The Rotary Club of College Station, Texas, USA

Some History of The Rotary Club

The first Rotary meeting was held February 23, 1905 in Chicago when a lawyer name Paul Harris invited three men to his office to discuss the idea of a club based on the belief that men of professions could and should be personal friends. Initially they met in the place of business of each member and rotated the location each meeting. This prompted Paul Harris to suggest that the new club be call Rotary. In the early days, meetings were devoted to helping each member expand his business, a practice that has long since been outgrown. By 1907, the Rotary Club of Chicago extended its activities into the community and became known as a service club. In 1908 clubs were formed in San Francisco and Oakland, and shortly thereafter in Seattle, Los Angeles, New York City, Boston, St. Louis, Kansas City, and New Orleans. In 1910 a club was organized in Winnipeg, Canada and Rotary became an international organization. Today there are over 1,200,000 members belonging to over 29,000 clubs in over 150 countries.

The Rotary Club of College Station

Sometime during late 1981, the Bryan Rotary Club decided to start a new club in the Bryan-College Station area. A new club Extension Committee was selected consisting of the following members:

Clare Gunn, Chairman; Auston Kerley; Bob Holms; John Hill; Les Reid; Howard Cargill; Howard Richie; and Dick Potts.

These men spent many hours organizing the club, identifying prospective members, and informing prospective members about Rotary. Their dedication to Rotary and the new club provided a strong foundation for it's future.

The first introductory meeting of the new club was... cont.>>

Foundations

Rotary International, as well as the Rotary Club of College Station, has established Rotary Foundations.

The International Foundation:

Provides Ambassadorial scholarships
Gives health, hunger and humanity grants
Funds a program to eradicate Polio
Sponsors group study exchange teams of business and professional non-Rotarians traveling in different countries.

There are countless other grants and programs that the International Foundation supports.

Official Contact Information

PO Box 9745, College Station, TX 77842. Contact our officers for more information.

Meeting Place

Rotary Club of College Station meets Thursdays at 6:45 am at the College Station Hilton. get directions.

District Hall of Famers

           1991 Clare Gunn
         1994 Gene Clark
         1998 Rich Miller
         2000 David Chester
         2001 Doris Watson

Honorary Members

           1984 Joyce Slaydon