The following article is the completes the reprint from our 75th Anniversary booklet.
Murray Hanson
FARIBOTARIAN
By: Lyle Schreiber
Rotarians meet for more than food. Name almost any subject and Rotary has a program or speaker covering it. To name a few:
1925 School Problems
1928 The Mind of Youth
1930 Organized Labor
1933 Inflation
1930 The Decline of Morals -- Youth and Adults
1938 Congressman August Andreson stressed the need to curb government spending
1941 Should Faribault have an Airport?
1948 The Taft-Hartley Labor Law
1949 Socialized Medicine in Great Britain
1953 South African Race Problem
1956 Prospects of Atomic Electric Plants in Minnesota
Local government officials are frequent speakers to keep Rotarians advised of the problems of local government and their solutions. Owners of new and old Faribault industries are asked to tell of their products. In the last few years, club members visited Sellner Manufacturing Co., Faribault Foods, Mercury Minnesota, the remodeled library, and the Faribault correctional facility.
Soon after joining, Rotarians are asked to give a Classification Talk in which they give a short biographical sketch and a description of their occupation. These talks are some of the most interesting programs.
Beginning in 1940, selected students from local high schools were invited to be guests of the club at regular weekly meetings. This program has continued to the present. Two students from Faribault Senior High School, Bethlehem Academy or Shattuck-St. Mary's attend for two weeks. At the second meeting the students give a resume of their school activities.
Rotary has a program for sending selected local high school students to a foreign country for a year and, in exchange, serves as a host to students from other countries. The Faribault club has had guests from Australia, Brazil, South Africa, and Ethiopia, and sent students to Greenland, Norway, Spain, Japan and Germany.
From its beginning, the Faribault Rotary Club has been interested in youth programs. The club assisted in organizing Boy Scout troops and sponsored a summer picnic for boys for several years. Rotarians furnished transportation to roll students who wanted to take part in athletics. The Rotary camp was built for use by Scouts and other Youth groups.
Believing that there should be recognition of those students who are academically superior, the club, in 1962, invited those members of the senior class from the High School and Bethlehem Academy who had a grade point average of 3.5 or better to an Honors Banquet. This recognition has continued and the students parents' are invited to attend.
To provide funds for the maintenance of the youth camp and for music scholarships, the Rotary club sponsors the first combined high school orchestra, band and choir concert of the year. At Christmas time, the high school choir performs part of their Christmas concert at a regular dinner meeting. For several years the dinner has been held at Shattuck-St. Mary's refractory and Shumway auditorium. A new fundraiser has been the October Rose sale. In 1994, more than 700 dozen roses were sold.
When Rotary was organized February 23, 1905 it was a men's organization. It remained so until 1987 when, by action of the Rotary international, the membership of women was authorized. Janine Sahagian was the first woman to be a member of the Faribault Club. Today there are 1,197,308 Rotarians in 27,173 clubs in 151 countries.
With 75 years of service to the community, the Faribault Rotary Club looks forward to growth and service.