A History, briefly summarized, of the
Rotary Club of Denver
Written in May, 2005 by Preston and Carolyn Smith for
inclusion in the time capsule
celebrating the first 100 years of Rotary International.
December 1, 1911:
The Rotary Club of Denver was awarded its charter as the 31st
Club within the Rotary world. Denver in 1911 was “a major
American city, one of the top 25 in population in the
nation. In the 50 years since its frontier founding, 213,000
had settled at our Platte River Gateway to the central Rocky
Mountains.” Gratton E. Hancock, a typewriter salesman and
first president of Denver Rotary, responded to the need of
business and professional men for better communication among
themselves. “They wanted to regain the sense of acquaintance
and community they had left in the hometown settings of
youth.” They wanted a “better forum for effecting civic
causes.”
This was the
beginning of a tradition of “Service Above Self” and weekly
fellowship and interchange for hundreds of Denver Rotary
members over the years. The Club has met regularly ever
since, almost weekly, in downtown Denver at mid day to hear
prominent speakers addressing topics of variety and import.
The Club President, often a prominent Denver leader,
presides. The Club Secretary is the club’s “Jester” adding
important levity to the meetings. Only men, representing a
wide variety of businesses and professions, were members
until 1988 when women were invited to join. Membership has
reflected the business climate in Denver. There was a long
period when the presidents of corporations, banks,
foundations and other local, powerful entities were
naturally also members of Denver Rotary. As traditions have
changed and the motivations of corporate leaders have led
them else where, Denver Rotary has become a club of
individuals who appreciate fellowship and the influence that
groups acting together for good can have on the world and
local community. Membership numbers have fluctuated in
response to changing tradition however its efforts to
support its projects have remained consistent.
The impact of the
Rotary Club of Denver has been felt locally, nationally and
internationally, as well as its members have generously
given leadership and funding to a wide variety of
significant projects.
Of particular
importance to the youth of our community, Denver Kids is the
club’s signature project established by members 60 years ago
and actively supported today. This counseling and mentoring
program for students in the Denver Public Schools was
founded when members saw the sons of soldiers lost in World
War II as needing personal support. The club later founded a
program for girls who similarly were at risk of leaving
school before graduation.
Other local
projects have been founded by members in response to
community needs:
§
The Scholastic Art Awards program has encouraged Middle and
High School students talented in many forms of art
expression.
§
College and High School Scholarships are awarded to
deserving young people and relationships between Rotarians
and their students give encouragement and guidance to them
and unique compassion to their mentors.
§
Assistance is given to students seeking Vocational training.
§
Rotarians read to young students in the Childhood Literacy
Committee.
§
Rotarians give to children with cancer through the Shining
Stars program.
The World Community
Service Committee has remained strong and innovative since the
founding of the Club. The Committee leverages its financial
support by using Club funds matched with district and national
funding to impact significant projects around the world often
introduced by our members.
Our Club responded
with extraordinary generosity to the call by Rotary
International to overcome Polio in the world. Individual club
members made among the largest financial gifts in the Rotary
world and some assisted in the distribution of the polio vaccine
to children wherever the need is greatest.
Club members have
promoted and coordinated international exchange for high school
students and adults through the Youth Exchange and Group Study
Exchange programs of Rotary International.
Typical of its
commitment to international understanding, the Denver Rotary
Club hosted International Conventions in 1926, 1941 and 1966.
The Denver Rotary
Club Foundation, founded in 1969, has enabled the Club to
support projects in this community as well as many around the
world. By early 1977 the foundation had $32,000 “and a committee
was studying its restructuring with the thought that growing
demands on the club were going to make essential a far more
substantial ‘kitty’ for future service projects.”
In 1981 the Club
initiated one of two block buster fund raisers that would add
substantially to the club’s ability to underwrite its local and
international projects.
For twenty
memorable years, the Club produced Artists of America, an art
exhibition and sale that brought close to two million dollars to
the Denver Rotary Club Foundation. Beyond the dollars raised,
the show became recognized by artists and those who appreciate
fine representational art as an annual event they would not
miss. School children were introduced by trained docents to the
sculpture and paintings by the finest living artists from across
the country. A seminar program gave selected artists a forum to
share their philosophy and techniques with those interested. It
was known in the art world as “the Rotary Show” and sent around
the country a buzz about what the Denver Rotary Club could
accomplish with its devoted members and tireless volunteer
leadership.
The second major
fund raiser that started in 1992
is the club’s annual Branch Rickey Dinner, named for the
baseball giant known to have impacted racial integration within
the world of baseball. A member of a baseball team, nominated by
team mates and selected by a national panel of sports
enthusiasts as both important to baseball and a contributor to
their community, is honored every year. The Branch Rickey award
is becoming the “Heisman trophy” of baseball, recognized
nationally in the baseball world and cherished by its winners.
The Denver Rotary Foundation has grown to $3.6 million in its 36
years while at the same time contributing significantly to the
Club’s local and international projects.
The history of the
Rotary Club of Denver, briefly told above, mirrors the
responsibility its members feel for the youth of Denver and the
humanity of people everywhere. It is a rich history of one of
Rotary’s largest, most active and most prominent clubs. Its
members wear their Rotary membership with pride knowing that
they are part of both a local and world wide effort at peace and
understanding through Rotary.
|
