Long-time Rotary Club member Grant Marinos enjoys the projects and connections to youth the club has, he told members of the Weyburn club on Thursday.
He was the third in a series of “legacy” speakers, as the Weyburn Rotary Club prepares to celebrate their 100th anniversary in the city this spring, and he shared his life story and observations about the work of Rotary.
Marinos was known for many years as a local businessman as owner of Marinos Optical, and has been involved in many organizations in the city over the years.
He was born in Moose Jaw, attending Ross Elementary for Grades 1-8, and A.E. Peacock Technical School for his high school years, quipping, “It’s great I finally got through there.”
He worked for Imperial Optical, and in his mid-20s, they wanted to open a branch in Weyburn and he was asked if he could be store manager for the new location. Marinos agreed, and thus began his residency in Weyburn to the current day. After he retired as a business owner, Factory Optical asked him to work for them at their location in the City Centre Mall, which he did for four years until he retired.
Marinos joined the Rotary Club, and from the start, there was a lot of involvement with clubs from other cities, something he would like to see more of in the future.
“When I joined, it was a lot different from today. We used to learn a lot about Rotary then, and we did things with the clubs from Estevan, Moose Jaw and Regina,” said Marinos.
“The thing about Rotary is we do a lot, and a lot of people don’t know about it,” he added, pointing out the effort to eradicate polio in the world as a major plus of the Rotary Club’s international projects.
Marinos also loves the youth-oriented programs of Rotary, such as the foreign exchange student program, and the Rotary youth leadership camps (or RYLA).
“We send kids to other countries for a whole year. I think if you talk to them, it’s the best time they’ve ever had,” he said, adding of the students who’ve taken part, “They’re very good ambassadors for our country.”
He shared a story about how Rotary also helps members when they encounter difficult or even tragic circumstances in their lives and travels. He told of a Rotarian who travelled to Palm Springs for a holiday with his wife, and in a tragic accident, the man’s wife was killed.
Marinos called the Rotary district governor in Winnipeg, and they in turn contacted the local district governor at Palm Springs, and they were able to help the Rotary member through this tragedy, including helping get his wife back to Canada for interment.
“Even the police chief was a Rotarian. So it’s something you don’t realize you can do. There are Rotarians all over the world, and if you need help, give them a call,” said Marinos.
When he first joined, he was given a declaration that he had to make as a businessman, as he had to pledge to have the highest ethical standards in his vocation, and be fair in all of their business dealings with honesty in their advertising and with their customers.
The new members at one also had to know the “Four-way test” of Rotary, and to know what it means, said Marinos.
Other groups Marinos was involved with over the years included being a member and a past president of the Young Fellows Club, a past president of the Weyburn Chamber of Commerce, and a member of the Toastmasters Club, along with being a vice-chair of the Weyburn Hospital board, and more recently, he has been involved with the Weyburn Hospital Foundation, and with Travelodge in their golf tournaments raising funds for health care needs.
He noted at one time, Weyburn hosted field trials for hunting dogs, and they had dog handlers converge from all over North America to take part in the competition.
“I enjoy Weyburn and I enjoy Rotary,” he said, adding a suggestion that the Weyburn club could take on other projects if they worked with other clubs, like they do with the Golf Ball Drop in conjunction with the Estevan club.
Rotary member Mal Barber pointed out that a young man Marinos took under his wing here, Ian Weir, went on to B.C. where Weir owns a chain of optical outlets.
The Weyburn Rotary Club will be hosting their centennial celebration with a special supper and program on Friday, April 3 at McKenna Hall. Tickets are now on sale for this celebration, with a cost of $40 per ticket.
