The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1921-03-24
ROTARY CLUBS
FORMED HERE
Organization is Formed at
Enthusiastic Meeting at
Elks' Club Tuesday.
TAYLOR FIRST LEADER
Maximum Number of Charter
Members Sign Cards at First
Meeting with Visitors.

on Tuesday evening when Rotary
club with the maximum number of
charter members was organized at a
gathering held at the Elks Club at
tended by some twenty-five Kenosha
men and number of Rotarians from
other cities
Judge George ". Taylor of the coun-
ty court was elected as the first pres
ident of the club and E. j. Geitman,
cashier of the Kenosha State Bank
was named as secretary and treasurer
The Board of Directors is composed
of Walter j. Frost, E. j. Geitman,
George w. Taylor, Robert S. Cooper,
Arthur H. Quigley, DR.. j. F. Hastings
and Charles H. Pfennig.
The club will hold its regular week
ly meetings at the luncheon hour on
Tuesdays at the Elks club the first reg
ular meeting being scheduled for next
Tuesday at noon.
Get Taste of Rotary Enthusiasm.
Rotary enthusiasm was much in evil
dence at the organization meeting for
the Kenosha club. The Rotary songs
were sung for the first time in Keno
sha andia battery of old time Rotar-
ians under the leadership of Cecil B.
Harris, the Secretary of the Interna-
tional Association of Rotary Clubs of
the World, presided. The spirit of Ro-
tary was carried to Kenosha by Ed
ward IS. Ladd, President of the Evans
ton Club, Ernst Smith, formerly super
intendent of the schools of Salt Lake
City and now in a similar capacity in
the Evanston schools, Thomas F. Kelly,
president of the Waukegan Rotary
club, Judge E. B. Belden, first presi-
dent of the Racine club, Burton E.
Nelson, former superintendent of
schools of Racine and recently dis
triet governor for the Rotary clubs of
this district and Charles A. Wake
man, former member of the Oshku sh
Rotary club but now resident of
Kenosha.
Gather About Dinner Table.
The gathering was about the dinner
table in the Pompeian room at the club
and the work of organization started
by former District Governor Nelson.
The visiting Rotarians declared that
the Rotary clubs had long hoped for a
chance TO get a strong organization in
Kenosha but that they had declined
to take steps for organization until
they were invited to come to the city.
Secretary Harris, who is brother of
Paul Harris, the Chicago attorney who
founded Rotary, told something of the
history of the organization. "There
are now 881 Rotary clubs in success
full operation" he declared. "Our
proudest boast is that not club which
has been organized has ever surrend-
cred its charter" He declared that
at the present time the International
Association had membership of more
than $4,000.
Secretary Harris and the other Wis
itors spoke at some length on the
various features of the club work but
declared that the central idea was the
idea Of service not only to the mem
bers of the club but to the community
in which the club is located.
Rotary Songs Prove Singable.
Most of the men present were at
tending their first Rotary meeting but
the song books were ready and the
Kenosha men taking the first step into
Rotary found the songs decidedly sing
able and before the meeting closed it
had been turned into regular. singing
school, 1t was declared that one of
the features of every session of the
Rotary was the fact that the men
went back to boyhood just little and
got some of the fire of youth. During
the evening there was a Rotary roll
call and the men present learned TO
know each other better, they learned
the first names of the men sitting
about the table and their nicknames
and during the evening one of them
had the timerity to refer to the Hon
orable Judge Belden by his accepted
nickname of Jack. Before the even
ing was over it was "Tom" and "Bill"
and "Art" and Charley" and the gem
eral good fellowship which features
all Rotary organizations was we'll on
the way.
Charter Filled First Meeting.
The charter Of the new Kenosha
club was filed at the first meeting
and every selected member present
signed the cards as charter member.
A few Of. the men named for the char
ter roll could not be present at the
meeting. The list of charter members
included the Rev. R. j. Smith, Judge
George w. Taylor, E. ]. Geitman, Jas.
7. Wilson. Kenneth White, T. J. Dale,
Frank Isermann, Ben G. Brennan, Sid
ney NJ. Jones, Charles NJ. Anderson.
W 7. Marlatt, Arthur H. French, W..
J. Birmingham, Joseph G. Rhode, An
drew Il. Dahl, Arthur H. Quigley, G.