Joplin Rotary - Joplin Rotary

The Rotary Club of Joplin was organized February 12, 1916 and chartered August 1, 1916. One of the charter members characterized the founding of the Rotary Club as "The awakening of civic spirit in Joplin".

The first major project was a fund raiser for a new Y.M.C.A. building. In the spring of 1917 a seven day campaign organized and led by members of the Rotary Club surpassed the goal of $250,000. This was the beginning of Rotary in Joplin when there was no Chamber of Commerce and civic clubs were not a common thing. $100,000 was raised and used to build a concrete highway (West seventh street road) into the Kansas and Oklahoma ore fields. The Joplin Commercial Club was converted to the Joplin Chamber of Commerce with the aid of the Rotary Club and by the fall of 1919 every Rotarian was a member.

Activities during the first five years of the club included many war projects and the planting of one tree in Schifferdecker park for each veteran who had given his life during World War I. Members were active in the financing of Schifferdecker Municipal Golf Course, backing municipal bonds for the building of Memorial Hall and then helping start the Community Chest in 1924.

The Toastmaster for the 35th anniversary program on February 15, 1951 was our current member Karl W. Blanchard and the following is an excerpt from the program written by the President Fred G. Hughes. "The occasion of the 35th Anniversary of the club finds its membership increased from thirty-seven charter members to a present total of 150 leading Joplin business and professional men. The spirit of service prevailing on the founding day, February 12, 1916 has endured in the hearts and minds of all succeeding Rotarians and it is to the original 37 members that the club pays its respect and homage today.

The Women of Rotary were organized three years after regular meetings of their husbands began. The story as, related by Rebecca Hughes in the 50th anniversary program, is that Mrs. William H. Landreth (wife of the Rotary president) led a surprise march in the midst of the men's meeting at Union Station. The twenty women apparently formed a belligerent group. The women soon proved to the men they were not just another sew-and-chat group by assisting needy high school girls in providing clothing and extra school supplies. At one time the "Girls' Work" chairman took care of more than fifty girls. Later efforts of the Rotary Anns moved toward scholarships for girls who wished to attend Missouri Southern College and sending girls to Girls' State.

The golden anniversary program history was written by Rotary Ann-Dorothea Hoover.
The toastmaster was again Karl W. Blanchard and Henry W. Robertson, Jr. was president.
Members were addressed by Bruce Williams of Joplin, Past District Governor and a director and 1st vice-president of Rotary Inernational.

Operation Greenleaves was conceived and led by Rotarian Anthony Kassab in 1970. Kassab developed the idea after observing the tremendous blight and loss of trees to Dutch Elm disease. One thousand Pin Oak, Sugar Maple and Sweet Gum trees were sold and planted that year. Over 200 trees were donated to Missouri Southern State College and the Joplin Parks System.

The planting of trees continued when over 380 were planted in 1990-91 as part of a world wide Rotary effort dubbed "Preserve Planet Earth". Over 10,000 trees were planted in our local district, which encompasses parts of all four states. Joplin Rotarians today annually plant a tree in memory of recently deceased members at Missouri Southern State College.

In 1971 emphasis was begun on the Rotary 4 Way Test. Is it the TRUTH? Is it FAIR to all concerned? Will it build GOOD WILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS? and will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned? As an outward expression of the test by the club as a whole, a contribution was made to Rampet, India to start and maintain a library.

The seventy-fifth anniversary celebration in May of 1991 was held in conjunction with the Rotary District Conference. The current District Governor Ira Perkins was a member of the Joplin Club. Ira praised Charles Keeter, the president and Rotarian Bill Scruggs for their work in establishing a new Rotary Club-The Joplin-Daybreak Club. Other clubs which were assisted in organizing during earlier years were Springfield, Lamar, Webb City-Carl Junction, Butler, Neosho, Rolla, Lebanon in Missouri, Pittsburg, Kansas and Eureka Springs Arkansas.

The 1991 District Conference marked the eleventh such event held in Joplin. Other Past District Governors were B. L. "Parky" Parker (1974) and Max Glover (1978) of the Webb City-Carl Junction Club.

The following is the conclusion to a brief history written by Rotarians Philip Jones and Benton Whitaker for the 1991 celebration. The Joplin Rotary Club's record is enviable and its achievements large enough to ensure that, it will continue to carry on the ideal of Rotary, we fervently hope, into the next millenium.