Club History

Rotary has been working in Centreville since 1927 in fellowship and service to others. Like any group or organization there have been some highs and lows, but through it all, The Rotary Club of Centreville, Maryland has upheld the ideals of Rotary and its two mottos: "Service Above Self" and "He Profits Most Who Serves Best."

In April 1927, a group of Centreville businessmen began meeting with Dr. Paul Titsworth, a Chestertown Rotarian and President of Washington College. Dr. Titsworth had been appointed by the District Governor to assist in chartering a Rotary Club in Centreville. On May 3 of the same year, an application was filed with Rotary International listing 16 charter members and the following officers:

Thomas Rigby Valliant, President
Edwin H. Brown, Vice President
Norman P. Walters, Secretary/Treasurer

The Rotary Club of Centreville, Maryland was chartered as Club Number 2590 on May 20, 1927. Regular meetings were held on Thursday evenings at 6:15 PM in the dining room of the Blue Lantern Inn. Charter Night was held a month later on June 20 in the Parish House of St. Paul's Parish Episcopal Church with Dr. Titsworth presiding. The Club's activities included contributions to the Library and delivering Christmas baskets to the needy.

On the same day the Club received its charter, Charles Lindbergh left Roosevelt Field on Long Island on the first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean. He landed in Paris, France thirty-three and one half hours later. In October of the same year, Al Jolson spoke the words "Wait a minute, wait a minute-You ain't heard nothin' yet!" in the film The Jazz Singer. A first class stamp was two cents and the Yankees beat Pittsburgh in the World Series.

A lot has happened in the years since and the Club has gone through some ups and downs. In February of 1931, the Club reorganized with twenty members while it worked with other groups to form a countywide relief committee and sponsored a charity ball with the proceeds donated to the Community Chest.

In May of 1937, the Centreville Rotary celebrated its Tenth Anniversary and recognized Norman P. Walters for ten years of perfect attendance. In May, the dirigible Hindenburg tragically exploded in New Jersey and Amelia Earhart and co-pilot Fred Noonan were lost near Howland Island in the Pacific in July. Margaret Mitchell's Gone With The Wind won the Pulitzer Prize and the Golden Gate Bridge was completed. During this time period, the Club was a supporter of Safety Patrol, Children's Aid and was backing community efforts to widen roads and build a new Post Office.

Not surprisingly, the program on December 11, 1941 centered on the subject of Civil Defense. In January 1942, member and Past President W. R. Horney received congratulations on his appointment as Associate Judge of the Circuit Court. In June, the United States Navy exacted revenge for Pearl Harbor at the Battle of Midway. Japan lost four aircraft carriers and had three battleships destroyed in its first major defeat of the war. The price of a first class stamp had risen to three cents and the film Casablanca premiered. The Oakland, California based Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, became the nation's first HMO. The Club was contributing to the PTA, the National Guard and scholarship awards.

On January 27, 1948, the Rotary Club mourned the loss of its founder, Paul Harris at the age of 78. By June, membership in the Centreville Rotary Club had grown to twenty-eight. This was also the year that Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier of Major League Baseball in the uniform of the Brooklyn Dodgers. The Dodgers, however lost the World Series to the Yankees in 7 games. The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in Qumran and the television news program 'Meet the Press' made its debut. Rotary members worked to raise funds for the new firehouse, made contributions to the Cancer Fund, Memorial Hospital and sponsored youngsters to Boys' State and the FFA convention.

By the end of the Club's 25th year in 1952, the roster listed thirty names. June saw the "Wall" separate Germany at Berlin. In November Dwight Eisenhower was elected President of the United States and Jonas Salk developed the polio vaccine. NBC's Today Show began in January 1953 with Dave Garroway as host. A fundraising effort for Conquest Beach, the Boy Scouts, an American Legion Building Fund and the Goodwill Fire Company Ambulance Fund were getting a boost by the Centreville Rotary.

Thirty years of Rotary service were celebrated at the Centreville Hotel on May 23, 1957. By this time, the Club had added Little League Baseball to the list of organizations receiving financial support. The members also contributed $75.00 to purchase a musical instrument for an elementary school student who could not afford one. In October, Sputnik was launched into orbit by the Soviets. Four months later, the United States launched its first satellite. The Milwaukee Braves took the World Series in seven games from the Yankees. Clarence W. Lillihie and Earl Bakk invented the internal pacemaker.

No minutes have been found for the period from April 1959 through April 1964, but by the end of 1964, membership in the Club was twenty-four. John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962 and Johnny Carson became the host of the Tonight Show. In June 1964, Nelson Mandela was jailed in South Africa. A notable program concerned the proposed comprehensive high school, which began serving the whole of Queen Anne's County in September 1966. Thurgood Marshall became the first black Supreme Court Justice and Dr. Christiaan Bernard performed the first successful heart transplant in 1967. United States' manned space flight in the decade of the 60's had become somewhat commonplace and in July of 1969, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin took their infamous "One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind" first footsteps on the moon.

Over the next few years the Club experienced normal ups and downs that all organizations face, but it remained an active force in the community by continuing its support of Little League and Scouting. In May of 1972, the Club, now in its 45th year, held the first Craft Festival at the Queen Anne's County 4-H park. There were twenty-four Rotarians on the roster at the end of 1972. A first class stamp had a price tag of ten cents. CAT scanning was developed in England and RCA was developing the Compact Disc. The Oakland Athletics won the World Series against Cincinnati in seven games.

The semi-annual attendance report filed with Rotary International in January 1984 listed only ten members. Long time member Senator Robert P. Dean died on February 22 and over the next few months, the Club lost two other members through resignation. The seven remaining members were:

Henry Covington

Elmer Henry

Dick Phillips

Bob Sallitt

Gunther Schiwy

Bob Schleiger

Fred Suss

These members were determined to rebuild and preserve the tradition of the Centreville Rotary Club. They began holding breakfast meetings and initiated an active search for new members. By the end of 1984, there were eleven men in the club and by 1987 there were eighteen. On the strength of that growth, the membership felt able to actually sponsor a new Club. On June 17, 1987, the Kent Island Rotary Club held its Charter Night. The cost of a first class stamp had ballooned to twenty two cents. The Supreme Court ruled that Rotary Clubs must admit women and Oliver North, Jr. testified before Congress about the Iran/Contra controversy. The Minnesota Twins defeated the St. Louis Cardinals in 7 games for the World Series title.

The Club's 65th Anniversary Celebration was held on May 20, 1992 and the program for the evening listed twenty-three members. On December 3, 1992, the all male barrier was broken when Mary Lou Rosendale Pierson became the first female Centreville Rotarian. Several more ladies, each of whom has made their own contribution to the continued success of the Centreville Rotary Club, have now joined Mary Lou on the Club's roster. Johnny Carson left the Tonight Show after thirty years and CDs had surpassed cassette tapes as the preferred medium for recorded music.

We celebrated 70 years of service on May 20, 1997. There were thirty-four members listed on the roster as of that date. Five of the seven men responsible for beginning the rebuilding of this Rotary Club were still serving. Elmer Henry has passed away and Fred Suss has moved but their contributions to Rotary are evident and we are grateful. A first class stamp had risen to thirty-two cents in 1997. A team of British scientists genetically engineered a sheep named Polly, the comet Hale-Bopp came the closest it would come to Earth until the year 4397 and the Florida Marlins took seven games to win the World Series against Cleveland.

The members of the Centreville Rotary Club are proud that over the past several years our Club has sponsored Group Study Exchange Team members to Brazil, Egypt, Denmark and more. Harold Reece and Bob Schleiger served as Team Leaders for the teams to Brazil and Egypt respectively. Centreville Rotarians have served as District Governor's Representatives and on other District Committees. From that core group of seven men in mid 1984, the Club earned the honor and distinction of becoming the home Club of the District Governor when our own Harold T. Reece was elected to serve in that capacity for the 1993-94 Rotary year. The membership roster still includes a cross section of the community. Our list includes accountants, farmers, attorneys, Realtors, architects, bankers, government administrators, veterinarians, publishers, editors, builders, semi-retired and retired. They're all here and that's what makes Rotary great; a diverse group of people with different backgrounds, vocations, education and interests united under one common objective:

The Objective of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and in particular to encourage and foster:

First:
The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service.

Second:
High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying by each Rotarian of his occupation as an opportunity to serve society.

Third:
The application of the ideal of service by every Rotarian to his personal, business and community life.

Fourth:
The advancement of international understanding and goodwill and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

As we celebrate over 75 years of continuous service, our roster totals thirty-seven members. William B. 'Bill' Friis was elected to serve as District Governor for the 2002-2003 Rotary year. A first class postage stamp in 2002 was thirty-four cents. The nation has engaged in a war on terrorism following a devastating attack by militant Muslims in New York City and Washington, DC on September 11, 2001. The US economy is emerging from a mild recession that followed the longest period of economic growth in the nations history. Interest rates are now at their lowest level in more than 30 years.

Many things have changed since 1927, in many ways for the better. Some things never change. One of those things is Rotarian service. The Centreville Rotary is doing more than ever. Many thousands of dollars have been awarded in scholarships over the years to Queen Anne's County students. The year 2000 alone saw $7500.00 awarded. We cosponsor the annual Christmas parade. Each year we send local high school students to participate in the Boys' and Girls' States programs. Christmas in April, Hospice, youth sports, the Goodwill Fire Company, and Totland are among the local organizations we support. We provide a campership for a local youngster to attend summer camp at Camp Fairlee Manor each year. The Crafts Festival has been rescheduled to be held in October each year and has been renamed the Fall Artisan's Festival.

Individual Rotarians may come and go, but as a group we continue to gather at our weekly meetings in the tradition of our founder, Paul P. Harris. We are now nearly 1.2 million strong and we serve in more than 30,000 Clubs in more than 150 countries around the world. Look at the list of former Presidents of our Club. It's a Who's Who of leaders and former leaders of this community. W. R. Horney, Kenneth W. Baker, A. Sydney Gadd, Herbert Goldstein, Robert P. Dean and Robert D. Sallitt are but a few of those who have served. Many are gone now, but their legacy lives on. The names change but the service to Centreville and Queen Anne's County continues as the common thread. There is a great deal of history from the local Club to the international level, but the dedication and commitment to service to others is probably best summed up in twenty-four words we know as "The Four Way Test."

1. Is it the truth?
2. Is it fair to all concerned?
3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships?
4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

We can be very proud as we look back on more than 77 years of service. We have accomplished much, but there is much left to do. Rotary has identified four avenues of service:

Club Service
Vocational Service
Community Service
International Service

Each of these areas offer opportunities to improve ourselves, to help others and to foster the development of higher ethical standards and humanitarian programs to promote international understanding. The roots of Rotary are strong. The evidence is in this Club. Seven men made a commitment 18 years ago and look at what has been achieved. Imagine what 1.2 million (and growing) can accomplish. The Rotary Club of Centreville, Maryland is alive and well and looking forward to at least another 75 years of service to this community.

	*Club History*