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In 1913, Waco Rotary was the 74th club to be chartered.

On June 1, 1913, the International Association of Rotary Clubs granted charters to three Rotary clubs in Texas. The triplets were Beaumont , Galveston and Waco, and they received charters 72, 73 and 74, as the clubs were listed alphabetically. The Waco club was organized on May 23, 1913, and chartered one week later with a membership of eleven.

On June 10, 1913, Waco joined the other Texas clubs in Galveston at a joint meeting of all the clubs in Texas, with Waco Rotarians part of the nearly 750 who attended.

Incorporated into a district almost immediately, the first District Conference was held in Waco on November 1, 1915 in the Retail Merchants Association offices in the Amicable Building. District Governor Richardson and delegates from 10 of the 13 Clubs in Texas attended, along with RI President Allen D. Albert, from Minneapolis, and a Vice President from Houston. The tickets for the informal banquet at the conference cost Waco Rotarians $1.00, and the delegates and international officers were guests of the club.

Throughout its 94-year history, the Rotary Club of Waco has earned the respect and admiration of the City of Waco. In 1916, when it was three years old, the club helped to establish the Waco Working Boys Club. From the inception, service by the individual Rotarian, at the community level, was stressed by the club. Not surprisingly, 34 members have served as mayor of the City of Waco through the years, and 59 different members have been elected presiding officer of the Waco Chamber of Commerce. Hundreds of members have provided leadership for all major civic endeavors.

The club has also supplied leadership for Rotary District 5870 and its predecessors, with four District Governors:  T. D. Brooks, Hubert Johnson, Jack H. Dillard and Pat Taggart.

The club has grown into a strong force of 340 outstanding business and professional men and women who live or work within the city. United in the spirit of service, the members join together each week at the club's meetings to enjoy fellowship and participate in the club’s activities.

     Besides the Waco Working Boys Club project, youth service has been a major activity of the club, including its Youth Citizenship Award project. Playgrounds, baseball fields, a therapeutic swimming pool, and countless other landmarks throughout the city manifest the club's continuing concern and interest in young people.

More than $400,000 has been used from the club's Rotary Youth Service Fund, Inc. to provide capital improvements, recreational equipment, clothing, meals, supplies, awards, and incidental expenses for youths and youth-oriented institutions and organizations. Almost $116,000 has been invested in scholarships for 139 college students of McLennan County from the Waco Rotary Club Scholarship Fund. A special Hearing Aid Fund was active for many years to provide and maintain hearing aids for children of the county with defective hearing.

Copyright 2011 © Rotary Club of Waco