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SHORT HISTORY OF ROTARY DISTRICT 5650 On February 23, 1905, Rotary was started by Paul P. Harris in Chicago, Illinois, and the idea quickly spread to other towns. As additional clubs formed across the U. S., the organization became called the "National Association of Rotary Clubs." In 1910 the fourteenth Rotary club formed in Lincoln, Nebraska. This was the first club in what is now our District 5650, although at the time there were no "districts." Soon afterwards, Lincoln #14 began organizing other clubs. In 1911 they helped start Omaha #37 (or "Downtown," as it is often called today). In 1912 both clubs were grouped in the same administrative division of Rotary. In those early days, Rotary clubs were men's luncheon and social clubs, and Lincoln and Omaha set the stage for many future "Inter-City Meetings" when they held a dinner dance in Omaha in 1912. By 1913, however, clubs in our division turned their attention to community service. In 1912 Rotary clubs were established in Canada and Great Britain, and the parent organization changed its name to the "International Association of Rotary Clubs." By 1915 Rotary had grown so large that the first "districting" became necessary, and clubs in Nebraska and Iowa were grouped into District #19. On February 23 of that year, the Rotary Club of Omaha also chartered a new club, the Rotary Club of Council Bluffs. It appears the first visit of an International President to a club in an official district containing the Nebraska and Iowa clubs occurred in 1915, when President Frank Mulholland visited Omaha Downtown. In 1915-1916, redistricting placed all Iowa, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota clubs into District #10. In this period, two activities very characteristic of today's Rotary clubs developed: in 1915-1916 Omaha #37 members began their first "vocational talks," and in 1916 District #10's first District Conference was held--in January, in Waterloo, Iowa. The following year, Orville Fee from Lincoln #14 was selected Governor of District #10; he was the first Governor to come from one of our current District 5650 clubs. District geography changed again in 1918-1919, when North Dakota was split away from District #10. A new District #16 was formed to encompass all Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota clubs. Clubs in this District grew like wildfire during the late teens and twenties, and District Conferences were held in such locations as Omaha, Des Moines, Dubuque, and Sioux Falls. Some District Rotarians attained international distinction at this time: when William Coppock of Council Bluffs served as Rotary International 2nd Vice-President in 1921-1922, he became the first Rotarian from a club in our current District 5650 to serve as a Rotary International officer. In 1922 our parent organization's name was shortened to "Rotary International," and continued growth again prompted redistricting. For a year, all 78 Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota clubs remained together under a new number (District #11)--the largest Rotary district anywhere. Then in 1923-1924 the eastern two-thirds of Iowa and the Scottsbluff, Nebraska, club were stripped away, and the remaining Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota clubs gathered into new District #19. In the twenties and thirties, Inter-City Meetings remained popular, and collegiality was promoted with the beginning of the first "makeups" at another club in 1927-1928. During the Depression of the 1930s, many Rotary clubs were forced to disband, and those that survived often turned their community service projects to assisting the down-and-out. In spite of the Depression, in 1934-1935 the Annual District Inter-City meeting held at Omaha attracted representatives from over 130 clubs. By 1935 most clubs in District #19 scheduled their "Changing of the Guard" in early July, and the presidents and secretaries of all 66 clubs in the District were expected to attend a two-day "District Assembly" (similar to our current PETS-SETS) later that month. In 1937-1938 the numbers of Rotary Clubs had grown to the point that all Nebraska clubs except Scottsbluff were placed into their own District #120, which by 1939 had 54 clubs. Rotary fellowship was so popular then that 742 people attended the District Conference in Omaha in 1940. The ensuing war years took a toll on Rotary, and wartime events caused the cancellation of our District Conference in 1944. Following the end of World War II, the first Rotary Graduate Fellowships (today called Ambassadorial Scholarships) were given in 1947. One of the first year's eighteen awards went to a young man from Nebraska's District #120. The 1950s saw several changes in our area's Rotary life. In 1950-1951 many Iowa and Nebraska clubs in today's District 5650 were placed into District #177; District Conferences moved to the fall; new clubs appeared; and, for the first time, multiple clubs appeared in several cities. Lincoln became the first city in District #177 to have two clubs when it organized the Northeast Lincoln Club in 1953. Two years later, Omaha #37 organized Omaha West. Another startling development occurred when two Nebraska women were awarded Rotary International Fellowships in 1955-1956. The immediate precursor to our current District 5650, District #565 took shape in 1956-1957. Of particular note was our district's development of the Cadwallader Award in 1963. Endowed by Charles N. and Ruth Cadwallader, this award recognizes an individual Rotarian for his/her outstanding district contributions. In 1967-1968 Charles Cadwallader was posthumously awarded the first Paul Harris Fellowship in District 565. During the sixties, District 565 also participated in new educational programs instituted by Rotary International, such as the Group Study Exchange program. In 1969 we hosted our first GSE Team, who came from Australia. During the 1970s, District 565 exhibited a more international outlook, and the beginnings of significant World Community Service and disaster relief projects can be seen at the District and club levels. We joined Rotary International's HHH (Health, Hunger and Humanity) program in 1978 and received GSE teams through the decade. Clubs increased in the Omaha area, when Bellevue, Omaha Northwest and Millard were chartered. Administrative changes also appeared, as with the creation of "District Governor Area Representatives" (forerunners of today's current Assistant District Governors). In the 1980s and 1990s, District 565 launched many disaster relief efforts, sending aid to those in need as close as Grand Island, Nebraska, and West Virginia and as far away as the Philippines and Algeria. In 1980 all 37 clubs in our district participated in a Christmas food drive, and all 37 clubs took part in an HHH project later that year. One of Rotary's best-known programs in the Plains states, BRAN (Bike Ride Across Nebraska), was organized by Omaha Northwest in 1981 in conjunction with District 563 (western Nebraska) to benefit the Nebraska Heart Association. District 565 embraced the Polio Plus campaign announced by Rotary International in 1985 and gave so freely to the Rotary Foundation that in 1989 the District boasted 787 Paul Harris Fellows. Club growth led us to 45 clubs in 1990, and, when women were admitted in 1989, membership promised to expand as well. In
1991-1992 our district received a new number, 5650, but since then its programs
generally have followed patterns established in the 1980s. Between 1991 and 2005,
District 5650 Rotarians have focused on community and world service, on Polio
Eradication, on building the Rotary Foundation, and, most recently, on Rotary's
up-coming 100th Anniversary. Two noteworthy innovations have taken place in our
District 5650 since 2000, however: our first female District Governor, Doris J.
Heineman, took office in 2001, and at about that same time District 5650 began
to make use of the world-wide web. Researched
and written by Martha Ellen Webb, Ph.D., and the staff at Making History, Inc.,
April 2005. |
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