Rotarians and Us
As President of the Hayward Area Historical Society, it is a passion of mine to write and talk about the continuum of history. The future is being born in the present. The present was born in the past. With that, the periods of time stream together in a constant and integrated flow of human activities. It is out of that flow that we discover the characteristics that influence the ways in which we live our lives. This includes the lives that we live here in Castro Valley.
In 1841 the namesake of our town – Don Guillermo Castro received a land grant from Mexico for 28,000 acres. Much of that grant has evolved into what is now our town – Castro Valley. At the time of this land grant a book was published in France. It was written by a French aristocrat by the name of Alexis de Tocqueville. He wrote about his travels in embryonic America of that time. He discovered that America was developing new approaches and characteristics that were disparate from those that were dominant in Europe. We were experimenting with simultaneous pursuits of freedom, justice, and equality. Conflicts existed within this formula, of course, particularly regarding the turpitude of slavery. Eventually, through the brutality of the Civil War, emancipation and manumission would occur. it would be dissolved. With that, the nation would survive. Tocqueville’s observations would be titled “Democracy in America.” They remain classical in insight, as well as contemporary.
In addition to the aforementioned observations, Tocqueville noted that people in America were developing new tools in the building of our nation. Among them were the frequent forming of associations. They were like immaculate conceptions, occurring with volition to deal with the needs of community building and related factors. With time, they were imbedded in the culture and conditions of communities throughout our country. One of the most noteworthy has been one that has not received the recognition that is deserved. It is that of voluntary organizations, such as the Rotary Club. They are ubiquitous in all 50 states. The good they have done in thousands of communities for millions of people is exceptional in scope. As it is true in these myriads of locations, it is true here in Castro Valley.
We are now in the anniversary year for the Castro Valley Rotary Club. It is 70 years old. It has done multifarious good deeds to build our town and make it a good and healthy place to live. The contributions of their members for seven decades have been large. They have been in the giving of both time and money. When there is a community need, they are often first in line to volunteer. They are the type of organizations with the type of people that Tocqueville identified long ago as being critical to character and community building in America. At age 70 – my gratitude is great to all of those who have been members of the Castro Valley Rotary Club and have given so much to make our community the good place it is today. It is a great club with great people.
