District History | Toastmasters District 68

The Story of District 68 Toastmasters

District 68 began operating on July 1, 2026, with Ed Champagne of New Orleans serving as its first District Governor through June 30, 1964. Before that point, the area now known as District 68 was actually part of District 29. Over its comparatively brief existence, the District has built an impressive record of Toastmasters achievements.

Early years saw limited participation and enthusiasm, with club counts rising and falling and generally hovering in the low twenties. By 1978 only eighteen clubs remained, prompting Toastmasters International to deliver an ultimatum: District leaders were told the District had two years to rebuild or it would be merged into another District. That warning sparked a determined response from District officers, and the resulting turnaround produced accomplishments rarely seen in Toastmasters.

A Legacy of Distinguished Districts

The comeback started with Dr. Elmer Wagner, ATM, in 1978-1979, when he guided the District to Presidential Distinguished District. Harold Parker, DTM, followed with a Select Distinguished District rating in 1979-1980. In 1980-1981 Dr. James Garber, DTM, returned the District to President's Distinguished District, and Richard Welch, DTM, repeated that honor in 1981-1982. Gene Reyes, DTM, then led District 68 to President's Distinguished District again in 1982-1983.

Across that five-year span, District 68 earned four President's Distinguished District recognitions. The District ranked #1 in the world in 1981-82, #2 in 1982-1983, and #7 worldwide in 1979-80. Those years established benchmarks that later administrations used for setting goals.

Pauline Harvey, DTM, carried the President's Distinguished District tradition forward in 1990-1991. Grant Burgess, DTM, took up the challenge again and led the District to another President's Distinguished District for 1997-1998. Ann Campbell, DTM, and her 1998-1999 team repeated the feat, giving District 68 back-to-back President's Distinguished District recognition. Sammie Mackenzie, DTM, achieved Select Distinguished District in 1987-88, while Jerry Lauzon, DTM (1986-87), Darrell Andrist, DTM (1988-89), John Haley, DTM (1991-92), and Carolyn Sanders, DTM (1993-94) all reached Distinguished District status.

Hosting and International Convention Highlights

District 68 hosted the Region VIII conference in 1982 and 1983, and served as Host District for the 1976 and 1997 International Conventions. In 1997-1998, the team led by Chairman and PDG Harold Parker, DTM, produced one of the finest International Conventions ever held, while District Governor Grant Burgess, DTM, led the District to the top District award. According to Toastmasters International, that combination had never before been achieved in Toastmasters history, and members take great pride in this special accomplishment.

In 1998-1999 Ann Campbell led the District back to President's Distinguished District, and in 2000-2001 Gene Reyes guided District 68 to Select Distinguished District. Carolyn Nix returned the District to Distinguished District status in 2001-2002.

District Governors Through the Years

Later District Governors included Jim Chandler (2002-2003), Bob Donlon (2003-2004), Randy Conley, DTM (2004-2005), Heather Doucet, DTM (2005-2006), and David Breaux, DTM (2006-2007).

In 2007-2008, District Governor Tony Moreno, ACS, CL, identified and planned for what was needed to become Distinguished once more, and he and his team succeeded. Rebuilding efforts by the team, along with the return of members displaced by Katrina, supported that year-long push. For 2008-2009, District Governor Frances Morrison, DTM, urged everyone to "Catch the Vision!" of Toastmasters and share it with everyone they knew. Five new clubs were added thanks to dedicated members and newcomers alike. Educational goals were met, though the District did not excel in that area as it usually does; getting new members to finish their CC manual was identified as part of the issue, and few members completed their CL manual. District 68 was a Distinguished District for 2008-2009.

For 2009-2010, District Governor Darryl Hall, ACS, CL, adopted "Striving for Excellence" as his theme, calling members to action with the idea that if each person strives for excellence, the District will surely be distinguished or better.

In 2010-2011, District Governor Jeff Harris led the District, and in 2011-2012 District Governor Kimberly Boyd, DTM, served. Although Toastmasters International asked Districts not to adopt individual themes, two priorities shaped District 68 during the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 years: meeting members' needs through engaged members and healthy clubs, and making an impact on those we contact. The guiding mantra was to Remember the Member and to Leave a Legacy.

New Initiatives Strengthen the Foundation

Toastmasters Leadership Institute (TLI) training sessions for club officers increased from one to two per training cycle.
A new event, TLC w/BLT, gave club presidents a chance to meet the District Trio over a meal, discuss successes and concerns, and raise questions in an informal setting while getting to know other club and District leaders personally.
Online registration for District conferences helped boost conference attendance.
The District returned to scheduling and announcing upcoming conferences at least a year ahead, and continues working toward announcing them even earlier.
A new District website was built and unveiled, with Ankita Choudhary serving as webmaster; members are encouraged to use it and share suggestions.
Thanks go to Jim Chandler, who served as District webmaster and maintained a District website for many years; his dedication and commitment are commended, and his guidance and continued service to the new webmaster are appreciated.