By JULIANNE HOMOKAY
Special to the Alpine Mountaineer
On September 21 on a mild, quiet afternoon, as soft, gray clouds floated overhead and musician Michael Gonzales played Beatles favorites on his guitar, a friendly and hopeful crowd of over 20 gathered at Arrowhead Ridge to witness the unveiling of a Peace Pole, sponsored by the Rotary Clubs of Lake Arrowhead, Mountain Sunrise and E-Club of World Peace. On this International Day of Peace, a United Nations-sanctioned holiday, the serene setting was peaceful indeed.
The Peace Pole. (photo by Julianne Homokay)
As Michelle French, Assistant District 5330 Governor, wrote in the Alpine Mountaineer dated September 10, “The Peace Pole is more than a monument – it is a call to action to live out Rotary’s values of service, compassion and unity. Each time we pass by, it will remind us of our shared responsibility to create a kinder, more peaceful world.”
District Governor Nyron McLean opened the ceremony by welcoming the crowd with inspiration: “Rotary members have dedicated more than 250,000 Peace Poles worldwide. Peace Poles serve as a silent, visual reminder of what could be, if we hold each other to a higher ideal.”
McLean then introduced the other Rotarians in attendance: Judy Zulfiqar, Immediate Past District Governor; Rudy Westervelt, Past District Governor and member of the E-Club of World Peace; Richard Lemire, District Governor-Elect; French; Jeri Simpson, President, Rotary Club of Lake Arrowhead; and Richard Savich, President, Rotary Club of the Mountain Sunrise.
Simpson then spoke from a place of gratitude, thanking the Rotary clubs, the crew from Roy’s Painting (owned by French’s husband, Roy French) for erecting the pole, Gonzales and the local media. Most especially, Simpson wanted to acknowledge the San Bernardino Mountains Land Trust for donating the site. She explained that the Rotary clubs were originally contemplating placing the pole in Arrowhead Village, but they decided Arrowhead Ridge would be a more appropriate site. “So many people come here,” she said, to hike and be in nature.
Shortly thereafter, “this is the moment everyone’s been waiting for!” said Zulfiqar. McLean unveiled a sleek, streamlined white pole with black lettering, featuring the phrases “May Peace Prevail On Earth” and “May Peace Prevail In Our Communities” in English, Spanish, Tagalog, Hawaiian, Mandarin Chinese, Hebrew, Vietnamese, Korean and also in Braille. Savich then spoke the phrases to the crowd in Serbian, his native language.
Gonzales performed two songs during the ceremony: “Let There Be Peace On Earth” by Jill Jackson Miller, Ricky Dillard and Sy Miller, and John Lennon’s “Imagine”; the lyric Imagine all the people, living life in peace a fitting theme for the succinct and moving event.
What would “peace” look like to the attendees? “People would stop fighting,” said Linda. “I think just being tolerant of others,” said Jenny. Roy French added, “I like what she said! In today’s climate, we need it bad.” “When the world is in flames around us and democracy is at risk, it’s only in peace that we will get through this for the society, for the human race,” said McLean.
The UN General Assembly established the International Day of Peace in 1981, and in 2001, “designated it as a period of non-violence and cease-fire” (un.org). Rotary is a “global network of more than 1.2 million neighbors, friends and leaders” who “volunteer their skills and resources to solve issues and address community needs” (rotary.org).
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