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On June 1, 1913, the
International Association of Rotary Clubs granted charters to three Rotary
clubs in Texas. The triplets were Beaumont , Galveston
and Waco, and they received charters 72, 73 and 74, as the clubs were
listed alphabetically. The Waco club was organized on May 23, 1913, and
chartered one week later with a membership of eleven.
On June 10, 1913, Waco joined the other Texas
clubs in Galveston at a joint meeting of all the clubs in Texas, with Waco
Rotarians part of the nearly 750 who attended.
Incorporated into a district almost
immediately, the first District Conference was held in Waco on November 1,
1915 in the Retail Merchants Association offices in the Amicable Building.
District Governor Richardson and delegates from 10 of the 13 Clubs in Texas
attended, along with RI President
 Allen
D. Albert, from Minneapolis, and a Vice President from Houston. The tickets
for the informal banquet at the conference cost Waco Rotarians $1.00, and the
delegates and international officers were guests of the club.
Throughout
its 94-year history, the Rotary Club of Waco has earned the respect and
admiration of the City of Waco. In 1916, when it was three years old, the club
helped to establish the Waco Working Boys Club. From the inception, service by
the individual Rotarian, at the community level, was stressed by the club. Not
surprisingly, 34 members have served as mayor of the City of Waco through the
years, and 59 different members have been elected presiding officer of the
Waco Chamber of Commerce. Hundreds of members have provided leadership for all
major civic endeavors.
The club has also supplied leadership for
Rotary District 5870 and its predecessors, with four District Governors: T.
D. Brooks, Hubert Johnson, Jack H. Dillard and Pat Taggart.
The club has grown into a strong force of 340
outstanding business and professional men and women who live or work within
the city. United in the spirit of service, the members join together each week
at the club's meetings to enjoy fellowship and participate in the club’s
activities.
Besides the Waco
Working Boys Club project, youth service has been a major activity of the
club, including its Youth Citizenship Award project. Playgrounds, baseball
fields, a therapeutic swimming pool, and countless other landmarks throughout
the city manifest the club's continuing concern and interest in young people.
More than $400,000 has
been used from the club's Rotary Youth Service Fund, Inc. to provide capital
improvements, recreational equipment, clothing, meals, supplies, awards, and
incidental expenses for youths and youth-oriented institutions and
organizations. Almost $116,000 has been invested in scholarships for 139 college
students of McLennan County from the Waco Rotary Club Scholarship Fund. A
special Hearing Aid Fund was active for many years to provide and maintain
hearing aids for children of the county with defective hearing.
Copyright 2011 © Rotary Club of Waco |
