John Rymes: Rotarian Extraordinaire   by Robyn T. Braley

John Rymes is one of the most humble, quiet and reserved people I have ever met. And yet he is also a gifted leader who leads by example and through equipping, empowering and encouraging others.

Rotary happens through the collective efforts of many; through team interactions that create synergies in every sense of the word. There is no I in team, and John emphasizes that his Rotary achievements have involved many efforts by many others at many levels. John only agreed to be honored after being convinced that his story would also help tell the stories of the Rotary Clubs of Calgary Foundation and the Rotary International Foundation.

To understand John's Rotary experience, it would be helpful to review his life story. John was born in Toronto and moved with his family from St. John, New Brunswick, to Regina and places in between.

After serving with the RCAF and Royal Navy Airfleet during World War II, John enrolled in the University of Manitoba. He met his lifelong partner, Connie, and later graduated as a mechanical engineer.

His career took him to Montreal where he worked for the Canadian Car Company manufacturing buses and various tracked vehicles. He later moved to Calgary as the Chief Engineer of Robin Nodwell, now known as Canadian Foremost. The company manufactured tracked vehicles for various military and industrial uses in the far north. He later established his own company and played a leadership role in engineering or influencing similar heavy duty transportation equipment for use in rugged environments.

Calgary West was formed in 1967. John joined in 1968 and served as president in 1973.

Curley Galbraith had floated the idea of forming a foundation to grow and sustain pooled funds starting with $40,000 that had been returned to the Downtown Club by the Provincial Government. The funds had been given to the Red Cross operated Children's Hospital to build a swimming pool and was returned when the government took over operation.

The Rotary Clubs of Calgary Foundation was the result. As time passed, other city clubs participated and today all but one are partners.

During the formative years John was asked to get involved by sitting on the board. He began to understand the potential and power of the program and embraced the concept of pooling funds to generate higher returns. Clubs contribute annually to the pool but so do individuals.

John is one of the two all-time largest donors from Calgary West. John has also set up a scholarship fund in Connie's name at the Calgary Rotary Clubs Foundation for students at Mount Royal University. Similar scholarships have been set up in the names of former Calgary West Rotarians Jo Johanson and Harold Sharlow.

As John's business grew, he spent long hours on planes, one-room air terminals, and hotel rooms as he traveled through Canada and the world. He took his Rotary Magazines to pass the time.

As his interest piqued, he read anything he could find about Rotary. He was particularly intrigued by the Rotary International Foundation and became one of the most knowledgeable Rotarians in the District on the subject.

John was asked to serve as a director, and then as District Chair of the Foundation. He agreed to accept the position if District Governor Ken Haverland would commit to an aggressive program selling the Foundation through visits to zones throughout the district by a group they called The Rotary Foundation Road show. In those days the district ranged from Dawson Creek in the north to towns in eastern Saskatchewan, some in Eastern B.C. and throughout Alberta down to the US border. Giving to the foundation increased significantly under John's leadership.

In 1996 Calgary hosted the Rotary International Convention. The official process began with a letter written in 1987 from - you guessed it - John Rymes to Evanston informing them of Calgary's interest in hosting a convention.

Committees were struck and Calgary West Rotarians filled leadership and committee roles. John worked on a committee that included Bill Tapuska, Crawford Caswell, and others organizing a Paul Harris Fellow and Family banquet for the Olympic Oval. More than 4,200 attended.

More than 24,000 Rotarians attended an event that showcased Calgary hospitality and Alberta's ability to throw a party. In fact, there were times when bureaucratic types from Evanston were politely asked to get out of the way. Just under 600 names of District volunteers are listed in the 1996 convention report.

Along the way John participated in the formation of baby Rotary clubs. John, Ron Jones, Clarence Buckley, Al Williams, Jim Willson, and others helped birth the Cochrane, Sarcee, Airdrie and Centennial clubs. Today John continues to sponsor a table of eight at the highly successful Sarcee Club's Art Auction.

reported by Brent Barootes in the April 29/11 bulletin
view photos from the April 17, 2011 John Rymes Recognition Brunch