About San Clemente Rotary
The San Clemente Rotary Club, chartered on March 26, 1946, celebrated its 75th Club History in 2021. In its first 25 years (1946-1971), the San Clemente Rotary Club has successfully worked for club recognition in the District and beyond, demonstrated support for the needy in Rotary’s avenues for service, and provided fun for its membership. It has demonstrated that with its 71 members it is ready for new challenges.
Club History
The Rotary Club of San Clemente became a member of Rotary International on March 25, 1946 with Charter Number 6232
The efforts for a new Club started a year earlier, when the District Governor appointed C.C. McCary, Secretary of the San Juan Capistrano Club (chartered in 1936), to sign up 15 eligible individuals to apply for a charter for San Clemente. Geoff Hamilton, Bill Tepper, and Merton W. Hackett assisted in this effort. On February 28, 1946, the District Governor met with 15 prospective Rotarians and 7 members of the San Capistrano Club at the old Rendezvous Café to complete arrangements for applying for the charter with the San Juan Capistrano Club as sponsor. On March 1st the application for the new Club was mailed to Rotary International with the signatures of 16 charter-members-to-be and at the first Club meeting William Tepper was selected as President.
The 16 original charter-members
- Forrest Beal (Real Estate),
- Steve Chorak (Theater Operation),
- Roy Divel (Funeral Director),
- Robert Gardiner (Radios Retailing),
- Merton Hackett (Newspaper Publishing),
- G.J. Hamilton (Banking),
- Donald Harrison (Drugs Retailing),
- Chester Neiswender (insurance Fire),
- Lewis Preston (Renting),
- Leo Smith (Construction),
- Raymond Smith (Chamber of Commerce),
- Larry Snow (Rubber Manufacturing),
- LeRoy Strang (Building Construction),
- William Stute (Municipal Government Judge),
- William Tepper (Accounting Services), and
- Leo Varner (Education-Public Schools)
After an enthusiastic Charter Night Banquet at the Golf Course Club House on May 20, 1946 with members of the new Club and the sponsoring Club, and their Rotary Anns present, the challenges to run a club soon became obvious with the membership dropping to 13, which was below the required membership of 15. Several members stepped up to save the Club and build it from 13 to 28 members in the first full year of service (1946/47). In addition to providing stability to running the Club, the introduction of music (with song leader and pianist) helped to attract new members.
Several service projects were started in the first (full) Rotary year 1946-47, including an inspiring project for members and their Rotary Anns of sending CARE packages to war-torn Germany. They did not realize that 24 years later (1970) Mrs. Greta Selle from Hamburg, Germany, would visit the San Clemente Club to tell these packages “actually saved the lives of her family”. This visit merited a full-page story in THE ROTARIAN.
Towards the end of the 40’s the Club became firmly established with 30 members. During the 50’s the Club continued its growth, reaching a new high of 57 members during the term of President Bob Hayden (1957/58). The success of the Club was indicated by high meeting attendance. Bob Hayden reported an average attendance of 95%. Makeup meetings were frequently held with the Capistrano Club, which resulted in joint projects between both Clubs, such as an annual Athletic Field Day at the High School and a dinner for the school’s football team.
In its second 25 years (1971-1996) the San Clemente Rotary Club continued its outstanding commitments for community and international services, while maintaining vibrant fellowship activities. It was a period of great accomplishments in community and international services, made possible by successful fundraising projects and membership participation…and having fun. The Club maintained its membership at 71 and showed its resilience when the membership temporally declined to 59, by giving members the tools to make the world a better place and providing fellowship opportunities.
In its third 25 years (1996 – 2021) the Club made its first meeting format change in Club history (to address declining membership and meeting attendance challenges) and enhanced its diversity, highlighted by inducting the first woman Club president in 1998. The Club continued its strong activities in Avenues of Service, including community service, support of Camp Pendleton, youth service program, and international service, highlighted by a Guatemala health-service program sustained over 19 years. The support of TRF remained strong with the Club becoming a Paul Harris Fellow Club in 2011. The service projects were supported by strong fundraising efforts and an endowment given to the newly established Club Foundation.
Regular meetings in various places in the City were replaced in 2020/21 by Zoom meetings during the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions. Members served the District in various capacities and received various awards for their service, including “Four Avenues of Service” award for Club services and “Rotary Service Above Self” award for the Guatemala program. The Club continued vibrant fellowship activities, including the visit by RI president Lee and several exchange visits from various countries, and provided opportunities for service to help the needy. The Club interacted closely with the City, with 2 members serving on the City council and as Mayor. The Covid-19 pandemic lockdown was a challenge to our Club, but we remained strong with the Zoom meetings and maintaining fellowship with community service and fundraising.
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