Rotary in History
First in a Series
In 1938 the world was not a friendly place, especially in Europe, and most especially if you were Jewish and living in Austria like 17 year old Edith Muhlbauer. Edith lived in Vienna, and watched in fear as the Nazis began to round up Jews throughout the city. She knew that it couldn’t be long until she was among them. She needed to do something, but knew she needed help.
Muriel Roberts was also 17 and living in a small town in England. Her father was the town grocer. Her family did not have much – Muriel and her younger sister, Margaret who was twelve at the time, lived in a cold water flat above the store.
As it happened, Muriel’s pen pal was Edith Muhlbauer. Edith wrote Muriel and asked her to help her escape from Austria. Without the money to bring Edith to their home, Margaret thought that they could go with their father, a member of the local Rotary Club, and ask for help in getting Edith out of Austria.
With the help of Rotary, enough money was raised to successfully bring Edith to England where she stayed with several Rotary families, including the Roberts, for the next two years. Edith later went to South America to join other relatives. While she stayed with the Roberts family, she slept in Margaret’s room. She is now a grandmother living with her family in Sao Paolo and is grateful to Muriel, Margaret, the Roberts family and Rotary for saving her life by putting “Service Above Self.”
Later, when speaking about her experiences, Edith said, “Never hesitate to do whatever you can for you may save a life.”
And whatever became of Margaret Roberts? She went to college, became a chemist and a barrister. In 1951 she met and later married her husband, Denis Thatcher, and then in 1979 became the first female prime minister of Great Britain, winning three elections to that position and being a major force in world politics for over ten years.
An honorary Rotarian and Paul Harris Fellow, Mrs. Thatcher had this to say about Rotary:
“Rotary was very much a part of my life and my early upbringing and if I have been able to do some good things it is only really because I have been able to carry on what my father started.“I came to have such a high regard for Rotary because I know that whenever I call on Rotary to help in connection with any good cause or anyone who is urgently in need, that help will always be forthcoming wherever you are in the world.”