ANNUAL EISENHOWER HUMANITARIAN AWARD GIVEN

The day's program was the presentation of the 5th Annual Dwight D. Eisenhower
Humanitarian Award by the Gettysburg Rotary Club. Master of Ceremonies
Ken Farabaugh traced the history of the Humanitarian Award from its
conception by Dr. Alloy Heyen in the 1960s to its first presentation by the
Palm Desert Chamber of Commerce in 1968 to Dwight Eisenhower and Bob
Hope. Renamed the Eisenhower Humanitarian Award in 1969 after Eisenhower's
death, the Chamber continued the tradition for five more years. The
current award, under the auspices of our club, is the result of a suggestion Al
Heyen, now a Lancaster resident, made during the 2002 Rotary District Conference.
The award recognizes an individual's outstanding accomplishments in
public service, contributions to a more peaceful world, and/or contributions to
humanity locally or globally. Past winners are Brad Hoch, Karl Mattson, Ernie
Simpson, and Herm Stuempfle, Jr.

Mike Birkner framed the award by noting that Sunday was Eisenhower's 117th
birth anniversary, and that while born in a time of horse and buggy, Eisenhower
led us into the space age. Eisenhower was remembered for his smile,
love of golf, and leadership, both military and political, but always underpinning
his actions was Eisenhower's strong belief that education and personal
interaction between peoples of various backgrounds was the key to a better
world. An Eisenhower Humanitarian Award, especially one sponsored by Rotary,
Mike stated, makes perfect sense given his commitment to world peace,
commitment to dialogue, and commitment to a set of rules very similar in
spirit to the Four Way Test.

Nancy Cushing-Daniels, Chairperson and Associate Professor of Spanish at
Gettysburg College, introduced Dr. Paula Olinger with two anecdotes. The
first, based on a meeting with "eminent scholar" Tom Lathrop, pointed out that
Dr. Olinger is an eminent scholar herself, but doesn't affect the airs that some
eminent scholars do and remains very humble and generous. The second, centered
on the conversion of the family homestead into El Centro, spoke to Dr.
Olinger's complete integration of her personal and professional lives.

Dr. Olinger opened her remarks by borrowing from the Dalai Lama, stating
that deep down inside we are all alike and are looking for the same thing, happiness,
but that we often go about it the wrong way. The key, she said, is that
doing for others will result in our happiness.

She traced the 10 year history of El Centro, noting that most of the early students
were African American, but that El Centro, along with the 3rd Ward
neighborhood, has become largely Mexican. El Centro currently supports
about 50 students from 1st grade to middle school, Monday through Thursday,
in an environment that provides mentoring, tutoring, and language classes, and
affiliated programs provide English language classes for the children's parents
as well.

Dr. Olinger, noting the recent emphasis on immigration reform, stated that
while there are probably some undocumented workers in the community, most
are documented and all, except for a very few receiving cash payments, pay
taxes and contribute to social security, often under fake social security numbers.
She emphasized that the children, none of whom had a say in their being
in America and many of whom are American citizens, were her heroes, never
quite fitting in with either the American or Mexican communities and always
with enormous responsibilities beyond their years, such as serving as translators
for their families in landlord/tenant or other matters. Dr. Olinger's daughter
has been serving as Executive Director but is leaving for a career in public
education; Dr. Olinger encouraged the audience to assist in the identification of
a new Executive Director and to volunteer to serve as mentors, tutors, and
members of the board for El Centro.

After her remarks, Randy Parmentier recognized Dr. Olinger as a Paul Harris
Fellow. Two proclamations, sponsored by Representative Dan Moul and
Senator Terry Punt, were presented, and Dr. Olinger's name will be added to
the Eisenhower Humanitarian Award exhibit in the Eisenhower Room at the
Adams County Library, Gettysburg.