Rotary Club of Topeka - History

The Rotary Club of Topeka was organized on July 1, 1914, by 26 Topeka businessmen. It was the second Rotary club organized in Kansas, and first held its meetings in the Throop Hotel. The charter was delivered to the Topeka Club by District Governor Albert E. Hutchins of Kansas City, Mo., and a gala event was held to celebrate the event, attended by the charter members and a large group of sponsoring Rotarians from Kansas City.

George Godfrey Moore, whose business was life insurance, became the first president, and John M. Brunt, a druggist, its first secretary. The club took in 45 additional members during its first year. Meeting places were shifted around during the early years. After the Throop, the club met in lodge halls, at the Mills Tea Room, the Chamber of Commerce and the Hotel Kansan, before settling at the Hotel Jayhawk. In 1976 the club moved to the Ramada Inn Downtown, where it currently meets. It meets at noon on Thursdays.

In 1950, the club made plans for the organization of a second Rotary Club in Topeka. Surveys of new neighborhood business areas showed that there were many businessmen of Rotary caliber whose talents should be utilized. Accordingly, the Rotary Club of West Topeka was formed. District Governor Will Gibbon presented the charter to the new club on February 15, 1951, in the presence of many "downtowners," together with representatives from 30 other clubs in the district. In 1985 it was again determined that Topeka had the necessary outstanding citizens to support another Rotary club, and Topeka South Rotary was presented its charter on February 28, 1986 by District Governor Gene Amos.

The Rotary Club of Topeka is proud of its participation in the Rotary International Foundation. Active since 1947, the Foundation has, among other things: provided scholarships for advanced students to study abroad for a year; sent groups of non-Rotarians (Group Study Exchange teams) to foreign countries to learn about their business practices, government and culture; and has taken on the challenge of ridding the world of polio. Since its creation, the Foundation has grown and our club's participation has been significant as evidenced by the large number of Paul Harris Fellows associated with our club.

The Topeka Rotary Foundation was incorporated in 1976, with the approval of the club. It was established to accept gifts, bequests and other contributions for educational or charitable purposes, and to encourage and promote the well being of humanity. The Foundation generally donates its earnings to special community projects, not to on-going fund raising programs. Examples of past giving include large print books for the Topeka Public Library, several projects for the Boy Scouts, trees for the Topeka Zoo, a winter sports camp at the Capper Foundation, helping the Florence Crittenton Home and supporting CASA of Shawnee County. The fund has grown from a very modest beginning to having assets of nearly $300,000.

In 1984 our club began collecting pocket change "in the cups" at every meeting, initially for a program called Polio Plus. In 1987, under the leadership of Rotary International and our club president John Knoll, the most ambitious fund raising project in International's and our club's history was undertaken. The purpose of Polio Plus was to eradicate polio from the face of the Earth. Our club raised over $60,000 in support of that cause. And, in 2002, the club pledged to contribute an additional $22,000 to help bring about the final eradication of polio by 2005. Other club-sponsored international projects include developing a "Super Tortilla" for better nutrition in Latin American countries, providing books for children in Ghana, helping to fund construction of low-cost housing in Brazil and providing medical supplies and technical assistance in Panama.

Over the years, the club has participated in many community service projects. During World War I, it sponsored recreation facilities for our soldiers in military training camps, and from this grew the War Camp Recreation Committee covering the three states of the then Rotary district, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma. More recent projects include: purchase of Max the gorilla for the "World Famous Topeka Zoo;" establishment of a Rotary International Room on the campus of Washburn University; founding the Sea Scout Explorer Post at Lake Shawnee; supporting the YMCA and YWCA; working with Habitat for Humanity; supporting East Avondale Elementary; starting an Interact Club at Topeka High; and actively supporting the "KanSmile" dental health program.

In 1987 our club admitted its first women members, allowing the club to seek out many new and talented persons in our community.

The Rotary Club of Topeka has had nine district governors. Bob Stone served in 1916-17, Charles Mitchell in 1926-27, Cecil Howes in 1937-38, Tom Williamson in 1953-54, Giles Theilmann in l960-61, Leon Peterson in 1968-69, Robert Groff in 1979-80, Roy Browning in 1993-94 and Stan Teeter in 1999-2000.