A ROTARY CLUB IS BORN
The Rotary Club of West Jacksonville owes its origin to a man of lifelong devotion and dedication to all that Rotary signifies, S. Kendrick Guernsey, board chairman of Gulf Life Insurance Company. As president of Rotary International in 1947-48, he had traveled the world inspiring existing Rotary clubs and encouraging their expansion. Nineteen years later his zeal for extending Rotary into new areas was undiminished. For several months he had been seeking a map whose personality and qualities of leadership would qualify him to undertake a special mission.
On a bright Sunday morning in May 1967, as he was leaving the Southside Methodist Church after services, Guernsey spied the man he had selected: Horace G. Graham, Sr., president of the Graham—Jones Paper Company. Guernsey hailed him and broached the question.
“He asked me if I was presently a member of any service club,” Graham wrote in his memoirs of the formation of the Rotary Club of West Jacksonville. “I replied in the negative.”
“What do you know about Rotary?”
“Nothing except what I have heard about it leads me to the conclusion that Rotary has to be the finest and perhaps the largest of all service clubs.”
“Is your business such that you could devote considerable time and effort to Rotary if given the opportunity?”
Receiving an affirmative reply, Guernsey continued, “Horace, I have known you for many years in church and business, and in my opinion you already are a Rotarian at heart.”
That ended the conversation as Guernsey walked away. Mrs. Graham joined Horace, and he repeated the conversation. “We both wondered what it was all about.”
Graham had no knowledge that the Jacksonville Rotary Club, commonly referred to as the “Downtown Club”, had conducted a survey of Jacksonville’s Westside. It was prompted to do so “by Jacksonville’s growth (being) one of the most spectacular in the country.” A special Survey Committee appointed by club president Tom Slade, consisted of R. Hood Dittmar (chairman), Robert F. Colyer, David W. Cooley, and W. Wyman Parker. The resulting survey determined that the Westside had a population of 80,000, two naval air stations, three high schools, three major food chains, many factories and warehouses, and an area council of the city’s Chamber of Commerce. The survey discussed the Westside’ s “great potential growth” and the presence in the area of “well over seventy-five business and professional classifications available for a Rotary club.” In conclusion, •the Survey Committee wrote, “with a careful selection of a nucleus; a good Rotary club can be organized” and “with proper guidance and assistance from the Jacksonville club it can grow in size and usefulness.”
Graham didn’t have to wait long “wondering” what his conversation with Guernsey “was all about.” Two weeks later he received a call from Slade asking him if he recalled the conversation with Guernsey. Graham replied that he did.
“Can I come over and visit you within the hour?” It was a Monday morning when the Graham-Jones Company’s business was usually the busiest, but with his wonted graciousness Graham replied that he would be “most welcome.” Slade then surprised him by further asking if he could “accommodate six or seven others.” Graham answered that Slade could bring as many others as he liked.
Within the half hour Slade showed up with Dr. Sanford A. Mullen, Jacksonville Rotary secretary; Charles A. Smith, sergeant-at-arms, who was also the representative to District 694 Gov. Edwin W. Peck; and the aforementioned Survey Committee members. Slade explained the purpose of the visit was to encourage Graham to undertake the formation of a new Rotary club in the Westside.
“Are you willing to do it with our committee’s help?” he asked.
“Very definitely,” Graham replied. “I am deeply interested and believe that the Westside will produce a strong club consisting of some of the most capable business executives and professionals in Jacksonville. We cannot fail, because the Westside needs Rotary and Rotary needs the Westside.”
“When will you like to begin working with Hood Dittmar in lining up a nucleus of charter members? You need at least twenty to twenty-four.”
“I’m ready and willing to start right away, if Hood is.”
When Dittmar replied that he was ready, the group left leaving the recruiting up to the two and promising them every assistance.
Their first contact was G. Rodman Porter, president of the Westside Atlantic Bank and a former member of the Rotary Club of Palatka.
“I have been asked several times to join other service clubs in Jacksonville ever since I came here,” he replied. “I declined, feeling that I might be invited to join a Rotary club here. I gratefully accept your invitation to become a charter member of the proposed new club in the Westside.”
The second contact was another newcomer to Jacksonville, Robert T. Shircliff, who had come here to take over the presidency of the local Pepsi Cola bottling plant. He brought with him fifteen years of active Rotary participation, first in his native Bloomington, Indiana, where his father had served as a Rotary district governor, then in Charleston, West Virginia, where he had established a scholarship fund for high school students for the Rotary Exchange Program. With this background, Shircliff was an ideal prospect, so much so that Dittmar first informed him that the Jacksonville club already had decided to invite him to its membership. Shircliff momentarily hesitated and, again according to Graham’s memoirs, replied: “I am honored to hear about the choices which I have and, if it makes no difference to you, I prefer to become a charter member of the new club. After all, my primary interest is in this area both as to my business and my residence.”
With two “recruits” with extensive Rotary experience behind Graham, Dittmar now felt the trio could well by themselves select twenty-four “good and true men” to form the required nucleus for the new club. The trio went to work, carefully selecting the members of the charter group. It did such an excellent job that the Jacksonville committee reported to the whole membership of the downtown club that “a finer collection of businessmen and professionals would be difficult to find in a city much larger than Jacksonville.”
The twenty-four charter members included: Horace O. Graham, Sr., Graham-Jones Paper Company - president; G. Rodman Porter, Jr., Westside Atlantic Bank - president; Robert T. Shircliff, Pepsi Cola Bottling Company - president; Robert L. Birt, Southwest Wheel & Rim Company - vice-president; Henry Kramer, Food Fair - president; J. J. McCranie, McCranie Furniture - president and treasurer; W. H. Walton, Vulcan Company - vice-president; Miller Gaskin, Miller Gaskin, Inc. - president; Dr. Thad Moseley, surgeon; Crosby H. Dawkins, Quality Construction Company - president; Irby S. Exley, Westside Volkswagen - president; Dr. Rupert Q. Bliss, dentist; George Painter, Painter’s Poultry Company - president; Douglas B. Milne, Doug Milne Company - president; W. W. Gay, W. W. Gay Mechanical Contractor - president; R. Rogers Hazlehurst, Beaver Industrial Supply Company - president; Richard J. Jones, Jr., Riverside Clinic - manager/partner; Russell G. Goodwin, Florida Feed Mills - vice-president; Walter J. Watson, Jr., periodontist; Robert Falconetti, Drummond Press - president; Worth R. Blackmon, Sealtest Foods - manager; William C. Mick, Jr., Parker & Mick - president; H. S. Bisplinghoff, Container Wire Products - president; Horace O. Graham, Jr., Graham-Jones Paper Company - vice-president.
With this nucleus, the minimum requirement for Rotary admission had been met. The downtown committee at the end of May asked Graham to call an organization meeting to complete other requirements for submission to Rotary International for a charter. Graham made arrangements with Sandy’s Steer Room for use of its Matador Room on June 6. Thus, the first meeting of the charter members on that date was the first meeting of the new club. In the notice of the meeting, Graham enclosed copies of the standard Rotary constitution and the bylaws, which, while standard, could be modified to meet specific local conditions.
The first order of business was adoption of a name for the new club. Somehow it took “lengthy discussion”, but the name adopted was the expected one of Rotary Club of West Jacksonville. Admission fee was set at $25.00 and annual dues at $180.00. Meetings were set for every Wednesday starting at 12:30 p.m. and would be held at Sandy’s Steer Room. The members then elected the first officers and directors for the club: Horace C. Graham, Sr., president; C. Rodman Porter, vice—president; Robert T. Shircliff, secretary; William N. Walton, Jr., treasurer; Crosby H. Dawkins, sergeant—at—arms; and Henry D. Kramer, Robert L. Birt, Worth R. Blackmon, and Dr. Thad N. Moseley, directors.
District Gov. Ed Peck and several downtown Rotarians were present. Coy. Peck explained what further procedures the “nucleus” needed to obtain a charter. Until the charter was granted, no new members could be added. All the required papers along with the $100.00 fee were given to Charles Smith to forward formally to Coy. Peck for approval ana subsequent forwarding to headquarters in Evanston, Illinois.
Graham on June 12 wrote the first club bulletin, which he called• “Rotospatch”. It was an announcement that the next meeting would be on June 14 with H. Wayman Parker as speaker. Graham also extended the invitation of President Slade for the members to be guests of the Jacksonville club at its June 19 meeting.
In his next bulletin, dated June 20, Graham revealed “encouraging information”; to wit, that Charles Smith had received a letter from Rotary International which read in part: “Congratulations to you and your club on your success in extending Rotary to the community of West Jacksonville. The application for the provisional club has been received, and before long we hope to advise District Coy. Ed Peck of the admission of this club to membership in Rotary.” In his bulletin, which he said hereafter would be called “Roto News”, Graham profusely thanked the Jacksonville club for its hospitality to the nucleus group at its June 19 meeting. “You really made us feel as if we were a part of your warm, friendly club.”
The Jacksonville club had done all it could to facilitate the granting of a charter for the formation of a new club in West Jacksonville. It had started with the Survey Committee mentioned above, which then had to receive the approval of the club’s board of directors. By Article V of its charter, the Jacksonville club was granted jurisdiction of the entire city. Twelve years before, in 1955, it had relinquished part of its territory to form the Rotary Club of South Jacksonville. The remarkable record of that club undoubtedly induced the board to approve unanimously the Survey Committee’s recommendation for a new Westside club.
Slade then convinced two-thirds of the Jacksonville club membership to approve the relinquishment of more territory. In a long letter to its members, he urged them to approve the board’s recommendation at its next meeting February 20. The territory to be relinquished was “west of a line formed by U.S. 1 easterly to Myrtle Avenue, south to Forest Street; Forest Street west to College Street; College Street south to Margaret Street, and Margaret Street south to the St. Johns River.” The membership enthusiastically approved and authorized the Survey Committee to seek a man who would work with it in forming the “nucleus” chronicled above. There was nothing more now to be done but wait for the decision of Rotary International.
On June 23, 1967 Peck received a telegram from Rotary International: “Congratulations. Rotary Club of West Jacksonville admitted to membership in Rotary International June 19. Please advise new club, also sponsor club.” Peck wasted no time “advising” Graham. Elaborate and extensive preparations were made by committees of both clubs for presentation of the charter. It was to be a celebration, a gala night with members of both clubs and their Rotary Anns attending.
The affair was held Friday, June 28 in the Grand Ball Room of the Roosevelt Hotel. It indeed was a gala night!! The ball room walls were plastered with Rotary banners from almost all the clubs in District 694. After the singing of the National Anthem by Dr. Louis J. Larmoyeux and the invocation by the Rev. Gladstone Rogers, the guests dined and the ceremonies began. Parker serving as M.C., introduced Slade, who gave a general welcome to one and all. Dittmar then introduced the presidents and officers of the other clubs in District 694 who had come to participate in the celebration.
The main speaker was Sydney D. Andrews, past district governor, who elaborated on the privileges, duties, and obligation of Rotarians to serve their community. His talk was entitled “Our Job as Leaders”. The highlight of the evening was, of course, the presentation of the charter. Peck did the honors with elaborate praise of the work done to achieve it. Graham received the charter saying: “This is our just reward for much effort put forth on the part of planning, organizing, and bringing together a group of twenty—four fine business executives and professionals constituting our charter group. We shall use it as a launching pad to blast off to greater achievement for Rotary on the Westside of our great city.” He thanked, “with all the emphasis at our command,” the host club and the members of other clubs for “your patience, guidance, understanding, and leadership. Without your help, this gathering would not have occurred)’ President Graham followed his talk by introducing the “nucleus group” and their wives. The newly elected Jacksonville club president, Leo J. Grimes, Jr., then called up Bob Shircliff to receive gifts of a bell, gavel, wheel, and banner from the Rotary Clubs of Jacksonville, South Jacksonville, the Beaches, and Gainesville, respectively.
The “final remarks” most appropriately were given by the man who initiated the whole movement, S. Kendrick Guernsey.
The Rotary Club of West Jacksonville was now in business as a full-fledged Rotary club.
