Hmmmm, way back in 1911, there was a Mr. Seaman in the club who was in metal working, a Mr. Schuske who was a roofer, and a Mr. Lehr who was a contractor.

Club #32 History
It is never easy to determine beginnings. The very word "history" comes from a Greek word meaning "inquiry". We must question the past so in this spirit we have complied this history of our own St. Joseph Rotary Club. Much data is missing from the early years, as all records prior to 1921 have been lost.

The impetus for the foundation of a Rotary Club in St. Joseph seems to have come from Mr. Leo Batt, a member of the St. Louis Club. Mr. Lee Mettler, President of the Kansas City Club, who had occasion to make frequent trip to St. Joseph, also assisted in spreading the movement. Mr. Batt was a manufacturer of pianos and he first interested Mr. Carl Hagen, who owned a hardware store on King Hill and Missouri Avenue, and also sold pianos. Carl Hagen, with the help of Leo Batt and Lee Mettler, held several meetings of small groups in December of 1910 to discuss the possibility of forming a club. Late in the summer of 1911 the following men agreed to proceed with forming our St. Joseph Rotary Club:

C. A. Cook, Luther A. Reid, William R. Seaman, J.W. Lehr, W. P. Tracy, Frank Schuske, John Andrews, Sol Connett, W. S. Aldrich, Carl Hagen, Claude Madison, Mel Platt, Dr. W. F. Kimball, Jack Hann

C. A. Cook acted as chairman and W. P. Tracy kept the minutes of each meeting. For a short time this group and such additions as were made, met semi-monthly in the offices of the American Printing Co. As the members increased the meeting place was changed to the assembly room of Platt's Commercial College in the Bartlett Building on Ninth Street. At this time, the meetings were held in the evening and on a weekly basis. The original charter or organization date has always been accepted as November 7, 1911, and agrees with all data available.

The club has always accepted this as its "Birthday Date" even though there is no supporting documentary evidence. On this date the club was made a permanent organization by the election of the following officers who served throughout the year of 1912:

W. A. Bodenhausen - President

J. W. Lehr - Vice President

W. S. Aldrich - Secretary

Max Andriano - Treasurer J. H. Cameron - Registrar

As near as can be determined from a compilation of lists available the following twenty-six members may be considered our foundation or charter members:

W. S. Aldrich - Architect

John Andrews - Fire Insurance

Max Andriano - Banker

George BeGole - Undertaker

W. A. Bodenhausen - Clothier

J. H. Cameron - Advertising

C. A. Cook - Telephone

Sol Connett - Brick Manufacturing

John O'Day - Life Insurance

George Furbeck - Asbestos Goods

Carl Hagen - Pianos

Dr. Walter F. Kimball - Optometry

William R. Seaman - Metal Working

John Hann - Horses and Mules

J. C. Hedenburg - Abstracts

George Jones - Drug Store

J. W. Lehr - Contractor

Claude Madison - Coal Dealer

O. E. Martin - Dry Goods

Orestes Mitchell, Sr. - Lawyer

Mel Platt - Business College

Luther A. Reid - Electrical Supplies

Frank Schuske - Roofer

W. A. Schultz - Photographer

W. B. Snyder - Painter

W. B. Tracy - Printer

Based on information obtained from Rotary International the three following dates are authentic. November 7, 1911 - - Organization Date. February 1, 1912 - - Admission to the National Association of Rotary Clubs As Club #32. June 2, 1913 - - Charter Date.