The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1953-10-02
HYDE'S DISTRICT
GOV. OF ROTARY
HAS FULL SLATE

One of the busiest men in busy
Engelhard these days is P. D.
Midget, Jr., who is manager of
Pamlico Power & Light Com
pany and District Governor of
Rotary International for the
northeastern district of North
Carolina.
Mr.. Midget, besides directing
the local power company, is busy
with official visits for the 38 Ro-
tary clubs in his district, which
stretches from Alamance Coun-
ty to the Atlantic Ocean. To date,
he has officially visited 10 clubs,
exactly half of the route he ex-
poets to complete by December
Is.
His schedule for September
called for II such visits, or al
most three a week. Originally, he
had planned to complete the Of
fetal visits by Thanksgiving, but
some changes have been neces-
sary, and it will take him an ex-
ira couple of weeks to wind up.
Mr.. Midget, a charter member
of the Engelhard Rotary Club,
has been president of his home
club three times.
The new District Governor,
who took Office July l, was a
member of the Smithfield, Va,
Rotary Club from 1880 to 1888.
At that time he was employed by
Virginia Electric Power Com
pany, for whom he worked nine
years.
AS District Governor, Mr.. Mid
gett is responsible for the present
years administration of the Ro-
tary's Student Exchange pro-
gram, by which selected students
of various countries are given
scholarships to study in other
countries.
This program for several years
has been one of Rotary Interna-
tional's main projects. Rotarians
are proud of the project, which
fits so well Rotary's aim to adj
vance international understand
ing, good will, and peace through
world fellowship.
When his tour of official visits
is completed, Mr.. Midgett's real
ly busy time as District Governor
will be just getting under way.
Various ones of the 38 clubs will
be calling on him to attend spec
ial events. He will, of course, at
tend as many of these as possible.
But his big job will be pre-
pairing for the District Confer
ence scheduled in Rocy Mount
February 14-15-16 and for the
training assembly to be held in
the late spring.
AS District Governor, Mr.. Mid
gett is charged with the admins
tration of his clubs, and the Dis
trict conference will be taken up
with the business of the district.
The training assembly will
come after the election of new
club officers for the 1954-55 year,
and will come as near the time
of their assuming their new Of
fices as possible.
This two-day training period is
to indoctrinate the new presi-
dents and secretaries in their
work.
A similar training period on the
International scale was attended
by Mr.. Midget at Lake Placid,
New York, last May. 1t is an an
nual week-long training period
for new District Governors which
has left an indelible impression
on Mr.. Midgett's mind. Of it he
says:
''Next to my wife and child
rem, it is the greatest experience
of my life. If you stacked a mil
lion dollars in front of me and
gave it to me to take away that
week, I'd tell you to take the
million dollars away. Money can't
buy that sort of thing, as far as
I'm concerned"
Hyde County's most prominent
Rotarian said that only Rotary
could accomplish such harmon
ious meeting of men from all the
free countries of the world on
such high planes of endeavor.
During the assembly, which
used a different seating arrange
ment for each session, he sat by
District Governors from Brazil,
Singapore, Australia, India, Ar
gentina, Norway, Kinland and
Iceland.
Stating that he was pleasantly
amazed by the high type of men
who attended, Mr.. Midget said
that most of the District Cover
nors talked at least English in
addition to their native tongues.
And, he said, there was never any
trouble in conversation, for if
any two people couldn't con-
verse directly, there was always
L i