“Through friendship, to leave this world a little better than we found it.”
While this could well be a slogan of Semester at Sea, it is actually the motto of the Circumnavigators Club. The Circumnavigators Club is the only organization devoted to bringing together those men and women who have circumnavigated the globe. Fall 2011 Lifelong Learners Lion and Donna Curran are both members, and after the completion of our own circumnavigation tomorrow, every participant of this voyage will be eligible to apply as well.
The Circumnavigators Club was founded over 100 years ago by James H. Birch, Jr., John D. Morrison and E. H. Patterson. The crown jewel of travel, circumnavigation used to be a privilege available to very few, and the club’s impressive roster reflects this. Yet with the advent of air travel and globalization its membership has extended to successful professional people in all fields.
“The Club’s purpose is to encourage global fellowship and understanding. It strives to inspire people to see and absorb as much as they can about the world in which we live. It is devoted to providing those who have circumnavigated the globe with a forum for intellectual exchange.” Source: www.circumnavigators.org
This purpose of the Circumnavigators Club is fully in line with Semester at Sea’s mission of creating global citizens. It acknowledges the unique opportunity of being able to circumnavigate the globe, one with which we were able to provide every participant of the Fall 2011 voyage. Its fourteen chapters around the world hold events that promote intellectual exchange and build relationships across cultures.
Lion and Donna are not only familiar friendly faces around the ship, but also hold significant roles within the Circumnavigators Club. Donna is the President of the Philadelphia chapter, and Lion is a Founding Member of the same chapter. Each has traveled extensively and is an ardent supporter of the benefits of cross-cultural understanding. They live out the club’s motto every day they are on the ship, and have certainly made our world a little better through friendship.
To be eligible for membership, prospective members are asked to trace on an application how they circumnavigated the globe. The route must cross all the meridians of longitude. They must be sponsored and seconded by members, who submit written letters of recommendation to the Board of Governors, which makes the final approval. Donna and Lion have graciously offered to talk with any members of our voyage who are interested in applying.
For more information, please see: http://circumnavigators.org/
