CELEBRATING 100 YEARS OF SERVICE - ROTARY CLUB OF CANTON - 1965-1975

 

NOur club won the ninth consecutive Governor’s Cup as the best of the large clubs in District 665. This was the year that the Rotary Foreign Exchange Program was officially initiated by the Canton club with Ralph Russell and Guy Waltz as the prime movers in getting the program off the ground. Legendary OSU Football coach Woody Hayes spoke to our club during the annual OHHS All Star Game in August. Long time club secretary and club historian, Joe Markley, died March 4, 1966 at the age of 90. He was replaced by Harold P. “Hal” Ingram.

 

This year marked the actual “start” of our club’s participation in the Rotary Student Exchange Program. The first exchange student was Anders Boode from Sweden and he was hosted by Myron Fromm and family. Our first “outgoing” students were Kathryne Ann Houck to Japan, Kathleen Bambeck to Argentina, Janet Papas to Australia, Robert E. Wilkof to Argentina, and Kathleen Jo McKelly to Costa Rica. Stewart P. Witham from Canton Rotary served as District Governor. International Night was held at Hotel Onesto with Tom Tiede of Newspaper Enterprise Association, known as the ‘Ernie Pyle of the Vietnam War” as guest speaker.  The weekly Rotary lunch price was raised from $1.75 to $2.00! (Outrageous!)  Canton Rotary lost the Governor’s Cup to Alliance.

 

At his installation as President, Phil was presented with the same gavel his grandfather used when he was president in 1918-1919. The gavel was presented by Phil’s father, Ralph Furbay, a 25 year member of Canton Rotary. Phil’s son, Tim is a 23 year member of our club. The Governor’s Cup was reclaimed this year during District 665 competition. The International Student Exchange Program continued and grew. A “Books for India” project saw the club send three (3) tons of school books as a goodwill gesture. Troop 49 Boy Scouts enjoyed a great Christmas party and a week long summer camp. Pete Taflan was chairman of the Salvation Army Bell Ringers Committee which raised $247.10. Thank you, Pete!

 

Our club did not participate in this year’s District competition. The only note explaining this decision was, “In its meeting November 11, 1968, the board voted to discontinue the preparation and submission of report books for the current Rotary year”. Future President Jason McCoy served as chairman of Youth Exchange Program as we hosted three foreign students. Donations were made to support Junior Achievement, Walsh-Malone Joint College Campaign, YMCA, Stark County 4-H, and Junior Citizens Camp.

 

Again this year our club chose not to participate in the District 665 competition so, therefore, there was no Governor’s Cup this year.

The club was privileged to have a Rotary Foundation Fellowship Award winner this year: Robert Thomas Miday was selected by the District Committee and the RI Foundation to receive a grant for a full year’s study in New Zealand. A noteworthy program this year was a week-long series of lectures presented by a rehabilitated drug addict, Florrie Fisher, who spoke to our club as well as to nine area high school assemblies. She was also featured on a late night telephone call-in radio show. Sadly, later that year, Florrie died from an accident in her home in Miami, FL. At the end of his term, President Lee presented a plaque of appreciation to Canton Repository writer, Joseph Koren, for faithfully “covering” programs and other activities of the Rotary Club of Canton.

 

This year was marked by renewed activity and participation by an increasing number of members in club projects rather than in any single outstanding achievement. Vice President Stan Ewing was a tremendous help in all phases of the club’s operation. A very significant step was taken when the board decided to to have the club re-enter District 665 competition after a lapse of two years when no report books had been submitted. Current members who served on that year’s board are Jason McCoy and Joe Niamtu. The 46 committees of 258 Canton Rotarians responded valiantly, narrowly losing the Governor’s Cup to Youngstown (reportedly due to an error in computation in judging the Club Service Report Book entry.)

Each month outstanding students from the eighth grades in Canton City Schools were guests of the club and all were introduced and each received “Golden Rulers”. Outstanding activities this year included Vocational Information day, International Youth Exchange, International Night, and expanded Handicapped Scouts, Group Study Exchange, Speech & Hearing Clinic and Hi-Pal Service to the Blind.

 

Back on the competitive track, Canton Rotary won the Governor’s Cup for general excellence among large clubs over 100 members in District 665.

One of the highlights of the year was the very first Past President’s Party honoring Don Raley and his spouse, Helen. 245 Rotarians and guests attended the Congress Lake affair.

 

New club activities this year included the following…

Our club donated 4311 boxes of toys to the Salvation Army at Christmas. New members taken into the club that year were John Werren, Bob Pattison and Major Robert Meyers, to name only a few.

 

After 40 very eventful years at the Hotel Onesto, our club’s board voted to move across the street to Mergus Restaurant and to hold our weekly lunch meetings in the upstairs Garden Room. (I still remember the great salads with anchovies.) Canton took the Governor’s Cup for a second straight year and also won 1^st Place in Community and Vocational Service, 2^nd in Club and International Service. Outstanding speakers this year included Coach Woody Hayes, Mayor Stan Cmich, Timken Co. President Herbert E. Markley, and Ohio Supreme Court Chief Justice William O’Neill. Major projects and social outings continued in high gear, including the signature project, the Handicapped Scouts program, which held its annual Christmas Party at Westbrook Park United Methodist Church. Canton Rotary also sponsored the charter of the Perry Rotary Club spearheaded by Club Extension chairman, Bill Juergens. New members this year included, Dr. Tom Sinclair, Jim Lockshin, Lou Thurin, Bill Cumler, David Ewing and Bob Bethel among others. Club membership stood at 259 at year’s end.

 

The Rotary Club of Canton made virtually a clean sweep of honors among large clubs in District 665 when awards were presented at the Annual District Conference, and received the Governor’s Cup for a third consecutive year. Attendance averaged 90.42% for the year and we added 28 net new members with 293 members at year end. Outstanding! A new Rotaract Club was chartered at Malone College. A Special Commission made two significant recommendations to the board, both of which were adopted and implemented:

John Franta, the only surviving charter member of our club, became the first Paul Harris Fellow. “Secretaries’ Day” was revived and “Competitors’ Day” was established as annual events. Salvation Army kettles were manned; the club sponsored Boys State; sons and daughters of members were invited guests; Club Constitution and By-Laws were revised; and social outings continued. All in all, a very remarkable year, superbly led by President Jason McCoy!

 

The Governor’s Cup was won for a fourth straight year, edging out Youngstown in tight competition at the Imperial House Hotel in Canton.  The annual golf outing was held at Shady Hollow CC with 60 Rotarians playing and 85 attending the dinner afterward. Two Rotary Information meetings for new members were conducted by PP Jason McCoy. Sergeant-at-Arms Myron Fromm was the star of the annual McKinley-Massillon meeting in Massillon when he entered the room in a McKinley Bulldog uniform! McKinley lost to the Tigers the next day 20-15. Myron was not on the field. Vocational Information Day, Handicapped Scout Party, World Understanding Week with four exchange students present, Pancake Day at Glenwood HS with over 100 Rotarians volunteering their service, all went off without a hitch. On May 2, 1975, Law Day, the entire Ohio Supreme Court attended our meeting and Chief Justice William O’Neill was the featured speaker. The theme of his presentation was “America’s Goal: Justice through Law”. Mergus’ Garden Room was packed with a SRO crowd of appreciative attendees. A Japanese Group Study Exchange team from Kobe spent six weeks in our district and our club hosted their farewell dinner at the Canton Art Institute. 

 

And so concludes the sixth (6^th) decade of “Service above Self” by the Rotary Club of Canton, “The Finest Rotary Club in the World!”