By Kaitlin Candelaria
Lindy Martin has perfect attendance at the Vestavia Hills Rotary Club — a feat that wouldn’t be nearly as impressive if he hadn’t been a member for over 40 years.
Martin is a charter member of the club, which meets every Friday at noon. If members are unable to attend a meeting, they are given the opportunity to “make up” that meeting at another location. In 44 years, Martin has had many makeups.
“One of the good things about Rotary is that if you miss, you can make up at another club, and that gives you the opportunity to meet some Rotarians other than just the members of your club,” Martin said. “For instance, I’m going to be gone this Friday, so I did a makeup at the Shades Mountain club on Monday.”
There are over 50 clubs in the area and Martin estimates that he has spoken at every one, he said. As the former chairman of the extension committee, Martin was responsible for the founding of nine of those clubs.
“I just enjoy going to Rotary,” Martin said. “It’s good in Birmingham just to get to know people from other parts of town.”
Martin has done some interesting makeups in areas other than Birmingham as well. He has meetings in New York City, Atlanta, Savannah, Ga., and most recently Vermont under his belt. His most interesting makeup took place in Switzerland, he said.
“It was just a chance to hear how Rotary worked in Switzerland,” Martin said. “It’s very much like we do it — the same programs and type of things that we do.”
Martin also takes pride in Rotary’s accomplishments both locally and nationally, he said.
Since 1979, Rotary has reduced polio cases by 99 percent around the world thanks to the combined efforts of clubs like Martin’s. A new project Rotary is now working on is providing clean water to impoverished countries.
“Rotary Club is important to me because of what it does and what it’s been able to accomplish,” Martin said. “We’ve got projects everywhere, especially in poorer countries.”
He is also a fan of the opportunities that Rotary Clubs provide for students, such as the group study exchange, he said. The program gives American college graduate students the chance go to foreign countries, which will, in exchange, send students to America.
When he’s not at Rotary Club, Martin is the senior adult minister at Mountain Brook Baptist Church. He is a retired dean of students and golf coach at Samford University. He and his wife, Sue, have six children and 12 grandchildren. ϖ