Dip the guidons, an Infantryman strikes camp.

Today I'm attending a funeral.

For this man, Royal Brown.

Sure, there will be grief, but, like the funeral for my mother, this one will be a celebration of a life well lived.

Let us take the measure of the man:

Royal Brown was born June 21, 1917, in Herington, Kan., the son of Royal and Celia Baxter Brown. He died June 10, 2007, two weeks shy of his 90th birthday.

He married Bettye Collard of McGehee, Ark.

He was an infantry officer who served in three wars. He saw foreign service in China, Burma, India, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and Canada, where he was the director of instruction at the Royal Canadian School of Infantry. His decorations include the Legion of Merit with an Oak Leaf Cluster, the Bronze Star for Valor with three clusters and the Combat Infantry Badge with two stars.

Royal also was an honorary member of the Royal Highland Regiment, and proudly wore the Black Watch tartan. He is in the Infantry Hall of Fame.

A fascinating fact new to me was that Royal was aide-de-camp to Bess Truman at the funeral of President Harry Truman, and served as the military escort for the Truman family at the funeral of President Dwight Eisenhower.

But his military service wasn't enough for Royal. Like my father has done, Royal simply slipped from one avenue of service to another. A less dangerous one, perhaps, but one which has had great and direct impacts in our community.

I can't put it any better than is in his obituary:

Brown’s commitment of service to his country and community did not end with his military retirement. As executive director of the United Way of Leavenworth County for 14 years, he was instrumental in helping to engage the community in understanding significant local issues; identifying the underlying causes; and developing strategies to pull together financial and human resources to address them. Under his leadership, the United Way of Leavenworth County focused on helping children and youth success; improving access to health care; and promoting self-sufficiency for the people of this community.

Brown was honored as Leavenworth “Citizen of the Year” in 1981. He was a founding board member of Neighborhood House, Leavenworth Hospice, Saint Vincent’s Clinic, S.T.A.Y. and Leavenworth Area Development. Brown was the first chairman of the Civilian Advisory Council of the United States Penitentiary, and served in that capacity for a number of years. He was also active on committees for the Community Center and the Leavenworth Public Library. Brown was active in both of Leavenworth’s community hospitals. He served as chairman of the Board of Trustees of Saint John Hospital for a number of years, and volunteered at Cushing Memorial Hospital, where he and Bettye were “Volunteers of the Year” in 2006. He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Leavenworth-Lansing Area Chamber of Commerce and a long-time Chamber ambassador. He relished welcoming visitors to the area as an ambassador at Kansas City International Airport. He was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Leavenworth and an active student of the Bible.

Brown also entered city government and was a strong and progressive member of the Leavenworth City Commission. He served as mayor of the city of Leavenworth for two terms from 1976 to 1984, during which he planted the seeds for the 20th Street Trafficway; oversaw the widening of 10th Street; and began renovation of the Riverfront Community Center. Brown was chairman of the Leavenworth Human Relations Commission. He was appointed by Kansas Gov. John Carlin to the state’s Governmental Ethics Commission and served at the governor’s pleasure on the Blue Ribbon Committee on Professional Negotiations. Brown was instrumental in establishing the Small Cities Advisory Council of the U.S. Council of Mayors. He served for three years on the Board of Directors of the League of Kansas Municipalities, and served on several committees of the National League of Cities.

Brown was a proud Rotarian, serving as president of the Leavenworth Rotary Club and district governor of Rotary District 5710. At the international level, Brown held membership on two consultative committees, and was on the membership development committee of Rotary International. He was a delegate at Rotary International’s Council on Legislation in Caracas, Venezuela. Royal was a Paul Harris Fellow. He and Bettye endowed multiple Paul Harris Fellowships supporting international scholarships and educational and humanitarian programs around the world.

I can't improve on that except to say that if I had a mentor in Rotary, it was Royal Brown.

We are not diminished by his loss - for he left us a legacy of strength. In character, in relationships, in service.

Royal Brown was the embodiment of the 4-Way Test of Rotary:

"Of the things we think, say or do:

1. Is it the TRUTH?

2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?

3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?

4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?"

Now is the time at Castle Argghhh! when we dance: In Memoriam.