Lynn ‘reads’ to local Rotarians

Published 3:34 pm Monday, July 13, 2009

Robert L. Lynn, has many accomplishments and credentials, but chose to share his poetry at a recent meeting of the Rotary Club of Greene and Putnam Counties. He is the author of more than 300 poems and is a member of the Georgia Poetry Society and is the editor of “The Reach of Song,” an annual poetry anthology of Georgia Poetry Society. His verses have appeared in numerous publications and journals and he has won many poetry prizes.

As Lynn has been a Rotarian for 30 years, he chose to read many of his Rotary inspired poems to the Rotary Club. One selection was “When Rotary Accepted Women,” which elicited a round of applause from all Rotarians. Following is an excerpt from this poem: “When Rotary accepted women, he was 84 years tardy; When clubs were merely male- Just think of golden deeds that went unextended, Children who slept hungry, Minds that stayed ignorant, Ills minus a cure, Goodness not granted, Woman’s love unexpressed, Laughter, joy infrequent, Dreams and visions never spun, Details going untended, Young leaders unbuoyed, Lovely countenances missed, Elegance, charm so spare …”

It should be noted that until 1989, the Constitution and Bylaws of Rotary International stated that Rotary club membership was for males only.

In addition to his success as a poet, Lynn earned degrees from Oklahoma Baptist University (B.S.), Southwestern Baptist Seminary (M.R.E.), Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism (M.S.) and University of Oklahoma (Ph.D). A news editor for 10 years, he then pursued a career in college administration at Oklahoma Baptist University and Louisiana College, where he was president for 22 years before retiring to north Atlanta in 1997. He is married to Dr. Bonnie Moore Lynn and they are the parents of two children and grandparents of five.