WARREN ROTARY CLUB
Founded in May, 1940 as a unit of the 198th. Rotary District, Sponsored by the Bristol Rotary Club, Canon "Tony" Parshley, President. District governor, Dr. Percy Hodgson.
Contact was made by members of Bristol Rotary Club, with professional men and leaders of industry, and 16 men were selected as candidates for membership.
Several meeting were held in the Warren Hotel to acquaint the men with the principles and objectives of Rotary. Great interest was expressed by the candidates and the local citizens.
On May 28th, 1940, the men chosen to be charter members were inducted by District Governor Percy Hodgson, before 250 Rotarians from clubs in the 198th. District. Fred Lohse was chosen as the first president, and Senator "Bill" Smith, as vice President.
The club has in the past seen to it that the needy at Christmas time have been provided with shoes and baskets of food. Many children have been sent to summer camps, and requests for help from charitable organizations has been given generously. Perhaps the biggest job ever undertaken by the club was the Kaiser program to collect clothing for overseas relief. In April 1945, the members of the club worked together to collect clothing from the residents of Warren and Barrington and were able to sort, pack and ship over forty tons of articles of clothing of all types, without expense to the club.
Some of the original charter members have passed on. Many of them in fact. Some moved to other localities. Eleven were elevated to the presidency as the years rolled on. In the beginning some members of other civic clubs voiced the opinion that we would be out of business in a year or two, but after 37 years we are stronger than ever, proving the point that once you have the Rotary Spirit it stays with you. During the War years, when the club naturally had growing pains, many of our members answered the call. From the original sixteen men the club has now grown to over forty-nine members. This fact must be of great interest to the men who envisioned this expansion. It is also a fact that as the years take their toll the numbers of these men diminish. It must be comforting to know that the sons and grandsons of their club continue in the traditions they established.
As the Bristol Club sponsored us in 1940 it is of note that through the efforts of several of our members we, the Warren Rotary Club, sponsored the new and ac-tive Somerset - Swansea Club in 1972, thirty-two years later. Somerset - Swansea is the first club in our district in over twenty-five years to welcome the Presi-dent of Rotary International. Almost a thousand Rotarians attended this meeting from District 795. A major accomplish-ment.
We have also provided our District 795 with 2 District Governors. "Val" Gotjen, now living in Maine but a Past President and very active member of Warren Rotary before his retirement. George Tavares, Warren, a Past President who has been very active on the Club and District levels.
The original Charter Members were as follows:
1. Fred Lohse 7. Bob Connolly 13. Joseph A. Baggott 2. Bill J. Smith 8. Amedo Danesi 14. Wallace Sefsick 3. John W. Higgins 9. Rep. Ed Sevigney 15. Andrew Gagnon 4. Jim Mime 10. Jesse Tavares 16. George Peabody 5. Buell Buckingham, Sr. 11. Manual DaRosa 17. Harry D. Chittum 6. Art Johnston 12. Roy Swain 18. Fritz J. Gempp
During the years since its inception the club has taken an active part in civic affairs. It has sponsored the Boy Scout movement in Warren since 1943, also the Babe Ruth league. In 1974 "Nib" Massa introduced our Fund Raising Game, which will raise over a thousand dollars annually.