Corvallis, OR — Addressing her vast courageous experience in the face of Apartheid prejudice and violence in South Africa and serving on the medical team performing the first ever heart transplant in 1967, international leader and speaker Dean Rohrs will be featured at a free lecture open to the public at Oregon State University’s LaSells Stewart Center on Tuesday, February 7 at 6:30 p.m.
Dean has had a varied career from being subject to many of the conflicts, acts of violence and abuse as the result of the South African apartheid to her service as an Operating Room Nurse on Dr. Christiaan Barnard’s first heart transplant team, to running a Nursery School in Malawi. She has been a moderator or workshop panelist at many Rotary international, regional, district and zone conferences and conventions. However, her best experience is continuing to lead teams to Africa and seeing how this volunteer experience changes their lives.
Dean grew up in Zambia and after marrying her husband, Reinhold, lived in Malawi, Namibia and South Africa. The Rohrs family to include three children emigrated to Canada from South Africa 26 years ago. They are long-time Rotarians and are present members of the Rotary Club of Langley Central in the Vancouver area of District 5050. Together with Reinhold, the accomplished artist and professional ceramicist now own and manage a company that is involved in soil stabilization during road construction.
The hour-long event will also include local Rotary clubs celebrating the 30th anniversary of women in Rotary by introducing a nomination period for the first annual Joanne Kersey Innovative Leadership Awards. Kersey, the past Chief Executive Officer of Oregon State Credit Union, was the first local female Rotarian joining the international service organization in 1988.
