Courtesy of Ray Leisy, Club Historian
The 1959-1960 Wooster Rotary Year began with new President, Sam Shapiro. President Sam encouraged Wooster Rotarians to nominate a deserving young person to apply for Rotary Foundation Scholarships. During the International Rotary Year 1958 to 1959 scholarships for advanced study abroad in the amount of $2,600 each were awarded to 83 young men and 39 young women for study abroad. Since the program was inaugurated in 1947 to honor Paul Harris, 1,318 scholarships had been awarded up to 1959.
On Tuesday, February 9, 1960, Wooster Rotary hosted a Benefit Bridge Tournament at the YMCA to raise funds for a building for a school to benefit handicapped children, later to be known as the Ida Sue School. As usual for the times, the Woosterian did not report the sum raised.
The meeting on May 3, 1960 reminds us of a name well known at the time to many but which has faded into the past, featured a presentation by Tom Field, Cleveland newscaster and TV personality. His presentation was part of the District Convention noon luncheon program, which was held at the Presbyterian Church.
The highlight of the Wooster Rotary Year 1959 to 1960, and for which much planning had taken place, was the District Conference held in Wooster May 1, 2 and 3. The meetings included at least one member from each of the 36 clubs in the District. Wooster's own Amos Buchman was District Governor that year and the concluding address for the closing banquet in the evening of May 3rd was given by Dr. Howard Lowry, President of the College of Wooster.