History Page Club 4804 District 7120 Penn Yan, NY 14527
Main Page I Club History I Documents I Pictures I Officers I District 7120 I Rotary International
A brief history Rotary's first day and the years that followed... February 23, 1905. The airplane had yet to stay aloft more than a few minutes. The first motion picture theater had not yet opened. Norway and Sweden were peacefully terminating their union. On this particular day, a Chicago lawyer, Paul P. Harris, called three friends to a meeting. What he had in mind was a club that would kindle fellowship among members of the business community. It was an idea that grew from his desire to find within the large city the kind of friendly spirit that he knew in the villages where he had grown up. The four businessmen didn't decide then and there to call themselves a Rotary club, but their get-together was, in fact, the first meeting of the world's first Rotary club. As they continued to meet, adding others to the group, they rotated their meetings among the members' places of business, hence the name. Soon after the club name was agreed upon, one of the new members suggested a wagon wheel design as the club emblem It was the precursor of the familiar cogwheel emblem now worn by Rotarians around the world. By the end of 1905, the club had 30 members. The second Rotary club was formed in 1908 half a continent away from Chicago in San Francisco, California. It was a much shorter leap across San Francisco Bay to Oakland, California, where the third club was formed. Others followed in Seattle, Washington, Los Angeles, California, and New York City, New York. Rotary became international in 1910 when a club was formed in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. By 1921 the organization was represented on every continent, and the name Rotary International was adopted in 1922. Derivation of the Rotary name The name Rotary was chosen to reflect the custom, in the early days of the first Rotary Club in Chicago, of rotating the site of club meetings among the members' places of business. This rotation, an integral part of the founder's original concept, was designed to acquaint members with one another's vocations and to promote business, but the club's rapid growth soon made the custom impractical. Mottos The enthusiasm with which Rotarians embraced the ideal of service is evidenced by Rotary's principal motto, "Service Above Self' and its other official precept, "He Profits Most Who Serves Best." The roots of both of these adages, adopted as official mottos at the 1950 RI Convention, can be traced back to the first decade of Rotary's existence, when "He profits most who serves his fellows best and Service not self were both put forth as slogans. In 1989, the RI Council on Legislation designated “Service above Self” as the principal motto. Rotary Emblem Rotary's first emblem was a simple wagon wheel (in motion with dust) representing civilization and movement. It was designed in 1905 by Montague Bear, a member of the Chicago club, who was an engraver, and many Rotary clubs of the time adopted the wheel in one form or another. In 1922, authority was given to create and preserve an official emblem, and the following year the present gear wheel with 24 cogs and six spokes was adopted. A keyway was added to signify that the wheel was a "worker and not an idler." At the RI Convention in 1929, royal blue and gold were chosen as the official colors. Penn Yan Rotary Club – A Brief History The Early Years: Twenty-five men desired to have a local Rotary club. At the time, the nearest club was in Geneva, NY. On February 3, 1922 a motion was made and passed to form “The Rotary Club of Penn Yan”. (See a separate sheet for more detail on our founding). The Charter was granted from Rotary International on March 1, 1922 but was actually presented on March 22, 1922. We were sponsored by the Geneva Club. This meeting was attended by over 200 Rotarians, including 23 of the 25 charter members from Penn Yan. The first President was Clarence R. Andrews. The meetings were held at the “Knapp House” and then were moved to the Hotel Benham. (This hotel was located where the Community Bank is now located). Our sincere thanks to our club historian, Lloyd Emerson, who preserved much of our history and put it into pamphlet form for our 75^th anniversary in 1997. I would suggest that anyone that is truly interested in seeing the history of the involvement of the Penn Yan Rotary Club with the Penn Yan community and the world, to take the time to look through some of the notes compiled by Lloyd. He is also the “keeper” of our original charter. The first anniversary celebration was attended by 149 people. By 1928, the club membership had grown to 45 men. Dues in 1935 were $10 per member. This was a considerable amount for the times. Considering our dues for the year 2000 are only $90 I would say that they are a “bargain”. The club has a history of recognizing and honoring the youth of our community. In the thirties this was in the form of annually recognizing our local farmers and future farmers. By 1937, the membership had grown to 60 men. In 1938 we sponsored our first and only other Rotary Club (Dundee). Their organizational meeting was on November 21, 1938. They were presented their charter on February 8, 1939. We still enjoy a special relationship with the Dundee Rotary Club. On January 27, 1947 Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary, died in Chicago. On March 26, 1947 our 25^th anniversary celebration was held at the Benham Hotel. Membership had grown to 85 men. The next 25 years: In 1954 the dues were raised from $10 to $15 (a 50% increase!). In 1955 we were proud to have our first District 712 Governor from Penn Yan, Wes Haines. In 1956 we voted our approval in supporting a 4 county Summer Camp for handicapped children to be held at camp Babcock Hovey on Seneca Lake. The annual cost was $75 but this quickly was raised to $200. We still support this worthy cause (now called Camp Onseyawa) but the annual cost is over $2,000 even though we have less than half the members they did in 1956. By the 50’s we were also very involved in the foreign exchange program and sponsoring Little League and other youth activities including the annual “farm day” where we recognized many area farmers and future farmers. In March of 1959, the meeting place was changed to the Wagner Hotel located at 227 Main St. (Yates County Public Safety Bldg. is located at this site now). The Benham Hotel had been sold and a Lincoln Rochester Trust Co. had planned on building a bank at this site. During this period, membership was fairly active with between 75 – 100 members. There was a Junior Rotarian program, an annual minstrel show and many foreign exchange experiences. On March 18, 1967 we held our first Rotary Radio Days which netted a profit of $750. On February 5, 2000 we completed our most recent radio auction which will net about $5,000. By the early 70’s, fundraisers also included a “poinsettia project” and a “boat raffle”. Membership was at 89. On May 8, 1972 we held our 50^th anniversary celebration dinner at The Dresden. Fran Orcutt was our President and a brief review of the 50 years of service was highlighted. The “Rotary Community Service Award” was started in 1974 with Dick Johnson as its first recipient for his involvement with the Boy Scouts. Fifty to 100 years: An interesting side note is that on May 2, 1975 the Penn Yan Rotary Little League team chose a girl for the first time when they selected Carol Henderson. We still sponsor a Little League team (began in 1957). On August 22, 1975 Lew Gracey was presented as our first Paul Harris Fellow (Rotarian since 1934, president in 63-64 with a long history of service above self). Although each year holds its own memories and accomplishments, we are also attempting to get lists of the recipients of the awards, scholarships, etc. that our club has sponsored over the years. If we have one, you should find the list on a separate sheet. Membership began to wane for a variety of reasons and by 1990 had fallen to below 60. By the mid 1990’s that figure would fall to about 40, where it remains today. The meeting place had also changed several times since we last mentioned the Wagner Hotel. The places included The Keuka, St. Mark’s Terrace, Keuka College, Herr Jensen’s, and the Elks Club. In the late 1990’s we moved to Sarassins/Keuka Lake Pub & Grille and then in 1999 to our current location at Millers Essenhaus on Rte 14A. Some of the more noteworthy events in the 1980’s was the PolioPlus Campaign and the first female members in May of 1988. Actually, the Penn Yan Rotary Club had made Katherine Gillette Blyley, President of Keuka College, an honorary member some years prior, but our first official female members were Bonnie McKenzie and Michaela Cosgrove, both from the Keuka College community. Amy Manley was our first female president in 1992 and Bonnie McKenzie followed her the year after. Women are an important part of Rotary and the Penn Yan Rotary Club. Under the guidance of Rotarians Jeff Krans and Dan Gifondorwa, an Interact Club was chartered in April of 1990. It was the third such club for high school age persons in District 7120. Today there are 33 Interact Clubs in the District. The 75^th anniversary celebration was held on September 30, 1997 at Sarassins Restaurant, Lake St., Penn Yan with Jorgen Overgaard acting as President. This was a unique year with four Past-Presidents taking 3 months each and serving as President. The 90’s have included some new ideas as well as continuing many of our traditions. A renewed spirit of giving back to the community and the recognition of the people and youth of our community has brought us to the year 2005 and our 100^th birthday. We have spent the last year enjoying our current theme of “Celebrate Rotary”. The Next 100 Years: Perhaps our biggest challenge will be to find new members who have a passion to give back to the Penn Yan community and the world through the ideals of Rotary and “service above self” which is our Rotary International theme for 2005-2006. It brings us back to our “roots” of being a service club! Avenues of Service For seventy years (since 1927), The program of Rotary has been carried out on four Avenues of Service (originally called channels). These avenues club service, vocational service, community service and international service closely mirror the four parts of the Object of Rotary: Club Service includes the scope of activities that Rotarians undertake in support of their club, such as serving on committees, proposing individuals for membership, and meeting attendance requirements. Vocational Service focuses on the opportunity that Rotarians have to represent their professions as well as their efforts to promote vocational awareness and high ethical standards in business. For decades, Rotarians having been applying the "4-Way Test" to their business and personal relationships and in recent years, a "Declaration of Rotarians in Businesses and Professions" has given expression to their concern for ethical standards in the workplace. From offering career guidance in high schools, to seeking ways to improve conditions in the workplace, Rotarians and their clubs engage in many different kinds of vocational service. Community Service includes the scope of activities which Rotarians undertake to improve the quality of life in their community. Many official Rotary programs are intended to meet community needs, whether it be to promote literacy, help the elderly or disabled, combat urban violence or provide opportunities for local youth. International Service describes the activities which Rotarians undertake to advance international understanding, goodwill and peace. The spread of Rotary clubs across the globe allows for the concerted Rotary support of humanitarian efforts worldwide. Declaration of Rotarians in Businesses and Professions The Declaration of Rotarians in Businesses and Professions was adopted by the Rotary International Council on Legislation in 1989 to provide more specific guidelines for the high ethical standards called for in the Object of Rotary: · As a Rotarian engaged in a business or profession, I am expected to: · Consider my vocation to be another opportunity to serve; · Be faithful to the letter and to the spirit of the ethical codes of my vocation, to the laws of my country, and to the moral standards of my community; · Do all in my power to dignify my vocation and to promote the highest ethical standards in my chosen vocation; · Be fair to my employer, employees, associates, competitors, customers, the public and all those · with whom I have a business or professional relationship; · Recognize the honor and respect due to all occupations which are useful to society; · Offer my vocational talents: to provide opportunities for young people, to work for the relief of the special needs of others, and to improve the quality of life in my community; · Adhere to honesty in my advertising and in all representations to the public concerning my business or profession; · Neither seek from nor grant to a fellow Rotarian a privilege or advantage not normally accorded others in a business or professional relationship. How to Join Rotary Talk to someone you know about Rotary and let them know of your interest. Every person joining Rotary must have a sponsor. The sponsor will invite you to a Rotary Club meeting. When you have decided you would like to join, a sponsor will propose your name for membership to the club. When you are accepted, an orientation will precede your induction into the Rotary Club. · If you are interested in learning more about Rotary, please talk to any Penn Yan Rotary member. · To learn more about Rotary, visit the District 7120 Web Site at: www.rotary7120.org or the RI website at www.rotary.org
Other interesting documents
4H Awards	Boys State List	Community Awards	Community Projects	Group study exchange	History of Local Youth Exchange
Miss Penn Yan	Club Programs	Presidents	Rotary Officers
Tuesdays, 12 noon, Essenhaus Restaurant, 1300 Route 14A, Penn Yan, NY 14527 PO BOX 512 Penn Yan, NY 14527 Rotaryclub@pyrotary.org