| Rotary had its beginnings in Defiance late in 1920.
The club materialized from visits to the Toledo Club by Frank F. Hall as
a guest of Toledoan, William Roemer. One of the initial steps was to
empower a committee to select a list of 25 men as a nucleus. On that
pilot committee were Frank Hall, Chauncey I. Morse, Dr. Barlett J.
Emery, Robert T. Whitaker and Virgil Squire. All 25 prospective members
attended the initial discussion session that was held on Dec. 8, 1920 in
the Defiance home of Virgil Squire. The host was made temporary
chairman, and Riley W. Wortman agreed to serve as temporary secretary.
It was on Dec. 17, 1920 that the 25 men were accepted
into membership of Rotary and so became the charter members. Toledo
Rotarian Roemer handled the gavel at that second meeting which was held
in the Crosby House then on the site where now stands the motor bank of
The State Bank and Trust Co. An application for affiliation with Rotary
International was adopted that day and the temporary committee was made
permanent. Bartlett J. Emery, Robert T. Whitaker and Frank F. Hall were
added as directors.
It was decided to hold future meetings at noon each
Monday in the Crosby House. Charter night was changed, however, to
Wednesday, Feb. 2, 1921, at which time the charter was presented by the
district governor, Sam Squire of Elyria, and Toledoan Roemer.
The roster of the Defiance club expanded from 25 to 54
members during the first five years. In the 10th year the total plunged
to only 17, no doubt reflecting in part the "Great Depression." The next
15 years experienced a revival with active memberships reaching 47 by
the 25th anniversary; 82 in 1955; then 113 at the 50th year, and 150 at
present.
Expansion has always been vital to the club's program
as manifest by sponsorship of new area clubs. These have been Montpelier
in 1937, Hicksville in 1938, Delta in 1940, Delphos in 1949, and Ottawa-Glandorf
in 1995.
Promoted by suggestion of Rotarian Justin Coressel, the
club also approved creation of "Rotary 65", apparently a group unique in
Rotary circles, the first one in this district. Rotary 65 was formed
Jan. 4, 1971. Among its aims are: help in community projects, club
membership, fellowship and entertainment, acts of mercy, and visiting
the sick.
The group meets for lunch each Friday at 11:30 a.m.
Another noteworthy distinction came to the Defiance
Club in 1967 when it was host to District 660. That was during the
district governorship of the late M.L. Searcey. The affair attracted 825
Rotarians and guests to Defiance.
Over the years, Defiance Rotary has sought to be true
to ideals of service on which Rotary International was founded, and to
continue its mission by means of programs for community and civic
services.
Defiance Rotary Club has its own Mount Rushmore.
Chiseled on an imaginary cliff-side is a mountain of memories concerning
this group's history in the four avenues of service: club, vocational,
community and international.
Defiance Rotary has been active in achieving a number of
worthwhile objectives. The Defiance Club has donated funds to help
support many local agencies and organizations like the Boy Scouts, Crime
Stoppers, DC TV, YMCA, D.A.S.H., Defiance College, youth sports
activities, Defiance Senior Center, Defiance 2000, Fort Defiance
Bicentennial, Hospice, Junior Achievement, Lifeline, Rotary Foundation,
M.E.S.A., student scholarships, and "Shots for Tots." The Defiance Club,
along with the Defiance College, hosts the World Community Workshop, an
international service and youth project of District 6600. The club has
participated in the financing of a $20,000.00 building at the pioneer
Auglaize village restoration, promoted by the Defiance County Historical
Society; donating $10,000.00 to original YMCA building fund; and
completing four phases of Rotary Walkway which generated over $30,000.00
for local organizations and charitable groups. With the development of
the Paul Harris Fellowship program, $28,000.00 has been contributed to
RI's Polio Plus Campaign, with all-time giving exceeding $84,000.00. A
$25,000.00 donation to the YMCA Aquatic Center was funded by proceeds
generated from the annual Corvette Raffle (initiated in 1991). In 1993,
the Club pledged $15,000.00 over five years to the Defiance College
Capital Campaign. Pledges were made toward the Gene Smart Community
Center ($10,000) in 1996 and the DHS Track ($5,000) in 1997. In 2007,
more than $53,000 was donated to various groups. |
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Defiance Rotary Club
