Page 11 - 1995 Plymouth Rotary Annual Report

PLYMOUTHROTARYCLUB-HISTORY AND HIGHLIGHTS
On February 23, 1905, at the invitation of Paul Harris, an attorney, four men met in an office
in the Unity Building in Chicago. The other men were Silvester Schiele, a coal dealer, Gustavas
Loehr, a mining engineer, and Hiram Shorey, a merchant tailor. II was agreed that evening
that these men would organize a club which would be based on the idea that Harris had been
developing for the past five years - that men in business could be and should be personal
friends.
The following day, Harris interested Harry Ruggles, a printer, in the proposed club. He in turn
interested Will Jenson, a real estate dealer. Within a short time the club organization was
completed at a meeting in Schiele's office, with the election of Schiele as President. Paul Harris
declined any office in the new club and did not become its president until two years later.
At one of the early meetings, several names were suggested for the new organization
Adopted was Paul Harris' suggestion, "Rotary", which was prompted by the original plan of
the Club members to meet in rotation at their various places of business. Harry Ruggles
developed the idea of community singing in the club, and Paul Harris frequently suggested
original stunts to enliven the meetings.
The membership of the new club grew rapidly. Its novelty was attractive and those who joined
the club found its friendship and fellowship a tonic that stimulated them to better endeavors
in their business, social and community relationships.
The Paul Harris of Plymouth was Superintendent of Schools, George A. Smith. On the night
of March 6, 1924, Smith and several Plymouth businessmen met with Dr. Edward Lee of the
Wayne Rotary Club to learn more about Rotary. They decided to form a Rotary club under the
sponsorship of the Wayne Club. Twenty-three men signed up and four days later, March 10,
1924, Rotary International accepted their application. District 18 Governor Paul King
presented the charter to the club on April 19, 1924.
George Smith was chosen as the first president of the Plymouth Rotary Club. The first
meetings were held in the basement of the Penniman-Allen building , then moved to the old
Masonic Club dining room, in the new Masonic Temple, then to the auditorium of the high school
and then to the Lutheran Church where it met weekly until the Mayflower Hotel was completed
in 1927. In 1967 meetings were moved across the street to the newly refurbished Meeting
House when it was apparent the club had outgrown space available in the hotel. As an aside,
the same chef, Curtis Langdon prepared the meals from the time the hotel opened until well
after the move to the Meeting house, more than 40 years
The connection to the hotel is not accidental. A real opportunity for community service was
presented when a movement was started to build a community hotel in Plymouth. Every
member of the Club served on some committee and when the drive was over, nearly a quarter
million dollars had been subscribed to build the Mayflower Hotel.
In 1925 our weekly publication, The Broadcaster, was started. It has been changed in style
from time to time, but still strives to keep members informed about club activities. The
Broadcaster has also become our printed club history, detailing 69 years of club meetings.
In 1935 club president Father Frank Lefevre came up with the idea of making a member of
the senior class at the high school a Junior Rotarian. That custom has continued through the
years with the number increased to two in 1963 and four per month in 1970. This junior
membership idea has been adopted by a large number of clubs throughout the nation.
In 1937 we changed from District 18 to District 153 and in 1947 George Smith became District
Governor. In 1957 we became District 640 and Frank Henderson became the first District 640
Governor, followed by Perry Richwine in 1965 and Edward Sawusch in 1973.
Through the leadership of George A. Smith, the club took over and financed a student loan fund
which to this day assists students in getting a college education. The student loan fund was
enlarged and incorporated into the Plymouth Rotary Foundation. In addition to the loans, we
now provide both vocational and academic scholarships. It was fitting that, in our 70th
anniversary year, we were able to construct playground equipment at George A. Smith