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Print this page THE ALTADENA ROTARY STORY An Overview by Arthur Ferris, October 2004 Art Ferris is a past president of Altadena Rotary (1960-61) and past District 5300 governor (1971-72). He was asked to write our story because he has been a member since Altadena Rotary was only five.
We were chartered on February 14, 1949 as the Rotary Club of Altadena-North Pasadena (Club 7183). The name was shortened to the Rotary Club of Altadena in 1952. Our members are adults of good character and good business and professional reputation. During the 1980s, we began to include women, and, as of July 1, 2004, our membership numbered 51, ten of whom were women. Members are classified by their professions under a system designed to achieve a broad representation of the community.
While Altadena Rotary operates autonomously, we are part of a much larger organization -- Rotary International -- that (as of this writing) has over 1,200,000 members in some 31,600 individual clubs which are divided into 529 districts throughout the world and in 166 countries -- more countries than comprise the United Nations. Administrative help and consultation are provided to clubs from the headquarters office with guidance and
coordination through district governors. Altadena is in a district that has some 60 clubs located in the communities of eastern Los Angeles, San Gabriel Valley, Pomona Valley, and the high desert areas of
California and Southern Nevada.
These governors of Rotary International Districts are elected at the International Convention each year for the ensuing year. Clubs may propose qualified leaders for the office. A district committee considers the proposed nominees and recommends a person to be considered at the district
conference. Once nominated, that person must complete a training period prescribed for nominees before taking office. Three of our past presidents have been appointed to this responsible position of district governor: Scot Metcalf, Sr., 1959-60; Art Ferris, 1971-72; and Joseph (Joe) B. McMullin, 1988-89. During these years the Altadena club sponsored the
annual district conference. Members accepted assignments to arrange for speakers, contract for hotel
rooms, catering services and special social events. Hosting throughout the three or four days required attendance of a large portion of club members and their spouses. Each of the three events
was held in Las Vegas with the help of the clubs of southern Nevada.
Altadena Rotary is organized and managed by a board of directors (composed of three officers and six directors) and various
committees, which are appointed each year. The Rotary year runs from July 1 to June 30. Up to the time of writing -- 55-years, only two presidents have held office for more than one term -- Leigh M. (Bud) Railsback, Jr. served two full terms twenty years apart: 1963-64 and 1983-84, and Don Robinson served the last three months of Dr. Gary A. Dickey's term when Dickey took a three-month sabbatical. The committee structure assures effective service to the local community and to selected international projects. For most of our history, our weekly luncheon meetings have been held at the Altadena Town and Country Club on Thursdays.
Service to the Altadena area has been continuous throughout our club history. Some projects have been retained over decades, while others have been supportive of other organizations with members taking short assignments. Typical among these has been
We have many annual events at which we give special recognition to local students:
Rotary International has an overall organization plan
for high school service clubs called Interact. And Altadena Rotary has sponsored clubs at the Pasadena and John Muir High Schools. Many of the occasions mentioned involve the invitation of the awardee students, their teachers and parents, to join us at our regular luncheon meetings.
Altadena Rotary initiated what has become a district-wide (and beyond) supported program for teaching entrepreneurship. Altadena Rotarians have taught entrepreneurship classes at the John Muir High School and the Eliot Middle School using the Junior Achievement program.
Our international service projects have included aid by the club members to an orphanage in Tijuana, Mexico. Materials and labor were furnished. Also, clothing, toys, and food were transported with members and families joining the caravan. Supplemental to the projects have been social occasions with members of clubs of that city. Since Armenia. has been independent of Russian rule, the club has shared the sponsorship of the Junior Achievement program to teach the free market system of economics throughout their school system. And in the early 1990s the club shared with clubs in Poland to furnish computers and true
materials to set up economic classes in universities of Warsaw and Thurin. Both of these projects were spear-headed by C. Ray Carlson.
In a program to promote interest in club achievements, each club is asked by the district governor to submit detailed reports of their projects completed or progressing through the year. The reports are reviewed and judged for service rendered. The winners in various categories are recognized, and one club is selected as the Best. Altadena has participated through the years, and has won recognition and even the Best Club award many times.
Rotary International established the Rotary Foundation, an endowment fund, in 1917. The Altadena club has encouraged members to donate to this fund. Special recognition for regular giving and those donating $1000.00 are defned as Paul Harris Sustaining Members and Fellows, respectively. These categories were first defined in 1970. As of July 1, 2004, Altadena Rotary has 194 fellowships recorded. The object of the Foundation is the furthering of understanding and friendly relationships between people of different nations. A program with highest priority has been PolioPlus. It was started in l985 with the goal of eradicating polio worldwide by 2005. The club made a pledge to the fnancial drive based on pledges of many members. Other projects that the club has participated in have been the proposal of qualified applicants for fellowships to study in foreign countries. Matching grants have been received for projects such as the joint sponsorship with clubs in other
countries of the Junior Achievement programs.
From the beginning the club has scheduled annual social events at the end of the Rotary year known as the demotion parties. At this event, the outgoing president is honored, and the new president installed. Some have included dancing while others have reviewed the year's activities in a dramatic way to add humor. Throughout our history, there have been Christmas receptions and dinners on the occasion of the annual visit of the district governor. The 50th anniversary was celebrated with a large attendance at a banquet at the University Club of Pasadena and the 50th at the Atheneum of California Institute of Technology.
The club membership has been comparatively stable around 50 to 60, but continually needs new members. Currently 14 have served over 15 years and 19 less than 5 years. Attendance of Rotarians is expected on a weekly basis. Absence at a regular meeting may be made up by attending other clubs or specified events during a period of two weeks before to two weeks after that meeting. One of our members (Luther Eskijian) has had perfect attendance for over 50 years.
The club has always had a bulletin (Sparks) published to keep the members current on club activities. The current bulletin format was content, and timeliness was recognized as the best in the
district for the 2002-2003 year.
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