Rotary Club International
The Marion, Illinois International Club No. 1407 was formed following a meeting held at the Goodall Hotel on the Public Square (now Tower Square) in March 1923. The hotel later burned in 1941 and W. T. Grant constructed a store on the location in the 1950’s. In 1992, the City of Marion purchased the building after W. T. Grant went bankrupt and converted it into the Marion City Hall.
The formation meeting was presided over by William Baker and Charles Taylor of Harrisburg, IL who were responsible for the formation of a large number of Rotary Clubs in Southern Illinois. Taylor was at that time the District Governor for all of Southern Illinois.
The original meeting was in March 1923 and Marion was finally granted a charter on April 7, 1923. In May 1923, the Rotary Club of Harrisburg came to Marion in mass and formally presented the local club with its charter. The club completed its Golden year with a big dinner at the Holiday Inn in Marion on April 7, 1973.
The first officers were: Edward M. Stotlar, President; Dr. E. E. Woodside, Vice President; Warder Batson, Secretary; Earl Jackson, Treasurer; and Clarence Cox Sergeant at Arms.
The first Board of Directors consisted of E. M. Stotlar, Lawrence H. Bainbridge, Leon Colp, E. E. Woodside, and Warder Batson.
Charter Members of the Marion Rotary Club:
Arthur Aikman, Lawrence H. Bainbridge, Paul Balance, Warder Batson, Charles Bracy, Carl Bradbury, Jean Burkhart, Leon Colp, Clarence Cox, Dr. A. M. Edwards, W. A. Erwin, Dr. Walter Ferguson, Earl Jackson, Mark McAlpin, A. B. McLaren, Dr. Harley Norris, F. Ernest Parks, Frank Powell, Rev. A. E. Prince, Ira Starr, Edward M. Stotlar, Bruce Wallace, John Whiteside, Otis Williams, Dr. E. E. Woodside.
Meeting Places
The club when formed met at the First Baptist Church, but left there, according to reports at the time, because Dr. W. P. Throgmorton of that church objected to the members smoking during the meeting.
The meetings have, however, been held in the basement of the First United Methodist Church for most of the eighty years of the club’s existence, as they are on this date in 2013.
At times, meetings have been held at other places, such as in the hangar at the old Marion Airport (east of town); at the US Federal Prison (80 members and guests attended that meeting); at the home of Harry L. Crisp; the Country Club home of “14” Norman, as well as a fish fry at the Lake of Egypt, with 60 present in 1968.
On another occasion, a caterer prepared the meal, which was served at a meeting held at the Giles Armature and Electric Works. After the Dinner, Past District Governor Bill Giles and Past President Harold Chase initiated the members into the intricacies of armature winding.
At the time of the regular high school Rotary Awards day, the meeting is always held in the high school cafeteria and then adjourned to the school auditorium for presentation of keys and pins.
One meeting was held in the cafeteria of John A. Logan College at Carterville.
In 1924, the Marion club journeyed to Harrisburg for a joint meeting and on numerous occasions, Marion has joined with other clubs in the area for inter-city meetings, the most recent one being held in Marion at the Holiday Inn (Executive Inn) on February 27, 1973 at which time District Governor Kermit Beasley inducted new members from all parts of Southern Illinois into Rotary.
In 1928, the club enjoyed a venison dinner, with the meat furnished by Dr. H. D. Norris, who had killed the deer in the west and brought it to Marion on the hood of his automobile.
In 1929, a “ladies night” was held at the Marion Golf Club, which is now the home of “Mutt” and Ida Fluck on West Main Street, southwest of the intersection with Halfway Road. One hundred seventy five Rotarians and wives were present.
Among the unusual meetings that the Marion club has held, was one arranged by Louis Nielsen on October 10, 1957, when he was the local telephone company manager. At that time, International Vice President Albert P. Banthan spoke to the Marion club, live, over the telephone from Schenectady, NY. Later, J. W. Travelstead, then commercial manager of the telephone company, presented a “Closed Circuit” television program and still later there was a demonstration of the laser beam.
Joint meetings have been held on several occasions with the Lions Club and the Kiwanis Club of Marion. One of these was when James V. Bennett, Director of the U. S. Bureau of Prisons of the Federal Justice Department was the guest of Rotary. Bennett was introduced by Myrl Alexander of Carbondale, who later took over the position of Prison Bureau Director. Bennett and Alexander are the two men most responsible for selection of Marion for the present Federal Prison south of Marion.
Civic Programs
Rotary Club of Marion members are expected to host a program about once every 70 weeks. Their program can be on any subject except programs that are directed for outside fund-raising, political in nature and religious programs are not acceptable.
In addition to individual member created programs, the Rotary Club is actively involved in regular civic minded programs such as working with the young people of Marion, especially thru the Interact (formerly Teenarian) Club. This club was formed in 1933 by Past President Clarence Cox.
In 1924, Rotary members helped take a census of boys in the city of Marion between the ages of 6 and 18, and the same year Rotarians helped purchase the uniforms for the grade school band.
The June 1927 Rotarian Magazine tells how Ed Stotlar and Jack Kuykendall of the Marion Rotary Club started the Boy Scout work in Marion that resulted in the formation of the Franklin-Williamson County Council, which was later expanded to its present size and name of Egyptian Council, covering all of Southern Illinois. Among the boys attending the first Boy Scout Reservation in Goreville in 1924 was John Burnett Cline, now a member of the Marion club as well as Jean Burkhart, a former member, and Dr. Norman Albert of Johnston City.
In 1936, Mark Woodley, who was the club president at the time, started the annual distribution of “Rotary Awards” to worthy scholars at the Marion High School. Selection was made by vote of the faculty on a fifty-fifty basis of scholarship and school activities. A gold key is given to the outstanding boy or girl in each class for first place and a silver key for second place, plus pins for the next eight in each class. In the case of a tie vote, then both point winners received the same award.
If the same boy or girl receives the gold key each year in school (previously it required four years, but with the institution of a three-year high school, only three gold keys are required. The Marion High School has since been restored back to a four-year school) a diamond is placed in the key in the final year.
Those who have received diamond keys are: James Felts, James Sanders, Betty Boatright, David Jackson, Jack Riddle, Carol Reichert, John Kent, Romelle Harris, Dale Harris, Mike Dare and James Pape.
Originally the presentations were made at a night meeting of the club with the winners as guests of the club. Now the awards are given at the high school and are made in the presence of the student body.
Several “Institutes of International Understanding” were held in Marion, with outstanding speakers of national stature to enlighten the members and friends on world problems.
The Marion club joined with the Marion Lions Club in promoting a radio station for Marion. The three principal civic clubs, Rotary, Lions, and Kiwanis, have all worked together for everything from new schools to the enlargement of the airport, all which are of great benefit to the community.
In April 1963, the Marion Rotarians sold special newspapers on the streets here to raise funds for the construction of a non-denominational chapel at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale. Newspaper sales netted $365. In 1957, the Marion club members joined Rotarians from the area to build a structure at Camp SO-BO-GI (Southern Illinois Boys and Girls) on the banks of Little Grassy Lake.
Through an assessment against all members several years ago, a student loan fund was created which has helped about fifty boys or girls attending college. In almost all cases the money has been returned, with interest, after they finished their college work.
Marion is over a 300 per cent contributor to the Rotary Fellowship Fund which makes it possible for exceptionally well qualified boys and girls to study in a foreign country. We have also contributed to a fund providing scholarships at Southern Illinois University for students from “south of the border.” Many of these students have spoken to the Marion club. This fund was started in 1946 when Dean Schwartz of Carbondale was the district governor.
In 1969 under President L. C. Cavaness, the club pledged $100 a year scholarship for John A. Logan College, which was just being established in this county at that time.
Rotary Publications
As far back as any of the present members can recall the Marion Rotary Club has kept in touch with its activities through their own publication known as “The Marion Rotascope.”
In its early years, Sam Casey, editor and owner of the Marion Evening Post was the publisher and it was printed every week from type set on the linotype by Mr. Casey. The first issues were printed on July 1, 1924, 15 months after the Rotary Club of Marion was chartered. In later years, among others who have acted as editors are Lawrence Sanders, W. O. Paisley, Oldham Paisley, Richard Darby, and Milt Witt.
The “Rotascope” is a one page mimeographed sheet, always listing the coming programs as well as the birthdays of Rotarians, their Rotary Anns and their wedding anniversaries.
Fiftieth Anniversary Dinner
In commemoration of Marion’s 50th year as a Rotary Club, a banquet was held at the Holiday Inn in Marion, Illinois on April 6-7, 1973
(Data from Rotary of Marion Website)