Rockwall Noon Rotary Dedicates Peace Pole in Downtown Rockwall

The Rotary Peace Pole project serves as a pledge to facilitate local and global harmony.

Rockwall, TX (April 9, 2026) – On Thursday, April 2, 2026, members of the Rockwall Noon Rotary Club joined with elected officials, community leaders, and local students to dedicate a new Peace Pole in San Jacinto Plaza. The installation, in Rockwall’s historic downtown, serves as a visible symbol of hope and unity, inspiring people to work together throughout the community and across the world.

The Peace Pole, bearing the message, “May Peace Prevail On Earth,” is inscribed in four languages: English, Hebrew, Spanish, and Chinese. During the dedication event, students from Rockwall ISD, Jack Ross, Theo Segali, Marianne Garcia Gomez, and Simon Yang, read the phrase aloud in each language.

Kenda Culpepper, President of the Rockwall Noon Rotary Club, spoke proudly of Rotary International and its initiative to help foster peace and build community.

Sharing the history of the Peace Pole Program, Culpepper noted that the Peace Pole is “widely recognized as most prominent international symbol of peace across the world – representing the message of many nations, cultures, and backgrounds.” The Rockwall Peace Pole now joins over 250,000 poles throughout the world, including established poles at the Pyramids of Giza and the Pentagon amongst others.

By erecting these visual reminders, Rotary clubs help encourage peace in our communities, moving residents to pause, reflect, and commit to acts of kindness, understanding, and cooperation that will carry forward into the world.

“While we support a country’s right to defend itself, its allies, and its residents, we also hope those battles are fought with understanding, and the ultimate desire for resolution,” said Culpepper.

Joining the celebration, numerous city leaders spoke of their own desires for peace, including Anna Campbell, Rockwall City Council member and Rotarian, who opened the event in prayer asking for guidance and opportunities to be peacemakers within the places we reside and walk.

Rockwall Mayor Tim McCallum offered his appreciation to the Rotary Club for their work in the community and shared his personal connection having been a Rotary Scholarship recipient as a high schooler in Austin.

Asking the attendees, “What does peace mean to each of you?” McCallum added, “We may not be able to affect the wars and chaos in the world, but we can certainly affect peace in our community.”

Rotary District Governor Mary Bedosky spoke to peacebuilding as a cornerstone of the Rotary mission and the impact concerned citizens can make working together to achieve peace.

The Peace Pole program is one part of Rotary’s mission to spread peace. In 2002, Rotary began the peace center program, with centers located in Thailand, England, Japan, Australia, Sweden, the United States (Duke University), and opening the newest center in India earlier this year. Each year, awarding 170 scholarships to leaders around the world to study methods and ways to encourage peace in their locations and throughout the world.

Rotarian John Curtis, Past District Governor, and resident of Rockwall, expressed his hope that the peace pole now sitting in the heart of Rockwall will serve as a reminder to care for each other.In closing, Culpepper expressed appreciation to the Rockwall Rotary Club members, including Matt Gibson, President of the Rockwall Breakfast Rotary, for their support and collaboration. The City Council of Rockwall and Mary Smith whose support, assistance, and approval allowed the program to come to completion. John Curtis, for the extensive amount of time he spent researching and planning the Peace Pole project. Curtis Scheibly, who shared not only heartfelt words, but whose company spearheaded the installation and absorbed much of the cost. Patty Martinez and Megan Gist with Rockwall ISD who thoughtfully jumped in finding students who could share the inscribed words in their beautiful native languages.

As the second peace pole in the Rotary district, Rockwall Rotary hopes this will become a powerful symbol to champion a more peaceful future at home and abroad.