CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF SERVICE 1915-2015....DID YOU KNOW?

 

In 1944 the long standing crippled children’s camp work continued with 73 in attendance in attendance and camp Minnewanca had 15 participants.

That year, as a fund raiser, Canton Rotary began support of the Easter Seal Sale Campaign which continued for years thereafter. William Daberko, grandfather of past president John Werren and great-grandfather of pp Curt Werren made the motion to support this money raising effort to fund the crippled children’s service program. This first year net proceeds exceeded $3,800!

 

Twenty-two of the 157 members maintained perfect attendance and there were 17 charter members still in the club in 1945. Our club’s attendance averaged 88.75%.

 

Many weekly programs both during the war and for years thereafter focused on that subject as well as on Russia, Europe, Japan, Communism and Socialism.

 

The club members were overwhelmed with various emotions, upon learning of the surrender of Japan in August 1945. Happy the war had ended and shocked at the devastatingly destructive power of the atomic bomb.

 

The average age of our members was 52.4 years.  Even in 1945 members were complaining about the food to Frank Onesto.

 

The club donated $500 to the Canton Scholarship Foundation, $100 to Stark County Tuberculosis Association and $250 to each of the hospitals.

The annual Rural-Urban Meeting with Bob Graber as chairman, was attended by 50 local farmers as guests of our club.

 

Phil Hodel joined our club in 1945 and he was still playing the piano for Canton Rotary when your humble writer was president in 1984-85. Phil died during my term as president. 

 

Robert Manchester, Esq. was District Governor in 1946-47. He later became president of Rotary International.

 

At a board meeting on September 13, 1946 the trustees authorized the payment of $1,000 for a first of its kind operation on the heart of one Miss Betty Woolridge in Charleston SC. Both she and her surgeon died within a year but this event began a growing series of similar such operations. Betty’s surgeon declined any payment for the surgery. Canton Rotary also helped fund a delicate heart operation on a 10 year old Canton girl, Patricia Weider.

 

Paul Harris died on January 27, 1947.

 

Our club first supported Stark County 4H in 1947 with prizes for outstanding achievement by young men and women. This support continued for many years.

 

In 1948 Rev C. E. Kerr gave a report on Boys Village in Smithville for wayward boys and was then presented with a check for $100 by President Walter Firestone. This support for Boys Village continued for many, many years.

 

Past President Charles Firestone gave a spectacular report on his 20,000 mile flying trip through South America while attending the RI Convention in Rio. He had 1,000 pictures but thankfully only showed 100.

 

In 1949 the practice of printing a roster book of members was adopted which included member picture, nickname, occupation, classification, spouse’s name, date of membership, etc.; a practice continued to the present day. 

 

In August 1949, the Saturday evening Post had a lengthy article about Rotary dropping its slogan, “He profits most who serves best”, and criticized such action rather severely. The matter was brought before a club  meeting and the vote was to continue use of the slogan and have a resolution sent to Rotary International to that effect, which was done.

 

85 Crippled Children attended the Annual Christmas Party at Ohio Power Company Lobby along with 150 Canton Rotarians and their wives in attendance. Wow! That year our club donated $5,985 in support of these children.

 

In 1950 the Board of Directors authorized a letter to the State Historical Society in Columbus protesting the distasteful conditions surrounding McKinley Monument and asked that something be done to improve this unfortunate situation.

 

In 1951, member Paul Hartung gave the beautiful family home on West Tuscarawas St to the Society for the Blind, now called the Philomathean Society which is still supported by Canton Rotary.

 

In 1951 the practice of providing a copy of the Book, “Service is My Business” to each new Rotarian was begun in our club.

 

The meeting of February 15, 1952 is one Rotarians will never forget. It was a Rural-Urban Day program and C W Marks, Chairman of the Committee presented the speaker. She had been previously announced as Countess Maria Pulaski, who had served with great distinction as an espionage agent for one of our allies during the late war. She had a fine personality, beautiful skin and a soothing feminine voice. It was thrilling to hear of her narrow escapes from high foreign dignitaries who had invited her to their apartments from which she later made hurried exits. At the end of it all she took off her ladies hat and spoke in a man’s voice. It was all a hoax and the fellows were completely fooled. This fellow was Martin S Hughes of Park Ridge, IL. 

 

89.7% of Canton Rotarians voted in the 1952 presidential election.  In 1952 our Rotary Club donated $10,849 to fully equip a new physical therapy room at Aultman Hospital.  Our club’s first president, Ammon Mitzel died December 22, 1952. We finished the year with 211 total members.

 

At a meeting of the Board on February 10,1954, approval was given to the organization of a Girl Scout Troop from among the Crippled Children. The board also approved a donation of $4,200 to the Fairmount Children’s Home Band.

 

The club’s annual picnic at Atwood was repeated with good success in 1954.

 

Junior Achievement was supported by Canton Rotary and thirty five boy and girl foreign exchange students were entertained for two days in 1955. They came from Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, The Netherlands, Italy, Norway, Spain, and Switzerland.

 

These snapshots of the Rotary Club of Canton are but a small sampling of the many, many, worthwhile endeavors of “the Finest Rotary Club in the World” during its fourth decade 1945-1955.