Page 14 - 1988 Plymouth Rotary Annual Report

WE HA VE NOT BEEN IDLE
By Sam Hudson Chairman, History Committee

Since its first meeting on March 24, 1924, Plymouth Rotary has been an
active club, both collectively and in terms of the civic achievements of its
individual members.
In 1927, the club helped raise more than $200,000 to build the Mayflower
Hotel. We sent financial aid to Plymouth, England during World War II. In
194 7, we raised funds to illuminate the local high school football field. In
1951, we provided funds to build a hog barn for 4-H boys and girls at the
Belleville exhibit grounds. In 1956, we raised $40,000 to help construct
and operate the Crippled Children's Center in lnster. In the same year, we
raised $1,600 through our first chicken barbecue to equip the Wing Street
playground.
In 1960, we held our first "Fall Festival" in Kellogg Park, broadening the
chicken barbecue to include other organizations and activities. The Fall
Festival is now an annual attraction in the Plymouth community, drawing
people from all over Wayne County, and beyond.
In 1967, we donated $5,000 to defray the cost of the fountain in Kellogg
Park. In 1968, we donated $20,000 over a five-year period to help
establish the school system's Rotary School Farm. In 197 2, we donated
$10,000 for our 50th anniversary projects, including two kidney machines
purchased for St. Mary Hospital.
The money raised from our Fall Festival participation, and from other
projects, is channeled through the Plymouth Rotary Foundation which
makes donations to a wide variety of local charitable and civic projects too
numerous to mention in this short resume. Recent contributions have
included a major donation toward the cost of a double -decker English bus
which the city purchased to provide local service, and another $25,000
toward the cost of the Plymouth Gathering building constructed by the city
for use in connection with community events in Kellogg Park.
Plymouth Rotarians, as individuals, also have made their marks in the
community during the past 6 2 years. At least 20 members of the club
have served on the Village or City Commission since 1924. We have had
five village or city managers, three township board officials, and two police
chiefs as members of the club. This club has contributed 1 1 Mayors to the
City of Plymouth, and nine members have been inducted into the Plymouth
Hall of Fame.
A number of Plymouth Rotarians have been presidents of the Plymouth
Community Fund. We have had four municipal judges, four state
representatives, and a symphony conductor. In addition, four of our
members have been Rotary District Governors, four have been school
superintendents, and at least 1 2 have served on the Plymouth Board of
Education. One member was in charge of Wayne County Schools for many
years, and another member has served on the board of trustees of
Schoolcraft Community College. There are few organizations in the
Plymouth Community that do not number at least one Rotarian on their
Board of Directors.
There is no doubt that in its 64 year history, the Plymouth Rotary Club has
been a service club in the fullest sense of the word. We have served the
community collectively, as demonstrated by the many projects we have
tackled, and we have served it individually, as the record of achievement
of our members also indicates.
It is a club to be proud of.

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