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Including this year, the Wooster Rotary Club has made 191 scholarship awards for nearly $346,000.
Due to the COVID19 pandemic, the traditional senior awards assembly was replaced with a pre-recorded video that first aired on Thursday June 4 and awardees were also recognized at the Rotary weekly Zoom meeting on June 8, 2020. This year, Wooster Rotary Club awarded $18,000 worth of scholarships to 10 Wooster High School seniors as listed below.
Congratulations!!!
Courtesy of Ray Leisy, Club Historian
This starts a series on the history of Wooster Rotary, the first of which addresses the founding of Rotary International.
The first Rotary Club was formed when Paul P. Harris, an attorney, called three of his business acquaintances in downtown Chicago together for lunch at the office of Gustave Loehr, a mining engineer and a freemason. The other two attendees were Hiram E. Shorey, a tailor, and Silvester S Schiele, a coal merchant. The members choose the name “Rotary” because they initially decided to rotate subsequent meetings between their respective offices. However, the Club soon began to grow so quickly that they decided to select a permanent meeting place.
The first Rotary Club was formed when Paul P. Harris, an attorney, called three of his business acquaintances in downtown Chicago together for lunch at the office of Gustave Loehr, a mining engineer and a freemason. The other two attendees were Hiram E. Shorey, a tailor, and Silvester S Schiele, a coal merchant. The members choose the name “Rotary” because they initially decided to rotate subsequent meetings between their respective offices. However, the Club soon began to grow so quickly that they decided to select a permanent meeting place.
Courtesy of Ray Leisy, Club Historian
At some point, he joined the Cleveland Rotary Club and soon decided that Wooster could benefit as well with a Rotary Club.
Courtesy of Ray Leisy, Club Historian
L. Albert Woodard, President
William Harris, Vice President
Walter R. Foss, Secretary
Robert R. Woods, Treasurer
Herman Freedlander, Sergeant at Arms
Courtesy of Ray Leisy, Club Historian
Clarence L. Allis 1883-1950 was born in Valpariso, Chile. He attended the College of Wooster, Columbia University and Stanford University. He began his career with the American Telephone and Telegraph Company and then Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company. He returned to Wooster in 1910 and married Miriam Hurd in Wooster in 1911. She passed away suddenly in 1912. He married Marguerite Bange in 1921. She died in Wooster in 1965. He had returned to Wooster in 1910 to become general manager, secretary and treasurer of Wooster Light and Power Company. Upon his retirement he moved to Massillon, Ohio. He died in 1950 and is buried in the Wooster Cemetery. Classification: Light and Power.
Courtesy of Ray Leisy, Club Historian
Frank C. Gerlach (1870-1948) was born in Wooster. He attended the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and began his career in Wooster as a pharmacist. He also joined the Ohio National Guard and quickly achieved the rank of Captain. In 1898, the 8th Oho National Guard, based in Akron, was ordered into duty as the 8th Ohio Infantry and sent to Cuba to serve during the Spanish- American War. After his release from duty Gerlach returned to Wooster, his pharmacy career and married Florence McClarran. They had two children, Mary Frances and Harry McClarran Gerlach. From 1909 to 1913 he served as superintendent of the Ohio Boys Industrial School in Lancaster but then returned again to Wooster. In 1918, the 8th Ohio Volunteer Infantry (OVI) was again called up for active duty in France at the start of World War I. This time Gerlach was promoted to Colonel of Company D of the 146th U.S. Regiment of the Army Infantry. The United States Congress awarded Col. Gerlach the Distinguished Service Medal for the Ypres Offensive. He returned to Wooster again in 1920 and served as Wooster Postmaster from 1920 to 1924 when he became a Director and Treasurer of the Wayne Building and Loan Company. Gerlach died in 1948 and is buried in the Wooster Cemetery with his wife who died in 1954. Classification: Postmaster.
Courtesy of Ray Leisy, Club Historian
Harry A. Reiman (1886-1968) was born in Wooster and graduated from Western Reserve University and the Western Reserve Dental School. He moved to Toronto, Canada to complete his studies and married Della Sara Morganroth from Easton, Ohio in Toronto in 1915. They returned to Wooster where Dr. Reiman opened a private dental practice in the Peoples Bank Building in downtown Wooster. Della Reiman died in 1963 and Dr. Reiman died in 1968. They are buried in Wooster Cemetery. Classification: Dentist.
Courtesy of Ray Leisy, Club Historian
The Rotary Club of Denmark initiated the first Rotary youth exchange in 1927 with the Rotary Club of Nice, France following in 1929. The exchanges then usually took place during summer or school vacations and only lasted for a few weeks. Exchanges were abandoned in the mid-1930’s because of economic conditions and the impending unrest which ultimately led to World War II.
Courtesy of Ray Leisy, Club Historian
Courtesy of Ray Leisy, Club Historian
Courtesy of Ray Leisy, Club Historian
“In a small dark malodorous tunnel of Corregidor, shortly before its fall (May 6, 1941), seven Rotarians met. Remnant of the Rotary Club of Manila.”
Soon a call went out from the American Red Cross for help. Under the Presidency of James Rahl, Wooster Rotarians began to respond.
Courtesy of Ray Leisy, Club Historian
Courtesy of Ray Leisy, Club Historian
The request of the Wooster, Dalton and Orrville Clubs to change Districts from District 157 to 158 was granted by Rotary International. The request was made because of easier travel arrangements. Unfortunately, the new opportunity for local service became the polio outbreak. A Wooster Rotary member quietly gave President Ray Dix $500. to aid another Wooster Rotary member to care for his child. The member returned the entire sum to President Ray as he was able to handle the finances of his family on his own. The money was then given to a local family whose son had become partially paralyzed by polio to purchase a wheel chair and for other needs. No one ever knew who had donated the money or how it was finally distributed.
Courtesy of Ray Leisy, Club Historian
The year 1950 was a very busy year for Wooster Rotary beginning with the election of William C. Craig as Wooster President. Soon after his election the Wooster Rotary hosted its first District Assembly. The daytime sessions were held at Taylor Hall on the Campus of The College of Wooster. The evening session was held in the assembly hall of the Wooster Methodist Church. Wooster Rotary was also awarded the Governor’s Award for being the outstanding club in District 229.
Courtesy of Ray Leisy, Club Historian
Courtesy of Ray Leisy, Club Historian
In 1954 Harold Freedlander became the 34th President of Wooster Rotary. 1954 was also the 50th Anniversary of the founding of Rotary International. The occasion was celebrated with the laying of the cornerstone of a new headquarters in Evanston, Illinois. Engraved on the cornerstone was, and is, “Service Above Self - He Profits Most Who Serves Best”.
Courtesy of Ray Leisy, Club Historian
Ford Ross became the 1955 Rotary Year President. Harold Freedlander pinned the President’s Pin on Ford. This was the same Pin bought by George Coffey for himself twenty years earlier and which had been passed down by each succeeding President since then.
One of the more interesting programs for the year was presented by Albert Dix, brother of Ray Dix. But, the presentation almost did not happen. Ted Evans had arranged to fly from Wooster to Martins Ferry to pick up Albert Dix on the morning of the meeting. Because of poor visibility, Evans was forced to land in Cadiz on the trip back. They borrowed a car and began to drive towards Wooster. As the visibility improved, they borrowed another plane and landed in Wooster only a few minutes late. Talk about service above self!
Courtesy of Ray Leisy, Club Historian
The Wooster Rotary Year 1956-1957 began as J. Garber Drushal took the helm as President of Wooster Rotary. Dr. Drushal, PhD., was, at the time, Professor in the Speech Department at the College of Wooster. Membership in Wooster Rotary at that time stood at 161.
A very active topic for discussion at the September 21, 1956 meeting was the use of Weitzel Hall as a noon meeting place for Wooster Rotary. President Drushal began the discussion because of the poor attendance recently at Wooster Rotary. It was noted that the main reason seemed to be the inaccessibility of the stairs to the Hall for many of Wooster Rotary’s aging members. Earlier, Paul Weitzel had been approached about installing a small elevator, but he evidently declined. Another possibility floated for discussion was buying a building on the ground floor for Rotary’s exclusive use. This would permit larger meetings such as Ladies’ night. That idea also evidently went nowhere. The Masonic Lodge was approached as well to rent their ground floor room out, but they declined. The Board of Directors was directed to continue the search for a suitable ground floor meeting place. As an added to note to this issue, we hope everyone had a chance to read page A8 in the 7/2/2020, Sunday Daily Record. There you would have noted Dr. Edward Brown, a polio survivor and Wooster Rotary member, being carried up the stairs to Weitzel Hall by Ivan Steiner, Jr., also a Rotarian.
A very active topic for discussion at the September 21, 1956 meeting was the use of Weitzel Hall as a noon meeting place for Wooster Rotary. President Drushal began the discussion because of the poor attendance recently at Wooster Rotary. It was noted that the main reason seemed to be the inaccessibility of the stairs to the Hall for many of Wooster Rotary’s aging members. Earlier, Paul Weitzel had been approached about installing a small elevator, but he evidently declined. Another possibility floated for discussion was buying a building on the ground floor for Rotary’s exclusive use. This would permit larger meetings such as Ladies’ night. That idea also evidently went nowhere. The Masonic Lodge was approached as well to rent their ground floor room out, but they declined. The Board of Directors was directed to continue the search for a suitable ground floor meeting place. As an added to note to this issue, we hope everyone had a chance to read page A8 in the 7/2/2020, Sunday Daily Record. There you would have noted Dr. Edward Brown, a polio survivor and Wooster Rotary member, being carried up the stairs to Weitzel Hall by Ivan Steiner, Jr., also a Rotarian.
Courtesy of Ray Leisy, Club Historian
The Wooster Rotary Year 1957 to 1958 began with the passing of the gavel to President E. B. “Ted” Evans. The noon meeting for July 22nd was cancelled in favor of Family Night at 6:30 pm held at the Wayne County Fair grounds where 270 Rotarians, family members and guests enjoyed a wonderful meal prepared by Mrs. Lawrence and her staff followed by a Little League Baseball game.
The speaker highlight of the fall program schedule on September 22nd was Lou “The Toe” Groza from the Cleveland Browns who “…made it clear that brains as well as braun are a prime prerequisite in professional football.”
The speaker highlight of the fall program schedule on September 22nd was Lou “The Toe” Groza from the Cleveland Browns who “…made it clear that brains as well as braun are a prime prerequisite in professional football.”
In 1922 U.S. Rotarians organized an attendance contest; the challenge was that the losing clubs would join in giving the winning club a prize. The Rotary Club of New York City was declared the winner and to them was awarded a bell from a popular patrol boat, which was placed on wood that came from HMS Victory, Admiral Nelson’s vessel at the battle of Trafalgar.
Wooster Rotary honored our members, our family members (i.e. spouses, children) and community members who are veterans at our November 11th meeting. Major General (Ret) Tod J. Carmony was the day's speaker. He noted the impact that a nation of WWII veterans had on the generation after them, as parents and as community leaders, and how many of those veterans shaped his own passion to serve. MG Carmony is a Wooster native who served 39 years in the US Army; in addition to numerous deployments around the world, he also deployed to Mississippi as part of the Katrina Relief mission in 2005.
In the Spring of 2019, President Matt Long and Community Service Chair Chad Bailey oversaw the installation of 3 bike kiosks along the new Wooster bike path. The Rotary Club of Wooster donated approximately $10,000 and some leg work to purchase the kiosks for the City of Wooster.
The Wooster Rotary Club started a new tradition. At the Monday, January 30th meeting 137 members were honored for over 2700 years of service.
