Rotary Club swears in first African-American President
The Beaumont Rotary Club made history July 1 when it inducted its first African-American president, Kevin Roy.
“I got involved with the Rotary Club about 15 years ago through Dr. Robert Swerdlow at Lamar. He told me a little about the organization and I joined and I’ve been with the organization ever since,” Roy said.
Roy is a graduate of Lamar University Beaumont, and a former board member of Catholic Charities of Southeast Texas. Roy is the president of Interflow Factors. He is a member of St. Jude Thaddeus, Beaumont.
“We want to do our part to address illiteracy issues and hunger around the world and around our community. Anywhere where we can do some good on a community level or even an international level we want to give it a shot,” Roy said.
Roy said that he was asked last year if he would be able to serve as president and he was deeply honored.
“I’m fortunate that when I was asked I was in a position to serve and it was such a surprise and honor to have this organization that I’ve been a part of for so long think of me for this position,” Roy said.
Rotary is a worldwide organization of business and professional leaders that provides humanitarian service, encourages high ethical standards in all vocations, and helps build goodwill and peace in the world.
“A lot of people don’t know that there are 1.2 million Rotarians around the world. The Beaumont Rotary club is the 60th largest Rotary club in the world and a lot of people don’t realize how big we are and how much of an impact we can have on the community and on the world,” Roy said.
