In July, long-time St. Croix Rotarian Richard Grant will become the worldwide organization’s district governor for the Caribbean.
Grant, a 16-year member of Rotary Mid Isle and president of Premium Finance Co., has been named governor-elect of Rotary District 7020. The district is comprised of 57 Rotary clubs with 2,000 members from the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, St. Maarten/St. Martin, St. Barths and Haiti.
Grant will take over the one-year governorship in July. As part of the position, the Rotary district conference will be held on St. Croix in May 2002. About 500 Rotarians and their spouses are expected to attend.
Such gatherings are the beauty of Rotary, a non-profit organization of volunteers focused on community service that "goes across all boundaries," Grant said.
"What is fantastic is the networking you are able to do as well as working together," he said.
Over the years, Rotary Mid Isle has donated time and money to the Herbert Grigg Home for the Aged, the Bethlehem House Shelter and other community organizations. In his position as district governor, Grant will also be involved with projects on a wider scale in such places as strife-torn Haiti.
"Rotary does quite a bit in Haiti," he said. "We have several projects there."
Grant is married to Dr. Rita Dudley Grant and has a 15-year perfect attendance record at Rotary Mid Isle. As district governor, Grant will travel to all the countries throughout the district.
Rotary was founded in 1905 by Chicago lawyer Paul P. Harris, who wanted to kindle fellowship among members of the business community, according to the Rotary website. Harris and his colleagues rotated their meetings among the members' places of business, hence the name.
Now there are approximately 1.2 million Rotarians in more than 29,000 Rotary clubs throughout 161 countries.

As St. Croix’s Rotary West club was donating a much-needed piece of medical equipment to the Frederiksted Health Center, a long-time island Rotarian was named the worldwide organization’s district governor for the Caribbean.
On Tuesday, Rotary West presented the Ingeborg Nesbitt Clinic and Health Center with a $16,000 check to purchase a crucial diagnostic machine. Vivian Ebbesen-Fludd, the Health Center’s executive director, said the piece of equipment will, among other things, allow staff to analyze blood samples on site. The analyzer, which will be delivered in three weeks, was purchased by Rotary West using money generated by the club’s weekly bingo fund raiser.
"It’s a step in the direction we want to move the center," said Ebbesen-Fludd.
Meanwhile, Richard Grant, an 16-year member of Rotary Mid Isle and president of Premium Finance Co., has been named governor-elect of Rotary District 7020. The district is comprised of 57 Rotary clubs with 2,000 members from the U.S. and British Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Bahamas, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, St. Maarten/St. Martin, St. Barths and Haiti.
Grant will take over the one-year governorship in July. As part of the position, the Rotary district conference will be held on St. Croix in May 2002. About 500 Rotarians and their spouses are expected to attend.
Such gatherings are the beauty of Rotary, a non-profit organization of volunteers focused on community service that "goes across all boundaries," Grant said.
"What is fantastic is the networking you are able to do as well as working together," he said.
Over the years, Rotary Mid Isle has donated time and money to the Herbert Grigg Home for the Aged, the Bethlehem House Shelter and other community organizations. In his position as district governor, Grant will also be involved with projects on a wider scale in such places as strife-torn Haiti.
"Rotary does quite a bit in Haiti," he said. "We have several projects there."
Grant is married to Dr. Rita Dudley Grant and has a 15-year perfect attendance record at Rotary Mid Isle. As district governor, Grant will travel to all the countries throughout the district.
Rotary was founded in 1905 by Chicago lawyer Paul P. Harris, who wanted to kindle fellowship among members of the business community, according to the Rotary website. Harris and his colleagues rotated their meetings among the members' places of business, hence the name.
Now there are approximately 1.2 million Rotarians in more than 29,000 Rotary clubs throughout 161 countries.

Jose Antonio Boulogne, known as "Tonin" to his friends, of Ralph DeChabert Housing Community died Monday, Feb. 26 at Juan F. Luis Hospital. He was 50.
Funeral services will be held at noon Friday, March 2 at Samaria Envangelista in La Grande Princesse. A viewing will precede the service beginning at 11 a.m.
He is survived by his father, Pedro Boulogne Perez; daughter, Griselle Boulogne; son, Jose Antonio Boulogne Jr.; grandchildren, Jose A. Boulogne III and Enrique Omar Boulogne; sisters, Manuela Torres and Crisita Maldonado; brothers, Santiago, Jaime, and Angel Boulogne; nieces, Sindis, Yarie, Carmen, Maria, Emily, Aida, Edilia, Eliza, Evelis, Maria Luisa, Zaida, and Taliah; nephews, Angel, Adaberto, Jose M., Edmanuel, Edmanuel Omar, Eduan Jomar, Pedro Emil, and Jean.
He is also survived by his uncles, Javier Ramos, Rafeal Boulogne, and Juan Boulogne; sisters-in- law, Grecienca Donato, Maria Ester Ramos, Brunilda Santos; brother-in-law, Alberto Sanes; and many other relatives and friends.
Funeral arrangements are under the care of James Memorial Funeral Home.

On Saturday, exactly 60 Antilles School students, parents and chaperones will head across the Atlantic for an educational tour of Italy beginning in Milan and traveling as far south as Pompeii. The evenly divided group of students and adults includes two art teachers, a humanities teacher and five Italian speakers.
Their eventful itinerary covers the major destinations; Rome, Venice, and Florence, but also includes stops in Verona, the legendary hometown of Romeo and Juliet and at least two gentlemen; Bologna, home to Europe's oldest university, founded in 1088 A.D.; the Tuscan town of Siena; and the religious center of Assisi.
"The trip will be packed with experiences that will broaden the worldview of students growing up on a small island," said Joan Amerling, the school's development director. Although the days won't be filled with educational lectures, students will have the opportunity to experience history and see art and architecture that they have only been able to view in textbooks, she said. The group will visit such fabled sites as St. Mark's Square in Venice, the Uffizi art gallery in Florence, and the Vatican.
"To prepare for the trip the students took a crash course in Italian and viewed some slides to whet their appetites," said humanities teacher Roger Lakins. Lakins, who will accompany the group, said he hopes students will want to try the Italian cuisine. "My only rule is that they don't have the same flavor of gelato twice!" he said.
For the past seven years, Antilles has planned educational travel to Europe during spring break. In previous years the school has planned trips to Spain, France and Greece.
For some students, paying for the trip is not a problem, but others work hard all year babysitting or working part-time jobs to be able to afford it. This year a record number of students and parents are participating.

The Christian Education Committee of the Nisky Moravian Church is sponsoring "Youth Challenges," a youth symposium, at 7 p.m. Friday, March 9 at the church fellowship hall. All youth organizations are invited.
Panelists will include Glen "Kwabena" Davis, Warren Knight, and the Rev. Lennox Zamore of Ebenezer Memorial Baptist Church. Refreshments will be served.
For more information contact Cecilla Senthill-Harrigan at 775-7703, ext. 4914.

In advance of President George W. Bush's Tuesday night televised address, the V.I. Bureau of Internal Revenue has produced its own estimates of how his tax-cut plan would affect Virgin Islanders.
A table generated from the office of IRB Director Louis Willis and acquired by the Source shows that Bush's tax cut would result in $28.6 million more in the pockets of residents rather than in V.I. government coffers. Those in the lowest tax bracket account for more than half of that figure, through sheer numbers of filers in the territory — 33,549.
"What the president has proposed is a decrease in the tax rates, a shifting downward," said Gizette Canegata-Brown, acting deputy director of IRB. She explained that current tax brackets of 15, 28, 31, 36 and 39.6 percent would ratchet down to 10, 15, 25 and 33 percent.
The IRB table shows the smallest average savings under the plan, $287, would accrue to those in the new 10 percent bracket who are married and filing separately. The biggest chunk, more than $72,000 on average, would go to those in the 33 percent bracket who are single.
The average savings for a Virgin Islander, across tax brackets and filing status, would be $754, according to the IRB's figures. Broken down by tax bracket, the average savings for filers is as follows:
10 percent (33,549 filers) $405
15 percent (3,890 filers) $1,792
25 percent (300 filers) $1,388
33 percent (229 filers) $33,537
The biggest part of the total $28.6 million savings to V.I. taxpayers is in the lowest tax bracket of 10 percent; $13.6 million is expected to stay in the pockets of those filers. The group of taxpayers in the 15 percent bracket will keep just under $7 million total; those in the 25 percent bracket $416,355; and those in the highest bracket are expected to keep almost $7.7 million.
Finally, in terms of filing status, those who are married and filing jointly would realize the biggest savings: Across all tax brackets, they would on average keep $1,021 more of their income. But heads of households fare the poorest, realizing on average a little more than $471. The group of those who are married and filing separately could expect to keep $714 on average, while single filers would average $730 across tax brackets.

In advance of President George W. Bush's Tuesday night televised address, the V.I. Bureau of Internal Revenue has produced its own estimates of how his tax-cut plan would affect Virgin Islanders.
A table generated from the office of IRB Director Louis Willis and acquired by the Source shows that Bush's tax cut would result in $28.6 million more in the pockets of residents rather than in V.I. government coffers. Those in the lowest tax bracket account for more than half of that figure, through sheer numbers of filers in the territory — 33,549.
"What the president has proposed is a decrease in the tax rates, a shifting downward," said Gizette Canegata-Brown, acting deputy director of IRB. She explained that current tax brackets of 15, 28, 31, 36 and 39.6 percent would ratchet down to 10, 15, 25 and 33 percent.
The IRB table shows the smallest average savings under the plan, $287, would accrue to those in the new 10 percent bracket who are married and filing separately. The biggest chunk, more than $72,000 on average, would go to those in the 33 percent bracket who are single.
The average savings for a Virgin Islander, across tax brackets and filing status, would be $754, according to the IRB's figures. Broken down by tax bracket, the average savings for filers is as follows:
10 percent (33,549 filers) $405
15 percent (3,890 filers) $1,792
25 percent (300 filers) $1,388
33 percent (229 filers) $33,537
The biggest part of the total $28.6 million savings to V.I. taxpayers is in the lowest tax bracket of 10 percent; $13.6 million is expected to stay in the pockets of those filers. The group of taxpayers in the 15 percent bracket will keep just under $7 million total; those in the 25 percent bracket $416,355; and those in the highest bracket are expected to keep almost $7.7 million.
Finally, in terms of filing status, those who are married and filing jointly would realize the biggest savings: Across all tax brackets, they would on average keep $1,021 more of their income. But heads of households fare the poorest, realizing on average a little more than $471. The group of those who are married and filing separately could expect to keep $714 on average, while single filers would average $730 across tax brackets.

The Christian Education Committee of the Nisky Moravian Church is sponsoring "Youth Challenges," a youth symposium, at 7 p.m. Friday, March 9 at the church fellowship hall. All youth organizations are invited.
Panelists will include Glen "Kwabena" Davis, Warren Knight, and the Rev. Lennox Zamore of Ebenezer Memorial Baptist Church. Refreshments will be served.
For more information contact Cecilla Senthill-Harrigan at 775-7703, ext. 4914.

In advance of President George W. Bush's Tuesday night televised address, the V.I. Bureau of Internal Revenue has produced its own estimates of how his tax-cut plan would affect Virgin Islanders.
A table generated from the office of IRB Director Louis Willis and acquired by the Source shows that Bush's tax cut would result in $28.6 million more in the pockets of residents rather than in V.I. government coffers. Those in the lowest tax bracket account for more than half of that figure, through sheer numbers of filers in the territory — 33,549.
"What the president has proposed is a decrease in the tax rates, a shifting downward," said Gizette Canegata-Brown, acting deputy director of IRB. She explained that current tax brackets of 15, 28, 31, 36 and 39.6 percent would ratchet down to 10, 15, 25 and 33 percent.
The IRB table shows the smallest average savings under the plan, $287, would accrue to those in the new 10 percent bracket who are married and filing separately. The biggest chunk, more than $72,000 on average, would go to those in the 33 percent bracket who are single.
The average savings for a Virgin Islander, across tax brackets and filing status, would be $754, according to the IRB's figures. Broken down by tax bracket, the average savings for filers is as follows:
10 percent (33,549 filers) $405
15 percent (3,890 filers) $1,792
25 percent (300 filers) $1,388
33 percent (229 filers) $33,537
The biggest part of the total $28.6 million savings to V.I. taxpayers is in the lowest tax bracket of 10 percent; $13.6 million is expected to stay in the pockets of those filers. The group of taxpayers in the 15 percent bracket will keep just under $7 million total; those in the 25 percent bracket $416,355; and those in the highest bracket are expected to keep almost $7.7 million.
Finally, in terms of filing status, those who are married and filing jointly would realize the biggest savings: Across all tax brackets, they would on average keep $1,021 more of their income. But heads of households fare the poorest, realizing on average a little more than $471. The group of those who are married and filing separately could expect to keep $714 on average, while single filers would average $730 across tax brackets.

St. Thomas police on Tuesday arrested four persons who once sold tourist wares at Drake's Seat and charged them with trespassing at the scenic overlook. The four were protesting their eviction from the site by the V.I. government after a long battle that wound up in District Court — and continues to draw the interest of local politicians.
Deputy Police Chief Theodore Carty identified the four as Enrique "Chico" Perez, 51, of Lilliendahl and Marienhoj; Hector Rios, 40, of Lindbergh Bay; Gloria Todman, 44, of Frydenhoj and Iris Martinez, 46, of Lilliendahl and Marienhoj.
All four were charged with contempt of court. Martinez was also charged with trespassing. Carty said they were each placed on $1,000 bail.
Late Tuesday afternoon, judicial sources told the Source that the four were released after they were processed by police. They are to appear Wednesday before a Territorial Court judge for an advice-of-rights hearing.
Rios' brother, Evaristo, was one of two vendors who filed suit late last year in District Court asking that the V.I. government be held in contempt for violating a 1985 preliminary injunction that barred the government from evicting vendors from Drake's Seat. District Court Judge Thomas K. Moore ruled against the vendors on Jan. 26.
Earlier this month, at least five Drake's Seat vendors accepted a proposal from the Licensing and Consumer Affairs Department to relocate next to Vendors Plaza, according to DLCA Commissioner Andrew Rutnik. But some of the more than a dozen vendors who once peddled T-shirts, drinks and the like at the overlook refused the move downtown, the latest of a series of relocation plans offered by the government and turned down by vendors.
According to court documents submitted on behalf of the vendors, some pulled down as much as $1,000 a week at Drake's Seat.
Senate Majority leader Celestino White denounced the arrests Tuesday. "I am outraged that four individuals in this community would be hauled off to jail by police officers for trespassing at Drake's Seat," he said.
White questioned why local law enforcement officers moved against the protesting vendors when the charges against them apparently stem from a violation of a federal court order.
"This matter with Drake's Seat ended up in District Court and it should be known that the local jurisdiction cannot hold these people in contempt," he said. White questioned whether the federal court barred the vendors from not only selling at the scenic overlook but also visiting the site.
White said Tuesday he is prepared to join several of his colleagues who have pledged to seek an override of the governor's veto of legislation authorizing a return of vendors to Drake's Seat.