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A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF PEARL RIVER By Jeffrey Keahon INTRODUCTION What follows is a brief history of the Rotary Club of Pearl River. It deals with the founding of the club and how it has evolved over the last 64 years. It seeks to answer the question of why the club has been so successful and will it be successful in the Twenty First Century. THE BIRTH OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF PEARL RIVER During the years 1925-35, a group of businessmen from Pearl River met each week for lunch to plan social gatherings and formulate plans for the improvement of the town. The meetings were held at various places, such as the Blue Hill Country Club, the Brookside Inn, and the Belvedere. There was no connection with any organization, civic or otherwise. The group, known as the "Wednesday Luncheon Group", was operating without any formal rules. One of the members took it upon himself to investigate the possibilities of forming a service club in Pearl River. After listening to the representatives of the Lions, Kiwanis, and others, they were most impressed by the presentation of the President of the Rotary Club of Nyack, William Joy, assisted by Alan Leggett, R. MacCalman, Gordon Smith and Robert Walmsley. Our club was officially chartered on December 12, 1935. The First Officers of the club were: Grover S. Sanford, President Samuel I. Hicks, Vice President Otto Stepback, Treasurer Robert Wile, Secretary Dr. E. Parizot, Director Thomas Dexter, Director Dr. J. Jacot, Director Other Charter Members of the club were:
EVOLUTION OF THE ROTARY CLUB OF PEARL RIVER Over the past 64 years, the Rotary Club of Pearl River has changed. From the club of 31 members and 4 committees, we have grown to a club of 65 members and 23 committees. The membership itself has changed. In 1935, the majority of members lived and worked in Pearl River. In 1999 less than one-third of the membership lives and works in Pearl River. There were no female members in 1935; today we have four. Our first female member was Marilyn Rose in 1989. The evolution of the club took place along the four avenues of service. One of our first community service projects was the sponsorship of the Pearl River Post Office Building (1936). Other community service projects include: Pearl River High School Press Box Pear River Nauraushaun Swim Club "Welcome to Pearl River" sign on Rt. 304 Water fountains on corner of Main and Central at the Central Avenue Field Skating Pond at Veteran's Memorial Park Annual fishing contest at Veteran's Memorial Park Annual share Christmas and the Holidays Festival Designed and furnished Nyack Hospitals Intensive Care Waiting room Started Pearl River Little League Baseball Built original Police Booth Re-sodded and landscaped Pearl River Memorial Park Planted original trees along Central Avenue Instrumental in constructing the library building Responsible for flags flying on holidays Library flagpole project Purchased Senior Citizen's Van for Meals on Wheels Built concrete ramp for local handicapped youth Sponsored three new Rotary Clubs: New City, Chestnut Ridge, South Orangetown Participated in disaster relief programs for Florida and the Carolinas Purchased Telemetry System for the Pearl River Ambulance Corps Purchased and operates the Community Billboard Also significant within our history on the Avenue of Community Service have been service projects for youth. In 1991, we established an Interact Club at the Pearl River High school. Prior to that, in 1989, we established The Rotary scholarship Foundation of Pearl River, Inc. Since that time we have awarded 107 scholarships of $1000 each. The endowment itself has tripled in value from $100,000 to over $300.000 (Appendix III). Relative to Vocational Service, we have held career days at the local high school as well as mentoring programs; we have also had club programs dealing with subject such as business ethics. In regard to International Service, we have hosted Group Study Exchange teams from the United Kingdom, Australia, Columbia, Finland and India. We have also participated in The Rotary Student Exchange Programs. The Rotary Club of Pearl River has worked on projects to assist hospitals in the Caribbean. Our club has contributed $254,457 to the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International. Of that amount, $203,188 went to Polio Plus, Rotary's program to eliminate Polio by the year 2005. The club's contribution to the Foundation is the highest in the District. Our contribution to Polio Plus is one of the highest in the world. In terms of club service, the club has developed a detailed orientation program for new members. New members are assigned to the Sgt.-of-Arms to facilitate their getting to know other members. In 1958 our first roster was developed. It lists all members, committees, a calendar of events and a list of program responsibility. Our Club Bulletin keeps members informed on a weekly basis and our Fellowship and Good and Welfare Committees look after the fellowship needs of our members.
WHY IS THE ROTARY CLUB OF PEARL RIVER SUCCESSFUL? For at least the last 30 years, the Rotary Club of Pearl River has been ranked in the top ten, often the top club itself, by the people most capable of making such a comparison: The District Governors. Why is that? The simple answer is… a tradition of caring. Since December 12, 1935, the Rotary Club of Pearl River has had a core of individuals who have truly cared about the well being of the club and its members. This tradition has been passed down and refined for 63 years. A good example of this is Ray Hayes, age 93. He has been a member for over 60 years. To him and others like him, the Rotary Club of Pearl River is not "just a club". It's something special. It's worth caring about. It is also interesting to note that of our present membership, 22 have been members 20 years or longer. Along with the tradition of caring, there is the committee structure. This is how the work of our club gets done. A particularly important committee is the Advisory Committee. It meets from time to time to review the performance of the club and make recommendations. It can also be called into session by the President in times of emergency. The Advisory Committee is made up of senior members of the club, generally past presidents. Another tradition that has contributed to the success of the club has been "movement through the chairs". Usually, a new member spends two years or more in the club serving upon committees before he or she is even considered for being a director. After serving on the Board of Directors for a couple of years, an individual may be considered for the job of Treasurer. After, Treasurer, the individual moves up through the offices to become President. Generally speaking, by the time someone becomes President he or she has been in the club for about 10 years and has served the club in a variety of capacities. Simply put, a good club has good leadership (Appendix I). Another tradition that has developed over the years and contributes to our success as a club is fellowship. We have fun at our weekly meetings and through the Fellowship committee, we endeavor to involve the entire club including spouses and children. Fellowship is the glue that keeps our club together. Our club places a high value on participation, and we acknowledge members for it. The highest honor we bestow upon a member is the club presentation of a Paul Harris Fellowship. The first Paul Harris Fellowship in District 7210 was made by The Rotary Club of Pearl River in 1972 to Ed Buller who was District Governor and a Pearl River Rotarian at that time. Since that time, we have made a yearly presentation to one or two Pearl River Rotarians who have been of outstanding service to the club "over the years" (Appendix II). The yearly presentation of the Paul Harris Fellowship takes place at another of our great traditions: the annual Installation Dinner. Attendance is mandatory. It is our opportunity to thank the leadership of the present year and to hear the hopes and plans for the new year.
THE FUTURE As this century draws to a close, it is fair to ask if The Rotary Club of Pearl River will be here in the year 2099 and still be an asset to the community. The answer is yes with two provisions. First, the tradition of caring must continue. Second, the structure of the club; its committees and activities must change and evolve to meet the needs and aspirations of its members and the larger community. If these two provisions are met, then the history of The Rotary Club of Pearl River in the twenty-first century will be one of fulfillment and satisfaction for its members and for the community of Pearl River. I PRESIDENTS
*Deceased II
PAUL HARRIS FELLOWS
Members who have been designated a Paul Harris Fellow for outstanding service to our club.
*Deceased III
THE ROTARY SCHOLARSHIP FOUNDATION OF PEARL RIVER, INC. Foundation Officers
__________________________________ Under the theme of "Making a Difference" the scholarship foundation was chartered by the Rotary Club of Pearl River, New York on May 8, 1989. Its mission is to open educational opportunities for Pearl River students through - and beyond - the 21st Century. A growing endowment fund (now above $300,000) raised through club members and the community, funds the scholarships from income. Since its beginning over 109 scholarships have been awarded to deserving students who would otherwise be limited by financial restraints. Founding Underwriter G. Edward Bouton _____________________________ Original Donors
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