eloQuence No. 65 by WMC Toastmasters Club

eloQuence ISSUE NO. 65

JUNE 2022

By &

L a r g e

AS I LOOK BACK!

A SUMMER LESSON!

Chellaraja, I am ok, right? | p. 12

I will be in Madrid for three nights | p. 14

WMC TOASTMASTERS CHARTERED IN 2003 | KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN CLUB #603459 | AREA 14 DIVISION D | DISTRICT 20 WMCToastmasters

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WMCToastmasters

STRANDED WITHOUT IDENTITY! My name is Ovin Crasta and I am not a terrorist | p. 18

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The President's Desk

Time to get out of the four walls…! TM Abdul Rahim Attitude and altitude, except for geniuses like Shakespeare or Mozart, who seemed to have been divinely inspired, few of us can claim to be born great. The mere mortals who achieve greatness, or have greatness thrust upon them, I find, are not necessarily supermen, nor are they endowed with special talent and intelligence. It is their choice of an appropriate attitude that destines them to greatness. Nelson Mandela for instance, achieved greatness because he had what no ordinary individual possessed—an ability to rise above the bitterness and hatred of apartheid. It was his persistence in adhering to his near-saintly attitude that built his character and elevated him to becoming a legend in our time. Haven’t you heard about the traveler who met three brick-layers at a quarry and asked each in turn what he was doing. The first, without stopping, indicated he was cutting stones to make a living. The second described how he was cutting stones to build a wall. The third spoke about being

part of a team that was helping to build a cathedral. Yet, all men were doing the same job…! Similarly, as we go through our Toastmasters meetings, giving speeches and evaluations, I think its time to ask, are we simply practising public speaking skills and improving our language, or are we empowering individuals to communicate and lead—and in so doing, helping to make this a better world ? It is this insight of empowering individuals through public speaking that motivated Dr. Ralph C. Smedley build the Toastmasters movement. From the beginning, he insisted that Toastmasters would be a non-profit association. He and his heirs would have become wealthy if Toastmasters had been a commercial enterprise. Dr. Smedley’s principle has always been of “learning by doing and improving through practice and evaluation” By conscientiously performing our club and district leadership roles, we have the opportunity to practice and internalize Toastmasters’ four core values: integrity, respect for the individual, service to the member and dedication to excellence. 3

The President's Desk These are also the four cornerstones of our character and personality. In this age where practically all knowledge is only a Google search away, our challenge is to train our young new members to reflect on this readily available information and practise the art of face-to-face communication. Today more than ever, our youth need the services of Toastmasters as they venture into an uncharted future.

Are we going out of the four walls and spreading the fragrance of Toastmasters or are we just keeping the good scent to ourselves ?

Message from VP Education

Passing the baton!

Phew... how the year started & now it’s almost over. It’s been an awesome experience for me, donning the role of VP Ed in one of the finest, pioneer club of this beautiful island country - WMC Toastmasters. I have previously too expressed my gratitude towards everyone who made my term enjoyable and refreshing. I was mistaken to underestimate the huge amount of commitment needed by ExCom members so, I admit my term as VP Ed initially got the best of me. Here I realized how important it is to develop a good relationship with my fellow ExCom and all the members. Despite, your busy schedule, most of you happily accepted to take up the roles – Thank You. Yes… of course it goes without saying, I did face few challenges. But they were overcome with the support of our President and senior members. I remember one such instance during the contest day, the MC for the event couldn’t be present due to some emergency & suddenly our beloved Yoga guru raised his hand and took up the role despite being in India on vacation with his family. Similarly, Dr Babu and Dr Thuraya, lead by example and took up speech projects which in turn encouraged other members to follow suit. DTM Rekha lead the way, earning us 2 DCP points through her speech projects. Our IPP Yashodhan took up highest number of assignments in this term & so on... As we reach the end of our term, it’s beginning for another ExCom. It’s time to pass “the baton” to new ExCom and handover the responsibility to incoming VP Ed. I wish the new VP Ed, all the best as she takes this legacy forward and am sure will bring many more accolades to the club. Incoming VP Ed elect & President elect have already started liaising with me and started taking the handover, I must say our club is in very safe hands. Long live WMC & wish my wholehearted support to incoming ExCom Signing off with a big smile Your Truly, Ovin Crasta, VP Education, WMC for the term 2021-2022 5

TM Prabodha Sarangi

A Note from your VP Public Relations Inspiration is necessary for motivating us in our life. Inspiration helps in boosting ourselves to do things that are important to achieve what we desire in our life. We can be inspired by anything either it is a person, activity, or thing. Many of us want to become like the person who inspires us the most. Inspiration We all desire to be a successful leader in our lives and thus we do continuous effort for the same. When I joined Toastmaster, I have no idea if it will help me in my life. In the first one year in Toastmastering, I came across many positive and also negative people. There are people who continuously giving support to their own clubs ever since they found it, also supporting to many clubs, many members and at the same time there are people who simply running behind the distinguished certificate, and once they get it, simply silent afterward. And me always inspired by the positive people, and explorer myself, my strength by taking various leadership roles. To my surprise, after 4 and half years gone, I myself found in another sphere. I cannot believe the changes inside me, no fear to speak out in front of any number of audience and no fear to take leadership roles.

Inspiration is something that energizes us in the path of success. It motivates us and helps us in doing our best. Everybody has someone in their life that is the greatest inspiration for them. In my life, one more person added, who is a veteran toastmaster called Dr. Babu Ramachandran. His characteristics and outstanding qualities inspired me to follow his path. Inspiration helps in enhancing our creativity that makes us different from others. It inculcates motivation in us that keeps us reminding about our aim in life. As I came across a lot of positive and negative people in my personal, professional and toastmaster life, because I myself is a positive thinker, I always go with the positivity. Positive people will inspire you with their positive thinking. They will always guide you in your personal or professional life. Here, toastmaster’s environment is full of positivity if we keep aside those very few negative energies in the corner. Conclusion: I learnt the lesson that we too always inspire others, create positive atmosphere in our surrounding that not only help us to grow, but also the entire community will grow with us. Keep inspiring to bring light into our dark lives.

Educational Update

Membership Update

TM Priyanka A. Gaikwad

TM Nubin Ansari

TM Masood H. Shah

TM Roy Skaria

TM Kaif J. Butt

WMC Toastmasters Club takes pride in welcoming its new members & reinstate member...

Happy Toastmastering!

Feature

GLIMPSES OF TOASTMASTERS HISTORY 1922 • Smedley accepts job at YMCA in Santa Ana, California • Organizes what becomes Club No. 1 of Toastmasters International 1924 • October 22: meeting of approximately two dozen men marks birth of today’s Toastmasters • Article published in YMCA’s national publication, Association Men; word spreads • Smedley is recognized for avoiding oratorical style of previous century; for keeping meetings simple 1926 • Second Toastmasters club chartered in Anaheim, California • Smedley writes Manual of Instruction (known later as The Club Management Handbook) • Smedley writes Ten Lessons in Public Speaking 1928 • “Toastmasters Club” trademarked 1932 • Toastmasters International incorporated • First president: Advertising Salesman J. Clark Chamberlain 1933 • First Toastmaster magazine published in April

1935 • First club outside the United States chartered in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada 1938 • Clubs reach 100-milestone 1940 • Smedley resigns from YMCA; becomes Toastmasters’ first professional employee 1942 • Smedley writes Basic Training, the “Bible” of Toastmasters 1946 • District 18 of Scotland is first organized outside of the United States 1949 • Clubs reach 700-milestone 1962 • First World Headquarters building dedicated in October 1965 • Educational Advisory Committee established • Smedley dies at age 87 1969 • New Communication and Leadership program introduced

GLIMPSES OF TOASTMASTERS HISTORY 1973 • Membership opened to women 1974 • Membership reaches more than 60,000 in 3,000 clubs in 41 countries • Toastmasters International celebrates 50th anniversary 1982 • Membership reaches 100,000 1985 • Helen Blanchard first female president 1989 • Membership reaches 150,000 1991 • Toastmasters headquarters moves from Santa Ana to Rancho Santa Margarita, California 1993 • Clubs reach 8000-milestone 1995 • First website launched 2004 • Clubs reach 10,000-milestone 2008 • Daniel Rex becomes executive director

2009 • Organization’s structure changed to 14 global regions • Membership reaches 250,000 in 106 countries 2011 • Brand, website, logo and tagline are refreshed and updated 2017 • Pathways launched in various regions 2018 • Headquarters relocates to Englewood, Colorado • Pathways fully implemented in May 2020 • Toastmasters/Rotary announce strategic alliance • Pandemic drives club meetings online; 83% soon go virtual • Free 2020 Public Speaking Webinar Series begins • Pathways becomes the official education program • First all-virtual International Convention/World Championship of Public Speaking® • Toastmaster magazine wins Folio national editorial awards • Toastmasters turns 96 • Toastmasters-developed education courses go live at Rotary International

Perspective

AS I LOOK BACK ! “ By and Large “ - the theme given by our Prabodha for an article in the forthcoming issue of Eloquence . I pondered over this and did a search for the exact meaning . Google says - "on the whole; everything considered". Still I am groping in the dark trying to put together an article and a promise is a promise ( though at times I have not kept it - at least in providing articles to our newsletter). So by and large let me deviate from this and share something from my life’s experiences. Here goes : 11 October 2019. The time was 630 AM - With me at the wheel , my Range Rover Evoque cruised over the Seef Highway. I noticed that my vision was blurry and the number plate of the car in front of me looked hazy. DTM Babu Ramachandran

I was on my way for duty to the Saar branch of American Mission Hospital. Shrugging off the fatigue which crept in, I slowed down and basically by instinct driving ( if there is a term like that ), I reached my place of work. Walking into the Emergency Room, I mumbled - “ Dr. Jayanthi - please check me. I think I have a fever “. “Doc, you are running a high temperature ( 39 degrees against a normal of 37 ), your blood pressure is 90/ 60 mm ( against my usual normal of 140/ 90 ) and your oxygen saturation is down to 80% from a normal range of 98%. Very critical signs especially when a doctor hears this. I knew that something was absolutely wrong. My will power kept me composed and I replied “ that’s fine. Do what is needed”. After half an hour I saw Mary and my children Deepu and Meera at my bedside. The nurses were running here and there, an intravenous line was pushed into my vein and an oxygen mask covered my face. Blood samples quickly revealed a severe infection. My colleague and close friend Dr. Ramakrishna walked in and announced “ Let’s admit him. Get an ambulance.

“ What ???? I refuse to go in an ambulance” - Doctors as patients can be very very stubborn. Mary insisted, I refused. The staff insisted, I refused. Finally Dr. Ramakrishna put me in his car and drove me to Manama AMH. He was tense , I was calm.... Leaving out many frills in this experience, let me continue. In the ward room where I was taken, I looked around and saw tense faces of my colleagues. Dr. Chellaraja came to my bedside. He sent everyone out. The subsequent dialogue went like this: “ Chellaraja, I am ok, right ? “ “No sir, you have a severe Pneumonia, you are in Respiratory failure going into septic shock. In 24 hours I will tell you whether you will live or die“. - Chellaraja never minced words. The diagnosis I heard was like a bolt from the blue. “ However “ Chellaraja continued - “ I will manage you here and we will bring you back “. Mary rushed in, held me close and prayed with great determination - “ My Lord will never leave you nor forsake you “she spoke with determination. Ten days under close monitoring. I was poked with needles and connected to tubes which sustained me. I was examined by almost all specialists ( except a gynecologists' ) to find the root cause of my illness The prayers, the wishes from my friends , the apt medical treatment with input from my colleague in Canada helped me bounce back to life. In that hospital bed as I saw death peering at me at times, I realised that there is a lot to be done. And in the days since then I continue with renewed vigour to reach out to others around me more than ever . Adapting the lines of of William Wordsworth “ For oft when on my couch I lie, In vacant or in pensive mood, Visions of those days flash across my inward eye And fill my heart with peace “.

By and large I have shared a few pages from my life. More to follow in the coming issues .....

A Summer Lesson! I was miserable when I came to Bahrain. Far away from home, strange land, salty water, heat, cold, winds and most important brown all over, everywhere. The drabness of brown coming from a town which had five rivers and more hillocks than you could climb, paddy fields stretching as far as your eyes could reach enveloped me like a cloak of sadness. All I did was count the days before I could go home. Growing up with four siblings and a large extended family I never knew what it was to be alone. Being alone made me feel afraid, as if I was an anchorless boat drifting on the waves. I couldn’t walk a street on my own, couldn’t imagine going grocery shopping on my own. I needed someone to be with me, chat, laugh as we went along. In school or college, one had friends to study with, play with, go out with. It’s when I got married and came to Bahrain that I realized that as an adult you are alone, and you need to do things on your own. I avoided doing anything on my own. Waited for Utham to be free, so that he could take me, be with me. Just having one person with me gave me all the confidence that I needed.

DTM Rekha Utham

They say we come alone and go alone from this world. I used to tell my mother wait till all the embers die when they cremate me. She used to laugh and say where am I going to be around. The thought of being alone always was intimidating. If I could paint or make a movie of my inner chaos when I had to do things alone it would be the funniest ever. My mind paces up and down, imagining all the scenarios that could do wrong. Then it would put a plan B for each of those scenarios and then think what could go wrong in those plan Bs. So, put plan Cs for those plan Bs and plan Ds for the plan Cs. Endlessly my mind would swirl around unimaginable circumstances. Eventually I would start off nervously but realize later that I managed the situation quite well. This May I made plans to join a cousin whose company I enjoy, on her holiday in Portugal. I was so excited that we would be renting a car and driving the breadth and length of Portugal. She would reach Lisbon from Chicago with husband and another set of friends in tow, and I would fly out from Bahrain to Lisbon. It all seemed straightforward and simple on WhatsApp chats. Then came the hitch. My Lisbon flight was waitlisted and as the days passed, it appeared that chances of it getting confirmed were also getting slim. Since your Schengen visa is from Spain why don’t you fly to Madrid and then go to Lisbon? My daughter suggested this. She said you can see on more city! I was excited. Before I even said a full YES, the flights to Madrid got confirmed! 15

While booking hotels in Madrid I realized that for the first time I would be staying in a strange city alone. All my fears, phobias, apprehensions all tumbled out of the padlocked box within my mind. The thing about fears is that they sit in the dark nooks and crannies of your mind, feed on any irrational thoughts and grow bigger by the second. To date I had never mentioned these fears to anyone! That makes it all the more difficult. To smile and pretend that it all is a breeze when within you is churning a molten lava eagerly waiting to spew out.

Every time I heard myself say “I will be in Madrid for three nights” I felt it was someone else speaking. I boarded the flight and lay back on my seat thinking so far so good. All arrangements had been made. I land in Madrid. The Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport as you can see from its name itself is the most confusing airport in the world with tough looking police everywhere and tougher looking immigration officials across the counter. My knees were shaking ready to give away. With a nervous smile I passed immigration and followed other passengers for baggage collection. They all stood in front of what looked a train station. I stood there frozen. What should I do? In all my plans A,B,C,D I had never envisioned such a scenario. Sweat was pouring down my back, my heart was pumping, my breath coming our sporadically. Should I follow these people? What if they are going somewhere else? The agony of that moment was excruciating. I was standing at the edge of an abyss, would never be able to cross that chasm, nor be able to stay at the edge forever. I took a deep breath and said a prayer to Ganesha. I felt calm after that. Out of that calm came the solution. JUST ASK someone!!! It was such a simple solution. All I had to do was ask. That was one solution which was never incorporated into to my plans A to Z!!

I straightened up myself, brought out a smile on my lips and edged closer the young person standing before me. “Excuse me, where will get our baggage from?” He turned around and smiled back! Honestly that was epiphany for me. He explained patiently that we had to get into a train, go to another terminal where our bags would come, and the exit was after that. Relief washed all over me like the cool waters of a river.I just followed him and got out of the airport where my cab was waiting. Throughout the next few days sightseeing in an alien city I learnt that if only I could drop my inhibition and fear and approach people and seek help the universe will provide the very assistance you need. I must confess this newfound insight was engrained as a principle only after few trials. The final clinching trial being me walking up and down and around a tuk tuk at the Royal Palace for 2 hours before deciding to go and ask the driver what the tuk tuk is there for!!! It was there for city sightseeing. I struck a deal and hopped on and had the best city tour of my life!! Added bonus was the photos he took of me with beautiful backgrounds!!

I was left with a residual sneaky suspicion that the tuk tuk guy may have overcharged me. But I consoled myself with the thought that how much more would I have paid a therapist without the guarantee of a cure to talk about these fears that freeze me up? The pleasure I get when I look at the priceless photos that he clicked itself makes up for that extra amount effortlessly. When you find yourself at a crossroad its best to ask. The boy in Charlie Mackesy’s book‘The Boy,the mole,the fox and the horse’ asks the horse “what is the bravest thing you have ever said?’ and the horse replies “Help” That brave word is what I learn this summer. To ask for Help!!! 17

2 hours….! Adult life by and large is consumed at “work”. We start working within two-five years after gaining adulthood. Depending on how we succeed in our years at school we go on to establish our “careers” working away from 9AM to 5PM for the next forty years or so! We stretch the boundaries because we must “fit-in”, “grow”, “learn” etc…and before we know it, we actively give away another hour or two to our eight hours routine and somewhere it becomes a norm to work for nine-ten hours. Without us realizing, an hour prior and an hour after adds to this “routine”, as we get ready in the morning and unwind in the evening. Depending on where we live, we also transit to and fro from our “routine”. By and large, we spend 54% of our time “working”. An average human spends seven-eight hours sleeping TM Sukumar Swaminathan which when added-up is 21 hours gone. If we add other essential activity such as eating, we lose another hour. A whopping 22 hours in a day is already spent and we have not even started with the time that we need to spend with our life partner, kids, parents, friends, our near and dear, our passions, self-development, exercise...it is them and those moments we spend with them or doing them which makes our other 22 hours happen effortlessly in the long run! If our family, near and dear, self-development and passions are not addressed first we will lose both sleep and peace! Yet, in all practicality we only have that much time to allocate to the most important people and things who put our life right on-track. Fellow WMCians and Toastmasters, lets take a moment and reflect! How can we make those two hours better? How can we improve the two hours that matters for the rest of our day and our lives more effective? I leave you with the thought… PS: People who run their own business would only work an hour or two longer so that subset of people are covered as well! By Sukumar Swaminathan

Stranded without Identity! “Travel teaches us as much as Books do”. On one such journey, I was taught a lesson of a lifetime. While returning back from a business trip, I was checking in to the airport going through all required formalities and then it happened ………….………..I lost my passport. On 2nd February, 2012 my birthday, the very day I was given an identity on earth, I was stranded in the airport without one. Let me take you through what exactly happened. Chatting with my colleagues I accidentally entered the wrong gate and put my hand bag along with my laptop bag in the entrance scanning belt. At the same time I was getting calls to wish me on my birthday. As I moved ahead within couple of minutes, I realized that I forgot to pick my laptop bag from the scanning belt. I rushed back and to my shock, the laptop bag lying there wasn’t mine. Mine had all important documents in it including my passport. Now when you’re in a foreign land passing through “security” losing your passport is not good news.

TM Ovin Crasta

I could recollect a person rushing with lots of baggage having a similar laptop bag in his hand but by the time I informed the authorities and the CID took action it was too late and couldn’t trace the man on time. Police guided me and lodged the compliant but I had to wait for the following week to get the lost report as it was a weekend and proceed with further action. With great hope, I entered the embassy and narrated my story. But all of a sudden the warm smiles that greeted me turned into frowns of suspicion. I felt like I was a criminal sitting there trying to prove my innocence. As instead of helping me in getting my passport…. probing and questioning of all sorts began. I was reminded of the famous dialogue Shahrukh khan; Bollywood superstar said in a movie and wanted to repeat it as, “My name is Ovin Crasta and I am not a terrorist” Please issue a temporary passport n let me go. As days passed by my kindle of hope began to diminish, it’s not like today where we can tweet our ministers and expect some action... This process was taking its own sweet killing time. But in this situation many good Samaritans came to my help my friends, relatives, colleagues and few strangers. Even though I was offered accommodation at many places I opted to live with my humble cousin with a great heart. 19

And believe me that crammed up dwelling gave me more repose and solace than a lonely room in a 5 star hotel would. Also, I have to mention this one elderly person at the translation office who saw that I was struggling with money as I did not have enough cash in the local currency. He said, “Son you are already in so much trouble let it be... God will help you to get through this difficult time.” These words coming from a total Stanger were like peace drops falling in my ears. But I was getting desperate now as there neither were any positive signs from the embassy nor from the person who picked my laptop bag, considering that my bag contained my business cards. However, when all the doors are closed one is always open. After our regular evening prayers my phone rang, on the other side was this stranger informing me that he is the one who accidently pick my laptop and he had my passport but he was more concerned about me returning his brand new laptop. Finally after talking some sense into him he handed over my bag with my passport to my sister in Mumbai. Now getting the passport back again to the country I was stuck in was a challenge due to security concern. But things fell into place my passport was sent with cabin crew of a flight coming to the place I was.

Ohhhhhhh the Joyyyyyyyyy I felt when I saw my passport. I could break into a little jig right there. Singing “Milgaya humko passport milgaya…” but I had to control; my emotions Finally I was given a green signal by the embassy and this time I was extra extra extra careful to keep my passport safely with me in my shirt pocket. I learnt few Lessons here To be more vigilant. However frequently you fly, always reach the airport before time, check for the right gate for any changes, avoid using your phone during the check-in and most importantly always keep your passport with you. Also I realized ·Angels are always around you in disguise ·Never take for granted even the smallest things ·Be prepared for any hurdle that comes your way 20

Believe it and you will see it ! This happened around 15 years ago. So 15 years ago when my husband got a company house, we shifted there, when I saw the house, I just thought about a garden because there was so much empty space in front of the house. And the next day I started to plant some seeds, it started to grow in a few days. After somedays it was my birthday and I said to my husband, I want to buy some plants from a nursery, and so we went and bought almost 20 plants. The next day my husband called a man to dig the holes in the ground. That man dug a little and then he stopped and said nothing will grow in this place because there are only stones and no sand. But I believed in myself, so I just said you just finish your work. He did his job and we paid.

TM Rajeswari Chouhan

Next morning, I planted all the plants. After about a month all the plants started to grow. Now the next step was to get a lawn in my garden. So we called a person again. He refused to do it at first but after he said if you want me service you have to spend 100bd, because the place is full of stone. We couldn’t afford it so we declined the offer, but i didn’t give up. Next morning, I woke up at 4:00 and started to dig the ground. My husband came outside and said why are you doing so much hard work, he said nothing will grow. I replied “Believe me It will grow”, after that my husband started to help me. And within 2 months the grass started to grow. The garden started to look very beautiful. But there was one garage and my husband decided to break down the garage and grow grass in that area too. However, I didn’t agree with his decision. And I said “If there is a garage that means in the future we will buy a car.” My husband started to laugh and said stop seeing such big dreams, we cannot afford a car. And I just said in a polite manner I still want the garage and he just said fine. You all won’t believe but after 2 years we bought our first car, Toyota Corolla. And after a year we bought our second car, Nissan Tiida. And we build a second garage for it. Life happens to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams!

Taking care of the elderly! There are a lot of things I will always remember, such as first day at primary school, holidays and birthday parties. These special moments are all linked up with some celebrations or turning points in my life. Although, these experiences are nice and great to remember, I have realized there are some beautiful experiences gained not only through special occasions, but also through everyday life. Such an experience for me was a voluntary work.

TM Mark Enjam

Many years ago, during the vocations I was working as a volunteer in a home for the aged called Rameshji. After a conversation with a nurse and a social worker, I was told my job was to talk to wards, take them out for walks and read them newspapers and books. All that might sound a bit boring, but just after a few days it turned out to be quite different. The wards accepted me as if I was their friend. They have told me their life stories and achievement the have accomplished, gave me many love advices and warned me from dangers that youth can bring.

I have learned so much from them. This was an amazing experience for me, not only because I was taught about life a lot but also because for some of them who do not have many visitors I was the only one who they could talk to. I gave them feeling of care and support and they have showed me that with great appreciation. However, I found out that it was them and their gratitude what made me so happy.

Reflection

Helen Blanchard, First Woman Toastmaster Helen Blanchard, a trailblazing Toastmaster who rose through the ranks of the organization to become Toastmasters International’s first female president, passed away on Saturday, May 11, at the age of 86. Helen began attending club meetings in 1970—a time when Toastmasters was still an all-male organization. That didn’t deter her, or the club she chose: Naval R&D Toastmasters in San Diego. (At the time, Blanchard was working at what was then called the U.S. Navy Research and Development Center in San Diego.) When a club leader submitted her membership application, they slyly disguised her gender, turning in the paperwork under the name “H. Blanchard.” “World Headquarters then requested my first name, and the club president asked me what kind of male name I’d like to use,” Blanchard recalled in a 2008 Toastmaster magazine article. “I told him I’d never thought about it. So the members decided to name me during Table Topics, and they came up with ‘Homer.’” By 1973, women were allowed to join Toastmasters, and “Homer” could go back to being Helen. Blanchard took on one leadership position after another in the organization, and in 1985 she was elected International President. Along with the Naval R&D club, she eventually joined two other San Diego clubs: Undersea Toastmasters and Excelsior Toastmasters, a club she started in the late ‘70s. Blanchard also achieved distinction in her professional career. She worked in a department of the Navy that tested sonar systems to identify if new torpedoes were hitting their targets, and she eventually oversaw 130 U.S. government employees responsible for providing support to Navy scientists and engineers. In 2008, Blanchard wrote her autobiography, Breaking the Ice. Whether thriving in the workplace or leading fellow Toastmasters, she says she lived by the motto “Commit to excellence.” Time and again, Blanchard wrote in Breaking the Ice, “I accepted challenges that made me reach far beyond my comfort zone.” Helen has been a mentor to hundreds of Toastmasters during the past 40 years, and an inspiration to thousands of men and women through her courage, her tenacity and her positivity. She will be greatly missed. (article courtesy, Toastmasters International website)

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WMC TOASTMASTERS CHARTERED IN 2003| KINGDOM OF BAHRAIN CLUB NO: 603459| AREA 14 DIVISION D| DISTRICT 20

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