Rhonda's Notebook

Mr. Rotary

"Destiny! Destiny! Destiny!

"We are the makers of our own destiny. We are the molders, the forgers of life's golden chain."

Those inspiring words could be part of a great, political address - motivating listeners in a positive way.

Who would think the author was a mere 16-year-old boy, speaking with force and conviction as the Valedictorian of McBride High School, Class of 1926?

Close acquaintances of the youthful speech-giver, Al Dean, probably would not be the least bit surprised. They know that Al's life exemplified the words he spoke from that day forward until his passing Jan. 24, 1999.

As a member of the St. Johns Rotary Club, I had the good fortune to experience first-hand Al's personal conviction and integrity. "Mr. Rotary," as Al was called by another long-time Rotarian, Charlie Coletta, provided a living example for all of us to follow.

Duty, honor, responsibility were not empty words for this 55-year Rotarian - they were part and parcel of his daily life.

My one and only interview with Al remains vivid in my memory. He had agreed to meet with me several years ago to provide information on the history of our Rotary Club. Not surprisingly, that meeting took place at Dean's Hardware - or more accurately, in the small, red-brick building at the rear of the property where Al allowed himself to take a bit of time away from dealing with the store's inventory.

Al was a virtual encyclopedia of Rotary projects and programs. He ticked off a litany of functions during his tenure with the Club, and recounted a number of anecdotes about specific projects and individual members. Much of that information found its way into articles and columns which were subsequently printed - but the real importance of the interview for me came in Al's remembrances of his years in the community. Here was a man who touched the lives of countless fellow citizens in a positive way.

While I had known that Al was originally a teacher and coach when he first came to St. Johns in 1931 after his graduation from Alma College, until that day, I had no inkling what that really meant.

He was "the" coach - tennis, golf, basketball, football, baseball, track - Al coached them all.

"I was the only coach for about four years," I remember him saying, quite matter-of-factly. "I taught math for four or five years, and when the physical education instructor left, I was asked to take that, too." No questions asked - there were jobs to be done, responsibilities to be met - so Al did it.

I also recall his admission of being a "work-aholic" in relation to Alan R. Dean Hardware from the time he purchased the hardware business in 1945. "The number of hours I worked didn't mean anything," the long-time businessman said, noting that he had tried to retire "when I was about 68 - but I missed the customers too much."

"I began to come back down to the store and do a little bit - especially the jobs that no one else really wanted to do."

Again, the emphasis on doing what needed to be done - that's vintage Al Dean in my mind.

To a certain extent, that character trait projected an image of the man as somewhat of a curmudgeon. Perhaps his attention to detail and "doing the right thing" as Pastor Cayle Beagle remarked in his funeral eulogy may have made him a difficult person to get close to - and even cost him some friendships.

But, as Pastor Beagle also noted, Al never asked anyone to do anything more than he was willing to do himself. His expectations were high, both for himself and for those around him.

That's a quality of leadership that is sorely needed today.

It's the legacy of a young boy who grew into a man of principle - and always kept his eyes fixed on destiny.

We all are better for having known Mr. Rotary.