The History of the Rotary Club of Gananoque

 

"Whatever Rotary may mean to us, to the world it will be known by the results it achieves."

- Paul Harris, Rotary Founder

The first Rotary Club was formed on February 23rd, 1905 by a Chicago attorney named Paul Harris (see photo) . Harris created the club to enable professionals with diverse backgrounds in his city to exchange ideas and form meaningful, lifelong friendships while rotating meetings among the offices of its members. Thus the name Rotary and why clubs recognize the professional classification of its members. Each member is able to contribute shared knowledge based on their area of expertise.

The first four members of Rotary included Paul P. Harris (a lawyer - seen right), Gustavus Loehr (a mining engineer), Silvester Schiele (a coal dealer), Hiram E. Shorey (a merchant tailor) and then a fifth, Harry L. Ruggles (a print company owner) who is recognized for bringing singing to Rotary meetings and printing the first National Rotarian magazine.    

Over time, that first club inspired more to clubs to form and Rotary became an organization dedicated to humanitarian service with members addressing challenges in their communities and around around the globe. One of the first projects ever initiated by the Rotary Club of Chicago was undertaken by meeting with civic organizations in the city to discuss the need for comfort stations (public toilets) to improve sanitation. Together individual clubs form greater Districts and Regions that now work work to address seven key areas of interest: promoting peace, fighting disease, providing clean water, saving mothers and children, supporting education, growing local economies, and protecting the environment.

 
The Rotary Club of Gananoque received its charter from Rotary International on May 29, 1931, twenty-six years after the founding of the Rotary Club of Chicago. On June 4th, 1931 The Gananoque Reporter noted that several hundred Rotarians and guests came for the event from across Northern New York State and Eastern Ontario. They filled the spacious Armories in town to capacity and enjoyed a banquet that was catered by the McCarney Brothers of the Provincial Hotel. Among the honoured guests were Glen Crocker of Cortland, NY (retiring governor of the 28th District), Don Lewis of Brockville (incoming governor), and Dr. C. Crawford McCullough of Fort William, Ontario (see photo) who was the second Canadian to hold the office of President of Rotary International (1921-22). He was also the individual who initiated the first extension of Rotary from Chicago (1905) to San Francisco (1908). Dr. McCullough was originally from Gananoque, and his parents who were still living in Gananoque at the time were also honoured guests.
 
Governor Crocker held guests and members 'spellbound' as he shared the work Rotary had done for underprivileged children and recognized Doug Thomas and Charlie Jackson of the Kingston Club for their work in organizing the club in Gananoque with Kingston seen as the "fathers of the new club". Guest speaker, Dr. McCullough focused on the importance of the classification of individuals who were welcomed into the Rotary Club. He insisted that the fair representation of different professions enabled Rotarians to accomplish what they set out to do. "He urged all members to take an active interest in the affairs of the community in which they lived, to study municipal problems, to value and use the franchise for which their fore-fathers fought so strenuously."  He noted they should show an active part in politics noting that his own club included three former mayors. By 1931 Rotary had been established in seventy countries and had a membership of nearly 200,000.
 
The first members of the Gananoque Rotary Club included: President, A. L. Lott; vice-president R. Richardson; secretary J. R. McMurrich; treasurer, G. Hay; sergeant-at-arms, E. S. Byers; Directors A. L. Lott, G. G. Hood, G. R. Webb,, E. S. Byers, W. J. Wilson, R. Richardson; Members W. K. Austin, G. D. Gilbert, D. Matthew, E. S. Bird, Leyman A. Guild, C. C. Skinner, A. W. Taylor, J. J. Davis, R. H. Jackson, E. K. Staebler, J. K. Taylor, L. G. Fraser, H. A. McCarney, L. R. Stedman, and three new members W. Edwards, K Mullin and Fred Skinner M. P. P.  - a total of twenty-eight first members. 
 
The first projects supported by the Rotary Club of Gananoque included the Easter Seal Fund to support children with physical disabilities (1931 - ), a Rotary Fair raise funds for local charities and community projects (August 1931), Rotary Minor Hockey (December 1931), Rotary Beach Swimming Program and the creation of the Rotary Beach Unsupervised Bathing Facility (1935 - 1970). Gananoque's Club has been a significant contributor to the Town of Gananoque and to the betterment of communities around the world ever since.    
 
On 17 May, 1951 The Rotary Club of Gananoque received charitable status. Today the club is part of Rotary District 7040, a region that includes eastern Ontario, Nunavut, and western Quebec in Canada and parts of northern New York, USA that includes 64 Rotary clubs, 8 Rotaract clubs, and several Interact and Early Act clubs including the Interact Club of Gananoque at Gananoque Secondary School. As of 2025 the club has approximately 40 full members and also includes honourary members and Friends of Rotary. The Rotary Club of Gananoque has been a significant contributor to the Town of Gananoque since its founding and has significantly contributed to the betterment of communities around the world ever since

Our ongoing commitment

Rotary members have not only been present for major events in history — we’ve also been a part of them. Three key traits have remained strong throughout our history:

We are truly international. Only 16 years after being founded, Rotary had clubs on six continents. Today, members in nearly every country work to solve some of our world’s most challenging problems.

We persevere in tough times. During World War II, Rotary clubs in Austria, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Spain were forced to disband. Despite the risks, many continued to meet informally, and after the war, Rotary members came together to rebuild their clubs and their countries.

We are committed to service. We are not afraid to dream big and set bold goals. We began our fight against polio in 1979 with a project to immunize 6 million children in the Philippines. As of 2025, polio remains endemic in only two countries (Pakistan, Afghanistan)  — down from 125 in 1988.

 

$26.50
was the first amount donated to
The Rotary Foundation in 1917

 

$500
was the first gift from The Rotary Foundation
to the International Society for Crippled Children