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Club History The Marshalltown Rotary Club was the 185th Rotary club to become active and was established in 1915. There are now over 32,000 Rotary clubs worldwide with over 1.2 million members. That's a long time for any service club to have been in existence. But the Marshalltown Rotary Club has not only been around for a long time, its members have always been the leaders, the movers and the shakers on most of the significant community projects that have needed to be done in our community over the last eight decades. The Marshalltown Rotary Club prides itself in not just having "Service Above Self” as part of its motto. The club’s members also practice this motto within the community to make their hometown a better place for all of us to live in and raise our families. When the first Rotary club was formed in Chicago in 1905 by Paul P. Harris and three of his friends, the purpose was to form an organization of business and professional people who could "help each other out." The motto "Service Above Self - He Profits Most Who Serves Best" idealized the force behind Rotary. Harris wanted the club to represent a cross section of the business and professional life of its community. By 1910, through the influence of Harris, 15 other Rotary Clubs had formed in cities around the country. Rotary was a club where its members were encouraged to "talk shop." Rotary advocated conducting business as a public service and encouraged members to take an interest in their community. These ideals came from service objectives established by the group's founder. The National Association of Rotary Clubs and the International Association of Rotary Clubs, later Rotary International, were formed as the number of clubs increased. Following a visit to a meeting of the Chicago Rotary Club, Marshalltown banker businessman, Wallace H. Arney, organized an informational meeting about the organization in Marshalltown which was attended by 13 businessmen. Word spread and by July 7, 1915, about a month later, the first permanent organizational meeting of the Marshalltown Rotary Club was held, attended by 52 prospective members. When the first Marshalltown Rotary organizing committee contacted the Rotary Board of the international association, the board ruled a club could not thrive in a city of less than 25,000 people.  Through the persistence of the Marshalltown group, however, permission to establish the club was finally granted and the city club was assigned the number 185. Their pin symbolized their location in the heart of Iowa. The first regular meeting of the newly organized group was July 19, 1915, at the Pilgrim Hotel with Arney elected as the first president. On Sept. 15, 1915, Rotary met at the farm home of member Ben Robinson. Meetings continued once a month, frequently at a member's factory or business or at the new YMCA on Church Street. Marshalltown Rotary members started a tradition that continues more than seven decades later - the first rural-urban meeting. Members invite area farmers to attend a special meeting once a year. For many years, the farmers were treated to airplane rides over their farmland with Rotary members serving as pilots. In the fall of 1917, 25 cars filled with members, their wives and the Soldiers Home Band left one morning for a visit to the Industrial School for Boys at Eldora. They stopped at Albion, Liscomb and Union to make themselves known in music and song. Later Marshalltown Rotary sponsored the organization of the Rotary Club of Eldora. Service to the community by Rotary members is an important principle of the organization, a tradition that began in 1920 when the club adopted a Child Welfare Program to furnish proper medical care to the children of Marshalltown. A room was set aside by Mercy Hospital for patients sponsored by Rotary which-provided $700 to furnish this room in the new hospital. This project continued for more than 20 years. Rotarians who were doctors donated their medical services. The tradition of the schedule for Rotary meetings was set in 1923 under, President John R. Bullard when the by-laws were amended to provide for weekly noon meetings to be held on Tuesdays.  Marshalltown Rotary has seen three of its members elected District Governor during the past 80 years. The first was C.H.E. Boardman, who served during the 1923-24 meeting year. The Rev. Kirby Webster served as District Governor in 1958 and Cecil Porter was District Governor in 1988. In 1927, Rotarians were leaders in the group that raised $125,000 toward the funding of the half million dollar Hotel Tallcorn. Rotarian L.C. Abbott was chairman. Encouraged by President William Shirley, members voted to contribute $5,000 toward that fund and on Oct. 9, 1928, the Marshalltown Rotary began a tradition of meeting at the Hotel Tallcorn which continued for the next 60 years. However, before the hotel was air conditioned, they were known to desert the hotel, holding July and August meetings at the Country Club. Marshalltown Rotary members hosted the Eleventh District Conference in 1930. Nearly 1,000 members and spouses attended the gathering. Rotary gave considerable assistance to the reorganization of the Chamber of Commerce in 1936, cooperating with Ken Brintnall, Chamber president. On Oct. 1, 1940, when Rodney C. Wells was president, Marshalltown Rotary celebrated its first 25 years with a Silver jubilee Celebration held at Elmwood Country Club. From time to time members complained about the food at Tallcorn. They tried meeting at the Pilgrim Hotel again, then met at the YMCA for a while, but finally returned to the Tallcorn. About this time pianists Ralph Carpenter and Bill Fisher kept the members amused and vocally "on their toes." The "war effort" dominated the country during the early 1940s. Rotary sponsored a community mailing of a post-war brochure on the needs of Marshalltown as World War II was winding down. Rotary's $1,000 gift to Dr. Lawrence Jones, some 20 years earlier, was noted in a story about Piney Woods School in the October 1945 issue of the Rotarian. Reader's Digest then ran their version of the Rotarian article.  The late Ralph McCague, a former president, began the tradition of seating members at a round table in 1948 and induced the late Paul G. Norris Jr. to give a newscast, a tradition that continues today. He also instituted the practice of "fireside" chats, an informal orientation for new members. The new members are invited to the home of an active member where the history and ideals of Rotary are shared. It was also under McCague's guidance that the Frank Pierce Trust began. Pierce, also known as the "boy mayor of Marshalltown," was a charter member of Rotary and the founder of the Iowa League of Municipalities. Following his death, he left his estate in trust to his wife. When she died, the money went to fund scholarship low-interest loans for Marshalltown High School students attending a college or university in Iowa. In 1994, 67 students received a total of approximately $150,000. Today that number has grown even more substantially. The fund is governed by a board of trustees consisting of the president of Marshalltown Rotary and four other civic leaders. An era ended for Marshalltown Rotary Club on May 5, 1955, with the death of Edgar (Shorty) Francis, who had served as club president in 1929-30 and secretary for almost 30 years. In the early years, secretaries held office for only six to 12 months, but Shorty held the job for six years in the 1920s, then held the position again from 1933 until his death. Rotary had recognized his contribution in 1948 with a set of luggage and verbal gratitude. His reply in the next "Shaft" indicated his pleasure, saying, "…nothing can be more soul-satisfying than the words that tickle...the ear and ego of mortal man." Guy Polluck was the next secretary. The club's membership reached 100 on Jan. 31, 1959. Lee Brintnall was president that year and at 32 was the youngest person to serve in that office since the group was founded 44 years earlier. Four other young men who became presidents are V.J. Ferguson, Warren Pattie, George Hinshaw and Bill Tank. Marshalltown Rotary observed its 50th anniversary with a celebration at the Hotel Tallcorn on Oct. 5, 1965. Clifford Randall, past president of Rotary International, addressed the group. Dr. Rex Hinson was president that year. During the 1968-69 meeting year, the Marshalltown club attained a 1,000 percent status in the Rotary Foundation. It was just 20 years earlier, in 1948, that the club had reached the 100 percent plateau in the Rotary International Foundation, which was formed in 1917 to promote world understanding and peace. A club reaches the 100 percent plateau when total contributions equal $10 for each member. Higher plateaus are reached when the total amount of contributions average at least an additional $10 per member, based on the number of members during the previous year. These goals were to be achieved through international charitable and education programs. Each year, the Foundation funds 1,400 scholarships, approximately 320 group study exchanges, more than 150 international humanitarian projects, and 15 or more grants of university instructors to teach in developing nations. The Foundation also funds immunization programs to protect millions of children against polio, approximately 160 volunteers providing needed service abroad and up to six Rotary Peace Forum meetings.  It was also during the 1968-69 year under President Sam Neill that members hosted 38 foreign exchange students from various countries and seven Norwegian business and professional men under a Rotary exchange agreement. The following year, the VROOM (Vaunted Rotarian of One Month) Award was created by president George Hinshaw as recognition of outstanding community service by a member. This award was replaced in 1975 by the annual Kenneth Brintnall Memorial Award. The late Paul G. Norris, Jr. was the first to receive the recognition the year his son, David, was president. The first annual Father-Daughter Valentine Day gathering was held in 1973 under President James Larson. This is an opportunity for daughters to attend a regular meeting of Rotary with a special program geared to their interests. In 1975, President-elect Cliff Wilson was inducted as the first Paul Harris Fellow. A Paul Harris Fellow is an individual who contributes $1,000 to the Rotary International Foundation. Since 1975, scores of other Marshalltown Rotarians have become Paul Harris Fellows. In addition, several other Rotary members are designated sustaining members who have committed themselves to contribute $1,000 over a 10-year period. At the end of that 10-year period, they will also be recognized as Paul Harris Fellows. Marshalltown Rotary members began a fun tradition in 1970 under President Rev. H.C. Buchmueller by their involvement in the city's Service Club Olympics. By 1975, the group had won the competition four out of the previous five years. In the spring of 1978, under the presidency of Bill Bestmann, an inter-club exchange with the Ames Rotary was initiated which included dinner and a C.Y. Stephens performance at Ames, which now continues with the Newton Club.  During the 1979-80 club year, Rotary became a 2,000 percent club in the Rotary Foundation. Also, a plaque was presented to the late Paul G. Norris, Jr. in appreciation for 31 1/2 years of news reporting service during the weekly meetings, a tradition carried on since that time by his son, David. A "Son's Day" began in 1984 under President Eugene O'Neil to go along with "Daughter's Day." During that same year, the Marshalltown Rotary Foundation was formed under the leadership of the late W.K. Ervin. The Marshalltown Rotary Foundation is separate from the Foundation of Rotary International. The funds of the Marshalltown Rotary Foundation may be designated "restricted" and used to support six Marshalltown High School students who plan to attend college. The financial grant is up to $1,000 a year for each student. The "unrestricted" funds may be used for other charitable community projects. During that same year, a fire in the kitchen at Elmwood Country Club disrupted the Christmas party. The club received the Rotary International Presidential Citation Award during the 1986-87 year under President Tom Smith. The award was given for work in increasing membership; in recognition of participation in the District Assembly including an increase of 10 percent in the number of members attending the Assembly and in recognition of contributions made to the Rotary Foundation. Since then, several presidents have continued the tradition of the club receiving the award that so many clubs seek. Marshalltown Rotary inducted its first female members in 1987. Four women from the community: Pauline Hartman, Julia Messersmith, Martha Ellen Tye and Dr. Beverly Nelson joined the organization. There are currently nine husband-wife combinations: Loras and Karen Neuroth, Paul and Connie Koehler, Larry and Joynell Raymon, Jerry and Anita Ellingson, Gene and Kay Beach, Dr. David and Nancy Wilson, Mike and Ellen Bergman, Joel and Sharon Greer, Drs. Foster Hawkins and Nancy Urbanowski; two father-daughter combinations with Tom Deimerly and Aimee Deimerly-Snyder, and Bob Bauer and Cynthia Ragland; and three father-son combinations: Larry and Jim Goodman, Jack and Mark Lundy, Rick and Trent Vogel. Also in 1987, after almost 60 years of weekly meetings at the Hotel Tallcorn, the Board voted to hold club luncheons at Elmwood Country Club. It was again in 1987-88 that Rotary International undertook its most ambitious project ever with a goal of eradicating polio and five other preventable diseases from the face of the earth. The campaign was named PolioPlus and cost an estimated $120 million. The "Plus" inoculation included tuberculosis, diphtheria, measles, whooping cough and tetanus. The Marshalltown Club's share of the goal was $42,000. Jim McKinstry was chairman of the local committee. Bill Bestmann, Glenn Brockett, Bill Lankelma, Cliff Wilson and Lloyd Thurston served on the committee. The local goal was raised to $44,000. By the end of the year, a total of $47,830 had been pledged to the project. In 1988, with Cecil Porter serving as District Governor, Marshalltown again hosted the annual District Assembly and Conference.  In 1995 the Marshalltown Rotary Club celebrated its 80th anniversary. The club saw many worthwhile community projects completed. During Mike Bloom’s presidency in 1996-97 the club contributed over $6,000 toward the completion of the Judge Park along Marshalltown’s bike path. In 2000, during Conrad DeJardin’s term, the club made significant contributions to the Sand Lake project and the Light The Field fundraiser to replace lights at the MHS Baseball Field. Other projects included distributed almost $3,000 worth of trigger locks to encourage gun safety in 2001, a significant contribution to the GrimesFarm project in 2002, and seating for the YMCA in 2003-2004. In the fall of 2005, club members Bettie Bolar and Gene Beach spearhead an effort for a Productivity Enhancement Program (PEP). The project was a Rotary International initiative that featured various Rotary clubs hosting delegations of Russian workers coming to visit America. Other community projects include environmental projects such as marshland and park development including community beautification projects; purchasing an electric piano for the MHS Swing Choir and robes for vocal groups; funding Headstart; raising money for the Salvation Army; supporting Girl and Boy Scout activities; funding countless scholarships for area youth; hosting/sponsoring foreign exchange students; assisting with booster clubs and school needs. Rotary also plays an important role in the Iowa State BBQ Contest that is hosted by Marshalltown every year for the last three years. Lew Miller, fellow Rotarian, organized the event and got it moved to Marshalltown as a permanent event that draws over 20,000 people to the community. Rotary helps fund this event and many members serve as judges and helpers to make the event a special weekend every year. The single largest project the Marshalltown Rotary Club has ever taken on was done in 2003 during Anita Ellingson’s term, the first female president of the club. A committee made up largely of Rotarians and headed by Rotarian Conrad Dejardin, raised the money for the Marshall County portable band shell that is used at nearly every Marshall County event to this day. The band shell cost over $100,000 and Rotary gave $20,000 to the project.  Today, the active club membership of the club totals 190 making it the largest service club in Marshalltown and one of the largest Rotary clubs in the state. Other interesting facts include there have been four father-son presidencies in the club's history: Kenneth Brintnall (1947) and Lee Brintnall (1960); Paul G. Norris, Jr. (1957) and David Norris (1975); and Walter Brown (1955) and Greg Brown (1985) and Jim Boyd (1958) and Doug Boyd (1999). Ralph McCague (1948) was the father-in-law of Walter Brown and the grandfather of Greg Brown. Two charter members have descendants active in Rotary at the present time: Charlie St. Clair's grandson, Robert McGregor; and Ross Apgar's son, Pat and grandson, Tom. The annual Christmas party, including Rotary Anns of deceased members, is a highlight of the club year. The City of Marshalltown and Rotary Club #185 have seen many changes over the years. With the firm foundation and philosophy of Paul Harris still evident, Rotary has grown with the community and will help shape its direction for the future. Nick Norris Student Rotarian Scholarship RecipientsThe Nick Norris Scholarship award was started in remembrance of Nick Norris, an outstanding student and athlete at MHS, a former Junior Rotarian and a pilot who was killed in a night carrier landing on the USS Midway during the Vietnam War. The college scholarship is awarded to one of the several Junior Rotarians who visit the Marshalltown Rotary Club during the school year. 1973 James Greenwood Kenneth Brintnall Memorial Award WinnersThe Kenneth Brintnall Award was started in 1975-76 by Dave Norris who was club president at the time. The program was actually an outgrowth of the VROOM Award started when George Hinshaw was president in 1969-70. The designee for the award was initially determined by a Rotary committee. Today the person is selected by a committee made up of the former winners. The Kenneth Brintnall Award is the highest award bestowed on any member by the club. The award is granted to a Rotarian for lifetime service achievement in the Rotary tradition of Service Above Self. 1975 Paul G. Norris, Jr. * deceased Roster of Presidents & SecretariesYEAR PRESIDENT SECRETARY 1915-16 Wallace H. Arney Frank G. Pierce 1920-21 William T. Smith E. C. Carlson 1925-26 Cady J. Moffatt E. A. Francis 1930-31 Albert F. Hull W. Jess Moore 1935-36 Fletcher Glick E. A. Francis 1940-41 Dr. Rodney C. Wells E. A. Francis 1945-46 Vernon J. Ferguson E. A. Francis 1950-51 Charles C. Greger E. A. Francis 1955-56 Walter E. Brown Guy Pollock 1960-61 Lee Brintnall Guy Pollock 1965-66 Dr. Rex W. Hinson Randall Vance 1970-71 Rev. H. C. Buckmueller John J. Naughton 1975-76 David U. Norris James A. Percival 1980-81 Reese L. Gibbs Cecil J. Porter 1985-86 Gregory M. Brown Cecil J. Porter 1990-91 Clayton H. Cooper Cecil J. Porter 1995-96 William T. Zuercher Reese L. Gibbs 2000-01 Conrad Dejardin Reese L. Gibbs |