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What happened in the world this year: The Saar Territory returned to Germany; President Von Hindenburg's death followed by
Adolph Hitler becoming Leader-Chancellor. Here in Lafayette Rotary good George Brandenberg died suddenly. Dean Enders entertained one day with his South American travels, and a large group drove down to Turkey Run for
an Inter-city meeting. "Mort" Templeton was Santa Claus for the Cary Home Childrens' Christmas Party, Governor Ray Willis, later to become U.S. Senator, paid his annual visit, and in the Spring all the luncheon clubs
held a special joint meeting to hear "Smokey Rogers." With the warm weather a most successful Ladies Night and Installation of Officers followed. The
Gary District Conference was attended by ten members and several Anns. An unusual entertaining feature was the ride an open railroad coal cars, but cars spotlessly clean, which took the Rotarians and their guests
through the extensive steel plants, with short walking trips to rail mills, blast furnaces, and sheet mills.President-elect Francis Harding went down into Mexico in June for the 26th Annual International Convention,
the first to be held in a Latin American country. The Convention Auditorium, Francis told us on his return, was the beautiful Palace of Fine Arts in the center Plaza of Mexico City. Fresh flowers by the thousands were
woven daily into banks and bands, vying in color with the many flags of all nations. A Presidential Ball at one of these Rotary Conventions is a lovely and breath taking affair, and certainly it was so here
according to Francis' report. From six to seven thousand people enjoyed dancing in two wing like rooms on either side of a huge fountain centered hall. In each room were two orchestras so that there was not a single
instant when one could not dance. Then there was the Special Ladies Entertainment. On Thursday afternoon this was held at the Feria Ranchera for the thousand and more visiting ladies. All the Mexican ladies were dressed
in their traditional costume "china pobla na," and society girls danced the various Mexican dances. Francis reported that even the oldest Rotarians, for a number of the men slipped away from their group meetings to be
with the ladies, "fell" for these charming and beautiful senoritas. Rurales in huge grey felt sombreros and red serapes, and firemen in brilliant uniform and nickel plated helmets added color to an already colorful and
brilliant affair. Then there was the tour Francis took one day out of Mexico City over some dirt roads; there was rain and all sorts of incidents, almost accidents. Which gave thrills galore to one used to the good
Indiana highways. |
