• Abstract and Figures
• Public Full-text

Congratulations! For 50 years of community “service above self” and for making Rotary Park at Beneva Oaks a dream come true for persons with disabilities. 50th Anniversary 1958 – 2008 The Rotary Club of Sarasota Bay Celebrating a Half Century of Service Above Self Copyright © 2008 The Rotary Club of Sarasota Bay. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction and Dedication | 4 Dignitary Greetings | 6 Rotary History: Yesterday and | 12 Today Closer to Home: District History | 24 in Florida The Four Avenues | 26 of Service Our Distinguished | 30 Service Award The Rotary Club of Sarasota Bay | 33 Foundation Saluting the Rotary Anns | 34 Current Members | 36 In Memoriam | 37 Interview with | 38 Cy Bispham A History in Letters: | 45 Presidents’ Reports Pictorial Section | 64 Cover photo and all interior color photographs courtesy of Keith Millard. Black and white photographs on back cover courtesy of Sarasota County History Office. THE ROTARY CLUB OF SARASOTA BAY, 1958 – 2008 Introduction and Dedication or any institution—a business, a college, even a marriage—to make it F past 50 years takes a good bit of hard work and not a little luck. A lot can happen in five decades. In the case of The Rotary Club of Sarasota Bay, which celebrates its 50th anniversary November 18, the last half century has witnessed a change of venue, the arrival of new friends, the sad pass- ing of old ones—and always the shouldering of new projects that placed demands on our time and treasure. Yet, in spite of the inevitable changes that five decades have wrought, the common call to Service Above Self connects members to one another across the years. Indeed, the always timely and forever timeless Four- Way Test echoes back to the middle decade of the preced- ing century, when commu- nity minded businessmen in The editors: Allen Jelks, Keith Millard, and Sarasota stepped forward to Tim Cole proclaim, “I will!” This commemorative book was assembled to mark this time. It’s an homage to Rotary members who have come before us—and a monument for those who follow. Scanning these pages will give you a sense of the history of the Rotary Club of Sarasota Bay, embodied in all the community service activities our past presidents describe, but also the color photogra- phy that catalogs more recent times and activities. Significantly, the book is dedicated to the following individuals, the founding members of the Ro- Page THE ROTARY CLUB OF SARASOTA BAY, 1958 – 2008 tary Club of Sarasota Bay: We are blessed that one of the original founding members, Cyrus G. Bispham, has consented to offer us his thoughts in an interview beginning on page 38. Karl B. Albritton Charles N. Kimble Lawrence G. Sapp Cyrus G. Bispham Millard M. Moore Grover Sewell Charles C. Binns James R. Morgan Lester H. Stein Rodgers A. Bradley Paul P. Perry, Jr. Clarence V. Symonds H. Clyde Brantley Paul P. Perry III William G. Waidlick W. Bruce Damron J. Martin Ross Robert T. Wallace Edward L. Jackson Lewis E. Rothrock George W. Whiting This book would not have been possible without the help and guidance of many people. First, I wish to thank my co-chair Dr. Allen Jelks, who filled in historical gaps, supplied needed source materials, proofed dozens and dozens of pages of copy with his usual professionalism and generally spurred us onward. Allen is a sage, a seer, and a pillar of our community. Second, we are fortunate indeed to have a president this year in Keith Mil- lard who offers high-minded good spirit when it comes to projects to ben- efit his beloved Rotary Club of Sarasota Bay. The color cover and interior photography are all Keith’s—and his work to scan our presidents was both laborious and skilled. Susan Steele Miller is credited with obtaining our dignitary greetings, a project she tackled with characteristic vigor. Steve Lowther and Donna Clarke have led the charge in promoting the club’s 50th anniversary. Mike Murphy, as always, has kept a steady hand on the financial tiller and his support of this project has been crucial. Lastly, I have stood on the shoulders of these fine individuals in an ef- fort to compile these pages. However, any mistakes herein are mine and mine alone. I have enjoyed putting this together, as it’s given me a chance to better know this fine Sarasota institution and all the great people—past and present—who consistently meet the test. Sincerely, Timothy H. Cole Page 5 THE ROTARY CLUB OF SARASOTA BAY, 1958 – 2008 “The Miracle of Rotary” n 1905, Paul P. Harris met with three invited men in Chicago to start I a club that might bring together leaders from business and the profes- sions where men could meet regularly and enjoy fellowship and friendship. Within a short time, a Rotary Club organization was completed. Harris modestly declined the presidency until two years later. The name “Rotary” came from Harris’s idea of the rotation of meetings from office to office. Rotary Magazine had its start in 1911. The slogans “He Profits Most Who Serves the Best,” and “Service Above Self” had their origin at the 1911 convention in Portland, Oregon. That year there were 28 Rotary Clubs with some 2,500 members. Forty-one clubs were represented at the 1912 Convention in Duluth. Clubs in Glasgow and Edinburgh made Rotary international in scope. That year there were 50 clubs and 5,000 Rotarians. In 1915, Rotary spread to the Pacific Islands. The Havana, Cuba Club came into being in 1916—the first non-English speaking country. There were now 27 cubs and 27,000 members. Rotary growth took on new life as World War I ended. Clubs had been added in several countries across the world, and the 500th club was organized in Fremont, Nebraska. In 1925, the 2000th club was organized in Ketchikan, Alaska. Dramatically, year by year, Rotary has reached out to more new Clubs and members. Early in 1983, there were almost 20,000 clubs with 900,500 members in 157 countries. Today, there are more than 1.2 million Rotar- ians belonging to 33,000 clubs in 200 countries. There was no Rotary in Sarasota prior to 1926. In late 1925 and early 1926, through the efforts of three men: J.C. Hughey, city ticket agent of Page 12 | Rotary History: Yesterday and Today THE ROTARY CLUB OF SARASOTA BAY, 1958 – 2008 ACLRR; Harrison E. Barringer, local attorney; and Ben Kagay, real estate agent, District Governor John B. Orr of Miami appointed a committee to make an official survey of Sarasota. All three men were former Rotarians from the north. The committee appointed included Ora Chapin of Ft. My- ers, the original three men, plus Dr. Walter C. Kennedy, Homer Dickson and L.H. Thompson. The Provisional Rotary Club of Sarasota was organized February 17, 1926. The application for membership and charter were filed with the Dis- trict Governor for Rotary International. Robert R. Walden, representative of District Governor Orr, presented the charter to the new club on April 12, 1926. Because of the desire and A sister cares for her younger brother in willingness of members of Sara- Saradapally, India, the site of several sota Rotary Club to share Rota- village integration initiatives. Copyright: Rotary Images/Alyce Henson ry privileges, opportunities and responsibilities with others in the area, the formation of a sec- ond Rotary Club in the Sarasota area was made possible. Many months elapsed between pre- liminary discussions of such a possible new club and its actual charter meeting on November 20, 1958. Much had to be done before a new club could be chartered. A nucleus of business and professional men met on June 5, 1958 at the dental office of Dr. J. Martin Ross. Rotary infor- mation, history, principles and purposes were discussed. Some months prior it had been recog- Rotary History: Yesterday and Today | Page 13 THE ROTARY CLUB OF SARASOTA BAY, 1958 – 2008 nized that the south area of Sarasota (South Gate) was developing rap- idly. Originators of the idea of a new club, Don Self and George Ray of the Sarasota Club, were appointed co-chairmen, with Ed. St. Phillip and Edwin Bartolett completing the committee. The original new Club members were Rodgers Bradley, Karl B. Albritton, Robert T. Wallace, Edward L. Jackson, Clarence V. Symonds and Dr. J. Martin Ross. The first actual business of the new club was drafted July 3, 1958, and a name for the proposed club was adopted: “The Rotary Club of Sarasota Bay.” Discussion with parent club members identified and defined the ter- ritorial limits of the area. Club constitution and by-laws were discussed and drafted. Tentative club procedures, time and place of meetings and other matters were decided upon. Membership invitations were answered and the tentative membership was sixteen. Angelo dos Santos learned to read at the Santa Braga da Cruz Ribeiro Silva school in Contagem, Brazil and is now a poet. The CLE literacy method was introduced to Brazil schools with the help of a Rotary Foundation 3H matching grant. Copyright: Rotary Images/Alyce Henson Page 1 | Rotary History: Yesterday and Today THE ROTARY CLUB OF SARASOTA BAY, 1958 – 2008 On July 15, 1958, the constitution and by-laws of Rotary International were adopted and the Club constitution and by-laws were accepted as pre- sented.

Load more

  165

Copy Link