Legacy of Service | Cliff Dochterman

 

About Cliff Dochterman

Cliff Dochterman served as the World President of Rotary International from 1992-1993. His professional career was spent in the field of higher education administration. As a youth, being motivated by his brother, Cliff became part of the Boy Scouts of America where he obtained the rank of Eagle scout. He has also received the Silver Beaver and Silver Antelope awards as well.

 

Interview Transcript of: Legacy of Service | Cliff Dochterman

 

Alan
Welcome back. I’m here today with Cliff Dochterman. Cliff, welcome to the show.

Cliff
Thank you,

Alan
I Cliff, give me some of your background of the pathway that you followed in life. And as you’re looking back and reflecting what do you want people to know you for?

Cliff
Well, I’ve spent my major career was of cars with in higher education. I worked at the University of California at Berkeley for some 20 years, and also the University of the Pacific over and stopped in California for another 20 years. And in between with the National Education Commission of the States, where we consulted with governors and with state legislators on educational issues around the country. So that was where I spent most of my professional life was as a teacher for nine years. And then as an administrator.

Alan
What helped you decide that you wanted to work in higher education?

Cliff
Well, actually, I went to both law school at the University of California as my graduate program, and then decided that I just wasn’t that strongly interested in practicing law, but that I had this desire of working with young people on college campuses and, and I had an opportunity to go to work, they gave me a job for a year. And it lasted for 20 years at the University California. So that was a change in my career at that early period of time. But I found that a very, very satisfying life to spend it in the atmosphere of a college or university.

Alan
Cliff, I imagine that as you’re working with students at this stage of their life, they’re they’re trying to plan out what they’re going to do for the rest of your life as an education administrator, it must have been really rewarding.

Cliff
Yes, it’s certainly as an all college campus has a cycle. And each year, you bring in a whole bunch of new students, and you have a chance to watch them grow. And it’s really a satisfying thing to see. Some students that come as probably the greenest students that ever walked on the campus. And a year or two later, they’re running for student office, or they’re taking a lead in athletic programs or drama or music programs. And you see them bloom. And it’s really a great satisfaction.

Alan
Are there any standouts of kids that you follow through life students have?

Cliff
Oh, yes, I have. There’s a number of students that I hear from from time to time and getting a greeting card from and I see them in business and professions. From time to time as I go to meetings around the state or go to activities. They will come remember me I was a student. You are my advisor when I was a freshman or something like that, oh, it’s very rewarding.

Alan
I’m visiting here today with Cliff Dochterman. And Cliff is spent his entire career in higher education and working with individuals helping them to get ready for life. Clip when we come back, I want to talk about your distinguished career in rotary where I understand you had the opportunity to serve as the International rotary President. Yes, I did. And we’re running up against the break time. Okay, so take a quick break and we’ll be right back after these messages.

Alan
Welcome back I’m here today with Cliff Dochterman and we’ve been talking about clips career and in higher education. But along the way, you decided to follow another path and become the international rotary president. So tell me about your involvement with red we had you first get involved.

Cliff
Well Rotary, of course is a volunteer To activity in your life, I was in Berkeley working at the University of California when a friend of mine invited me to join the Berkeley Rotary Club. I was young, I didn’t know much about a service club. But I was just so pleased to be invited to join with what was at that time the leaders of of the community, virtually every business and profession was represented in the Rotary Club and to be able to go to lunch once a week and set beside the men and women who are really leading the community was a great privilege, I thought it was a great opportunity to get to know people. And gradually as you get involved, you realize that there’s more than just the fellowship and the friendship, there’s opportunities to serve. And if you will work hard enough, maybe you can make a difference in the lives of people in your community. And as it stretches around the world.

Alan
I’ve heard different numbers of the number of Rotarians today. By some accounts, someone said there’s 1.2 million,

Cliff
Yes, there are 1.2 million Rotarians around the world. And there are about 34,000 communities that have Rotary Clubs, probably rotor de weed would say, is the most international organization with Rotary Clubs in 200 different countries and geographical territories around the world, all dedicated to the idea that serving other people helping others. And the idea of you do it with friendship. And because of that friendship, you reach out and try to help other people.

Alan
So Cliff, you took it, you took a pathway that led you into the president, international president of Rotary. How did that come about?

Cliff
Well, I never thought when I first joined Rotary, I thought I was going to lunch once a week. But more as you get involved, I was finally the club president and then became the district governor of an area in Northern California. And then one thing led to another that you became involved. And finally, I was selected an international director. And from that point, you’re eligible to be the world president of the organization and I was selected in 1992.

Alan
How has rotary benefited you in your life?

Cliff
Well, Rotary has given me a whole insight in the opportunities as I traveled the world, probably well over 120 countries. And seeing opportunities, seeing that there are places that each of us can serve, that there are people that need us. And there’s so many different activities. I remember I when I was the world president of going over to Croatia, to try to help the refugees from the Bosnia and Herzegovina war, civil war going on. And a newspaper reporter there in Croatia, Zagreb, Croatia said, Who are you helping? Are you helping the Serbs? Are they of the Muslims? Or the Bosnians? Or the Croatians? Who are you helping? I suppose I don’t know. When you see a little child that’s hungry, and cold and freezing. You don’t ask what their religion or what their national origin, you help them because you care, because they need somebody. And rotary is that kind of an organization, we reach out to try to touch and make the world just a little bit better.

Alan
And visiting here today with Cliff Dochterman. Cliff has run a distinguished career in higher education. And along the way, he he became the international rotary President clip. We’re running up against a break right now. When we come back to I want to get into your involvement with the Boy Scouts. Yes. And I understand that they now have an award called the clip document award. And we’ll get more into that after we come back right after these messages.

Alan
Welcome back. I’m here today with Cliff Dochterman. We’ve been visiting about the years of glyphs life where he’s spending his successful career in higher education, and also served as rotary president for the International rotary organization. 1.2 million members in 1982. And 9292, excuse me, 1992. And equipped. You’ve also been involved with the Boy Scouts. Yes. Tell me about how you got involved with the scouting organization.

Cliff
I had a brother who was a year and a half older than I, and he was in the boy scouts. And I could hardly wait till I became a Boy Scout. This is back in the depression years. And when I was growing up in Ohio, and so on my 12th birthday, a neighbor gave me the 50 cents, so I could become a Boy Scout membership, have a membership. And I became a tenderfoot Scout, but I was going to catch up with my brother. And I went to summer camp, I went on every hike and everything and trying to achieve the rank of Eagle Scout. And I finally reached that before I reached my 14th birthday, actually. And it was a great achievement. And so I actually started spending summers working in Boy Scout camps for year after year and taking leadership eventually as I had my own son, and he wanted to be a scout and I took an active role as president of the Scout Council. And working on the national jamboree is as the leader of the western region, that’s some 5000 boys that a national jamboree was a pretty good responsibility.

Alan
What year were you over the western region?

Cliff
I was involved, those will be in the mid 70s about 70 farrier three. The one that I went to first was moraine state park up in Pennsylvania and then to AP Hill in Virginia. Those I was the leader of the Western nation.

Alan
So as you have a by the way, getting your ego before your 40th birthday, no small feat.

Cliff
Well, when you can join it 12 It’s working right along because there’s time sequences. And so it was about as early a time as anyone could do it.

Alan
Well, so as you have you been involved with scouting and in throughout the years you’ve you’ve been working with youth most of your life. That’s right. I understand that there’s a clip document award that the Boy Scouts now award. And can you give me some back on how that came about?

Cliff
Well this award was established on the centennial of Rotary International for Rotarians, men and women who have taken a special interest in Scouting programs, and was established as a recognition for people who were involved in Rotary, but combined that with their service to youth through through the scouting program, and it’s rather embarrassing, I have to say to present the certificate with your own picture on it. But it is a very nice recognition. And I’m pleased to know that a lot of men and women have received that award. I was at a Rotary International World convention in Salt Lake City a few years ago, and I was walking down the hall and a man came and said, click Dr. Mike looked at my name badge clip document. He says I have a scouting award called the clip Dr. Mentor award. I thought you must have been dead years ago, whether it was an honor to have an award named after you for to recognize people who reach out and serve the young people of their community through scouting.

Alan
And I just pulled up a press release that was handed to me as we were doing. Today’s taping and it talked about Savannah Morning News did a press release at the savannah Rotary Club honored Tommy cardif the scout executive at the coastal Georgia Boy Scouts with the cliff doctrine award. So this is not just into a local area. This is throughout the United throughout.

Cliff
The United States. It was originally established by a group called the fellowship of rotary Scouters of Rotarians, men and women who take an active role in helping you through scouting.

Alan
Now Cliff, as you’ve as you’ve served throughout your life, you’ve seen a lot of different things. But what do you want to be remembered for when, when everything is said and done?

Cliff
Well, I don’t know that I have any big desires, I just have a feeling that I like to be would like to be remembered as someone who did a job when it was there to do have often talked to kids, the biggest thing about that you’ll learn in life is to do a job, when it has to be done, when it has to be done, whether you want to do it or not. If it has to be done, somebody ought to reach out. And that’s your responsibility as a responsible individual. So I’d like for kids to take have a belief that they can do something that they can become much more than they ever think they can be. And if that’s their achievement, then it’s a great satisfaction. I’ve always a great satisfaction to see young people that I’ve known when they were going to college or been in my classes or something of that nature to see them successful in their life, having good families, having good, good children and raising people in a responsible manner. That’s the greatest satisfaction anyone can have, I believe.

Alan
So it seems to be focused on family and doing your best through life.

Cliff
I think so because everybody has to build their own life. But you have to have a basis. And you hope that comes from your family, from your parents, from your church, from your scouting group, from your school, from your coaches, from your music, teachers, all of these have an impact upon young people. And I think that to have a chance to be one of these kinds of leaders during your lifetime is a rare opportunity and a very rewarding kind of occurring.

Alan
You know, Cliff? If people want to get involved in helping the scouting organization, what advice would you have for them?

Cliff
Well, there’s opportunities for for men and women in the scouting program. It can be as simple as merely helping out in a local Scout Troop. To be a leader to be an advisor to help with merit beds counseling, it can be reaching out into leadership positions, Scout masters den families, it can be on executive boards, but a Scout Council can be working in summer camps can be supporting the scouting with your financial contributions and support or even gifts in kind that Scout camps and scout organizations need. So there are many opportunities you can get involved at virtually every level that you can imagine. And it is a very, very satisfaction satisfactory experience to know you’re touching and hoping to strengthen the lives of young young people so that they become growing up into responsible citizenship.

Alan
I’ve been visiting here today with clip document he’s had an expiring career in higher education, but also more than that giving back serving with Rotary International and the scout organization. Clint, thank you for being on today’s show. My pleasure to be with Bobby be right back after these messages.

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This transcript was generated by software and may not accurately reflect exactly what was said.

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