In an effort to promote world peace, Rotary International has five peace institutes around the globe offering a master’s degree in conflict resolution. And soon a sixth will be added with help from a German Jew who fled Nazi Germany, and from four Boothbay region residents with a passion for world peace. 

On March 11, Rotary International officials attended Rotary Club of Boothbay Harbor’s weekly Zoom meeting with a special announcement. Rotary International Foundation Chairman Brenda Cressey announced a $15.5 million gift was accepted from the Otto and Fran Walter Foundation. The foundation, created after their deaths in 2003, is now in Boothbay Harbor and includes Board President Marty Helman, Past President Frank Helman and members Chip Griffin and Ken Bradsell. “This is the second largest gift in Rotary International’s history. Second only to one from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation,” Cressey said. “This ground-breaking gift was made possible by the Otto and Fran Walter Foundation board members who live here. So this is a great honor for Rotary International and the Rotary Club of Boothbay Harbor.”

Otto Walter was born in Bavaria in Germany in 1907. Walter practiced law until the Nuremberg Laws adopted by the Nazi government in the 1930s prohibited Jews from professional employment. Walter was a highly educated man who spoke four languages, but English was not one of them. He emigrated to America, and found work as an accountant, even though he had no training. Eventually, he owned a successful accounting firm, and built an international business with American and German clients. He later became a American lawyer, another successful endeavor.

Walter’s success allowed him to establish the foundation. The Walters were philanthropists and took interests in foundation grants. The foundation has four board members who live in the Boothbay region. Board member and former president Frank Helman worked with Walter in the New York City law firm. 

The Helmans and Griffin are Rotary Club of Boothbay Harbor members. During the announcement, Walter Foundation board members recounted how they arrived at the decision. The board was discussing a successful Rotary International scholar program which had centers around the globe. The program focused on promoting world peace, and the discussion turned toward creating a sixth one. “What about one in the Middle East? Wouldn’t that be the ultimate tribute to Otto, and be an incredible way to change the world,” Marty Helman asked. 

Walter Foundation board member Ken Bradsell is a retired Protestant pastor. He has spent time in the Middle East preaching the Gospel. He believes those living in the Middle East are ready for peace, and he is excited about the new peace center’s prospects. 

During the meeting, he recounted a conversation with a young Iraqi woman about her experiences living in a war zone. Bradsell asked how she viewed the men who destroyed her village. “I prayed for them,” she told him. “They were my brothers’ age, and I wondered what happened to them that they wanted to kill us.”

Griffin was the last speaker. He thanked the Helmans for joining the local Rotary Club in 2003, and all their continued contributions locally, in Maine and around the world. Griffin explained the Helmans showed up one night unexpectedly at a Rotary meeting, and never left. “They got involved in the club on the first night, and haven’t stopped,” he said. “Rotary is about putting service above self, and that’s what Frank and Marty have done.”

Cressey reported Rotary International has wanted a Middle Peace center since 2018. The new center will be Middle East/North Africa (MENA) region. Once the Middle East peace center is established, the Walter Foundation’s endowment will fund 20 scholars per year in perpetuity, and the gift will be the last, according to Marty Helman.

This article has been updated from its original posting.