Rotarian Carolyn Franks to become District Governor

Pittsburg native and Rotarian Carolyn Franks will be established as the District Governor of Rotary International District 5830 during a ceremony to be held at the Whatley Center for the Performing Arts on June 25.

Her pathway to this position of honor has been strewn with the proverbial thorny roses, but Franks has not only smelled the roses along the way, but has also scattered their pleasant scent about her.

Franks first interaction with Rotary was during her years in high school when her principal took her to play the piano while the Rotarians sang.

Though she left her roots for a while, they called her to come back, and in 1973, she returned to Pittsburg and became an insurance agent, working with her mother Billie until she passed.

“That was not my calling,” Franks said matter-of-factly. Quitting the insurance business, she became a teacher at PISD.

Only men were allowed to be Rotarians until 1989 and though her husband Tom Franks was a member for several years, Carolyn didn’t join until 1998.

It was during that year that she took a leave of absence from PISD where she had been teaching for several years, and joined a group of Rotarians traveling in Tasmania.

“It was life-changing,” Franks said. “I didn’t want to teach anymore; I wanted to join Rotary. Really, I became a part of Rotary before joining the club,” she smiled. “I saw so many things they did, not just locally, but on a global level.”

Resigning from her teaching position, she went to work for the Northeast Texas Community College where she remained for 23 years becoming the Director of the Whatley Center for the Performing Arts.

Becoming more and more interested in Rotary and what they accomplished, Franks was asked to be the Assistant Governor for the then-current District Governor in the early 2000’s. She held this position for two District Governors, getting to know more people in her travels.

“That is one of the best things in Rotary,” Franks said “the friendships you make.”

When Franks was invited to run for District Governor for the 2022-2023 year, “I did, and was so glad to get to do it,” she said.

This position, though enjoyed for only one year, requires three years of training. The district of which Franks will be governor is composed of 41 clubs and over 1,500 members across northeast Texas, southeast Oklahoma, and southwest Arkansas. As District Governor, she will travel to and visit each of these local clubs in the next year.

Franks is already involved in several local organizations including membership on the Pittsburg-Camp County Library board, the 20th Century Club, the Camp County Historical Commission, Director of the Whatley Center for the Performing Arts, organist at St. William Laud Episcopal Church, organist and choir director at FUMC, and even chair of an arts-presenting group spanning four states.

During her teaching years, Franks also taught choir and started a piano program at the Pittsburg junior high which program eventually included the high school. Now students can start their piano journey at junior high and continue into high school thanks to Carolyn Franks.

She is a charter member of the Pittsburg-Camp County Arts Council and served as Assistant Director for several years, and has been awarded the Community Builder Award by the Frank Sexton Lodge No. 206 and was also the Chamber of Commerce 2002 Woman of the Year. During 2001 – 2007, she served on the Pittsburg Economic Development Tourism Committee and included her home on the Candlelight Tour of 2018.

Franks attended the International Rotary Convention during June 4-8 and held in Houston this year. The president-nominee for 2022-2023 is Jennifer Jones from Canada, the first female president in the organization’s 115-year history.

Rotary’s defining goal this year is Imagine Rotary. But there are several focuses of the organization, the foremost historically being the eradication of polio.

Partnering with the Bill Gates Foundation, Rotary has been a moving force behind the near-eradication of polio on the global scene.

“One of the main goals is to get rid of polio in the next few years,” Franks explained. “I want to encourage all the clubs in the next year. Our [Pittsburg] club traditionally gives every year to the Rotary Foundation in getting rid of polio locally and world-wide.”

“Most of the money we give is spent on what it’s given for, not on administration,” she added. “We have some costs, but we have one of the best ratings as a charity.”

Another focus that Rotary plans to adopt is the elimination of child slavery. At the convention, Franks heard a representative of India explain that there are roughly 150,000 children world-wide that live as slaves, and Rotary plans to get in the fight.

“I want to promote the fact that we are not just Pittsburg, Texas, but that we can join with Rotarians all over the world,” Franks explained.

While attending Rotary International, Carolyn Franks heard a quote that stirred the strings of her heart:

“Together we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change across the globe in our communities and in ourselves.”