History of Howell Rotary Club by Duane Zemper

The Howell Rotary Club Paul Harris and four friends started a club in Chicago in 1905 as a service group These men who worked in the same building, on the same floor took turns holding their meetings in each other's offices -thus the name "Rotary Club." The idea caught fire and by 1911 there were clubs being formed in Canada and Europe and Rotary was on its way to becoming the worldwide service organization it is today, with over a million members in 150 countries Early in 1924 John S Page, Howell Superintendent of Schools, was approached by members of the Ann Arbor Rotarians about forming a club in Howell He became excited about the idea and talked with several Howell business members and they agreed Howell Rotary Club No 1746 was chartered on May 5, 1924 with 17 members who took on the work of establishing the new club The first officers were William H Cansfield, President; William E Robb, Vice President; John S Page, Secretary; Herbert R Gillette, Treasurer The club included members: Glenn H Beurmann; Sherman J Field; Dr James G Erwin; Dr Ernest J Browne; Don Goodnow; Wilber B Johnson; R Bruce McPherson; William McPherson, III; Albert L Smith; William McPherson Smith; Charles H Sutton; and Don W Van Winkle Each year the membership increased and by 1949 eighty men were enjoying the fellowship, friendship, privileges, and benefits of Rotary It was decided that their first and principal project would be crippled children's clinic Each year in the spring, children were brought to the school (and later to the Methodist church parlors) where they were examined by doctors and optometrists to see what help they might receive By 1927 the Rotary thought they should take on the project of a city park by Thompson Lake Talks with the landowner were held and the city purchased the land for Thompson Lake Park that same year Roads were laid out and a The Howell Rotary Club bathing beach was started Talk of a bathhouse in 1929 became a reality in 1930 with the urging of President Dr Sam Ross The bathhouse was good for many years, but by the 1960's had fallen into bad shape Many wanted to build a new one, but the cost by then was many thousand of dollars and we couldn't find a way (the Chamber of Commerce took on this project in the 1970's and did a fine job) Rotary members were influential in getting things done with the alleys, sewers, and streets of Howell The depression held things up for a while, but they did complete quite a bit At Christmas time in 1930, John Page asked the new music teacher, Keene O Stollsteimer, to bring the Madrigal Club he had formed at the school to sing Christmas carols to the club Many wives were invited, too The second floor of the 1st National Bank, where we held our meetings, was filled and a wonderful time was had by all So, every year since, for the past 74 years the group has been invited back The first inter-city meeting was held in Owosso with seven clubs attending in 1934 Most all of our club members attended, as did members of clubs from Owosso, Flint, Centerline and others attending In 1936, a group from Brighton was invited to attend a meeting and on the 22nd of June 1936, the Brighton Rotary Club was started About this time the weekly newsletter The Question Mark was started Handled by several editors, it settled down to Bert Woodhams doing the job each week for many years In 1939, a new newsletter appeared called The Mushroom It was edited by Cal Gatesman and sometimes offered a different point of view So we had two papers a week for a while until the Mushroom died out Later The Question Mark became The Howeller Les Merrit and The Howell Rotary Club others handled The Howeller at times, but Bert was the mainstay until his death Recently his son, Fred Woodhams has done a fine job with humor to make it fun Now Jim Gilligan has put us on the Internet The first meeting in January for years was Bert Woodhams' message on "The State of the Union", which everyone looked forward to They were masterpieces and were usually printed in the paper One of the prime factors of Rotary was that no two men with the same job could be members With all people from different vocations, you can have a cross section of your community However, this leaves many good men who cannot join because there is already someone with his classification The story went around about two priests whom the Club wanted They finally listed them as "priest-retail" and "priest-wholesale" The Howell Club helped solve the problem in 1936 when Lions Clubs were beginning Our club helped get a Lions Club started in Howell In January or February of each year we had a ladies night when all the wives would come to a special meeting Rotarian's wives were called "Rotary-Anns" in those days Speakers or magicians were brought in for the meeting The poet Edgar A Guest was a favorite, as was his son Bud Guest many years later Inter-city meetings were held each year as well as Rural-Urban meetings, with each Rotarian bringing a guest farmer Father - Son and Daughter day was held each year and the program usually featured a magician At the end of the football season the whole team and their coaches were brought in for a meal and special recognition The Howell Rotary Club A national project called "Easter Seals was launched in 1939 to help the crippled children The club still held clinics for the crippled children well into the 1950's In 1939 the first Junior Rotarians were chosen from among the high school seniors and invited to meet and eat with us Each month two different students attended the Rotary meetings for one month The last meeting in May these Junior Rotarians shared what they had learned by taking over the meeting and put on their own program for us I don't remember when it stopped, but it was a good program Some of them later became Rotarians In cooperation with Washtenaw-Livingston Council of Boy Scouts America the Howell Rotary Club gave of their time and money to help improve Camp Newkirk near Dexter by erecting and equipping a new cabin They also provided camp fees enabling many young scouts to attend summer camp Howell had a Rotary Troop for many years Bill McPherson IV was the Rotary representative and after many years received the Silver Beaver Award Other Rotarians acted as merit badge counselors and spent weekends at summer camps with the boys Longtime scoutmaster, Jim Young, a former Junior Rotarian, was later elected mayor of Howell and served in that position for 12 years In 1939 the war was started in Europe and Michigan Governor, Frank D Dickinson gave a talk at the Howell Rotary about the affairs of the State The newsmen referred to him as the governor with a "pipeline to God" in the corner of his office In 1940 with the war in full swing in Europe and the London bombings at their height, many English children were shipped over to Canada until the war was over In the spirit of international service our club bought many gifts and drove them over to Rotary Clubs in Ontario to distribute to the British kids Later that year members drove to Ann Arbor and picked up 25 refugee The Howell Rotary Club students at the University of Michigan and brought them to our club meeting to talk with us The national speed limit was 35 mph during the war On September 23rd, the Club took a bus to Detroit for a Tigers game The Tigers won! In 1941, Ned Millis, longtime manager of Detroit Edison in Howell who had served as a Colonel in the Army during WWI and in the reserves afterward, was called back to active duty for a year He sent a card to the Club saying he figured he'd be out by December 1st December 7th was Pearl Harbor! Bankers, doctors, and other professionals all closed on Wednesday afternoons so they started a Rotary Golf team at Chemung Hills, the only golf club in this county In 1944 Boys State was started on the campus of Michigan State College at East Lansing The club paid expenses for one or two boys each year to have the chance to learn first hand about the problems and techniques of administration of city and state government May 8, 1945 was "V.E Day." The war had ended in Europe! "V.J Day" was August 14, 1945 when the war ended in Japan In 1946 Joe Brady, a member of our Club since 1930, was elected District Governor of our district in Ontario and Southeast Michigan The district conclave was held in Howell That same year a group of Fowlerville businessmen were invited to meet with our club to find out what Rotary was all about The Fowlerville Club was started soon after that and we had three clubs in the county The Howell Rotary Club On V.J Day in 1946 there was a parade and the Rotary Club made a big float As the years went by, the club realized that several Rotarians had died and it was felt that something should be done in their honor We usually went to the funeral and entered as a body sitting near the front It was felt that it would be much better if something permanent could be done We had put up the backstop and fixed the baselines where the softball field is on top of the hill in the park, but out past the outfield it was just grass They decided that a tree would be planted on top of the hill for each deceased Rotarian After three plantings, years apart, the early trees were getting quite large and there just wasn't room for more In 1970 Bruce Campbell took on the job of finding who still hadn't had a tree planted for him It was quite a job and with the park full, we planted the last eight trees by the water at the boat landing It was far too wet, so they all died and it will have to be done again someday In 1946, Paul Bennett, a Rotarian and high school athletic director found some large field lights in the Upper Peninsula that he thought would light up the football field Paul, along with some Rotarians and others, hired a large stake truck and drove to the U.P to get them, which cost $500 Detroit Edison put in poles and hooked up the lights and we had the first lighted high school football field in the central Michigan area (probably in the whole state) The football field ran east and west near railroad tracks then In 1949 the Rotary Club in Howell was 25 years old The celebration was held at the Waldenwoods Convention Center Seven of the original 17 charter members were still alive and there was a big party In 1951 a circus wanted to stop in Howell for a two-day show and contacted the Chamber of Commerce about promotion "Zemp" Zemper had been elected secretary of the Chamber and he negotiated with them to let us The Howell Rotary Club bring crippled children to the circus free An agreement was reached and Rotarians drove around the county in their cars and took all the children to the circus They all sat together in one section with all the popcorn and Pepsi they cold handle Afterwards we took them around to see the lions and tigers and elephants before going home It was a wonderful day In 1952, Superintendent John Page felt there was plenty of room on the athletic field to put the football field north and south, away from the railroad tracks It was a fine field with new lights The Lions Club felt a good project would be a large lighted scoreboard They had a good idea, but no money So they came to the Rotary Club, but the Rotarians had no money either However, we said we would it some way We advertised a Rotary auction and people called with things they no longer needed or wanted Bob White and Mike Hagman had pick-up trucks to collect the things in and they stored them in garages at Cliff Heller's and D Zemper's Amazing the people who came and the stuff they bought and we had a beautiful lighted scoreboard The sign on it read "Sponsored by the Lion's Club" and didn't mention Rotary Club It wasn't long before we realized that we needed a loudspeaker system on the field So back to the auction again We put a microphone system in the press box with speakers on the roof and it worked out fine The city was given the old Montegue house and property where the Citizen's Insurance Company building is on W Grand River The City put in an ice skating rink and the Rotary put in slides, teeter totters and merry-go-round for a playground The Rotary also put in playground and B-BQ grills at Thompson Lake Park at that time In the fall of 1955 the football team under Coach Harold Fulk was undefeated for the first time ever Football started here in Howell in 1896 So, the The Howell Rotary Club Rotary Club got a large trophy -a gold plated football on a large base -and had it engraved with all the players names and the names of all of their opponents and the scores At the end of the season they had one touchdown against them in nine games The trophy was presented to them at the Rotary team dinner that year Bob Parker felt that with the refurbished softball field and picnic grills etc on the hill we should have a fountain on the hill for ball players and picnickers A committee went to the city and proposed it The city engineer figured it out -no city water in the parks! We would have to bring in a pipe from the city line underground to the hill, then up the hill and put a fountain on top Cost -$14,000 -a lot of money in those days The answer was "NO"! We didn't have much industry in town in those days Bob Parker went back to his plant and called every company in the area The next Monday he came to Rotary -held up a slip of paper over the secretary's desk and let it flutter down It was a check for $14,000 (I think most of the money was Bob's.) From the beginning, our meals were always prepared by Mrs French and her niece, Mrs Fern Miller All the years in the bank building she served familystyle chicken, roast beef, ham or occasional fish Big platters of meat and mashed potatoes, bowls of vegetables, and a large slice of pie at every setting The cost to us was always 25 cents and no one ever complained about the meals or the price With the Great Depression and World War II over, the county was booming and the price of meals went up to 50 cents and then a dollar Mrs French died and Fern Miller continued She hired high school girls to serve until we left the old bank building The Howell Rotary Club Rotary was instrumental in getting a youth center built Today it is know as the Paul Bennett Recreation Center When the construction was completed in 1966, the Rotary started having their meetings there This was much better for several of the older members who had trouble with the stairs in the old building There was no elevator then Until about the 1970's when the meal was finished and the pie was eaten, it was light-up time Between each two plates was a glass ashtray and most everyone smoked Cigars, cigarettes and a few pipes would be lighted up and the air would take on a blue cast During the 1930's, 40's and 50's we celebrated the first meeting of each New Year with a Christmas Tie Day Each person brought a tie he'd received at Christmas that he couldn’t stand, all wrapped as a gift The ties were put on a table and each member would take one home, hoping he got a better tie than the one he had brought In 1974 we had our "Golden" or 50th anniversary was celebrated at the recreation center I believe that Charles Sutton was the only original charter members left at that time About 1979 we started thinking about a picnic shelter at Thompson Lake Park We felt that we could it if we didn't have to pay for the labor The only way that could happen would be to build it ourselves, which we did Not many of us had worked with cement or bricks or roofing, but with the help of some men around town who were willing to show us how -we got it done We had a big picnic in the shelter in the park with our "Rotary-Anns" It rained some, but we didn't get wet It was a success! We've had a picnic meeting there each year since The Howell Rotary Club It soon became evident that a latrine facility was needed at the park No sewer lines went in and the city was not about to anything -so here we go again Bursting with the pride of our shelter accomplishment we offered to put up the building if they would furnish the cement blocks They did and we put up the building, put in the toilets and sinks and it was complete except for the sewage field The call went out for help to lay the tile for the drain field on a Saturday afternoon Jack Maul and I were the only ones who showed Evidently working in a sewer field didn't sound appetizing Luckily, Jack knew what he was doing and on a hot sunny afternoon we laid the slotted tile in place and covered it with a gravel and sand base Rotary meetings were moved from the recreation center to a small auditorium in McPherson Hospital for about a year then downstairs in the Community Room where we have been now for a few years Our meals are catered out of Brighton each week and the price is not 25 cents, but $7.50! When the Melon Festival got going well it was felt we should something We found a closed trailer with a big side window, which we were given the use of each year at Melon time Arby's roast beef roasted and sliced large beefs for us and we sold hot roast beef sandwiches for $1.50 each This went on for several years, making several hundred dollars each year for the treasury I can still remember Circuit Judge Bert Hensick wearing a chef's cap and apron yelling out to people to "come and get em" and they did, and they were very good When the Chamber of Commerce started the Balloonfest each year, Rotary decided to have a Sunday Pancake Breakfast with members doing all the work We've had a great time for many years now school cafeteria and is one of our better projects 10 It's held in the high The Howell Rotary Club Each year the club has golf outings with the other clubs in the county in a friendly rivalry Our club beat Brighton only once when they forgot to show up and we won by forfeit We suspect they have a couple of pros on their team We bowl each year for benefit of "Big Brothers" and "Big Sisters" It's quite a fund-raiser and fun In the 1980's it was determined that ladies should be allowed to join There were so many service clubs having been formed in the last 30 years that it was getting difficult to keep the membership up This wasn't a happy thing for all our members -when we took in lady Rotarians, of our members dropped out We didn't realize it at the time, but when you say to a girl "we've got a job to do" -they go and it When you ask a man, he has to figure, and wonder about the time, etc We haven't missed the four who left The last two years Jerry McKeon Anderson has worked out an antique appraisal that has been a real moneymaker for the treasury and our scholarships When Kathy Zaenger was our president she contacted people about a gazebo in the new West Street Park It cost $18,000, but it is a beautiful addition and we have a picnic there every July and it is paid for For many years we hosted the Mayor Exchange Luncheon at our meeting and have for many years honored the top ten graduates Now with over 500 seniors in the graduating class the students with a grade point between 3.5 and 4.0 totaled 19 this year 11 The Howell Rotary Club We have added another Rotary Club to the county It’s a breakfast club meeting on Friday mornings in Genoa Township and is called "The Sunrise Club." They're getting a very good start Now we have four clubs in the county! In 1999 we had our 75th anniversary All the charter members were gone of course, but we had many dignitaries and others there to congratulate the club It was also an honor for me as I finished 50 years of perfect attendance Attendance was always a prime factor in Rotary until the last few years If you miss a meeting you can make it up in another club days before or after the meeting you missed In almost 58 years I have made up meetings all over the country; Montana, Oregon, California, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, England, and Paris, Europe and the old "number one" in Chicago It's a wonderful thing, you see how other clubs work and bring home ideas and meet wonderful people Perfect attendance was always the goal "You can't be any help if you're not there." If you missed a meeting your name was in the bulletin and whether you made it up or not If you missed three meetings without any excuse you were dropped from the rolls If you were a Rotarian, you were a proud Rotarian There was always someone else in the community eager to take you place When school elections were coming up for school board members, John Page, Superintendent would always see that at least one Rotarian was on the ballot The elections were on Monday, so John would mention at the meeting that we should be sure to vote Often we would leave the meeting together and walk the two blocks to where the election was held in the high school gym We always had Rotarians on the school board I remember one election when 53 Rotarians voted and only 69 votes were cast 12 The Howell Rotary Club Rotary members have served as chairmen or members of the on many community projects, including the hospital in 1959, the recreation center, the library expansion and the swimming pool in the new high school We had the first exchange student in the county, Herbert Vey from Germany in 1951, who stayed with the Zemper family for the whole year There has been other exchange students since staying for or months We have always contributed to the Salvation Army, Big Brothers and Sisters, United Way, Chamber of Commerce and others Scholarships for high school seniors were started in the will of Herbert Gillette and later John page and Bill Ladner after they died and Rotary added another one annually With the work of Peter Bowen, an Interact Club has been started in the high school and they have been doing a great job They've contributed several thousand dollars and hundreds of hours of community work The last meeting in June is the annual meeting, the changing of the guard The new president and officers were installed Members were recognized for their attendance You got little numbers that were inserted in your Rotary pin There would always be a list of names called for one year of perfect attendance They would make a line and receive their pins Then the two year pins and three and five -maybe a ten or a fifteen Wilber Johnson got his fifteen-year pin, got sick and missed and worked up to twelve again Herb Gillette had the record at thirty-two years before he died No one thought that record would ever be broken Now as I am approaching fifty-eight years of perfect attendance I think back on all the things we've done and over a million Rotarians in 150 countries in the world are doing now for humanity The elimination of Polio by 2007 may 13 The Howell Rotary Club be possible I look around our meetings and think of all the people who have never been acquainted with Polio in our country -never experienced the fear of it, since it's been eliminated here When we think of all the things that Rotary is doing in the world for all the little communities and for the little people of the world, we can be thankful for Paul Harris and his idea 100 years ago D L Zemper (Zemp) 14 ... in Howell in 1896 So, the The Howell Rotary Club Rotary Club got a large trophy -a gold plated football on a large base -and had it engraved with all the players names and the names of all of. .. invited to meet with our club to find out what Rotary was all about The Fowlerville Club was started soon after that and we had three clubs in the county The Howell Rotary Club On V.J Day in 1946... "priest-wholesale" The Howell Club helped solve the problem in 1936 when Lions Clubs were beginning Our club helped get a Lions Club started in Howell In January or February of each year we had