The Summer Convention

The Summer District 47 Convention was well-organized and tasteful Officially beginning wit h a delicious barbeque on Friday, July 16, many of us renewed and started friendships The days at Cape Coral wil l be remembered for the fellowship, entertainment, food, and the innovations A brief movie on marine life entertained the families after the meal

Saturday was a time for education, business, and free time I t began wit h the Area Governor's Breakfast Though the continental breakfast started late, i t nearly ended on time because the A G introductions were abbreviated

Next came the Summer Executive Committee meeting The organized group was called to order, followed the agenda, and adjourned i n smooth and quick fashion D G Dave Meeks, DTM , and the District officers were well prepared The most significant conclusion that can be drawn from the meeting is that the intent exists to do the best job possible to make District 47 the finest District in T I again If one is not doing what he is expected to do, some other Toastmaster wit h more desire and time wil l replace hi m (or her)

Later in the morning, LG E Floyd Sewell, DTM , led the two-part education session, calling on the large assembly to provide feed-back and insight concerning the nature of the various District Educational Committees He got lots of feedback, too! Utilizing committee chairmen, hand-outs, clear plastic overhead projector material, and chalk, Floyd led the group in learning about virtually each phase of T M education There were many questions and instructive answers concerning the Distinguished Club Plan, Speechcraft, Speakers' Bureau, Patrick Henry's, and more The first session could have dragged far beyond the time limit, but Floyd terminated i t nearly on time I n the second part of the Educational Session, also led by LG E Floyd Sewell, DTM , the main emphasis was on the progression of the individual T M through the C& L Program A panel was created on-the-spot I t contained new and old Toastmasters The panel ,and the rest of the gathering discussed the many phases of one's growth i n TMI . The eventual conclusions of the whole assembly were threefold First, a general concurrence was reached that there is no one way to correctly be a Toastmaster Al l of us are Toastmasters for our own reasons, and we utilize the C& L Program i n distinct ways Still there are many patterns that we generally follow i n our growth That is because we are as much a part of the group as we are individuals

Second, the first priority of the new Toastmaster is to give his Icebreaker This is not to say that one wil l or should give i t until he has had a chance to time a meeting, be the Ah-Counter, or be the Grammarian The EVP should schedule the Icebreaker while recognizing that each individual has different needs and levels of shy-ness Give the new member some time to develop at a pace which enables hi m to be comfortable

Finally, club officers should be elected first on the basis" of desire Ability is another basis of selection; however, remember that ability can be learned by those who want to learn, even if they feel ill-equipped to "do the job." Were any of us born wit h the ability to lead meetings and organizations? Or di d we have to be taught by our teachers, parents, and elders? Desire comes first, for without it ability is rarely translated into competent action

The spirits were running high as Saturday morning transformed into Saturday afternoon For those who had attended the A G Breakfast and the Educational Sessions, there was the realization that little time had been wasted There were a lot of Toastmasters and guests i n attendence I t seemed to be a good idea to make the morning compact Unlike in previous years, there would be more free time that afternoon

But, before people took to the tennis courts, swimming, or to the Edison mansion, the District Governor's Luncheon took place There was excellent attendance The President of Edison Community College, Dr . Davi d Robinson delivered the keynote address after he was introduced by the Toastmaster Richard Bashaw, ATM The luncheon was opened by LGW D Dick Wood, DTM , who opened and closed all of the convention functions

Dr Robinson's theme expounded the need for long-range plans i n one's striving for his life's goals Knowledge is increasing faster than ever i n old ways and in new directions There is new understanding of self and self-power which, if one utilizes it, can help hi m cope wit h change. I n this regard, self-education should include the examination of career, personal, social, cultural, and community development These kinds of development are interrelated because mankind is increasingly requiring its members to function i n these areas A thought-out and short address, Dr Robinson supplemented it wit h a form (given to everyone in the room) which was entitled, "Calculate Your Life Expectency." After we figured out how long we would live, we wrote our epitaphs Thus, realizing how short is life and how long are ambitions, we were able to appreciate his stressing the need for long-range plans

Next, some awards were presented by PDG S R Dunn, DTM The rest were yet to be given at the evening banquet. Certainly, the awards highlighted the fine year that District 47 had Appropriately, a major portion of the weekend was spent honoring all i n District 47, especially those who led the way Look for the article on awards (found i n this issue of the SUNSHINER)

When canvassing for comments from Toastmasters and guests on the District Awards and Installation Banquet, the SUNSHINER heard only raves about the New York Strip Steak complete wit h all the trimmings Toastmaster of the festivities was Steve Kakook The fare(Continued on Page 6)