The
Very Early Days
While
visiting a brother in Denver during 1912, Harry B. Wheelock, a leading
Birmingham architect, learned of a new organization called Rotary
which had originated in Chicago and was spreading fast. Upon his
return home, he discussed Rotary with his business and professional
friends, and it was decided that further information was needed.
Wheelock, along with Thomas H. Molton, John W. Sibley and John E.
Shelby, visited clubs in Denver, Los Angeles and other cities, and
returned home with enthusiasm for this new ideal of service.
[CLICK
HERE TO VIEW LETTER FROM PAUL HARRIS TO WHEELOCK]
On
February 6, 1913, at a meeting held in the Directors Room of the
Birmingham Chamber of Commerce, 32 men heard an address by Chesley R.
Perry, Rotary's Perennial Secretary, and that day completed the
organization of the Birmingham Club with Charter No. 56.
The
Birmingham Club immediately began extending Rotary by assisting in the
organization and formation of clubs in Atlanta, Memphis, Montgomery,
Mobile, Nashville, Savannah, Macon, Tampa, Selma, Ensley, Bessemer,
Tuscaloosa and other areas. At the 1914 Convention in Houston, Texas,
John E. Shelby, a charter member of the Birmingham Club, was elected
Regional Vice-President with territory covering most of the Southeast
and duties similar to those of a present-day District Governor.
DISTRICT
NO. 5
At the
1915 Convention in San Francisco, the U.S. was divided into districts
and District Governors were elected. Our area became District No. 5,
and Frank P. Glass, a member of the Birmingham Club, became District
Governor of the three-state area of Alabama, Georgia and Florida.
In the
early days, it was the belief of the National Association that a club
could not survive in towns with a population of less than 50,000, so
the formation of clubs in Pensacola and Selma was delayed somewhat.
However, Pensacola was organized in 1915 and Selma in early 1916, so
the barrier had been broken, opening the door for the formation of
clubs with men of goodwill, regardless of the community size. Today,
the vast majority of Rotary Clubs are located in population centers of
less than 50,000.
At the
1916 Convention in Cincinnati, Ohio, District 5 was expanded to
include Cuba, a club having been organized in Havana.
At that
time, District Conferences had not been established, so the District 5
delegates at the Cincinnati Convention held a caucus and nominated
Ralph D. Quisenberry, of Montgomery, as District Governor. This
nomination was confirmed by the Convention.
The
First District Conference
District
Conference guidelines were established at the Cincinnati Convention,
and the first District 5 Conference was held in November, 1916, at
Jacksonville, Florida, with District Governor Ralph D. Quisenberry
presiding and 125 Rotarians in attendance.
In 1917,
the first Convention with the new name of the International
Association of Rotary Clubs (IARC) was held in Atlanta, Georgia,
on June 17-21, and the clubs of the 5th District acted as joint hosts.
As their part of the entertainment, the Alabama clubs secured the
floats used in the Mardi Gras parade in Mobile and repeated this
pageant in Atlanta. It was said that this was a brilliant undertaking.
The
Gadsden Club was organized and chartered by Governor Quisenberry in
April, 1917.
Malcolm D.
Jones, of Macon, Georgia, was elected District Governor at the Atlanta
Convention. He approved the election and chartered the Anniston Club
in September and the Huntsville Club in November, 1917.
The second
District Conference was called to order in Selma on March 4-5, 1918,
by District Governor Jones. The special representative of Rotary to
the Conference was H. J. Brunnier of San Francisco who addressed one
hundred seven Rotary Club delegates who were in attendance.
At this
Conference, John G. Gay of Jacksonville, Florida, was nominated
District Governor and was elected at the Kansas City Convention held
June 24-28, 1918.
DISTRICT
NO. 8
At the
Kansas City Convention, our District number and area changed. A Rotary
Club having been chartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico, our District was
expanded to include this new area. The territory now included in
District No. 8 was Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Cuba and Puerto Rico.
The Dothan
Club, which had been operating as an independent club along the lines
of a Chamber of Commerce, was reorganized under the direction of
District Governor Gay into a Rotary Club in September, 1918, when it
was elected to membership in the International Association of Rotary
Clubs.
April
9-10, 1919, was the date of the District Conference held in Albany,
Georgia, with District Governor Gay. Chesley R. Perry, General
Secretary of Rotary, was the representative of the President to this
Conference.
This
District Conference passed two resolutions adopting policy and
procedure:
1. A
regular program of work among boys which led to Rotary Youth Programs.
2.
Established a ten-day period of time in which a club member could
object in writing to a proposed member.
Truman L.
McGill of Selma was nominated as District Governor and was elected at
the Convention in Salt Lake City, June 16-20, 1919.
The Rotary
Club of Opelika was chartered in May, 1919.
The 1920
District Conference was held at Tampa, Florida, on March 28-29, with
Governor McGill presiding. Rotary Vice-President Estes Snedecor
represented the President. Attendance was 457 men and 202 women for a
total of 659, by far the largest attendance to date. W.R.C. Smith of
Atlanta, was nominated for District Governor and was elected at the
Atlantic City Convention, June 21-25, 1920. Also, at this Convention,
Puerto Rico was removed from District 8 due to the distance from other
clubs.
Governor
McGill delivered several club charters in Alabama, Georgia, Florida
and Cuba. Those in Alabama were Bessemer in February, Sheffield in
March, and Troy in April, 1920.
Birmingham
was the site of the 1920 District Conference with a registered
attendance of 698 men and 210 women for a total of 908, a new high.
District Governor W.R.C. Smith presided, and John C. Henley, Jr.,of
Birmingham, was Secretary of the Conference. Dr. Crawford C.
McCullough, First Vice-President of Rotary, was the official
representative to this Conference. There were 47 clubs in the District
at this time.
It was at
this Conference that a resolution was passed asking the International
Association of Rotary Clubs to consider scheduling a Constitutional
Convention to be held separate from the International Convention.
John A.
Turner of Tampa, Florida, was nominated District Governor and was
elected at Edinburgh, Scotland, June 13-16, 1921.
The Cuban
delegates, because of the language difference, as well as local
conditions, asked the Conference to adopt a resolution requesting that
the International Board consider the formation of a separate district
for Cuba.
Governor
Smith delivered charters to four new Alabama clubs: Andalusia in
November, Talladega in December, 1920, Florence in January, and
Eufaula in May, 1921. The average attendance in the District this year
was 61.5 percent.
The 1922
District Conference was held in Savannah, Georgia, March 23-24, with
Governor Turner presiding and R. W. Groves as Secretary. Second
Vice-President William H. Coppock represented the Rotary President.
Attendance was 762 men and 113 women, for a total of 875. James S.
Thomas of Tuscaloosa was nominated District Governor and elected at
the Convention held in Los Angeles. Governor Turner delivered charters
to Tuscumbia in November and Brewton in April.
This
Conference passed several resolutions, but we will mention only two
here. One resolution complained of the large amount of material and
forms being sent out by "Headquarter Officers." Another was
related to "stunts." The resolution "conceded that
stunts are a necessary part of Rotary entertainment," and
suggested the District Governor's office be the clearing house for
"stunts" in order that each club have a good supply.
DISTRICT
NO. 26
At the
Convention held at Los Angeles, July 5-9, 1922, a new constitution was
adopted and the named changed to Rotary International. The
clubs in North America were restricted and an attempt was made to
eliminate state lines. The 8th District was then too large to be
properly supervised by one District Governor and it was divided into
two, nearly equal parts and renumbered, the western half being the
26th and the eastern part the39th.
The
original plan was for the territory in western Florida, including
Tallahassee and the western part of Georgia, including Rome, West
Point, LaGrange and Columbus, to be in the 26th District. After
petition of the clubs named, however, the Board assigned them to the
39th, and the 26th District was then redefined as the state of Alabama
and that part of Florida located west of the Appalachicola River. This
change left Pensacola as the only club in the 26th District not
located in the State of Alabama.
Governor
Thomas delivered charters to the clubs in Demopolis in January and at
Jasper in March, 1923.
On
November 17th, an "All Alabama Rotary Day" was held in
Mobile. The District Governor's report on the day had this to say,
"Mobile, replete in history, famed for hospitality, beautiful in
buildings, harbor and scenery, fairly outdid itself when the Rotarians
arrived. George Lining and Bill Lott must have lain awake nights
thinking up all the nice things they were going to do to the gang, and
Haygood Patterson of Montgomery brought the most beautiful posies and
decorated every Rotarian until one would have thought it was the
Auburn football team on parade after winning from Tech! In the
evening, a regular feed with ladies and all and a real Rotary talk by
Bill Armbrecht on "Springs." The Governor also spoke, as did
Bob Mangum (Selma) and Haygood Patterson (Montgomery). Pat was
accepting the attendance cup when he spoke, so he made it snappy and
full of big words but Bob he was talking of the ladies in Rotary and
Bob has had some experience and with his inspiration right at hand,
how he did let it fly!"
The first
Conference of the 26th District was held in Birmingham on March 15-16,
1923, with Governor Thomas presiding and L. L. Doty as Secretary. The
attendance was men, 327; women, 196; total 568. Harry Bert Craddick of
Minneapolis, a member of the Board, represented Rotary International.
L.D. Dix, of Mobile,was nominated District Governor and was elected at
the Convention held in St. Louis in June, 1923.
The 1924
District Conference was held in Tuscaloosa on March 18-19, Governor
Dix presiding. J.B. Brosius was Conference Secretary. The attendance
was visiting men 228; visiting ladies 38; local men 61; local ladies
48; total 475. Arch C. Klumph of Cleveland, represented Rotary. Herman
L. Turner was nominated District Governor, his election taking place
at Toronto in June, 1924.
Charter
was granted to the club at Attalla in 1923 by Governor Dix, and
Governor Turner delivered charters to Ensley in October 1924, and to
Aliceville in February 1925.
The 1925
District Conference was held in Mobile on March 16-17. The galaxy of
international orators, as well as those from our own district,
together with local entertainment and gastronomic features were above
anything that had been presented at previous Conferences and were such
as have not been attempted since. Governor Turner (no mean orator
himself) presided and had on his program Allen D. Albert, Past
President, IARC, 1915-16; Alan R. McFarlane of Vancouver, British
Columbia, a member of the International Board, and the lamented
William A. Burcher, a member of the National Committee on Boys. The
entertainment included a seafood dinner which was served while sailing
on the bay, interesting drives through historic Mobile, model
luncheons, a splendid banquet, receptions, dances, etc. Dick Christian
acted as Secretary and his report shows the attendance as 344
Rotarians and 211 guests, or a total of 554.
Emory
Folmar, of Troy, was nominated District Governor at Mobile and elected
at the International Convention in Cleveland on June 15-19, 1925. He
organized the clubs at Russellville in February and at Enterprise in
April, 1926.
Huntsville
was the site of the 1926 District Conference which was held on April
12-13. Governor Folmar presided and John P. Moore acted as Secretary.
A.F. Graves of Brighton, England, a director of Rotary International,
was the official representative. Registration was Rotarians 239,
Visitors 102, total 341.
Lauren E.
Brubaker was nominated District Governor and was elected at the
Convention in Denver, Colorado,in June, 1926. He founded a luncheon
club at Auburn known as the "Villagers" and, in May 1927, he
transformed it into a Rotary Club.
At this
Conference, Will Archer spoke strongly and with feeling regarding the
work with Crippled Children and Adults. He explained and gave emphasis
to the work he felt Rotary could and should do with Crippled Children
and in the rehabilitation of handicapped adults.
The 1927
District Conference was held at Pensacola on April 28-29, when we
entertained another gathering of international personages. The late
James W. Davidson and Mrs. Davidson, of Calgary, Alberta, who shortly
before had carried Rotary around the world, represented the
International Board. Richard G. Cox, of Gulfport, Mississippi, and
Carl Faust, of Jackson, Mississippi, both past International
Directors, helped make Governor Brubaker's program a success. The
outstanding entertainment feature was a pageant, "The Making of
America and Americans, Through Rotary Remaking the Nations," an
original production arranged especially for this occasion. The
attendance was: men 307, women 74, total 381. Perry W. Reed was the
Secretary.
The
"Club Executive's Conference," a forerunner of our District
Assembly, was held this year. Some Rotarians questioned its value and
purpose. Of the 27 clubs in the District, all but four were
represented.
William H.
Merrill, of Eufaula, was nominated District Governor and elected at
the Convention in Ostend, Belgium, June 5-10, 1927.
Governor
Merrill presided at the Convention held at Anniston on April 23-27,
1928. W. Murray Fields was the Secretary. Charles E. White, a member
of the International Board from Belfast, Ireland, was the official
representative. Attendance was 304.
Ernest L.
Deal, of Florence, was nominated District Governor and his election
took place at the Convention at Minneapolis June 18-22, 1928. The club
at Decatur was elected to membership in November, 1928, and Marianna,
Florida, in April, 1929.
Attendance
at Anniston was: Visiting men, 222; visiting ladies, 131; total 353.
On April
29-30, 1929, the Montgomery Club entertained the District Conference
with a total registration of 379. Of these, 174 were visiting
Rotarians, 92 being from the host club and 32 visiting ladies and 81
ladies from Montgomery. The total district membership was 1,341.
Governor
Deal presided and W.L. Rogers was Secretary. Director John E. Carlson,
of Kansas City, represented Rotary. M. Eugene Newsome, of Durham,
North Carolina, chairman of the Aims and Objects Committee and later
President of Rotary International, was a guest speaker, as was Floyd
Allen, Assistant to the President of General Motors, of Detroit,
Michigan. Morgan Richards of Selma, was nominated District Governor,
his election taking place at Dallas, Texas, May 27-31, 1929. The Club
at Tallassee was organized and elected in November of that year.
The
"District Assembly" was held at Pensacola, Florida, on July
22-23. Of the then 30 clubs, only 21 had representation. District
Governor Morgan Richards made the following observation in his report
to Rotary International following the Assembly, "It is noticeable
that several of the clubs not represented are on the list of the clubs
that need attention." (The picture has not changed.)
[BACK
TO TOP]
1930
- The Depression Years
Birmingham
was host to the District Conference on April 14-15, 1930. Governor
Richards presided and George M. Lemmon was Secretary. The total
attendance was 555, 189 Rotarians and 63 ladies being visitors and 157
Rotarians and 146 ladies registering from Birmingham. The total
membership in the District was 1,326. Director Clyde L. Hulsizer, of
Des Moines, Iowa, represented Rotary. He was accompanied by Mrs.
Hulsizer. Joseph A. Duckworth, of Tuscaloosa, was nominated District
Governor and was elected at the Convention in Chicago on June 27-30,
1930.
During the
year 1930-31, the effects of the Depression were commencing to be
felt; there was a decrease in membership and no new clubs were formed,
all the energy being devoted to hold what we had.
The
District Assembly went to Montgomery on July 7-8, 1930, and of the
then 31 clubs in the District, 29 were represented.
On April
13-14, 1931, the Conference was held at Gadsden with an attendance of
321 as follows: Visiting Rotarians, 151; ladies 31; Gadsden Rotarians
68 and local ladies 71. The membership in the District was 1,242.
Governor Duckworth presided, with Walter C. Bell as Secretary. The
representative of Rotary International was Director Will Taylor of
Springfield, Illinois, and he was accompanied by Mrs. Taylor.
The clubs
at Marianna and Pensacola, Florida, asked the District to approve a
transfer of those clubs to the 39th District so that they could be
affiliated with all the other Florida clubs. This change was approved,
the International Board made it effective on July 1, and we lost our
close contact with these splendid clubs. This, then, made the
definition of the 26th District "The State of Alabama."
The
State of Alabama
John C.
Henley, Jr., of Birmingham, was nominated District Governor at the
Gadsden Conference and was elected at the Convention at Vienna,
Austria, on June 21-25, 1931.
The
District Assembly again went to Montgomery on September 15-16, 1931.
Of the then 29 clubs, 26 had representatives.
Huntsville
entertained the District Conference on April 28-29, 1932. Governor
Henley presided and John P.Moore was Conference Secretary. Third
Vice-President John Nelson, of Montreal, Canada, accompanied by Mrs.
Nelson, was the official representative. John was later President of
Rotary International. Algernon Blair, of Montgomery, was nominated
District Governor, his election taking place at the Convention held at
Seattle, Washington, in 1932.
The
District lost two clubs during the year, at Talladega and Tuscumbia,
and there was a further shrinkage in the membership of other clubs
which reduced the District membership to 985. The Conference
attendance was: Visitors; men 88, ladies 25, from host city, men 28,
ladies 25, total 166.
The
District Assembly went to Mitchell Dam on July 25-26, 1932. All clubs
in the District, except Russellville, were represented.
The
District Conference went back to Mobile on March 27-28, 1933, with
Governor Blair presiding and Herbert C. Bruner acting Secretary. Prior
to this Conference, three more clubs - Attalla, Enterprise and
Russellville - had resigned, reducing the District membership to 837.
The attendance was: Visiting Rotarians 108; ladies 35; Mobile
Rotarians 92; Mobile ladies 72; total 307. John T. Cochrane was
nominated District Governor and was elected at Boston, June 26-30,
1933. Director Ernesto Aguilar of Mexico City, accompanied by Mrs.
Aguilar, represented Rotary International at this Conference.
District
Grows Again
Governor
Cochrane conducted his District Conference at Montgomery, May 13-15,
1934, with Frank L. Grove as Secretary. Robert E. Lee Hill of
Columbia, Missouri, who was later President of Rotary International,
represented Rotary. The attendance was 414 as follows: Visiting
Rotarians 137; visiting women 55; Montgomery Rotarians 107; women 115.
The total membership in the District was now 1,028, showing that the
turn had come and that Rotary in Alabama now on the upgrade. An
outstanding visiting speaker was Dr.Gus Dyer, professor at Vanderbilt
University. During Governor Cochrane's administration, the club at
Enterprise was reorganized and new clubs established at Hartford and
at Geneva.
Zebulon
Judd of Auburn was nominated District Governor, and elected at Detroit
on June 25-29, 1934.
District
Assembly went to Martin Dam on July 25-26, 1934. Attendance was good.
Algernon
Blair, of Montgomery, was elected a Director of Rotary International
at the Convention in Detroit, June 25-29, 1934.
The
Conference, under Governor Judd's leadership, was held at Birmingham
on May 12-14, 1935. Arthur K.Akers was Conference Secretary. The
District membership at this time was 1,126. The attendance was
Visitors, men 157; women 78; home folks, men 109, and the same number
of women; total 453. Past Director Raymond J. Knoeppel, of New York,
accompanied by Mrs. Knoeppel, represented Rotary International. Dr.
William A. Harper, of Vanderbilt University, made a splendid talk on
"Religion of Business."
The club
at Sylacauga was organized under this administration.
James A.
Lee, of Selma, was nominated District Governor and elected at the
Convention held in Mexico City, Mexico, June 17-21, 1935.
The
District Assembly returned to Mitchell Dam on July 27 and 28, 1936.
Eight clubs were not represented.
On April
19-21, 1936, the Conference was held at Gadsden, Alabama, with
Governor Lee presiding, and Walter Bell acting as Secretary. The
attendance was 310; visitors, men 161; women 53; from host city, 48
men and an equal number of women. The District membership had now
risen to 1,188. Rotary International was represented by Past Director
Robert F. Phillips, of Asheville, North Carolina, and Herman L. Turner
of Atlanta, was an honored guest.
Harry M.
Ayers was nominated District Governor and was elected at the
Convention at Atlantic City, New Jersey, on June 22-26, 1937.
The club
located at Samson was elected to membership during this period.
Many
New Clubs
There was
a change in the Rotary policy during that year and practically the
whole energy of Governor Ayers was devoted to the organization of new
clubs in territories which, for the most part, had been considered too
small for clubs or otherwise unsuitable for Rotary. The extension of
Rotary to the smaller places in the District had its effect on the
larger clubs also, and when the District Conference was held at
Huntsville on April 18-20,1937, the District membership had grown to
1,438, with new clubs at Athens, Brantley, Marion, Reform, Tuskegee
and York and, by July 1, Hartselle, Lafayette and Roanoke had been
chartered and preliminary work done at a number of other places.
Governor
Ayers presided at the Huntsville Conference, with John P. Moore acting
as Secretary. Past Director Abit Nix of Athens, Georgia, was the
representative of Rotary International. Visiting speakers were James
A.Holmes of Greenville, South Carolina, and Dr. J.A. McCalla of
Chattanooga, Tennessee. The attendance was: Visiting Rotarians 91,
visiting ladies 38, Huntsville Rotarians 36, Huntsville ladies 28;
total 193.
District
No. 164
The growth
of Rotary being so great, requiring redistricting, and for
housekeeping reasons, District numbers were changed even though the
territory remained the same.
George
Klimes of Birmingham was nominated District Governor at the Huntsville
District Conference and was elected at Nice, France, on June 6-11,
1937.
District
Assembly was held in Montgomery on September 16 and 17, 1937.
Thirty-five of the thirty-nine clubs were represented.
On April
26-28, 1938, the Conference was held in Dothan. Governor Klimes
presided and the attendance was: Visiting Rotarians 185; visiting
ladies 55; Dothan Rotarians 37; Rotary Anns from Dothan 32, or a total
of 309 registered guests. Rotarian Claybrook Cottingham, Past Director
from Alexandria, Louisiana, accompanied by Mrs. Cottingham, was the
representative of Rotary International. District Governor T.T. Molnar
of Cuthbert, Georgia, brought a word of greeting from the 165th
District.
Houston
Cole, of Tuscaloosa, was nominated District Governor and elected at
the Convention in San Francisco, June 19-24, 1938. He was known in his
youth as the "Patrick Henry of DeKalb County."
The
membership of the District at the close of this year was 1,637. New
clubs had been chartered at Ashland, Brundidge, Cullman, Evergreen,
Fairhope, Greensboro and Wetumpka.
[BACK
TO TOP]
District
Fund Set Up
At the
District Assembly held in Montgomery earlier in the year, a new plan
was adopted to care for a certain part of the expenses of the District
Conferences. At the Conference held in 1923, arrangements were made
for each club to put up fifty cents per member for the fixed expense
of the Conference and an additional fifty cents per member for the
special expense, making a total of $1.00 deposited for Conference
expenses. This was to be disbursed by a special committee and sums
left over, if any, were to be divided between the donors. This
committee was appointed for several years and then it was abandoned
and the matter was handled by the host club committee. For several
years, this club committee attempted to get sufficient funds for their
needs, leaving out those clubs which objected.
When met
with opposition, it was decided to pay the entire $1.00 per member to
the District Fund, to contribute a stated sum to the Conference host
club and to use the balance for district matters. Commencing with the
Dothan Convention, this was done.
The
District Assembly for the Rotary year 1938-39 was held in Tuscaloosa
on July 26-27, 1938. Of the then 44 clubs in the District, 40 were
represented.
The 1939
District Conference was held in Mobile on April 30 to May 2. District
Governor Houston Cole presided and Herb Bruner acted as Secretary. The
attendance was as follows: Visiting men 129; visiting ladies 110;
Mobile men 110; Mobile ladies 71; total 420. The total District
Membership was 1,674.
Rotary
International was represented by Past Director Karl Miller of Dodge
City, Kansas, who was accompanied by his wife. Past Director Walter D.
Head of Teaneck, New Jersey, later named President of Rotary
International, was also present and addressed the gathering.
Congressman Representative Joe Starnes of Guntersville, gave a very
interesting talk on the work of the Dies Committee of Congress.
Rotarians
of the Briny Deep
At this
point in time, in 1938, the federal government maintained a passenger
boat of 400 capacity which was docked in Mobile Bay. Regulations
pertaining to its use required the request of a congressman who served
the area. He was required to come to the area involved and accompany
the passengers on the journey.
Governor
Cole and the Conference Committee turned to Congressman Joe Starnes
for his service. At that time, most travel was done by train and not
plane. As a result, the Congressman traveled all night and part of the
next day before he reached Mobile. It must be pointed out that the
delegates at the Convention learned of the details of this adventure
and insisted that we devote a part of the Convention time to this
phase.
At noon on
Friday, the delegates assembled at the bayside with strong
expectations of the interesting event. Suffice it to say, we moved the
afternoon session to the boat and sailed the mighty deep.
Fellowship
and observation characterized the journey. Delegates met delegates
they had not known before. This had the effect of increasing
fellowship and friendship while viewing the scenes along the way.
Frank L.
Grove, of Montgomery, was nominated District Governor and elected at
the International Convention at Cleveland, Ohio, in June, 1939.
Charters were granted to the new clubs at Greenville and Gordo during
this term.
The
Assembly went to Montgomery on July 24-25, 1939. Ten of the 46 clubs
were not represented.
Largest
Conference To Date
The 1940
Conference was held at Montgomery on April 21-23, with Governor Grove
presiding and Maxie Pepperman acting as Secretary. The attendance was
as follows: Visiting men 279; visiting ladies 91; localmen 132; local
ladies 134; total 636.
Rotary
International was represented by Raymond J. Knoeppel, Past Director,
of New York. Willis Sutton,of Atlanta, was one of the speakers.
One of the
most elaborate entertainments was conducted on a parody on the motion
picture, "Gone with the Wind."
Frank P.
Samford, of Birmingham, was nominated District Governor and his
election took place at the Convention held in Havana, Cuba, on June
19-24, 1940.
At the
time of the Convention, the District Membership was 1,824.
Selma was
host to the District Assembly on July 15-16, 1940. Eleven of the 45
clubs were not represented.
We then
went to Birmingham for the District Conference on May 4-6, 1941. Frank
P. Samford presided and Frank Spain was Conference Secretary. The
attendance was: Visiting men 207; visiting women 88;Birmingham men
206; Birmingham women 206; total 707.
Rotary
International was represented by Director Frank C. Barnes of Manistee,
Michigan. Other visiting speakers were Past Rotary International
Director Edward F. McFaddin of West Little Rock, Arkansas; Porter W.
Carswell of Waynesboro, Georgia; Herman L. Turner, President of the
Rotary Club of Atlanta; P.O. Davis of Auburn, and Charles W.
Pettengill of Greenwich, Connecticut, who later became Rotary
President.
Harry P.
Hall of Dothan was nominated for District Governor and his election
took place at the Convention held in Denver, Colorado on June 15-20,
1941. During the previous term, charters of the clubs at Marion and
Samson were surrendered.
A new club
was organized at Opp in May, 1941.
Invitation
was extended for the 1942 Conference to be held at Gadsden. This
information was referred to the District Assembly to be held in
Montgomery, where it was accepted.
In January
1942, the club at Goodwater was chartered, bringing the total of 46
for the District.
Thom J.
Davis of Butte, Montana, President of Rotary International, honored
the District with two visits in March of this year. He conducted
Intercity Forums at Birmingham, March 16, and at Dothan, March 19.
They were two of the finest and best attended meetings ever held in
the state. Twenty-eight Alabama clubs were represented at the
Birmingham Forum; 375 total attendance. Dothan had a registration of
406 from 14 Alabama clubs, 7 Georgia and 7 Florida clubs.
Four other
Intercity Forums were held at Andalusia, Decatur, Tuscaloosa and
Auburn. Total registration for the six forums was 1,198. In an
official announcement, Rotary International gave the 164th District
credit for leading all districts in Intercity Forum promotion and
attendance.
We also
had the distinction of being one of the two Rotary districts in which
every club made a contribution to the Rotary Relief Fund. $1,671.79
was donated by Alabama's Rotary Clubs for the relief of distressed
Rotary families in the war-torn areas.
Total
membership as of February, 1942 stood at 1,876.
Harry
Hall, District Governor for the Rotary Year 1941-42, continued to
expand Rotary at every opportunity. The information in this book
should place Harry Ayers and Harry Hall as the "Rotary Extension
Twins."
Governor
Hall and his District Assembly in Montgomery on July 28 and 29. Of the
45 clubs in the District, 44 were represented. Governor Hall had a
grand display of Rotary Information. This Assembly voted by resolution
to ask Past District Governor Morgan Richards of Selma to prepare a
"History of Rotary in Alabama."
Past
District Governor Houston Cole was appointed by Alabama Governor Dixon
to organize and administer the Alabama State Defense Council and
Office of Price Administration with more than 300,000 men and women
working under his direction, the largest job in the state.
The
District Conference went to Gadsden this year on April 26-28, 1942.
All 46 clubs, except Fairhope, were represented. Attendance records
show 503 Rotarians and 358 Rotary Anns for a total attendance of 861.
Lawrence
S. Akers of Memphis, Tennessee was Rotary International representative
at the Conference, and Clyde Orr of Bessemer was nominated for
District Governor.
During
this year, the District raised and sent to Rotary International
$2,600.00 for the purchase of a field ambulance. All clubs contributed
to the "Rotary International Relief Fund."
District
attendance for the year was 83.17% and, at the end of the year,
membership was 1,883.
The Rotary
year of 1942-43 was a good year, even in the heart of the war. Travel
was limited and Governor Clyde Orr had some difficulty in making his
appointed rounds.
The
District Assembly was in Montgomery again to conserve travel. Of the
46 clubs in the District, 40 were represented with 106 attending.
The
District Conference was held in Birmingham with a total attendance of
465 men and 109 women. Frank Spain was nominated as District Governor
and Abit Nix was Rotary International representative.
During
this year, Rotary International was asking each District Governor to
give reports on the activities of Rotary with the Defense Council
work. Information asked for reflected Rotary activities in Civil
Defense, blood banks, salvage drives and defense counselor training or
other activities aiding the defense movement.
Total
membership at the end of the Rotary year was 2,011 and the district
attendance for the year was 82% - good for the war year.
International
Understanding Stressed
Rotary in
1943-44 was most concerned with advancing international understanding.
District Governor Frank Spain devoted much time and energy to this
phase of Rotary during his year. He planned and conducted 31
Institutes on International Understanding involving all of the 47
clubs then in the District. The emphasis given to this phase of Rotary
by Frank Spain is alive today in Rotary in Alabama.
The
District Assembly was held in Birmingham on June 23, 1943. Fifteen of
the 47 clubs were not represented, due mainly to restricted travel.
Attendance was limited with only 72 present.
The
District Conference was in Montgomery on April 24 and 25, 1944. Of the
48 clubs in the District, only four were not represented. Total
attendance was 334 men and 95 women for a total of 429.
Robert E.
Heun of Richmond, Indiana, a Past Vice President, was Rotary
International representative, and John McClure of Tuscaloosa was
nominated for District Governor.
The
Conference adopted a resolution commending Algernon Blair of
Montgomery for his interest, work and leadership in Rotary. The
resolution read in part, "We believe few districts in all Rotary
have so benefitted by the qualities of leadership you have evidenced
throughout all the happy years we have enjoyed your wise counsel, your
unceasing interest, your kindly philosophy and your wholehearted
helpfulness."
The
District contributed $1,454.41 for relief to Rotarians and their
families in war countries. At the year's end, there were 2,110
Rotarians and the District attendance for the year was 83.07%.
District
Governor John McClure held two District Assemblies in his year; one in
Montgomery on July 17 and one in Birmingham on July 20, 1944. Forty of
the 42 clubs were represented at one of the assemblies.
Due to the
war situation and restricted travel, it was decided not to have a
District Conference during the Rotary year 1944-45. Rotary
International passed this suggestion on to all districts.
Richard H.
Wells, President of Rotary International, visited the District during
the year. His only appearance in the District was with the Birmingham
Club.
John W.
Inzer was nominated for District Governor. The average attendance for
the District was 83.73% and membership totaled 2,206 Rotarians on June
30, 1945.
[BACK
TO TOP]
Frank
Spain Nominated for Director
District
Governor John Inzer again had two assemblies during the Rotary year
1945-46, the first in Montgomery on July 2 and 3, and then in
Birmingham on July 9 and 10. Thirteen of the 49 clubs were not
represented. Travel restrictions continued to influence the Rotary
program.
The
District Conference was held in Birmingham on April 22 and 23, 1946.
Of the 50 clubs at that time, 43 were represented at the Conference.
Total attendance was 547, with 400 men and 147 women. Of this number,
389 were from the host club. Phillip Lovejoy represented Rotary
International at this Conference. Phillip is well remembered by
Rotarians of Alabama.
This
Conference endorsed a resolution supporting Frank E. Spain for
Director for Zone Four. Lewis Smith of Ensley was nominated for
District Governor.
Phillip
Lovejoy, in his report to Rotary International following the
Conference, had this to say regarding a part of the program by Paul
Grist, "A grand presentation of community service and it could be
used in the international picture."
John Inzer,
in his Annual Report, said: "Without exception, on my visits I
found the clubs had a rather low and poor ebb if their officers had
not attended our District Assemblies . . . "
Awards
were given during the year and Tuscaloosa received the President's
Award for outstanding work in all phases of Rotary. The Governor's
Award went to Decatur for Club Service, Bessemer for Community
Service, Demopolis for Vocational Service and Montgomery for
International Service.
Average
attendance for the year was 79.47%. On June 30, 1946, the 50 clubs had
2,517 Rotarians as members.
Attendance
and Membership Grows
The year
1946-47 showed continued growth in membership and attendance. The war
years had its claim on both.
District
Governor Lewis M. Smith started the year with his District Assembly in
Montgomery on July 22 and 23. Eight of the 51 clubs were not
represented. Attendance at the Assembly was 146. Governor Lewis
reported, "Delegates sat behind tables facing the speaker's
platform similar to that at the International Assembly."
Frank
Spain of Birmingham was serving Rotary International as a Director.
Frank was on his way to greater service to Rotary.
The
District Conference went to Huntsville on April 20-22, 1947. Eleven of
the 52 clubs were not represented. Total attendance was 344.
Percy
Hodgson of Narragansett, Rhode Island, was Rotary International
representative to the Conference. Percy later became President of
Rotary. In his report to Rotary International, Percy described the
Conference as "excellent, equipped very well, a grand Conference,
well conducted and instructive." As the weakest feature he said,
"Too many long-winded speeches by some Past District
Governors." James T. Upchurch of Montgomery was nominated for
District Governor. Ensley received an award for Outstanding Club
of the Year.
Governor
Lewis' Annual Report showed 51 clubs with 2,695 members and the
average District attendance 82.76%.
Governor
Upchurch held his District Assembly in Montgomery on July 21 and 22,
1947. Only five clubs were not represented. Attendance was the best -
164 Rotarians. In addition, in the training phase of the Assembly,
Governor Jim brought to the attention of those in attendance such
items of business as district financial condition, possible
re-districting of Alabama and the appointment of a District Fund
Committee. Action taken later in the year will reflect results of
these discussions.
The
District Conference was held in Montgomery on March 28-30, 1948. Of
the 52 clubs in the District, 51had representation at the Conference.
Total attendance was 466. Richard E. Brenor of Chicago, was the
President's representative at our Conference.
Records
from this Conference indicate this was the first Conference in which
each club registered 15% of their membership in advance. This was
later changed to 20%. A resolution was offered Rotary International
requesting the state be divided into two districts and that the
dividing line be the southern boundary lines of Chambers, Tallapoosa,
Coosa, Shelby, Bibb, Tuscaloosa and Pickens Counties.
Roy
Hickman, of Birmingham, was nominated District Governor. During this
year, Frank Spain was serving as Third Vice-President of Rotary.
Rotary International representative Richard Brenor, in his report to
Rotary International made the following comments: "A good
conference, no weak points, the District needs to be divided in that
the Governor had to travel over 17,000 miles to get his job done, and
Governor Jim Upchurch is a whiz-bang."
Demopolis
received the President's Award, and the Annual Governor's
Report showed 52 clubs with 2,812 members on June 30. The District
attendance for the year was 85.15% - a new high.
Alabama
Divides
District
Governor Roy Hickman was the last of the long list of able Rotarians
serving as District Governor of the entire state. During the year,
Alabama was to be divided into two districts.
Governor
Roy carried his District Assembly to Tuscaloosa on June 25 and 26,
1948. The total attendance was 175 with all but three of the 52 clubs
represented.
The
District Conference was in Mobile this year on April 24-26, 1949.
Total attendance was 712 which was the best since before the war
years. It seems fitting that Mobile was host to this Conference and
records reflect the fine job they did in the overall planning and
execution of every detail. The Mobile Rotarians are not to be outdone
in staging a District Conference. Of the then 56 clubs in the
District, only two were missing.
Charles G.
Tennent of Ashville, North Carolina, was the President's
representative to the Conference. Charles later became President of
Rotary. In his report to Rotary International, Charles had only praise
for "the excellent program and the hospitality extended by the
Mobile Club."
The Annual
Report submitted to Rotary International by Governor Roy showed 57
clubs with 3,005 members on June 30, 1949. The average District
attendance for the year was 85%.
During
this year, a committee composed of Past District Governors Joe
Duckworth, Harry Hall and Houston Cole made a study of the state and,
finally, recommendations were made for dividing the state into two
districts. Their recommendations were accepted and approved by the
Board of Directors of Rotary International - the division to be
effective July 1, 1949. The northern part of the state was to be known
as District 238 and the southern part as District 239.
The
division gave District 238 the greater number of Rotarians - 1,433 in
25 clubs. District 239 inherited 27 clubs with 1,376 Rotarians.
<![CDATA[ <bgsound src="heartsound.mid" loop=false autostart=true> ]]>
BACK
TO TOP OF PAGE
Rotary International