M.A.T was a staunch supporter of our Rotary District 5170. Many of us had the benefit of hearing him speak at District Events and in casual conversation as well.

Mateo A.T. Caparas, a past Rotary International president who championed Rotary’s earliest efforts to fight polio and created the program that became Rotary Community Corps, died 15 July. He was 96.

Caparas, known as M.A.T., served as RI president in 1986-87 and used his term to encourage members to inspire hope, through service, in communities around the world.

The only RI president from the Philippines, Caparas also served as vice president, director, Rotary Foundation trustee and chair, committee member and chair, International Assembly group discussion leader, and district governor. A Rotarian since 1959, he was a member of the Rotary Club of Malolos, Bulacan, Philippines.