Gary Jones (L) was the Rotarian of the day January 9th and asked fellow Rotarian Roland Herwig to be the program speaker and regale the club with memories of his youth. Born in Germany in 1943 during the height of WW II, Roland was told by his parents and relatives of being shuttled back and forth between the relative safety of a seaside cottage and his home near a highly targeted industrial complex. "It seemed I was born with a target painted on my back" he said, jokingly now. He remembers the wars end and the British dropping candy and gum on little parachutes as they flew over and the kindness of the relief workers posted there after the war. Roland's parents were circus and vaudeville performers and through contacts gained in this industry gained sponsors who eventually allowed the Herwigs to emigrate to the US. At the age of 10, Roland and his family boarded a commercial steam liner and headed to America. Many fond memories of that crossing are etched in Roland's memories as, being ten years old and basically having the run of the ship, he left no door unopened or stair unclambered. He remembers the ship docking and being able to see the Statue of Liberty and the road trip from NYC to Utah. Playing Cowboy and "packing" his 6-shooter cap pistol.
Roland vividly remembered watching the sky light up from their home in SW Utah when one of the White Sands Atomic Bombs was tested. The early life of a young boy from war-torn Germany who eventually became the spokesperson for the FAA in Oklahoma made for an entertaining half-hour program. Several questions were fielded regarding his early education, bullying, and related to the entertainment side of his family that had to be abandoned for the times being what they were. Roland promised a "rest of the story" segment to come at a later date and we certainly look forward to it.