History | High-Lights | Officers, Directors & Committee Chairs | Past Presidents | Charter Members
Concord Rotary History
Until October 14, 1921 a Rotary club in Concord, NC was only a dream in the minds of a few local business and civic leaders. On that date these leaders began to organize a chapter of Rotary International in this southern farm and textile town. The Concord Rotary Club was chartered on January 1, 1922 becoming the 1054th Rotary International Club. Following the policy of the original Rotary club, the 22 charter members rotated meeting places. However because the membership of the club grew rapidly, it settled down to a regularly scheduled meeting in one place.
The charter members included the following men: J. Archie Cannon, W. G. Caswell, L. D. Coltrane, Dr. Joseph V. Davis, William H. Gibson, Archie E. Harris, Gus Hartsell, Luther T. Hartsell, Sr., Aubrey Hoover, Rev. Thomas Lawrence, Frank C. Niblock, John M. Oglesby, S. Kay Patterson, Dr. Samuel W. Rankin, L. Maury Richmond, Charles F. Ritchie, William M. Sherrill, Martin Verburg, Charles B. Wagner, Thomas H. Webb, A. Shipp Webb, and J. B. Womble.
The first officers were Thomas H. Webb, president; Gus Hartsell, vice president; Martin Verburg, secretary; and W. G. Caswell, treasurer.
During the early days the Daughters of the American Revolution served the members lunch in the old YMCA building. In 1926 the meeting place was changed to the ballroom of the Hotel Concord where meetings continue today on every Wednesday at 12:15 pm.
By 1928-29 the number of members had grown to 39. However, with the 1929 Market Crash membership declined to about a dozen. President Luther T. Hartsell, Sr. is credited with holding the club together. During the early 1930s the membership again began to increase and, although events such as World War II sometimes strained the club attendance, the Concord Rotary Club has remained a vital and integral service organization in the community. Today a number of the members are 2nd and 3rd generation members. The largest number of new members occurred in 1964-65 under the leadership of President John R. Boger, Jr. (29 members inducted that year).
There is a tremendous sense of fellowship among the Rotarians and members often bring business and professional guests with them to the meetings. As tradition dictates, each visitor is introduced and welcomed with a resounding “hello” by the entire membership. True to the Rotary custom, singing is once again a part of the Concord Rotary. Minutes indicate the singing of songs in as early as May 8, 1935, and again in 1937, 1953, and 1978. Weekly singing, “to promote a convivial atmosphere” (Songs for the Rotary Club, 1999) resumed under the presidency of Irvin Newberry in 1999.
Over the long history of almost 85 years, the Concord Rotary has contributed to the community through club projects. It is impossible to list all the contributions the club has made over the years. Funding has been provided through dues, budget surpluses, special assessment, and fund raising projects. Initiated during the presidency of President Charlie Williams, the Concord Rotary Annual Fish Fry and Auction, held in the fall, is the primary fund raiser of the Concord Rotary to support local projects. Listed below are some of the over 40 organizations and/or projects the Concord Rotary has supported from the Fish Fry and Auction proceeds. Total grants given to these organizations total just over $125,000 during the last 8 years.
| Academy Learning Center | American Red Cross | Barber Scotia College |
| Big Brothers and Big Sisters | Boy Scouts of American | Cabarrus Arts Council |
| Cabarrus Arts Experience | Cabarrus Christian Men | Cabarrus County 4H Club |
| Cabarrus County Boys and Girls Club | Cabarrus County Partnership | Cabarrus Health Alliance |
| Cabarrus Meals on Wheels | Cabarrus Olympics | Cannon Memorial Library |
| Communities in School | Concord Downtown Development Corporation | Concord Humane Society |
| Concord Lions Club | Cooperative Christian Ministries | CVAN |
| Empty Stocking Fund | First Presbyterian Church | Friends of Harrisburg Library |
| Friends of the Library | Grace Lutheran Church | Habitat for Humanity |
| Historic Preservation Society | Hospice of Cabarrus County | Jr. Charity League Clothing Closet |
| Logan Community Day Care Center | Long Preschool Head Start Program | Mt. Zion Baptist Church |
| Old Campground Cemetery | Operation Breadbasket | Piedmont Preservation Fund |
| Piedmont Residential Living Center | Prosperity Ministries | R. Brown McAlister School |
| Salvation Army | St. John's Baptist Church | The ARC |
| Wings of Eagles | Zion Hill Church |
In addition to these projects, the Concord Rotary Club contributes annually to the Bible Teaching Program in the Cabarrus County School System, specifically to Concord High School. Contributions to this program date back to 1942 when Joe Holding represented the Rotary in a city wide meeting to develop support for this program. The Concord Rotary has awarded scholarships to local high school students, nursing students at the Cabarrus Health Alliance, and students at Rowan Community College. Special contributions may be made in emergencies as evidenced most recently in support to the victims of the Katrina Hurricane in the summer of 2005.
Concord Rotary has participated in International Projects. One significant project was in 1987 when the club pledged to contribute $11,700 over a five year period of time to the Polio Plus project. Instead of taking 5 years the goal was reached within 2 years under the leadership of Joe Holding. The Club is currently completing a 5 year project in which Rotary members, under the leadership of Ken Griffin and Allen Overcash, contributed monetarily and physically to build 15 playgrounds in Peru for children in poor rural areas. The Club also participates in the Group Study Exchange sponsored through Rotary International.
Club members assist annually in the building of a Habitat for Humanity house and the Salvation Army Can-a-Thon. The first Can-a-Thon participation occurred in 1979 under the leadership of President Ken Miller. President Tom Ramseur led the club to participate in the first funding for Habitat. A major project under the leadership of President Susan Smith was the beautification of Barber Scotia front campus.
The Concord Rotary has supported the development of other Rotary Clubs in Cabarrus County, Interact Clubs at Concord High School and Central High School, and the Rotaract Club at Barber Scotia. The Cabarrus Rotary Club was established with the assistance of the Concord Rotary in 1985. Is this true or did I just assume it. I found references in Bobby’s notes toward the end of the 70s and early 80s that Kannapolis Rotary and Concord Rotary explored the establishment of a new club. The Southwest Cabarrus Cub was established under President Irvin Newberry in 1999.