UTICA ROTARY HISTORY AT A GLANCE
Compiled by Past President Jack Altdoerffer, who welcomes additions and updates.
When I joined the club in 1985, there were still members from the early days of Utica Rotary, not many, but they knew the club history. Gib Jones, for example, joined Rotary in 1948 and would share memories from when his dad was a member. Now, with such firsthand knowledge gone, I thought an online record should be available for viewing.
Over its 100-plus years, our club has a rich and generous history.
Some interesting highlights
Rotary Club of Utica in 1949 at Hotel Utica.
Our club raised $330,000 in Liberty Bonds in 1917, and we were mentioned in an article about that in the November 2018 Rotarian Magazine (page 38). In the 1980s our club raised $90,000 for the Polio Plus Eradication projects. In 2004 we raised $40,000 to help with landmine removal in war zones.
Within our Utica, NY geographic area, our club has contributed more than $10,000 to Hope House over the years, and we have, either as the sole club or in cooperation with other area clubs, worked on (hammer and nails and funds) the Utica Zoo Pavilion project, the Columbus Elementary School Courtyard project, the rebuilding of the playground at the Utica Salvation Army, The ARC Christmas Party, the Lock 20 picnic for intercity kids, and the building of a house for Habitat for Humanity. We have honored students and their teachers with the Columbus School Explorers, the Rising Star Awards, Educator of the Year Awards, the Pride of Workmanship event, the Rotaract Project, and the College Internship project. We helped serve breakfast to Adrean Terrace children and we have served meals at Hope House.
I am sure there are more worthy projects that should be included in this history.
Members can search it for dates, people, events and projects; and are welcome to add to it.
Through the Years
| 1915 (March 12) | Utica Rotary is born, with R. Seymour Hart as president |
| 1915-1916 | Builds building at Camp HealthMore at Lake Moraine. |
| Utica Hospital projects, raising $12,500 | |
| 1916-1917 | Liberty Bonds: $330,000 (first World War fundraising) |
| 1920-1921 | Father and Son's Banquet for Newsboys |
| 1924-1925 | Past President Clarence B. Williams serves as district governor |
| 1930-1931 | Club members help buy Butler Lake, setting up residential camp with six 24x40-foot buildings and tennis court. |
| 1939-1940 | Club members take children to the circus. (Future Club President 16-yeaer-old Gib Jones helps his dad drive the children.) |
| Student Loan Fund started. | |
| 1941-1942 | Past President Charles A. Miller serves as district governor. |
| 1944-1945 | Junior Rotarians started, with high school students attending meetings. |
| 1950-1951 | Group Study Exchange and Youth Exchange are new programs for the club. |
| 1955-1956 | Instrumental in providing permanent home for Children's Museum in Bagg's Square. |
| 1960-1961 | Instrumental in opening the North Utica Bike Way |
| 1961-1962 | Utica Rotary helps start New Hartford Rotary Club |
| Past President Robert F. MacFarland serves as district governor. | |
| 1968-1969 | Utica helps start North Utica Rotary Club. |
| Utica Rotary joins with The Lions and Kiwanis clubs to finance the Utica Police Community Relations Patrol. | |
| 1971-1972 | Past President Andrew C. Treiber serves as district governor. |
| 1973-1974 | President Jack Dale leads a group to the Southern Tier to help with flood damage relief. |
| Youth Exchange: Anne Weckdtrom (Finland) and Claire Chambers (Australia). | |
| 1974-1975 | 60th Anniversary Celebration |
| Youth Exchange: Maureen Danny (New Zealand) and Keikjie Tomaschewsky (Germany). | |
| 1976-1977 | Youth Exchange: Susan Bartlett ( New Zealand) and Christopher Broux (France) |
| 1977-1978 | Youth Exchange: Tracey Blumer (Australia), Rubens Martin (Brazil), Beneta Larson (Finland), Andrea Murdock (Australia) |
| 1978-1979 | Youth Exchange: Heather Crocher (Australia), Andreas Vonn Meyer (Germany) |
| 1979-1980 | Youth Exchange: Jean Peres (France) |
| 1980-1981 | Crist Brown establishes joint meeting with Utica Chamber of Commerce. |
| Youth Exchange: Romulaldo Devito (Brazil), Joel Roques (France), Marian Ceballos Acedo (Mexico), Monica Olsson (Norway) | |
| 1981-1982 | Youth Exchange: Ella Peterson (Denmark), Heloisa Dias (Brazil,) Georgette Jaldon (Philippines) |
| Past President Paul Stratton serves as district governor. | |
| 1982-1983 | Steve Johnson's weight loss fundraiser for World Community Service raises $5,000. |
| Youth Exchange: Eduardo Ansieta (Chile), Alexander Grellard (Norway) | |
| 1983-1984 | Youth Exchange: Tatiana Endora (Ecuador), Eve Hyvonen (Finland), Carla Finocchario (Italy) |
| 1984-1985 | "Pennies for Polio" raises $90,000, with Larry Calabrese chairing the effort. (PolioPlus begins in 1985.) |
| Youth Exchange: Allan Hampshire (England), Agenta Hagstrom (Sweden) | |
| 1985-1986 | ARC Christmas Party effort begins |
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Youth Exchange: Frederic Peyutu (France), Wakako Gotoh (Japan), Arturo Guillermo Murra (Mexico)
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| 1986-1987 |
Group Study Exchange to Argentina. (Future Rotarian Joe Caruso was part of the group.)
Youth Exchange: Jason Hull (Australia), Christophe Allard (Belgium), Morten Qvist (Denmark), Samir Kadiwala (India)
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| 1987-1988 | Women asked to join as Rotarians |
| Group Study Exchange to India (Dick Rosen chairs). | |
| Youth Exchange: Frederick Bremstrom (Sweden), Tomonori Kitagawa (India), Jose Rawlins (Chile) | |
| Past President Dr. Clark Case serves as district governor. | |
| 1988-1989 | Dr. Clark Case Fund established for Youth Exchange students. |
| Berlin Wall falls. Youth Exchange student Jennifer Patterman of New Hartford was there. | |
| Youth Exchange: Estele Trepat (Argentina), Gisele Dumsch (Brazil), Inga Lummerzheim (Germany) | |
| 1989-1990 | Diamond Jubilee: 75-Year Celebration. |
| Youth Exchange: Monica Jijon ( Ecuador), Juan Rico (Spain), Lana Dejagen (South Africa) | |
| 1990-1991 | Pride of Workmanship, with John Wolfe, Lou Steppelo and Norma Montagnino-Gemza heading it. |
| Youth Exchange: Camilla Gorme (Australia), Dieta Kruese ( Netherlands), Astrid Nordmeyer (Germany) | |
| 1991-1992 | Group Study Exchange to Brazil with PP Linda Allen & Mark Mohave leading the effort. |
| Youth Exchange: Schinchiro Nakamura (Japan), Pauline Legacy (France), Larrise McKenzie (New Zealand) | |
| 1992-1993 | Utica Rotary Fund at Utica Foundation (precursor of Community Foundation). |
| Spaghetti Dinner raises $11,000 for Gift of Life and Hope House. | |
| Another $15,000 raised for Hope House. | |
| Youth Exchange: Mia Iwan (Sweden), Scott Marshall (England) | |
| 1993-1994 | Aids Awareness at Grace Episcopal Church; $1,000 raised. |
| Spaghetti Dinner. | |
| Past President Jim Raymunda serves as district governor. | |
| Youth Exchange: Markios Paivio Helainen (Finland), Danilo Souza (Brazil), Dan Smith (Australia) | |
| 1994-1995 | Poets for Polio. |
| Youth Exchange: Lucas Leff (Argentina), Nievues Munzoledo (Mexico), Noa Sakazaki (Japan) | |
| 1995-1996 | Medical supplies to Poland, with Dr. Dick Chmielewski. |
| Habitat for Humanity house, with Carol Gilberti chairing the effort. | |
| 1997-1998 | Lock 20 Canal Picnic for kids with chair Dave Jones and Urban Concerns Committee. |
| Columbus School project, led by Nick Ide & Mike VanStrander | |
| 1998-1999 | Linda Allen becomes first woman president of Utica Rotary. |
| Carpet for Columbus School reading corner. | |
| 2002-2003 | Past President Don Reese serves as district governor. |
| 2003-2004 | Quiet Givers Award established, chaired by Roger Breslow. |
| 2004-2005 | $40,000 raised for land mine removal in war zones, with Dave Jones and Dominck Passalaqua as chairs. |
| Zoo pavilion project, chaired by Angela Vanderhoof. | |
| Youth Exchange: Maiko Sasaki (Japan), Marie Marcignac (France), Ashlie Hopewood (Australia). YE Chair Shawki Elgarhi. | |
| 2005-2006 | Youth Exchange: Katrin Brunner (Switzerland). YE Chair Shawki Elgarhi |
| 2006-2007 | $1,000 raised for water purification, chaired by Steve Gassner. |
| Youth Exchange: Daniel Valdivieso (Ecuador), Katrin Brunner (Switzerland), James Huang (Taiwan). YE Chair Shawki Elgarhi. | |
| 2007-2008 | Youth Exchange: Sachi Dobaria (India), Jacqueline Mistry (Denmark), Akos Molnar (Hungary). E Chair Shawki Elgarhi. |
| 2008-2009 | Firefighting equipment to Chile, chaired by Don Reese and Jim Turnbull. |
| Youth Exchange: Audrey Rakover(France), Tasuku Hashimoto (Japan), Valentin Augsburger (Switzerland), Saam Kraisdacha (Thailand), David chun-Yu (Taiwan), Lennart Bach, (Germany), Sophie Kobler (Austria). YE Chair Jack Altdoerffer. | |
| Past President Larry Calabrese serves as district governor. | |
| 2009-2010 | Youth Exchange: Janos (Switzerland), Vincent Uyttendaele (Belgium). YE Chair Jack Altdoerffer. |
| 2010-2011 | Youth Exchange: Sophia Moellers(Germany), Dori Bekesi( Hungary), Yaiza Palazon (Spain). YE Chair Jack Altdoerffer. |
| 2012-2013 | Past President Lou Steppello serves as district governor. |
| Youth Exchange. YE Chair Heather Beebe. | |
| 2013-2014 | Youth Exchange. YE Chair Heather Beebe. |
| 2014-2015 | 100th Year Celebration, chaired by Linda Iannone. |
| Youth Exchange. YE Chair Heather Beebe. | |
| 2015-2016 | Youth Exchange. YE Chair Deborah Burke. |
| Dinner Theater raises $3,000. | |
| 2016-2017 | Youth Exchange: Paula Germerhausen (Germany). YE Chair Deborah Burke. |
| 2017-2018 | Youth Exchange: Arnaud D'Leige (Belgium). YE Chair Deborah Burke. |
| Help for Puerto Rico, chaired by Heather Beebe. | |
| 2018-2019 | Youth Exchange: Ophelia (Taiwan). YE Chair Steven Turnbull. |
| $1,200 in goods and services for Adrean Terrace; chaired by Michelle Brandstadt. | |
| Pins for Polio raises $1,000; chaired by Steven Turnbull; sponsored by North Utica Rotary. | |
| $2,000 for Hope House; led by club's board of directors. | |
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