Over a century of service...Dexter Rotary

"Service Above Self" is the motto of the Rotary Club. That motto is punctuated with, "He Profits Most Who Serves Best." This year, the organization marks its 107th birthday. For 63 of those years, Dexter has been a significant element in their history of service to the community.

Rotary's main objective is service -- in the community, in the workplace, and around the globe. The 1.2 million Rotarians who make up more than 34,000 Rotary clubs in nearly every country in the world share a dedication to the ideal of service within one's community.

Rotary clubs are open to people of all cultures and ethnicities and are not affiliated with any political or religious organizations. Initially an "only men's" organization, the group elected to allow female membership in 1989.

Recently the local group installed officers for the 2012-13 year. Ken Harris will serve as president, with Paul Harper in the vice presidential role, Jay Rodgers as secretary and Bill Boone as treasurer. The local group formed in 1949 and was labeled Chapter No. 7149. Over the years, the club has been served by 60 presidents, four of whom served two terms.

At their Charter Meeting on Feb. 25, 1949, the Dexter Rotary Club welcomed 26 members, and they operated under the direction of the organization's first president, J.C. Williamson. None of the original 26 members are surviving. Three-hundred-fifty people gathered at the old Dexter Armory on that Charter Night in 1949 to mark the new chapter's birth. Included in the crowd were members of 27 other Rotary Clubs.

On June 27, 1949, the newly established club hosted an Intercity, Local Community and "Rotaryann" Night at the old Dexter High School auditorium. There were then 35 members, consisting of business owners and professionals within the community. Dr. E.G. Bailey, local veterinarian, was there, and Sam Graver owner of Graber's Department Store, and G.G. Hill, Sr., president of the company bearing his name. There was Vand W. Brannock, the publisher and owner of The Dexter Messenger, and Ralph Riddle, co-owner of Riddle Lumber Company. Russell Sisler, who owned Sisler's Auto Parts, was on the membership list, along with Hal Jean, whose accounting service still exists today under the ownership of his son, Wayne.

There was Hal N. Ratcliffe of Dexter Gin Company, and D.W. Blakeney with Herff-Jones Co., and Gordon Hart of Hart Truck Lines. Elder Manufacturing was represented as was Ringer Hardware and Weeks Theater, and Lee W. Trammell, Jr. who insurance company still exists on Vine Street, was present. Attorney and Probate Judge Claude Arnold is also among the members listed, along with funeral director, J.E. Strickland and John F. Ulen, Sr., who then served as president of Citizens Bank, which would later be known as Regions. E.L. Keathley, who owned IXL Handle Company, was on the list, as was local cattle farmer, Louis B. Mayer.

All members came together for a common purpose -- to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster "the development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service."

Over the years, the local Rotary Club has continued to uphold their commitment to the local community. With the mission to irradicate polio among their top priorities since the club's inception, members worked tirelessly toward that end, especially in the 1950s and 60s.

Membership locally continued to be strong for many years. When they marked their 25th anniversary in 1974, there were 33 faithful members. Among them were Wayne Jean, Jack Rodgers, and Ray Webber, all three of whom remain members today. Webber is the longest standing member, having joined in the early 1960s.

Locally, Chapter 7149 holds an annual Rotary Golf Tournament in the spring and later a community Spaghetti Dinner. They also sponsor a food booth at the Stoddard County Fair each September. Proceeds from the events are placed toward continuing college scholarships through which $2,000 is granted to one or more graduating seniors from Dexter High School each spring.

As a sign of the times, many of the old traditions of the local Rotary have changed since the club's inception.

"We used to have Son and Daughter Nights," says longtime member, Jack Rodgers, "and swimming parties and what we called a "Million Dollar Meal." For years, the group hosted a Christmas gathering each December until a motion was made years ago to initiate a new program called, "Toys for Tots." Until the arrival of the now-popular Shop with a Hero Program, the project served to assure underprivileged children in the area a Christmas complete with toys from Santa.

"The group, at one time," recalls current president, Ken Harris, "was known as a singing club and they had their own song books. In the 1970s, they paid City Librarian Loyce Reed to play the piano for them and they met at the Hickory House."

The group also were well known in the area for establishing a clown group that performed at many local parades and once ran a bed race through the streets of downtown Dexter.

The group has changed locations for their meetings a few times over the decades. When the Hickory House meeting room was transformed into a bar, the group began to meet at what was called Harley's Restaurant on Business 60. When that owner decided to sell sporting goods in the room in which they conducted their meetings, the Rotarians were welcomed back to the Hickory House, where they continued to meet until 2005.

"We decided to meet on Tuesday mornings to possibly attract more members," Harris says. "That's when we moved back to what was Harley's and is now the American Steakhouse."

The group continues to meet each Tuesday morning at 6:30 for breakfast, followed by their business meeting at 7 at the Steakhouse. Although there are about 20 members currently, a loyal bunch of about 15 conduct the weekly business.

In 2002, a female member of the local Rotary, Belinda Worley, along with her husband, Ben, were instrumental in organizing Rotary Interact, utilizing local high school students in a series of community projects.

"We've been fortunate to have several women join the Dexter Rotary Club," says Harris, "and they were hard workers, but for one reason or another, they have all left us and we currently have no women. We'd welcome a change, however!"

The organization may have seen more strength in numbers in the "old days," but the spirit of selfless giving remains paramount among the current members who vow to carry on the tradition of "serving above self."

Anyone interested in obtaining further information about Dexter Rotary is urged to contact Ken Harris at 614-4422.