rotary club of augusta 100 year history

Passing of the Gavel 2013 Past Presidents

RotaryClub of Augusta

Service Above Self

Feed the Hungry

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library

Turn Back the Block

Honoring Rotary Leaders at the 25th Anniversary

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46 • Augusta Rotary Club Rotary Club Augusta • 47

Celebrating100 YEARS

Celebratingttorney Paul P. Harris founded the first Rotary Club and named it thus because meeting location rotated from office to office among the original members. The Rotary Club of Augusta formed less than 10 years later on September 23,

1914. Organized during a luncheon at the Albion Hotel, located in the 700 block of Broad Street, the club grew out of the Merchants and Man-ufacturers Association and attracted founding members with strong ethics and high ideals. It was the 138th Rotary Club chartered and James M. Hull served as the group’s first president. Rotary Club of Augusta initially held weekly meetings at the Albion Hotel then later at the Richmond Hotel.

Rotary differs from other service clubs in that its members repre-sent a multitude of career fields, from doctors and lawyers to bankers and business owners. Each draws on his or her particular expertise to identify issues, develop solutions and implement plans. This multi-disciplinary approach to philanthropy is at the heart of Rotary’s spe-cial projects. James M. Hull

September 23, 1914Rotary Club of Augusta organized in 1914 during a luncheon at the Albion Hotel. Postcard courtesy of the Augusta Museum of History

September 21, 1949Rotary celebrated its 35th anniversary.

September 4, 1927James M. Hull accepted generalchairmanship of the $12,500 drive forfunds to maintain the work of the localBoy Scouts Council for the next year.

In 1922,Rotary Club of Augusta brought Boy Scouts of America to the city and under-wrote the first year’s expenses. Today many of Rotary’s members still serve as Scout leaders and in other roles.

by Lucy Adams

Ask any Rotarian anywhere about the four-way test and he or she will readily recite: Is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friend-ships? Will it be beneficial to all concerned? These questions unify and guide Rotarians across the con-tinents. With 1.2 million members worldwide, Rotary International impacts communities of every size. What began in 1905 as a small ser-vice club for Chicago-based profes-sionals has grown into an organiza-tion of community-minded leaders with a global perspective.

A

n the early years, Rotary Club of Augus-ta’s expanding membership sought to en-sure that a wide range of business sectors was represented. Classifications of indus-

tries and professions included dairy farming, poultry raising, cotton factor, cotton ginning and broom manufacturing in addition to the expected accounting, medical, legal and engineering fields. Today as then, members come from a broad variety of professional niches. The number of members within each classification, however, is limited. Net-working and competition are Chamber of Commerce activities. Service is at the heart of Rotary.

Jim Hull, in a speech regarding the definition of Rotary, remarked, “Rotary believes in cordial good-fellowship and wholesome fun, in the hearty hand-clasp and the cheerful smile, as inducements to happiness and aids to success.” The regular Sunshine Report, frequently infused with wit as well as goodwill, highlights events in fellow members’ lives. Delivery of the report encourages connectedness among members, who become friends while exercising their civic duties.

Each week, Rotary in-vites a speaker from out-side of the club to give a short presentation. While the Sunshine Report builds unity within the club, speakers apprise members of matters affecting citizens of the city, county, state or beyond. Rotary member Jennifer Pennington, execu-tive director of American Red Cross of Augusta, says, “Meetings are a good forum for Rotarians to learn what’s going on in the community because we have such good speakers.” Weekly speakers educate the membership on concerns, is-sues and accomplishments of which they and all Augustans should be aware.

In the same way that classifications of industries and professions over the decades have reflected the changing economic cli-mate, the roll call of speakers has mirrored the changing face of the city, nation and

world. In November 1932, two officers from the Motorcycle Traffic Squad of the Augusta Police Department discussed Augusta’s traf-fic problems and suggested that institution of state issued drivers’ licenses, a highway patrol and a Rotary traffic committee could aid in remediating the traffic concerns. In November 1933, the Rotary district gover-nor, during his presentation on service, stat-ed that he was “thrilled with Bobby Jones’ golf course.” In 1947, the war in the past and the world readjusting, Mrs. Louise Hall, who had returned from Red Cross service

in the South Pacific, spoke about the Red Cross’s new responsibilities. In Decem-ber of 1952, Mr. L.E. Cul-bertson gave a talk on the atom bomb.

Rotary Club of Augusta at its inception had the aus-picious fortune to be spon-sored by one the South’s best Rotary Clubs, Rotary Club of Savannah. Del-egates from the Savannah Club helped the Augusta Club organize and get off to a roaring start with 44 charter members. It seems fitting that the Augusta club in turn should aid other clubs in their ef-forts to acquire charters.

Interest among the CSRA’s professional community in making Augusta and environs an ever better place to live spurred charters of several additional Rotary clubs. Since 1922, the Rotary Club of Augusta has organized the Waynesboro Club (1922), Augusta West Club (1963), North Augusta Club (1978) and Augusta South Club (1999).

December 14, 1918

Rotary Club of Augustacontinues to be a forumfor professionals fromdiverse backgrounds toexchange ideas, address

community needsand recognize

accomplishments.

January 14, 1931

I

September 26, 1918Rotary Club of Augustacelebrated its fourthanniversary at theAlbion Hotel.

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t has also brought other beneficial or-ganizations to the community with the goal of developing tomorrow’s leaders from today’s youth. In 1922, Rotary Club

of Augusta not only brought Boy Scouts of America to the city, it also underwrote the Scout’s first-year expenses. The Boy Scouts continue to provide high-quality experi-ences and skills to the CSRA’s youth, and many Rotarians still serve as Scout leaders and in other roles. Sunshine Camp, which served up wholesome food and fun, began in the summer of 1933 in response to the growing number of undernourished chil-dren ages 7-14 in the city. It was established on the Hayne-Anderson Estate on Stevens Creek Road. A three-week session for girls followed a three-week session for boys.

In the year of its 50th anniversary, which was celebrated in 1964, Ro-tary Club of Augusta initi-ated a Junior Achievement program in Augusta. The Club was awarded the Paul Harris Award in 1965 for this effort. Junior Achievement provides ex-periential education to foster financial literacy and entrepreneurial skills. So successful was this venture that it is now solely commu-nity sponsored. Operating within the public school system, Augusta’s Junior Achievement serves 7,600 students in 16 Georgia counties and two South Carolina counties, ensuring a well-spring of future community leaders, pro-

fessionals and business people eager to give back through membership in Rotary.

Good deeds go farther when civic clubs work together. When Junior League of Au-gusta collaborated with Rotary Club of Au-gusta to raise funds for a battered women’s shelter, the impact was phenomenal. Serve for the Shelter, a tennis tournament, brought beloved pro Arthur Ashe to Augusta for the cause. Safe Homes of Augusta, the first entity of its kind in the CSRA, came to fruition and continues to provide prevention and interven-tion services for victims of domestic violence.

Responding to Rotary International’s 2009 partnership with the Dollywood Foundation to promote early childhood reading around the world, Rotary clubs of

Richmond and Columbia counties collaborated to form the Greater Augusta Partnership for Literacy. The partnership distrib-utes books from Dolly Parton’s Imagination Li-brary each month to chil-dren residing in Columbia and Richmond counties

who have registered for the program.The nature of Rotary Club is that it is

attune to needs and to avenues for meeting them. From the start, members contributed to the Christmas Cheer Fund to benefit area children. The scope of the fund grew to provide for entire families. During the De-pression Era it helped financially destitute individuals and families feed themselves.

September 20, 1964

September 25, 1964Rotary Club of Augusta celebrated its 50th anniversary.

The main objective ofRotary is to develop

initiatives that tacklecritical local, national and

world issues. Rotarysupports youth programs, education opportunitiesand career development.

May 28, 1933Rotary Club of Augusta started

Sunshine Camp to provide healthy

meals to the city’s undernourished

youth. It received fi-nancial and hands-on contributions from

Rotarians.

Meco Inc.

HealthCenterCreditUnion

Richard Furriers

First CommunityBank

Rotary Club of Augusta is actively involved with community outreach. Their annual Christmas party, complete with a visit from Santa, is a much anticipated event.

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December 2, 1936Early on, the Christmas Cheer Fund provided support to needy families during the holiday season. The fund continues to be generated annually, but monies are now given to the Salvation Army.

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he evolution of the James M. Hull Rotary Education Fund is but one example of the club’s ongoing com-mitment to identifying and solving

problems for the betterment of individuals and the community, nation and world. The fund began as a student loan initiative in 1923 when banks and the federal govern-ment weren’t in the business of financing higher education. It was supported solely by the contributions of club members. Appli-cants for assistance underwent a panel in-terview to ascertain their need, scholarship, character and purpose in life. In 1932, the fund was officially named the Lawton B. Evans Rotary Education Fund in honor of Evans’s 55-year tenure as Richmond Coun-ty Board of Education superintendent.

Over the 91 years of the fund’s exis-tence, the aspirations of more than 900 students have been sustained with low-in-terest loans. In recent years the de-mand for loans has decreased. The fund has shifted focus, now supply-ing grants for educational purposes in the Greater Augusta Area. The fund also supports the Rotary Club of Augusta’s annual international visiting student.

Rotary Club of Augusta, spurred into existence by the energy of Jim Hull and his cohorts, started with 44 charter members. By May of 1933, Rotary Club of Augusta hit the cen-tennial mark of 100 members. Fifty

years after September 23, 1914, Mr. Hull, one of four charter members still living, ac-tively participated in club business. He re-mained dedicated to the organization until his death in 1975.

True to the motto of service above self, other members have demonstrated the same loyalty. The late Matt Barrett had perfect attendance for 41 years. C. Babers Rhodes had perfect attendance for 46 years when he retired in 1977. As of 2008, Jim Prestwood

and Bill Kemp had perfect attendance going on 57 years and 34 years, respectively. More-over, Rotary Club of Augusta, in response to a changing social and civic climate opened membership to African Americans and

women in the late ’70s and ’80s. This influx of leaders, ideas and perspectives has further fostered at the local level the dynamic phil-anthropic charge by which Rotary Interna-tional has earned its reputation.

That kind of enthusiasm continues to-day as evidenced by Augusta Rotary being named a 100 percent Paul Harris Fellow Club in recognition of 100 percent mem-ber participation in individual donations of $1,000 or more to the Rotary Foundation. About 160 men and women currently par-ticipate in the Rotary Club of Augusta. They serve their fellow citizens locally and globally. While at it, they hone their problem-solving skills and engage in lifelong friendships.

In honor of the 100th anniversary of Rotary Club of Augusta, the membership is contributing significant support for and working with the Augusta Canal Authority to update the movie theater in the Augusta

Canal Museum at Enterprise Mills. In addition, a historical marker will be placed on the 700 block of Broad Street to commemorate the club and its founders. Erick Montgomery, exec-utive director of Historic Augusta, Inc. and a current Rotary member, is spear-heading the production of a video us-ing archived materials and interviews to compose a seven-minute overview of Rotary Club of Augusta through the years. The video will premier at the 100th anniversary celebration planned for September. f

scholarships

Among its many achievementsRotary Club of Augusta is proud to have received the 100 percent Paul Harris Fellow Designation in 2011.

In the ’70s and ’80s Rotary Club of Augusta opened up membership to women. Dr. Martha K. Farmer (left) was its first female member. Today women hold prominent positions at all levels of Rotary. Anne Matthews (above), the first female Vice President of Rotary International, was a recent speaker at Rotary Club of Augusta.

Pollack

IntelliSystem

MAU

GA Bank & Trust

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Rotarians enrich the lives of local youth. The Rotary Club of Augusta sponsors the Interact Club at the Academy of Richmond County. A Rotary member acts as advisor to the club and a school faculty member gives direct mentorship and guidance. Rotary International’s Interact Clubs are designed for students ages 12-18. Through membership in an Interact Club, civic-minded boys and girls tackle issues most important to them. Each year the Interact Club plans and implements a school or community service project and a project that promotes international understanding. They have opportunities to participate in hands-on service projects, develop lead-ership skills and make international connections with youth their age.

Interact Club at the Academy of Richmond County sponsors an annual fall blood drive on campus. Club members plan, organize, publicize and implement the blood drive. Select students also attend Rotary’s Monday lunch meeting. Other Interact projects have included packing shoe-boxes for Operation Christmas Child and visiting and reading to Alzheimer’s patients. These endeavors align nicely with Augusta Rotary’s service interests past and present.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Rotarians around the planet share the goal of eradicating the crippling disease of polio. Rotary Club of Augusta contributes approximately $2,000 to the cause each year. Rotary International’s first vaccina-tion campaign, which began in 1979, was waged to immunize 6 million children in the Philippines. Since then, Rotary and its partners have helped reduce the num-ber of annual cases from 350,000 to fewer than 250 and remain committed until every child is safe from the disease. Ro-tary has contributed more than US$1.2 billion and countless volunteer hours to protect more than 2 billion children in 122 countries. By 2012, that number had been reduced to three countries—Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria—with only 157 cases, evidence that the concerted global ef-fort of Rotarians through financial support, advocacy and action moves mountains.

Sustained, ongoing immunization of the world’s children will lead to eradica-tion of the disease altogether. India re-cently reached a three-year milestone, hav-ing reported no new cases of polio for 36 months. This paves the way for the decla-ration of Southeast Asia as polio-free.

Interact Club PolioPlus

CART is a project on the minds of Rotary members at weekly meetings, as they drop their spare change into a collection pot. Of all the Rotary clubs that participate in raising money for the CART Fund, the Augusta club is among the top three givers.

The dollars raised support innovative research in the prevention and cure of Alzheimer’s disease. As of 2013, 22 grants totaling more than $4 million have been extended to research institutions performing cutting edge inquiry and experimentation that will lead to the eradica-tion of Alzheimer’s as a disease of aging. CART gave out $500,000 in grants this year.

Through the Georgia Rotary Student Program, international students recommended by a Rotary Club in their home country are given a one-year scholarship to undertake undergradu-ate study in a Georgia college or university. Although students are assigned a Georgia host family, they live on campus and experience college life in America. Scholarships that cover tuition, textbooks, meal plan and campus housing are awarded to about 80 students each year with the intention of advancing international friendships and exchange of ideas across cultures. The Georgia Rotary Student Program reflects Rotary International’s desire to bring about mutual goodwill and world peace through education, shared goals, understanding, acceptance and friendship.

Since the 1951-1952 academic year Augusta Rotary has sponsored or co-sponsored an undergraduate international student studying in Augusta. Young men and women from around the world have benefitted, arriving from countries such as Russia, Sweden, El Salvador, New Zealand, Hungary, Nigeria, Thailand and multiple others. In recent years, thanks to the generosity of Barbara Botts’s financial contribu-tion in honor of her late husband Bert, the Rotary Club of Augusta has funded the entire scholarship for a GRSP student.

Georgia Rotary Student Program (GRSP)

Coins for Alzheimer’s Research Trust (CART)

PolioPlus

Computer Masters

CherryBeckert

HullTowill

Richmond Supply

Interact Club

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This year’s recipent of the Kemp/Puryear award (Left to right) Jim Puryear, Marc Miller recipient, Bill Kemp and President John Whitwell.

MeybohmScarborough

Yellow Cab

First General Services of CSRA

A&RExterminators

James M. Hull Jr. PresidentJ. Rice Smith Vice PresidentI Clarence Levy TreasurerJ. Frank Ellis Sgt.-at-ArmsWilliam W. Hackett SecretaryLuke J. Henry Asst. Secretary

First Officers

Frank H. BarrettHarry H. BellF. Lombard BrinsonRufus H. BrownGeorge F. ClaussenMareen H. H. DuvallJ. Frank EllisEd J. ErbeldingHenry B. GarrettFrank P. GraceyWill W. HackettJohn L. HainesTracey I. HickmanLuke J. HenryP. Virgil HollingsworthJames M. Hull Jr.Pendleton KingI. Clarence LevyJ. Robert LewisHerbert C. LorickThomas W. LoylessW.C. Lyle

Arthur MerryW.C. MillerSimon J. NewcombHugh N. PageAndrew C. PerkinsColes PhinizyJohn PhinizyG. Loyd PreacherMarion G. RidgelyPatrick H. RiceLouis A. RenkiAmbrose J. SchweersJ. Rice SmithW. A. SmithRobert W. SpoffordHoward H. StaffordJohn TwiggsJesse W. WestmorelandT. A. WhitakerJohn B. WhitneyGeorge WilmanJ. P. Wood

Charter Members

1914-15 James M. Hull, Jr. 1915-16 Rufus H. Brown 1916-17 Lawton B. Evans1917-18 John Phinizy1918-19 Maurice E. Dyess 1919-20 Marion Ridgely1920-21 William H. Barrett1921-22 W. J. Hollingsworth 1922-23 William. M. McGovern 1923-24 Herbert Lorick 1924-25 Sam W. Saye1925-26 Frank J. Miller1926-27 George F. Claussen1927-28 T. Harry Garrett 1928-29 P. V. Hollingsworth1929-30 I. Clarence Levy 1930-31 Marion S. Symms1931-32 Addison Weisiger, Jr. 1932-33 William W. Snow 1933-34 Lee I. Blum 1934-35 H. R. Creamer1935-36 Lee S. Trimble1936-37 A. Brian Merry1937-38 R. E. Barinowski 1938-39 A. D. Hemstreet 1939-40 Elbert P. Peabody 1940-41 William N. Parsons, Jr. 1941-42 John Bell Towill 1942-43 R. C. McGahee1943-44 Guy H. Merry1944-45 Carl Claus, Jr. 1945-46 John P. Cooney 1946-47 Francis S. Dennis 1947-48 Reginald Maxwell1948-49 Thomas R. Duncan 1949-50 Fred A. Ware1950-51 James C. Harrison, Jr.1951-52 Anton P. Markert 1952-53 George W. Ewing 1953-54 H. Jack Griffis 1954-55 Alex Barrett1955-56 Andrew B. Speed 1956-57 F. E. (Jimmy) Cook 1957-58 James G. Prestwood, Jr. 1958-59 Frank S. Dennis, Jr. 1959-60 Vivian Maxwell 1960-61 Frank S. Adams 1961-62 Gharles H. Gibboney 1962-63 Gerald B. Robins1963-64 Dorroh Nowell1964-65 John W. Owen

1965-66 Walter G. Rice1966-67 Russell A. Blanchard1967-68 Frank B. Williams, Jr.1968-69 Phillip Dow1969-70 Paul A. Martsolf1970-71 Randolph Kowalski1971-72 Thomas E. Wilson, Jr.1972-73 Joseph P. Bailey, Jr.1973-74 Ray Chestnut1974-75 Bernie Silverstein1975-76 Rufus Foster1976-77 George A. Christenberry1977-78 James B. Puryear1978-79 John C. F. Tillson, III1979-80 Wyck A. Knox1980-81 R. Lee Smith, Jr.1981-82 Edward M. Gillespie1982-83 Lee W. Curley1983-84 Whitney O’Keeffe1984-85 Haskell D. Toporek1985-86 Donald P. Howard1986-87 David J. Hogg1986-87 Francis S. Dennis, III1987-88 Thomas E. Wilson, III1988-89 Herbert S. Upton1989-90 J. Benjamin Kay, III1990-91 James H. Childress1991-92 Neal W. Dickert1992-93 J. K. Widener, Jr.1993-94 David J. Hogg1994-95 Hamilton Kuhlke1995-96 Rosie Messer1996-97 Eldridge A. Whitehurst, Jr.1997-98 Davenport S. Bruker1998-99 Hugh P. Greene, Jr.1999-20 Franklin J. Futrelle, III2000-01 Raymond L. Walters, Jr.2001-02 Brian J. Marks2002-03 Susan M. Rice2003-04 Walter H. Alexanderson2004-05 John F. Hexamer2005-06 Joseph D. Greene2006-07 Edmond A. Booth, Jr.2007-08 Gerald W. Woods2008-09 T. Ernie Sizemore2009-10 J. Robert Evans2010-11 Frank T. Mulherin2011-12 Kevin L. Wade2012-13 Connie Melear 2013-14 John A. Whitwell

Rotary Club of Augusta Past Presidents

September 24, 1964Rotarians met for the club’s 50th anniversary celebration. Rotary Club continues to have dedicated members. In 2011, Rotary Club of Augusta began the Kemp-Puryear Rotarian of the Year Award to recognize outstanding Rotarians who exemplify Rotary’s call to service. The award is named in honor of Bill Kemp and Jim Puryear.

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rotary club of augusta 100 year history

Documents

rotary club of augusta

definition of rotary

blockhonoring rotary

rotarys members

founding members

members repre

original members

number of members