Page 8 - February 2017 Voices

were all friends. It was a family.” he was many times in Washington, D.C. with
I asked Don to share some of his personal Edith Green, U.S. House of Representatives.
history. Stan Swan spent his career assisting politicians and
“I grew up on a dairy farm and also a poultry helping the public. He retired and spent his free time
farm in northern Washington,” he said. “We also raising flowers and playing golf. (1987 press photo).
had pigs and horses. As the interview came to a close, I asked Don
“I was married to my first wife for 62-1/2
years. I’ve been married to June for about 8 or what were some of his fondest Toastmasters
9 years. Between us we have six kids, so we all memories over the past 63 years.
get together occasionally.” “Friends really,” he said, “it’s the friends
“We live on 3-1/2 acres here in Gresham.” you meet during that period of time. They just
I asked if he had recruited any of his kids welcome the opportunity to say hello and shake
or grandkids to become Toastmasters. He said your hand. That means a lot to me.
he’s tried, but so far no one has taken him up “Toastmasters has been of value to me over
on his offer! the years. There have been doctors, money
Don doesn’t remember how many times management individuals, preachers—a number
he’d worked his way through the Compentent of them have been very knowledgeable and
Communication manual. Unfortunately, he had helpful to me in my life.”
a fire eight years ago that burned his manual I asked Don who he would like to touch in the
collection. He knew that Toastmasters has records
of his accomplishments if he really needed them. world, given his long history with Toastmasters.
So far he hasn’t needed them. “The individual who would probably get more
When I shared that I had my own pile of old use out of Toastmasters is somebody who is just
manuals, he advised, “If you go through those coming out of college or high school and has a
manuals, one at a time, you’d have a better job. Someone who wants to increase their salary.
education than if you’d taken speech in college.” You have to push yourself to get out there.”
We switched gears and began talking about Don’s final words to everyone were “stick to
the leadership track Toastmasters offers. it. Finish your manuals, and you will come out
“When people come in,” Don commented, better in life.”
“and the company knows they‘re in Toastmasters,
that’s showing leadership right there. They seem
to get recognized more often, by the company
for the help then can give, and their careers go
much further.”
I asked Don to share about some of the
people he’s coached and mentored over the
years who went further in their careers because
of Toastmasters. “I could name half a dozen or
so,” he said. He mentioned a couple by name,
and I’ve added a little background on each.
Ross Morgan, senator from Salem was the
first he mentioned. Mr. Morgan was elected to
the Oregon Senate in 1967; he procured the original
funding to build Mt. Hood Community College, for
which he was named the school’s first “patron saint.”
Ross left the senate in 1969 to become administrator
of the employment division for the State of Oregon. He
was later elected national president of the Interstate
Conference for all 50 state employment agencies,
based in Washington, D.C. He later became an
administrative law judge; was state chairman of the
Employment Appeals Board and was a 30-year state
of Oregon retiree. A lifelong member of Toastmasters
International, Mr. Morgan had a remarkable career as
a persuasive public speaker. (Funeral notice published
in The Oregonian on September 2, 2009.)
Stan Swan was in the Democratic Party, but Don’s 90th Birthday Party - April 11, 2014

8
VOLUME 3 ISSUE 6 DECEMBER, 2016 VOLUME 3 ISSUE 8 FEBRUARY, 20178