January 08, 2002   *   vol. 1 (25)

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vol. 1 (25)   *  January 08, 2002

Rotary N Blues                                   Editor Edward Gaerlan

      He was inducted on November 6, 2001 as a new member, sponsored by PDG Ces Mendoza; he became a Paul Harris Fellow, and a lifetime subscriber of the Philippine Rotary Magazine all at the same time. He showed so much potential. Least did we expect that we would lose him so soon. He ended a long battle with the big C - Cancer of the bone (am not sure if this were a primary bone cancer, or a metastasis or spread from a primary one elsewhere in his body), on December 22, 2001. His body was cremated on January 2, 2002. Goodbye Rtn. Paul Winfred Clapp.
     Paul was born on September 20, 1948 at Waterbury Conn., USA. He worked as a photographer from 1970-1974 at Kranzten Studio in New York City. He later joined the US Air Force and worked as electronics warfare technician from 1974 to 1994. During his school days from elementary to college he had been active in clubs and organizations that were geared towards learning and understanding various cultures, customs, and part of which had been rendering help to handicapped children. His good

heart had surfaced at an early age. After his retirement he had been assisting several hospitalized patients financially, and he was yet sponsoring two college students before his untimely demise.
     We noticed his physical handicap, but hardly did we discern from his aura any tinge of remorse from pain or any fear in his eyes of an imminent death from cancer. In his almost two moths as a Rotarian he willingly joined us in our meetings, shook hands and smiled to almost everyone in the club; participated amiably in our friendship sessions; and in our Anniversary he gamely donned a Hawaiian-inspired polo shirt following the motif. However, during those times that he was absent, he silently had to slip to St. Luke's Medical Center for his regular chemotherapy.
     Paul knew the gravity of his illness, but sickness did not stop him from living a life and sharing it wonderfully to others. As he clearly wrote in his abridged data: "As a guest of the Philippines, my biggest challenge today is to fight my cancer and at the same time help as many people as I can".

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