Rotary of Jasper

The idea of our club came from Douglas Leake, Sr. in 1922 when he was a guest of a Rotary club in Norfolk, Virginia, during a return to his home state on a business trip. He found acceptance of his thoughts among his friends in Jasper to the extent that in December of 1922, a group met and applied for a Rotary Charter. One of the requirements that a new club have a sponsor was satisfied by the nearby Tuscaloosa Rotary Club, and George "Andy" Lang was a District Governor's personal representative at the first meeting which was held February 1, 1923 at the Collins Hotel. The hotel has long since disappeared from the Jasper scene, buat at that time, was located on the Southwest corner of 3rd Avenue and 20th Street. Twenty-two enthusiastic members of the new club elected Doug Leake, Sr. as its first President, and Charles L. Burton as its first Secretary. As the years passed, the club met at the Cranford Hotel, the Collins Hotel, Masonic Temple, American Legion Hut, The Phillips Hotel, Holiday Inn, White Way Restaurant, Jasper Mall, and then returned to Walker College to the very comfortable atmosphere of the present dining room constructed for such civic activities.

The club has throughout the years participated in more civic projects than space and time will permit acknowledgment. We can name just a few of them to indicate how well we have covered the Four Avenues of Rotary Service, which are Club Service, Community Service, International Service and Vocational Service. The building of Ki-Ro Field was a joint project of Rotary and Kiwanis. The first completed Rotary project of the club was the organization in 1923 of the Knothole Club for boys. We helped organize the Community Chest which is now called United Way, sent several children to New Orleans and Birmingham for plastic surgery, maintained a bed for a number of years at the Crippled Children's Clinic, sponsored a night Soft Ball League, rebuilt Camp O'Rear, for several years sponsored a Walker County Track and Field Meet, organized and maintained the Jasper Boys Club, purchased an "Audiometer" and maintained it for the Health Department in testing hearing of all Walker County school children, supported a nursing program for nursing loans to worthy aspirants who wished to enter this field of service, and sponsored the Jasper Rotary Little League Team.

We have also organized and sponsored First Act, Interact and Rotaract Clubs at Maddox Middle School, Walker High School, and Bevill State Community College Walker College Campus, respectively. We have participated in entertaining Group Study Exchange Teams from foreign countries which include Australia, Nigeria, Finland and , most recently, South Africa. Support for many of these activities has come from money-raising projects in which our members have participated, such as "White Elephant Auction Sales" of a few years back, sponsorship of championship football games, the annual Christmas Tree Sale, and currently our annual golf tournament, gun raffle, and Duck Race/Easter Egg Hunt.

Our club has not been without its trials and tribulations. During the Great Depression, the club ran a drive to raise food and clothing for the needy, and before the depression was over, the club itself had lost so many members that relinquishing the club charter was considered. With the help of President Paul Lantrip who was able to negotiate a temporary suspension of dues, the club was able to survive. We have maintained in recent years a membership of approximately eighty members.

Our club has also had the honor of having two of its members serve as District Governor of Rotary International. Past President Bob Bruner served as District Governor in 1953-54, and Past President W. A. Grant, Jr. served as District Governor in 1983-84.

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Rotary Club of Jasper
PO Box 477
Jasper, AL 35502

http://jasperrotary.org
email us at: info@jasperrotary.org