Rotary Club of Wheaton-Kensington Chartered 1960

A Brief History        By William Strahan, D.D.S., charter member

Service — in the community, in the workplace, and throughout the world.

In May 1960, the first official meeting of our Rotary Club was held at Indian Springs Country Club at Four Corners.  James Hollis was unanimously elected our first president by our 25 members after a number of organizational meetings around the county.  We tried several restaurants before settling on the Anchor Inn in Wheaton. Rotary is primarily a service club with a lesser emphasis on social activities.  Over the years we have contributed to the community's betterment while supporting Rotary International.  Our very first gift was $250 to the American Field Services.  This was just the beginning of many, many thousands of dollars given over the years raised through three circuses, a charity ball for the Boys & Girls Home, Bull & Oyster Roasts for Gallaudet College, art auctions and many other events. Also a great amount of money has been raised through contributions from members and friends of the

Wheaton-Kensington Rotary Club.  All have been very generous. Over the years we have given where we felt it was needed and it would do some good:  Wheaton Rescue Squad, Wheaton Library, Noyes Children's Library, Wheaton Regional Park, YMCA, Boy Scouts, Montgomery County Juvenile Court, Handicap Dental Clinic at Holy Cross Hospital, Olney Sandy Spring Christmas to the Needy, Boys Homes, Montgomery College Scholarships, Shoe Boxes for the Homeless and ALS. Internationally, we have participated in Shoes for Haiti, Eyeglasses for Turkey, and invested heavily in Polio Plus and more than 65 Paul Harris Fellowships. We have held almost 2,200 meetings and groomed membership of more than 300 people over the past four decades.   Try as we might to keep a strong membership, the ravages of age, health, the economy, the grim reaper and displacement have persistently abridged our membership.  Yet we continue to be a vigorous club. We currently support Rotary Scholars, Montgomery College students, Inwood House, the Soapbox Derby, Christmas in April, and bell ringing for the Salvation Army.   Through the years, we have participated in Rotary District 7620 activities and supported the district governors and their projects. For the past 44 years our Rotary club has been a viable force in the Wheaton-Kensington community.  Though we have had little publicity and have not made headlines, we have contributed and have improved the welfare of our community.

Important Rotary Sites Rotary International Rotary District 7620

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In the photo below, two of
our club's founding
members, Jack Green,
left, and Earl Diehl, found
time 40 years later to
frame the Rotary wheel.