rotary adventures around the world.
Grant and Marlene’s Rotary work, particularly their legendary work to eradicate polio is well-known, so I will not repeat it here, but rather get on with my purpose of addressing you this afternoon.
During one of PDG Abbas Rajabi’s last visits with Grant, he gave him a Paul Harris bust that he and Marlene had received in 1997 from an Arizona Rotary District for his District Conference keynote address about Rotary’s efforts to eradicate polio. A Sedona Rotary Club produced the bronze casting for the Paul Harris bust often given to their Rotary keynote speakers. Grant asked Abbas to use the bust to raise money for Polio Plus or honor a Rotarian for their extraordinary Polio Plus efforts. After consulting with Marlene and the then leadership of Club 31, it was decided to award the bust, as a periodic traveling award, to a District 5450 Rotarian whose outstanding Polio Plus work is deserving of high recognition
The Rotarian who we will recognize today was a strong advocate along with Grant and Marlene in their constant efforts to eradicate polio from the planet and continues to be. This 27-year Rotarian is highly accomplished in Rotary in many ways, including:
- Supporting Rotary International (“RI”) and The Rotary Foundation (“TRF”) as a
- Benefactor
- Major Donor
- Paul Harris Fellow and Society Member
- White Hat Society Member
- Recipient of the RI Service Award for a Polio-Free World
- Recipient of TRF District Service Award for “outstanding service in promoting TRF and its goal of world understanding and peace”
- In our District and this member’s Club and Club Foundation, offering further support as a:
- Member of the Bequest Society
- Club Foundation Gold Fellow
- Club Rotarian of the Year
- District Polio Chair from 2011 to 2015
- Past Club Board Director (twice), past Chair of TRF Committee and others
- Service on various Club committees, particularly Programs, Peach Sale, Membership and as the continuing Chair of the Club’s Polio Committee to name just a few
- Lastly, and this fact will surely give away this member’s identity, this Rotarian Co-Chaired, with her son and the current President of the Rotary Club of Denver, a 91st birthday party for Grant with well over 100 people from our Rotary family on World Polio Day in 2017, which also raised over $175,000 for Polio Plus.
Yes, Peg Johnston, a 27-year member of the Rotary Club of Denver, is recognized today for her tireless work to eradicate polio. Peg, please come up to accept this award. As you walk up, it is my sincere hope that the importance of this award begins to fade soon, as we approach the final days of polio on our planet.