Mention the
name “Karl Righter” to many Toastmasters in this state, and you’ll most likely
hear the response “Oh yeah, the Bombproof Humor guy” or “He’s the main roaster
every year at the conferences, right?” or “That’s the guy who’s always
impeccably dressed and always has something funny to say. Sure I know
him!” Members of his clubs, the Orlando
Conquerors and The Winter Park Toastmasters will tell you of Karl’s devotedness
as far as attendance for the past nearly fifty years. They’ll most likely tell
you how friendly he was to anyone and everyone he ever met. Mention Karl’s name
to me, and I’ll give you another story.
I first saw
Karl, more than 40 years ago. My dad
brought me to a conference in Daytona Beach in 1973, where Karl stood at the
head table, addressing the crowd as District 47 Governor. He was impressive…as
close to James Bond as I’d ever seen. He
made the crowd roar with laughter. My
dad didn’t speak of too many people as “heroes” at that time, other than Earl Nightingale,
W. Clement Stone or Zig Ziglar. When dad
included Karl Righter to his list, he got my attention. This would be a man to
watch!
Many years
later, I moved back to Florida in 2005 and finally got to meet Karl at an Area
contest. Later that day, I went to see my dad, who was in an assisted living
facility, struggling with the onset of dementia. He couldn’t remember my mom or most other
things of his past, but when I mentioned I met “Karl Righter”, he said “The
District Governor?” And then his face lit up!
Getting to know Karl better, I began to understand why.
Karl
impressed me, not only as a humorist, but as a leader. When I joined the Orlando Conquerors, I
learned quickly that Karl was always insistent that members were dressed for
business and acted professionally. If
you didn’t wear a tie…he told you. If
you said anything inappropriate, he’d surely let you know. And if you DARED to
say an UM, boy did you hear the glasses in the room get dinged! Following each meeting, he’d make sure to
attend almost ALL of the sessions of “The Last Word”, because he hated to see
an evening with his friends come to an end.
He’d also open his home to his friends several times a year to gather
for parties, whether it was the annual beach party, a New Year’s party or a
Super Bowl party. What can I say…he
LOVED to party!
Karl once
told me that he never worried about using old jokes in his speeches or roasts. He said “It’s a lot easier to find new
audiences, than it is to find new jokes.” No matter what the words were, the magic was always in his
delivery.
At our
recent Fall Conference, it was the first time in 48 years that Karl was not
present at the annual roast of our Immediate Past District Governor. He asked me to deliver some jokes in his
name. It was easy to remember his
material, but so difficult to stand in his place. It was the first time I felt
lonely on the stage without his presence in the room.
A few weeks
later, after Karl’s battle with pancreatic cancer finally ended, a party was
held, per Karl’s instruction, to gather once again his dear friends. I was
honored to join Karl’s wife, Julie Kane, Carson Shaffer, John Nuccitelli, Nancy
Hoehn, Jordan Camenker and others, to share our heartfelt thanks for the many
ways Karl has enriched our lives.
I’ll bet
most of you reading this, have seen the classic Christmas move, “It’s a
Wonderful Life.” There’s a line in the
movie when little Zu Zu tells her dad, “Listen daddy! Teacher says that
whenever a bell rings, it means an angel has been given its wings!” On that note, I’d like to believe that
whenever we hear the clink of glasses, that Karl Righter has heard an angel say
“UM.”
Although the
season of remembrance, of forgiveness, of love has passed, I hope we always
remember the man Karl Righter was, may we forgive any trespasses he may have
made and may we always love the laughter and joy he imparted on us during his
life. Here’s to you, Karl!
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