Rotary Club of Albion

1928-2003

75 Years of Service

Organization of the Club

• Dr. Ara D. Sharp

• First regular organizational committee meeting

November 29, 1927 – Dr. D. Sharp, Physician

– George Schumacher, Albion Malleable Iron

– Elmer Stoddard, Druggist

– John J Fisher, Undertaker

– Fred Blanchard, Post Office

– Verl L. Koon, Hardware

– Donald J. Gilbert, Consumers Power Company

Charter Night • April 12, 1928, at the Parker Inn

• Dr. Harry Parks, Past President of the Jackson Club was toastmaster

• Frank L. Mulholland, Past President of Rotary International, was the speaker.

Charter Members

• Richard Baldwin, Newspaper Publishing

• George Bohm, Motion Picture Theatre

• William Buck, Alumni Associations

• Leonard Cole, Automobile Wheel Manufacturing

• John Fisher, Funeral Directing

• Percy Ganson, Electric Light & Power Service

• Harold Baker, Poultry Raising

• Bruce Guyselman, Plumbing

• Clair Henry, Automobile Retailing

• Verl Koon, Exodontia

• Harry Parker, Iron Casting Manufacturing

• Walter Peabody, Telephone Service

• Walter Peak, Caster & Truck Mfg.

• Reinhold Schumacher, Saving & Loan

Association

• Albert Schumacher, Building Construction

• Dr. Ara Sharp, Surgery

• Elmer Stoddard, Drugs Retailing

• Edward Sweeney, Hotels

• Norman Wiener, Iron & Steel Scrap

• Robert Wochholz, Security Brokerage

• Charles Woodruff, Men’s Clothing Retailing

• Robert Williams, Educating – Universities

• George Schumacher, Albion Malleable Iron

• A total of 23

Officers

• President – C. Bernard Woodruff

• Vice-President – George Schumacher

• Secretary-Treasurer – Richard Baldwin

• Board

– Percy Ganson

– Walter Peak

– Norman Wiener

Reginald Smith

• C. Reginald Smith was the club’s third president

• Served as a district governor in Michigan 1940-41

• Chairman of Rotary International’s nominating committee in 1951

• Ran unsuccessfully for President of Rotary International in 1957

• Treasurer of Union Steel Products Co.

• Member of the Albion Board of Education

• Trustee of the Calhoun County Public

Hospital

Projects

• Aiding crippled children and adults (polio rehabilitation)

• Wolverine Boy’s State and Rotary Leadership Camp

• Skating Shelter at Reiger Park in 1955

• Festival of the Forks since 1979

• Graduating senior Rotary’s Four Way Test Award since 1987

• Two juniors each year to District 6360’s

Life Leadership Conference

• Numerous local projects and programs each

year

1928-1937

• Presidents: C. Bernard Woodruff, George

Schumacher, C. Reginald Smith, Ara Sharp,

William Harton, Paul Ewbank, Richard Baldwin,

Jack Bedient, King Cornell, and Don Harrington

• Depression years

• Membership dropped to 43 from a high of 51

• Pres. Harton had to resign from club at end of his

term because he was not being paid.

• Club urged that traffic lights be installed to protect

children on their way to and from school

1938 - 1947

• Presidents: Donald Gilbert, Russell Vaughn, D. R. McAuliffe, Dewey Bitney, Frank Koth, Emil Leffler, Everett Cavanagh, Chandler Taylor, George Walkotten, and C. Thatcher Hatch

• War years

• Membership was 85 in 1946.

• Paul Harris died in 1947. In his memory clubs all over the world contributed $10 per member to the Rotary Foundation.

1948 - 1957

• Presidents: Theodore VanDellen, W. Clark Dean,

Wibert Neil, Clifford Taylor, Hershel Fox, Dale

Sprankle, Clifford Smith, Carl Steinhauer, Robert

Geyer, and Harry Williams

• Sponsored the Litchfield Rotary Club

• Bob Geyer was youngest president, 34

• The Exchange and Rotary Clubs built Reiger Park

Skating House in 1955.

1957

1958 - 1967

• Presidents: Harry Transue, Fred Houseman,

Minard Farley, George Ryser, J. Leslie

Engstrom, Robert Kelsey, Richard

Chauncey, John Tennant, Minard Farley (to

finish Tennant’s term), George Matthews,

David Turnbull

• Membership in 1964 was 102

• Contributed to many activities to aid youth:

– Furniture for children’s room at the library

– Glasses for needy children

– Student scholarships

– High school football banquet

– Campfire girls camping trip

– Sent two boys to Wolverine Boys State

Fund-

raising

Projects

1968 - 1977

• Presidents: Ordell McElhaney, Jack Ryser, Harry Gardner, William Helrigel Jr, Charles Williams, Donald Tallman, Gordon Pulling, Basil Cole (to complete term of G. Pulling), Charles Held, Neal Godby, Jack Hill

• Furnished labor and materials for the Midway Airport building

• Auction sales and pancake suppers were the major fund raisers.

• Pres. Jack Hill won a challenge to Pres. of the Marshall Club to see which club would have the greater attendance. The Marshall Pres. had to shave off his moustache.

Ross Reetz of Hayes-Albion presenting a $350,000 check to John Sharp,

Gust Johnson, Scott Tuthill, and Richard Weitzel for burying electric

cable for the terminal building and field at MidWay Airport

1978 - 1988

• Presidents: Robert Tuck, Donald Ryan,

Gregory Pulling, Otis Myers, James Burtch,

Richard Munger, Mike Bitar, John

Williams, Geary Bird, Dan Siler

• “Two for five in 85” brought in 20 new

members.

• Las Vegas Night was the major fund raiser

• With Jack Hill as chair of the Youth

Exchange committee, the club was known

throughout the district for its strong

participation in the International Youth

Exchange program.

1988 - 1997

• Presidents: Michael Hill, David Farley, Al

Meloy, Merritt Yackey, Kenneth Ponds,

Mike Turner, Sue Marcos, Peggy Sindt,

Jerry Christensen, and Richard Meyer

• Starting in 1987, whitefish dinners were the

major fund-raising project.

• The Polio Plus Campaign started in 1988. Over $226,000,000 was raised world-wide to immunize 240 million children in more than 40 developing countries.

• The club continued the project of ringing bells for the Salvation Army at Christmas.

• Mike Hill lost the attendance challenge to the Pres. of the Marshall club.

1998 - 2003

• Presidents: Marvin Ittner, James Seidl, Cathy Campbell, Phil Hostetler, and Kristi Maze

• In 1999 the club started working one day per year selling tickets at the county fair to raise money for club projects.

• In 2000 the club started to maintain Bournelis Park.

• Jim Seidl established a web site for the club in 2001. The site won the District 6360 Turning Gear Award in 2002.

• The club has helped purchase new playground equipment for Victory Park.

• The club pledged $8,710 for the Polio Eradication Campaign and has already paid $6,500 of it.

Albion Rotary Club 2000

Kristi – 2nd youngest president and 1st to have a baby while in office

Pancake supper – new project in partnership with AVSO to

raise money for Polio Eradication and local projects.

Whitefish dinners continue

The club continues to plant flowers with the Citizens to Beautify Albion

Special Awards

• Sparkplug Award – Special pin rotates to the

“key” Rotarian. Started in 1985 by Dave Farley

when he received the pin from DG Tom Sullivan.

• Bob Farley Attendance Award – Special pin

rotates to members in recognition of their

attendance at club meetings and projects. Started

in 2003 by Dave Farley in memory of his father

who had 52 years of perfect attendance.

President Mike Hill congratulating Bob Farley

on receiving the sparkplug award.

• George Mather Late Arrival Award – a $1

fine imposed by the Sergeant on the last

Rotarian to arrive at the meeting. The

award was named in honor of George

Mather who was editor of the Albion

Evening Recorder and was usually late

because he had to put the paper to bed at

noon.

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