Rotary Club of New York's

Traveling Ambassador

Bill De Long

Bill De Long receives Rotary International's Service Above Self Award. To Bill's left is President 2001-2002 Helen Reisler and to the right of Bill is District Governor 2002-2003 Bob Benson, who presented the award to Bill on behalf of the Board of Directors of Rotary International.

 

 

 

The engraved Service Above Self Award from Rotary International has Bill De Long's engraved name and the engraved signature of Rotary International President 2002-2003 Bichai Rattakul.

 

 

Click here to read the letter to Bill DeLong from

Rotary International President 2002-2003 Bhichai Rattakul

 

 

 

 

Bill visited children victims

of the Chernobyl Disaster

October - November 2002

Our traveling Rotarian, 81-year-young Bill De Long came back from a trip to Belarus in 2002. He had visited children victims of the Chernobyl Disaster in 1986. Bill was visibly shaken by this trip. The following photo tells the story:

 

 

Here is Bill's handwritten note at the back of the photo:

 

 

We admire Bill’s courage to go to the Chernobyl area. Especially as many people stay away, because it is so terrible.

 

 

Bill De Long in Mongolia

 

December 2001

Bill De Long at 80 years of age and retired, traveled to Mongolia by himself and spent December 2001 in Ulan Baatar (the capital) helping the charitable organizations Christina Noble Children’s Foundation and Lotus Children’s Center.  Bill said that the children started to call him papa. He rejected that and told them he was to young to be called papa. He asked them to call him Uncle Billy instead. The children from ages 3 to 8 kissed him and crawled all over him, fighting to sit in his lap. It brought tears to his eyes. Everyone wanted a photo with him. Bill used up so many disposable cameras that one store in Ulan Baatar ran out of them. After one month, Bill took the Trans Siberian Railroad to Moscow and flew home from there. Do you think Bill needs a rest after such a trip? You bet! Bill said that he is going to the South Pole on vacation. He then left on a boat heading south that will make its first stop in Peru on February 1, 2002.

 

 

Bill and District Governor 2003-2004 David "Sully" Sullivan