Remembering Charlie Wilson

Today was a special day for our Achievers club and District 13 Toastmasters. We honored longtime Distinguished Toastmaster Charlie Wilson. We started the meeting at 2pm and some of our best Toastmasters got a chance to speak about the legacy that Charlie left in the District. Mike Dalton spoke first and talked about their longstanding friendship. November 1991 at the Fall Conference was how far back Mike knew Charlie. They served on the District Trio. Many others got the chance to speak on how Charlie touched their lives. Some from State College talked as well. Charlie was a fixture in clubs out there, like Pingers, Nittany, and the State College chapter.

Melissa McGavick gave the best testimony about how well she knew Charlie. It was hard not to hold back tears over hearing how special his friendship was to her. He helped her with her speech as she was running for Lieutenant Governor of Marketing. She won the nomination and served on the trio with some exceptional leaders in the District. She’s also thinking about planning a nice thing for the new DTMs since we didn’t get to run the gauntlet this year at Spring Conference. Patti Thor and Michelle Teague did a great job planning this event. We have some wonderful leaders in District 13. A big thank you to all the guests we had today who came to hear about how special Charlie was to us all.

The meeting went very well. Two great speakers and a nice PowerPoint by Virda in honor of Charlie Wilson. If Achievers had a theme for today’s meeting, it would be called “Remembering Charlie Wilson”. My best memory of Charlie Wilson was that he was a regular at the District conferences. I first met him in the summer of 2011 at an Achievers meeting. He and Mike Dalton were both speaking. It was a summer picnic at Moraine State Park. I was barely two months into my Toastmasters journey. I thought he did a great job up there on “stage”. I also remember him competing at all the District contests. He was very polished and very well dressed. I’m proud to have had him in Achievers and I learned a lot just from hearing him. Charlie, you will be missed and your Toastmasters legacy will be honored.

Here’s to a great week. Live your best life. Be your best you. ROCK out because you are worth it. Don’t be afraid to try something new.

Make this week lovely. Bye everyone. ❤️ you.