TONY TOLEDORenowned Storyteller
In true storyteller fashion, Tony regaled the Club with stories from his youth to today, with a focus on how he found and turned his passion into his profession. Last year marked his 30th year as a storyteller, and he began his presentation by stating that meeting over zoom is like getting a kiss over the telephone. It is not as good as the real thing but is better than nothing.
Tony grew up as 1 of 6 in Defiance, Ohio. The son of a glazer, he joined the Army out of high school in order to go to college through the GI bill. He was stationed in Germany for two years and travelled extensively with friends while in the service and then again for a few months after his discharge.
In a VW van, he and his friends made their way around Europe on a very tight budget; sometimes sharing a can of tuna four ways! He had a great time in the UK and met a local girl who brought him and his friends to see a castle. It began to rain on the way down, so he carried the girl on his shoulders to keep her out of the mud. He tripped, and while he didn’t drop his new friend, he did gash his knee, which needed stitches. He removed those stitches on this own two weeks later, creating an infection that required two weeks in a full leg cast. Once he was out of that cast, he went back on the road to visit Greece.
He returned home, where he moved back in with his parents. Unsure of what to do next, he worked at a tire factory, where there were no windows to let he joy in. He went to college on the GI bill, graduating with a degree in international relations in 1983, and later went to law school before deciding that it wasn’t for him. Following that he biked the California coast with some friends before returning home again, where he found joy in the quality time he got to spend with his parents.
Tony found his way to Massachusetts in the late 1980s and worked as a house painter and in a group home. He was inspired to become a storyteller after hearing a radio broadcast by Judith Black in 1987 and seeing her live later. He became a collector and teller of stories first for every audience, but then he found his knack and focus on sharing stories with kids. He told a wonderful story about connecting with a boy in one kindergarten classroom whose teacher shared that his part in Tony’s story was the first time anyone at the school had heard his voice. The child is autistic and had never really engaged at school or in class before that moment.
The EarlyAct Club at the Phoenix School joined our meeting and asked Tony several amazing questions about his craft and journey. The presentation turned out to be an all around fantastic story about a fantastic storyteller.
Kristen Armstrong first joined Rotary at age 22 in the Tri-town Club and was one of two women in the Club at that time. She became a Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) counselor before moving to the Danvers Club. There she served as treasurer and got a better understanding of how Rotary operates. When her position moved to Salem, she was thrilled to join the Salem Club and give back the community where she was born, lives, works, and loves. She is happy to share this experience with her children and involve them in Rotary service when possible. Kristen has selected Ryan Guilmartin to share next week.
HAPPY 100th BIRTHDAY BEVERLY CLUB
Lifebridge Dinner 
Calling All Spoke Note Takers
Salem Rotary Scholarship Applications Are Posted!
