2005 ROTARY CONFERENCE REMARKS REGARDING OUR DISTRICT 6910 HISTORY

Presented By PDG Joe M. Whittemore, April 30, 2005, Callaway Gardens

I APPRECIATE OUR TAKING A FEW MINUTES TO REMEMBER THE HISTORY OF OUR DISTRICT.  WE HAVE BEEN THE “NEW KID ON THE BLOCK” FOR SO LONG WE HAVE NOT THOUGHT MUCH ABOUT HISTORY.  BUT IN TWO YEARS WE WILL CELEBRATE THE 25^TH ANNIVERSARY OF OUR BECOMING A DISTRICT. 

WE ALL KNOW THAT ROTARY INTERNATIONAL WAS FOUNDED FEBRUARY 23, 1905 – 100 YEARS AGO THIS YEAR.  BUT HOW MANY OF US HAVE FOCUSES ON THE ATLANTA ROTARY CLUB BEING CHARTERED ON JULY 2, 1913 WITH 37 CHARTER MEMBERS OR OUR ROME CLUB BEING STARTED ON OCTOBER 1, 1914, OR ATHENS BEING CHARTERED ON MARCH 1, 1920 AND ELBERTON ON MAY 1, 1921?  IF YOU DO NOT KNOW THE ROOTS OF YOUR CLUB I HOPE YOU WILL TAKE THE TIME TO FIND OUT.  MY CLUB FOR INSTANCE, HARTWELL, WAS CHARTERED BY THE ATHENS CLUB ON MARCH 29, 1937.  

WHEN ATLANTA WAS CHARTERED THERE WAS NO DISTRICT ORGANIZATION BUT IN 1915 ATLANTA BECAME PART OF DISTRICT 5.  THEN IN 1918 IT WAS CHANGED TO DISTRICT 8 AND IN 1922 CHANGED AGAIN TO DISTRICT 39, THEN IN 1928 CHANGED TO DISTRICT 69 AND AGAIN IN 1937 TO DISTRICT 165 WHICH COVERED ALL OF THE STATE OF GEORGIA. BY 1949 WE NEEDED TWO DISTRICTS FOR THE STATE AND DISTRICT 240 WAS FORMED TO COVER WEST GEORGIA AND 241 TO COVER EAST GEORGIA (ATTACHED IS THE OFFICIAL RECORD FROM ROTARY INTERNATIONAL OF THE MAKE UP OF THE TWO DISTRICTS).  BY 1957 OLD DISTRICT 240 (WEST GEORGIA) WAS RENUMBERED 690 AND OLD DISTRICT 241 (EAST GEORGIA) WAS RENUMBERED 692, THEN IN 1958 THE LINE THAT DIVIDED THE STATE WAS SLIGHTLY CHANGED.  WHY THE STATE WAS DIVIDED BETWEEN AN EASTERN DISTRICT AND A WESTERN DISTRICT I HAVE NEVER KNOWN, BUT IT WAS A GREAT DECISION. 

BY 1982 WE HAD:  APPROXIMATELY - 70 CLUBS IN THE WESTERN DISTRICT – 690

                               AND APPROX.       - 65 CLUBS IN THE EASTERN DISTRICT – 692

BOTH DISTRICT 690 AND 692 HELD THEIR DISTRICT CONFERENCES AT JEKYLL ISLAND, USUALLY BACK-TO-BACK WEEKS.  MANY OF US CAN REMEMBER THOSE JEKYLL ISLAND CONFERENCES WHICHEVER DISTRICT WE WERE IN AND SOME WOULD STAY FOR BOTH CONFERENCES.

JEKYLL ISLAND WAS COMMON GROUND TO ALL ROTARIANS IN THE STATE OF GEORGIA.  SO WHEN OUR DISTRICT 691 WAS FORMED IN 1983 WITH (I THINK) 31 CLUBS AND APPROXIMATELY 2,100 MEMBERS MANY OF US KNEW ONE ANOTHER EVEN THOUGH SOME OF US CAME FROM 690 AND OTHERS FROM 692.  WE WERE THE SMALLEST DISTRICT IN CLUBS AND MEMBERS.  OF COURSE WE HAVE NOW GROWN TO BE LARGER THAN 692.    AND ONE DAY WE ARE GOING TO EVEN OUTNUMBER 690, RIGHT? 

OUR DISTRICT CONTAINS THE GEORGIA ROTARY CLUBS BASICALLY NORTH OF I-20, EXCEPT FOR FULTON, DEKALB, COBB AND DOUGLAS COUNTIES TO THE WEST AND TO THE EAST BELOW I-20 WE INCLUDE DOWN TO PUTNAM, HANCOCK, JASPER, WARREN AND COLUMBIA COUNTIES. 

NOT MANY OF THE CLUBS IN THE NEW DISTRICT 691 HAD MUCH OF A HISTORY OF GIVING TO THE ROTARY FOUNDATION.  AS A MATTER OF FACT THE CLUBS IN DISTRICT 691 HAD CUMULATIVELY CONTRIBUTED ONLY AROUND $345,000 TO THE FOUNDATION BEFORE 1987.  THAT WAS THE GRAND TOTAL FOR ALL THE YEARS FROM CHARTER TO 1987.  KEEP THAT FIGURE IN MIND -- $345,000 OVER 60 YEARS.   WE WERE CONTRIBUTING AROUND $40,000 A YEAR, IN A GOOD YEAR. 

I WILL NEVER FORGET THE FEELING I HAD IN LAS VEGAS IN 1986 WHEN I WAS TOLD BY THE INCOMING PRESIDENT OF RI THAT WE WERE GOING TO HAVE A NEW PROGRAM THE NEXT YEAR.  IT WOULD BE CALLED POLIO PLUS.  IT WOULD START IN 1987 (MY YEAR AS DISTRICT GOVERNOR) AND THE GOAL THE ROTARY FOUNDATION HAD SET FOR OUR DISTRICT WAS $120,000.    AND I’LL NEVER FORGET RIDING BACK ON THAT PLANE TRYING TO THINK THROUGH HOW THIS COULD BE POSSIBLE.  HOW IN THE WORLD ARE WE GOING TO RAISE $120,000 IN ONE YEAR? 

I WENT TO JIM SMULIAN OUR DISTRICT GOVERNOR TO LET HIM KNOW WHAT WE WERE BEING ASKED TO DO AND TO LET HIM KNOW THAT I DID NOT WANT TO DO ANYTHING THAT WOULD IMPACT HIS YEAR BUT I NEEDED TO BEGIN WORK.  HIS ANSWER WAS TYPICAL ROTARY, “YOU DO WHATEVER YOU NEED TO DO, THIS IS IMPORTANT”. 

I HAD RUN INTO A YOUNG MAN IN LAWRENCEVILLE BY THE NAME OF RICH PANYIK.  (AND THAT TIED IN TO HOW I WAS FEELING, “PANIC”)  SO I CALLED HIM AND ASK HIM IF HE WOULD BE THE CHAIRMAN OF THIS NEW PROGRAM.  I DIDN’T GIVE HIM ALL THE DETAILS – AS ALL GOOD ROTARIANS DO WHEN ASKED BY THE PRESIDENT OR GOVERNOR TO DO SOMETHING, HE SAID YES.    AND WE WERE OFF AND RUNNING.

FRIENDS, OUR DISTRICT HASN’T STOPPED SINCE!!! 

IN THE POLIO PLUS YEAR, WE RAISED A LITTLE OVER $650,000 FOR THE FOUNDATION AND MORE IMPORTANTLY HAVE SINCE CONTRIBUTED APPROXIMATELY $4 MILLION TO THE ROTARY FOUNDATION OVER THE LAST 18 YEARS.  AND THAT’S OVER AND ABOVE WHAT WE HAVE RAISED FOR THE GEORGIA ROTARY STUDENT PROGRAM.

AS I THINK BACK OVER THE NEARLY 50 YEARS SINCE I FIRST BECAME A MEMBER OF THE ELBERTON ROTARY CLUB IN OLD DISTRICT 692 AND THEN BECAME A MEMBER OF THOMASVILLE ROTARY IN OLD DISTRICT 690 FOR 7 YEARS AND NOW HAVING BEEN A HARTWELL ROTARIAN FOR NEARLY 30 YEARS ---- THERE ARE MEMORIES TO LAST A LIFETIME. 

I REMEMBER JEKYLL.  AND ESPECIALLY ONE YEAR WHEN DISTRICT CONFERENCE WAS BEING HELD DURING THE LAST WEEK OF TAX SEASON. I COULD NOT GO BECAUSE I HAD TAX RETURNS TO PREPARE BUT GOVERNOR RALPH SNOW OF ATHENS WANTED OUR ELBERTON ROTARY CLUB QUARTET TO SING AT THE FRIDAY NIGHT BANQUET, SO HE FLEW ME DOWN THERE ON HIS COMPANY PLANE AND FLEW ME BACK THAT NIGHT.  

I REMEMBER HART JOINER.  WHEN A DISTRICT GOVERNOR VISITED GAINESVILLE YOU DID NOT STAY IN A HOTEL OR MOTEL.  YOU STAYED WITH HART.  WHEN WE WOULD LEAVE THE NEXT MORNING HE WOULD GIVE US A CUTTING FROM HIS SWEETHEART ROSE BUSH.  JUST LAST WEEK WE WERE SITTING AT OUR BREAKFAST TABLE AND PAT SAID, “HAVE YOU NOTICED HART’S SWEETHEART ROSE THIS YEAR?”  AS I LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW AT THE FULL BLOOMING ROSES I REMEMBERED HART.  

I REMEMBER MAKING A PRE-GOVERNOR’S VISIT TO MEET WITH THE OFFICERS OF HABERSHAM COUNTY CLUB.  WHEN I ARRIVED THERE WAS AN EXTRA FELLOW ATTENDING THE MEETING THAT I DIDN’T KNOW.  HIS NAME WAS LEE ARRENDALE. HABERSHAM COUNTY WAS TO BE MY FIRST OFFICIAL VISIT AND I WANTED THEM TO GET US STARTED RIGHT ON POLIO PLUS.  WHAT I WAS ASKING WAS “NEW GROUND” FOR THE CLUB.  I MADE MY PITCH AND THEY ALL LOOKED OVER AT LEE.  HE THOUGHT FOR ABOUT FIVE SECONDS AND THEN HE SAID, “GOVERNOR, YOU JUST TELL US WHAT IT IS YOU WANT AND WE WILL DO IT!”  WHEN I VISITED THEIR CLUB TWO MONTHS LATER THEY ANNOUCED THEY HAD DONE 150% OF WHAT I HAD ASKED.

I REMEMBER WHEN A HUNDRED OR SO OF US GATHERED OUTSIDE THIS VERY CONFERENCE ROOM HERE AT CALLAWAY TO TAKE A PICTURE OF ABOUT HALF THE ROTARIANS THAT HAD BECOME PAUL HARRIS FELLOWS FOR POLIO PLUS IN 1988. STILL HAVE THAT PICTURE ON THE WALL IN MY OFFICE.

I REMEMBER OUR FIRST DISTRICT 691 DISTRICT CONFERENCE WITH BILLY McWILLIAMS, “FOSTER BROOKS” AND THE ROME CLUB.   IT MAY HAVE BEEN THE MOST ENJOYABLE DISTRICT CONFERENCE WE HAVE EVER HAD. 

I REMEMBER WHEN RI PRESIDENT BILL SKELTON VISITED THE HARTWELL ROTARY CLUB AND WHEN DAVID ROPER WAS ELECTED TO SERVE ON THE ROTARY BOARD.  AND ON AND ON. 

THERE ARE JUST ALL SORTS OF MEMORIES THAT I HAVE.  I’M SURE YOU ALSO HAVE A FULL MEMORY BANK.

BUT NONE OF THESE MEMORIES WOULD BE WORTH MUCH IF ROTARY WAS NOT ALIVE AND WELL TODAY.  WHEN ALL IS SAID AND DONE --- THE MOST IMPORTANT MATTER IS WHAT ALL OF YOU, PLUS THOSE TO COME, ARE GOING TO MEAN TO THIS WORLD THROUGH ROTARY DURING THE NEXT 50 OR 100 YEARS  ---- THAT’S WHAT’S IMPORTANT.   

OUR GENERATIONS LEGACY TO ROTARY IS NOT WHAT WE DID --- IT’S WHAT WE STARTED --- AND HOPEFULLY IT WILL REMAIN THAT WAY ---- 25 TO 50 YEARS FROM NOW WHEN ONE OF YOU WILL BE MAKING REMARKS LIKE THESE ABOUT THE MARVELOUS HISTORY OF DISTRICT 6910.

WE HAVE A LOT TO BE THANKFUL FOR!

WE HAVE A LOT TO BE GREATFUL FOR!

AND A LOT TO BE PROUD OF --- KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK! 

DISTRICT 6910 CLUBS LIST AND CHARTER DATES