January 7, 2025 - The year 2025 marks 100 years of service by the Rotary Club of Center!
It was on May 5, 1925, when a group of 15 Center business and professional men met at the Polley Hotel on the downtown Center square to discuss plans to form a Rotary club for the community.
This was in response to a movement to take "Rotary" into the smaller cities and towns of America. It had been only 20 years since Paul Harris, a young Chicago lawyer, had conceived the idea that resulted in the establishment of a civic organization where men of different businesses and professions could meet on a periodic basis for food and fellowship. From that small beginning in the City of Chicago in 1905 grew an international organization, which by 1925 was represented by clubs in all of the major cities of the world. But something was missing, and it was "small town America."
Center was indeed a small town in 1925 but the men were progressive and energetic, and it was in this atmosphere that the spirit of Rotary caught hold. With the help of the Nacogdoches Club and their special representative, Eugene H. Blount, and District 13 Governor Harry H. Rogers, the organizational meeting resulted in electing R. S. Sanders as the Center Club's first president, J.C. Hurst, Vice President, Mayes (editor and W. W. publisher of "The Champion"), Secretary and Treasurer, and M.H. Voss (manager of the city owned electric company) as Sergeant-at-Arms, with W.C. Windham completing the Board of Directors. The other charter members were J.C. Blake (a court reporter), C.E. Hall, T.L. Hurst, O.F. Metz, F.E. Parker, Roy Payne, W.J. Rogers, S.H. Sanders, L.C. Smith, and M.M. Weaver.
The club was admitted to membership in Rotary International on May 26, 1925.
Today’s Center Rotary Club has 40 members and is led by President Rayford Copelin, President-Elect Lawrence Davis, Treasurer Bridgette Liem, Secretary J.J. Ford, Past-President Steve Waters, along with board members David Chadwick, Cam McElroy, Laura Rowe, and Joe West. Additional members of the club are Hollie Adams, Otis Amy, Chandra Atholi, Jason Balkcom, Tracey Belin, John Black, Meg Camp, Dorian Cerrato, Abbey Cooper, Stephanie Elswick, Cindy Eubanks, Howell Howard, Mack Hughes, Dr. Robert Hughes, Ed Johnson, Hope Jordan, Cancee Lester, Jenny Lightfoot, Aaron Gilchrist, Yogesh Gorkhali, David Hailey, Pam Hall, Will Lucas, Tammie Luman, Collin Mathews, Dr. Keith Miller, Chad Nehring, Reid Nichols, Daniel Rogers, Camille Stanfield, and Kristi Stone.
Watch for additional Rotary news to be released as the 100 years of service by the club is commemorated and celebrated! The Club’s Centennial celebration will be held in early May!
Click image to read the clipping.
