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'Humility, Integrity, and Selflessness'

Ralph Diliberto is honored by the Rotary Club

(Editor's Note: Watkins Glen High School guidance counselor -- and Rotarian -- Nancy Loughlin presented a moving speech at the Watkins-Montour Rotary Club Thursday leading to presentation of a Paul Harris Fellow award to Ralph Diliberto, a lift coach and health mentor for students and adults at the school. Loughlin's remarks follow.)

I would like you to contemplate the significance of these three words: humility, integrity, and selflessness. The gentleman whom I am introducing, Ralph Diliberto, exemplifies these three entities.

Selflessness: every morning he gives of his time to work with the infirm, the old, the young, the less than able without remuneration for himself. It is never about him. He works with athletes at the request of the coaches and by his own encouragement. He works with the teams in the morning, right after school, and late afternoon and early evening at his home workout area. When he hears about someone who has become less able because of a temporary or chronic illness, accident, or life-threatening condition, he immediately thinks of how to work with that person to restore physical strength, quality of life, and personal dignity. Recently a young student was diagnosed with cancer; Ralph said quietly one day that he was working on a plan for a soccer player. Those simple words pack a lot of power and emotion and love for humanity. We all understood what he meant and remained quiet and respectful of where Ralph was in his thinking. One day he announced that he was charging us for the training, a quarter for the day; all proceeds will go to that student. He heard about a young man in Trumansburg who had fallen off the back of a pickup the week of his high school graduation. Ralph worked with him as he recovered. The one goal of this young man was to walk to receive his high school diploma. Five years after his class had graduated, this young man walked across the stage to receive his diploma.

Humility: It is never about Ralph. Two years ago, Ralph said to me after a Rotary meeting, I can work with you. I can make you stronger. And I thought about Jeremey Brown, who is a handsome young man, but I knew that I did not want to look like Jeremey Brown. Later during the next school year, I joined the group that works out in the morning under Ralph’s tutelage. Training with Ralph strengthens a person’s physical condition, but even more importantly it strengthens the mind, the spirit, and the soul. He has created a culture where the old and young spot each other, cheer each other on to greater weights, play games with each other, and laugh at and with each other. Kate LaMoreaux calls it a sickness that we have because even though we say we want to miss leg day or reverse grip day, we know that we will not miss. What we would miss is more than the physical training; there is a fiber so strong that binds us together. We notice when one person is missing. Ralph is not materialistic. He is a Jersey boy, 1953 vintage. He grew up on the streets with little means. He taught us a game entitled "punchie" which is baseball without a bat and with a blue racquetball.

Integrity: Ralph has created a culture which he encourages each person to embrace and to enrich. He corrects behavior unacceptable to him with one or two words; he truly is a man of few words, but each word packs a lot of power. I have heard, “English, please.” “You need to be coachable to be a coach.” “You’ve turned the corner.” “Today is going to be tough.” “You’ve turned the hand of time.” “PG.” “We got to mix it up a little.” “We got to confuse the muscles.” “Magic fingers.” “Don’t give up.” “Trust me.” Ralph honors each person’s humanity; he never demeans another; he models what he expects; he does what he expects; he not only talks the walk, he walks the walk; he chooses simple words that have a deeper, more than the obvious meaning when he corrects and when he encourages. Ralph remains steadfast to his faith and to his belief in all people. He craves working with all people; he is blind to the differences that society has created to separate one group from another. He wants those that society has forgotten, ignored, or ostracized. He wants to make them physically strong, but even more importantly mentally and spiritually strong.

Ralph, today Rotary recognizes you with an honor named after our founder Paul Harris, who said: “If every man could be induced to think of his business as his opportunity for contributing to the progress of mankind, the world would be a better place.” $1000 has been donated to the Rotary Foundation; because of you, Ralph, more children will be immunized against polio; more people will have shelter for safety; more doors will open for women to get education; safe water will be more readily available for a village. I know that being singled out is not who you are and what you want. This Paul Harris Fellow honor is for you and for people across the world whose life will have been improved because of who you are.

I am proud to present to Rotary our newest Paul Harris Fellow, Ralph Diliberto.

Photos in text:

Top: Ralph Diliberto accepts his award as Rotary District Governor Mark Wyse observes in the background.

Middle: Rotary District Governor Mark Wyse completes the introduction of Ralph Diliberto as Nancy Loughlin, who became too emotional to finish, listens.

Bottom: Ralph Diliberto listens to Loughlin's speech as Tracie McIlroy, another of his lift students, watches him.