Courtesy of  Ray Leisy, Club Historian
 
Wooster Rotary entered the 1940s with nothing except more bad news from Rotary International and the quickly declining world-wide membership.

“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.
 
Numbers in Rotary International began to decline rapidly with the encroaching occupation by The Axis powers of more countries. By the end of 1941, 214 clubs and 7,500 members were counted as inactive.

The focus on the Wooster Club for the next four years was on assisting in the war effort. That effort began with granting leave status to eleven members for service in the military including Harold Beeson, John Cox, Harold Freedlander, George Jacoby, Arthur Kaltenborn, Thomas Landes, Bob Nash, William Schultz, Robert Schultz, S.B. Vaughan and Carl Woods. Thankfully, all returned to the Club. But, the tension of scanning the weekly lists of missing, killed or injured for Wooster Rotary members, family and friends was almost unbearable. There was still a little room for humor though as the Woosterian of January 13, 1943, carried this quip “Even with rationing Wooster Rotary will still have its ‘Coffey,' but it looks like it is up to the individual to bring his own ’Sugar.’ "

On June 26, 1944 membership in Wooster Rotary stood at 118 including 5 Honorary Members and 11 Military Members.