LAURINBURG — The groundwork for establishing a Rotary Club in Scotland County began on February 1905 in Chicago, when the world’s first Rotary Club was organized by attorney Paul Harris.
The intention of Harris and a group of businessmen was to gather in a spirit of friendship and understanding. Initially, the club membership was made up of one individual from each different profession of public service — and meetings were held on a rotation basis at the office of each member, thereby giving the club its current name of Rotary.
By May 1925, there were 6,162 Rotary Clubs, and on May 29 that year, Laurinburg established No, 6,163 with 18 charter members. The first slate of officers included President Fairley P. James, MD; Vice-President E. Hervey Evans; Secretary Edward Beman; and Sergeant-At-Arms Alex M. Fairley — with the first official meeting being held July 3, 1925.
Beman was the last charter member to attend local Rotary Club meetings before his passing in the 1980s.
In 2002, the local Rotary Club accepted its very first female member after 77 years of remaining a club for men only. The club currently has a membership exceeding 75 individuals.
Over the years, the Laurinburg Rotary Club has established itself as a leading civic club within Scotland County. Closely associated with the Masons, the membership has made great strides in supporting regional efforts — including, among others, support for: the State Orthopedic Hospital in Gastonia, the Boy Scouts of America in the 1930s, the American Red Cross, Scotland Memorial Hospital, scholarships to local high-school students, efforts to bring St. Andrews University to Laurinburg and many efforts to bring businesses to Scotland County.
Perhaps its biggest highlight is the current, 28-year run of the Laurinburg Sister City Program with Oban, Scotland. That effort features a student exchange that annually sends 12 students from Scotland High to Oban, and brings 12 students from Oban to Laurinburg.
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Why they joined
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— Chip Shytle: “To participate in a club that puts ‘Service Above Self’ and as a means to develop friendships as an opportunity for service.”
— Beacham McDougald: “My father was an active member … he was crippled by polio at the age of 18 months, and Rotary had then, and continues to have the goal of eradicating polio in our world.”
— John Olmstead: “I was asked two-plus years ago to give a presentation on a Christian Prison Ministry my wife and I were involved with and have been a member for the last 18 months.”
— Mike Vinson: “I considered it an honor to be invited to join the Laurinburg Rotary Club 25-plus years ago. At the time, I had only lived in Laurinburg for a few years, but I was already familiar with the club’s reputation within the community — not only for its charitable work, but also for its leadership role and its positive impact on our community.”
— Charles G. Buie Jr.: “I was pleased to be asked to be a Rotarian (55 years ago). Rotary had many successful and outstanding men who lived and worked in our community.”
— Becca Hughes: “Two incredible community leaders, Hewitt Fulton and Jimmy Morgan, nominated me. How could I say no?”
— Larry Schulz: “Rotary is noted for international service projects and international education. Being a college teacher in international relations, I thought this was a good fit professionally and personally. I like the diversity among professions that is reflected in membership, which is a distinctive feature of Rotary International.”
— Nancy Adcock: “After I was asked to join, I considered all the projects Rotary supports. I believe in giving back to the community to help make it a better place to live, work and play.”
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Rotary’s importance
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The mark of the Laurinburg Rotary Club continues to be highlighted by its ongoing service projects.
“Like any volunteer community organization, Rotary’s contributions to our community are determined by our membership,” said McDougald. “The Laurinburg Rotary Club was the first to offer scholarships to the Laurinburg/Oban Exchange to insure that any selected applicant could participate; we donated a deep well and pump to the Growing Change Campus in Wagram; we are a corporate sponsor of the 2019 Relay for Life; and we installed a water filtering cistern and pump to deliver clean water to a community in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.”
Though just a thumbnail list of club projects, those items are a source of pride for members. But there are other reasons members feel the club is an important cog in the community.
“(The club) provides leaders who serve their fellow human beings and facilitates communication among leaders in various professional fields,” Schulz said. “It serves those individuals and organizations that have needs by providing both physical and financial support.”
“The motto ‘Service Above Self’ says it all,” Adcock said.
“I believe that the Laurinburg Rotary Club provides a valuable service to Laurinburg and Scotland County,” Vinson explained, “by bringing a variety of thoughts and perspectives into a single gathering of people who are open to discussion and willing to work together to benefit this shared community that we all love.”
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In conclusion
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Each week, on Tuesdays starting at 12:30 p.m. at the Masonic Lodge on Atkinson Street, the Laurinburg Rotary Club holds a lunch meeting that is highlighted by a program given by someone from anywhere in the region who is a professional from a wide variety of businesses, education, political office or has served in the U.S. military.
Those meetings are opened by the club president with a salute to the American flag, a prayer and toast to Laurinburg’s Sister City in Oban, Scotland, with “sláinte” (slan-gee-vah) — which, is a Scottish toast meaning “to your health.”
The meetings are closed with Rotary’s “Four-Way Test Of the Things We Say or Do,” which includes: “Is it the truth; is it fair to all concerned; will it build good will and better friendships; will it be beneficial to all concerned?”
Anyone interested in becoming a member of the Laurinburg Rotary Club or presenting a program during a weekly meeting, contact any current local member.
W. Curt Vincent can be reached at 910-506-3023 or cvincent@laurinburgexch.wpenginepowered.com.
