SUNDAY, APRIL 7, 2013 BEAUMONT ENTERPRISE ROTARY: The first 100 years Rotary Club of Beaumont celebrates a century of service 2 Sunday, April 7, 2013 ROTARY: THE FIRST 100 YEARS BeaumontEnterprise.com Congratulationstothe RotaryClub of Beaumont for100 Years of Service in building the Beaumontcommunity. Over the last 74 years, MasonConstruction has also beenhardatwork, building Southeast Texas. Andfor quiteafew of thoseyears, it’s been averycloseworking relationship. Chuck Mason BeckyMason BobbyChapman ChadMason Matt McCallon BeaumontRotary BeaumontRotary Spindletop Rotary BeaumontRotary Beaumont&LURotaract Past President CentennialPresident President-Elect 1Year Officially Provisional President Past DistrictGovernor 13 Years 15 Years Seems likehis Past Treasurer 31 Years entirelife 3Years Over 60 YearsofCombined RotaryExperience BeaumontEnterprise.com ROTARY: THE FIRST 100 YEARS Sunday, April 7, 2013 3 Illustration courtesy of the Rotary Club of Beaumont An artist’s rendering, above, shows the barrier-free park to be built near the Beaumont Event Centre. Below is an example of playground equipment expected to be installed. Rotary’s play-park gift marks 100 years n Planners hope what will be the Children’s The club in Beaumont Museum at Crockett and was founded Feb. 27, 1913. the new playground Neches streets, east of the “The one idea which is will draw people to city’s new Event Centre being emphasized above and Town Lake. all others is the opportu- the Event Centre. The equipment is de- nity and obligation of busi- livered, but not yet built. nessmen to be of service to beaumont When Rotary has its formal their community. Rotary centennial celebration By Dan Wallach believes that every man on Thursday at the Event owes an obligation to his Centre, members will have The Rotary Club of generation and to his com- a ceremonial ground- munity. The Beaumont Beaumont is having its breaking even if some site 100th birthday celebration Rotary Club will always preparation already is be ready to assist if not and instead of unwrapping under way. a present, the club is giving take the lead in everything The park and play- that pertains to the best a gift — to children of all ground is just the latest ages and capabilities — at of Beaumont,” Emerson example of what Rotary wrote in 1915, twO years the city of Beaumont’s means to a community, as after the club’s founding. newest park. described by the Beau- Emerson had come to It’s called a “barrier-free mont Rotary’s founding Beaumont in 1911 to playground” and it will president Ed Emerson, soon take shape next to writing in 1915. PLaYGRounD, page 4 Photo courtesy of Becky Mason 4 Sunday, April 7, 2013 ROTARY: THE FIRST 100 YEARS BeaumontEnterprise.com playground: Special project for 100th year Continued from page 3 become president of the Beaumont Electric Light and Power Co. “We are working for the up building of Beaumont and its great future,” he said. For most of its history in Beaumont, Rotary was ex- clusively a man’s domain and a white man’s domain at that. The club admitted its first African-American members in 1972 and its first womaN in 1987. Rotary’s centennial president, Becky Mason, said the club wanted a sig- nature project for its 100th Photo courtesy of Becky Mason year and sifted through 25 Equipment, above, that is expected to be part of the play- or so proposals. ground to be built at Beaumont’s Event Centre. Chuck MasoN and her hus- and Becky Mason, right, discuss the playground, chosen band, Chuck, who was as a signature project for the Rotary centennial. Guiseppe Barranco/The Enterprise Rotary president in 2000 BeaumontEnterprise.com ROTARY: THE FIRST 100 YEARS Sunday, April 7, 2013 5 and 2001, said the barrier- free park would help draw people to the Event Centre, which is accessible from the west from the Rev. Mar- tin Luther King Jr. Parkway and is about a block from the Henry Dannenbaum Bus Transfer Station. “The overwhelming de- cision was the playground,” Chuck Mason said. “We could tie it into the Event Centre.” He said he’d seen the space for the first time in January 2012, well before the Event Centre was finished. “This was an abandoned area,” he said. “This (the Photos courtesy of Becky Mason playground) will make it a Some of the styles of playground equipment expected to be installed at the play park. magnet for families.” He said it even could tion in this design. for example, could hoist panels” that children could draw people from inter- “Many of our parks don’t himself or herself onto the manipulate, a spinner that state travel who might have have areas for pre-school table with hoops over it so wheelchair-bound kids children and look for the children,”Chuck Mason the child could pull along could get on and ride with by Beth Schreck, the but Chuck Mason said it nearest playground, using said. the table’s rollers, using a other kids, plus a variety of driving force behind the could be the largest one an application on their The playground also hand-over-hand grip, get- swings, see-saws and other Children’s Museum. Beaumont Rotary has at- mobile devices. would have a variety of ting a nice workout along pieces of general equip- She said the barrier- tempted. Pre-school children and accessible features, like the way. ment. free playground is not those who are physically a “roller table.” A child Other features would Becky Mason said the an unusual project for [email protected] disabled get special atten- who uses a wheelchair, include “sensory play playground was inspired Rotary Clubs to undertake, Twitter.com/dwallach 6 Sunday, April 7, 2013 ROTARY: THE FIRST 100 YEARS BeaumontEnterprise.com Beaumont Rotary covers a century By Dan Wallach A brief timeline of the he Rotary Club of Beaumont, since its founding on Feb. 26, 1913, Rotary Club of Beaumont Tintended to be firmly linked with good works in its city and with its economic development, which its first president, Ed Emerson, Feb. 26, referred to as “up building.” 1913 For the club’s second birthday in 1915, Emerson, still club president, ■ Rotary Club of Beaumont founded wrote in The Enterprise about how Rotary came to Beaumont. by Charles Emmer, Beaumont Tele- In a history written by phone Company; Marshall Muse, former Rotary president Rosenthal Dry Goods; Will Keith, Robert J. Robertson, Em- Keith Drug Co.; Marshall Walker, erson credited the club’s Beaumont Gas Co.; Jim Mapes, formation in Beaumont to business manager of the Beaumont the persistence of Houston Enterprise; Jim Edwards, Insurance club president Robert Cor- and Real Estate; and Ed Emerson, nell, who invited Emerson, Beaumont Electric Light and Power. then president of Beau- mont Light and Power Co., to a Houston club meeting. Beaumont Rotary found- 1915 ers include: 1. James S. Emerson took with him ■ Beaumont grew to Jim Mapes, business man- Edwards 2. M.G. Muse 3. 28,000 people, up from ager of The Enterprise. J.L. Mapes 4. W.F. Keith 9,000 in 1901 when the Emerson and Mapes 5. E.J. Emerson 6. M.J. Spindletop oil gusher blew were indifferent to Rotary, Walker 7. C.W. Emmer. but their attitude changed in. when they entered the There were 600 men work- Congratulations banquet room at the ing in the Magnolia refinery, Bender Hotel. 350 in the Spindletop oil “The minute we walked A long tradition of service field, 85 for Gulf Pipe Line, in, we found 150 business- 265 in iron working shops, men sitting at their tables uring its 100 years, the Rotary Club and more than 400 on chatting so you could sponsored a variety of community railroads. hardly hear yourself think,” D service projects, including a Back to ■ Beaumont had two Emerson wrote. “I was newspapers — Beaumont impressed greatly. That School Program, Student Loan Fund, Babe Zaharias Women’s Professional Golf Tour- Enterprise and Beaumont was nothing as compared Journal — and four banks: to my impressions later on nament, Arbor Day, Family Violence Center, American National, Com- as I listened to the different mercial National, First talks which were given by Babe Zaharias Park, wheelchair ramps in National, and Gulf National. several of the Houston club downtown Beaumont, Jacob’s Park, Wuther- members.” ing Heights Park, Camp Enterprise, Tyrrell ■ The city has 10 pub- Still, it didn’t take. Historical Library, Schlesinger’s Geriatric lic schools — seven for Cornell visited Beau- whites and three for black Congratulations mont, bringing with him Center, and the Texas Energy Museum. children. an “R. Stanley, of Wichita, To pay for these and other projects, ■ There were more than 30 Kan., international vice the club created the Beaumont Rotary churches. Civic, social and president of the Rotary Foundation, an account that now exceeds cultural groups included the organization.” YMCA, Women’s Reading Emerson, continuing $400,000. Club, Shakespeare Club, to resist the idea of Rotary Its latest project is to build the all-ac- Daughters of the Ameri- and that Beaumont prob- can Revolution, Beaumont ably wasn’t ready for it, cess play park to accommodate children with physical or intellectual limitations Musical Society, Knights of dutifully called up some Columbus, Beaumont Coun- friends to meet at the near the downtown Event Centre and Town try Club, and Beaumont Crosby Hotel to hear the Chamber of Commerce. pitch. Lake on property that will be next to the future Children’s Museum. ■ Rotary membership CENTURY, page 8 reaches 100. BeaumontEnterprise.com ROTARY: THE FIRST 100 YEARS Sunday, April 7, 2013 7 1916 Beaumont Rotary Club meeting 1987 n The Beaumont Navigation on Nov.