Election was Friday and I was elected to be an International Director for the term 2010-2012. The final Plenary Session was highlighted by the speech of "Sully", the pilot that landed the plane safely in the river in January. It was quite a moving presentation on the importance of preparation and teamwork - he is a Lion!!
After Cheryl and I were presented with the new directors on stage, it was great to hear the cheers from the Lions of Michigan in the crowd. We immediately went to a luncheon, followed by my first Board meeting. WOW. It was like being in the United Nations. Translator booths in the back for the interpreters from the four other languages that were spoken by Board members. The seats were in a big square, with the Directors all sitting behind nameplates and microphones and headsets for use when interpretation was needed. The Past International Presidents sat in a ring behind us and then the spouses sat in a row behind them. My first year Director class has US members besides me from South Carolina, New York, Pennsylvania, Alabama, California and Oregon. Then Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, Denmark, Slovenia, Iceland, Brazil and two from India are represented. This is quite a friendly, experienced, articulate and motivated group.
