Rotary Club

On October 19, 1919, 14 local businessmen met at the Armington Hotel in Gastonia, North Carolina to launch Gaston County’s first Rotary Club. The Rotary Club of Charlotte was the Club’s sponsor. Three days later with 25 charter members, the new Club voted to affiliate with Rotary International.
The Rotary Club of Gastonia received its Charter on December 29, 1919 and celebrated with a dinner attended by representatives of Rotary Clubs from Virginia and the two Carolinas. The Charter was effective January 1, 1920. Members elected Albert G. Myers, Sr. as the Club’s first president.
In his 1936 book entitled Gastonia and Gaston County, North Carolina, Past Present Future, Rotarian Joseph H. Separk, “From the time of its organization in October 1919, the Gastonia Rotary Club (sic) has striven to build within its individual members the principles of true Rotary, through making them better citizens of their community, their state, and their nation; and as a collective force, representing a cross section of the business and professional life of Gastonia, has endeavored to cooperate in the upbuilding of the city and county…”
It would take a long list to chronicle all the community activities our Club has engaged in over the years. Some of these projects are highlighted in the Club Service Projects section of this website. But from the establishment of what is now Girl Scout Camp Rotary at the foot of Crowders Mountain in 1922 to the Rotary Centennial Pavilion in downtown Gastonia in 2005, our Club has supported projects and programs for the betterment of Gastonia and Gaston County as we live Rotary’s motto of “Service above Self. In 2005, we established the Rotary Foundation of Gaston County to further our charitable work.

Our Club sponsored Gaston County’s five other Rotary clubs:
Belmont (1925)
Mount Holly (1944)
Cherryville (1947)
Gastonia East (1970 and our 50th Anniversary project)
Gaston Breakfast (1985)
We sponsor two Interact Clubs (high school Rotary), one at Gaston Christian School in Belmont, NC and one at Hunter Huss High School in Gastonia. We also sponsor a Rotaract Club (college Rotary) at Gaston College in Dallas, NC and are working to reactivate a club at Belmont Abbey College.
Three members of the North Carolina General Assembly and one member of the United States House of Representatives are or have been members of our Club. We have produced three district governors, Rotary leaders who serve beyond the Club level. We have received numerous district awards over the years for our excellent and effective projects. Once an all-male organization, we welcomed our first female members in 1988.

  Distinguished Rotarians
Each year, District 7680 invites Clubs to nominate a Rotarian who has exemplified “Service Above Self” in his or her daily life both as a Rotarian and as a member of his or her community. The honoree is selected by a vote of the membership and is recognized by the Club and the District Governor at the District Conference. Recipients of this award from The Rotary Club of Gastonia are:

1993-1994 Max Gettys Erwin
1994-1995 James Noel Johnson
1995-1996 James Bynum Carter
1996-1997 James Boyce “Jick” Garland, Sr.
1997-1998 Lonnie Austin Waggoner, Jr.
1998-1999 George S. Anderson, Sr.
1999-2000 Plato P. Pearson, Jr.
2000-2001 Daniel Boone Moser
2001-2002 Rebecca Blankenship Carter
2002-2003 Caroline Harris Garrison
2003-2004 William David Lawson, III
2004-2005 Carl Ellis Fisher, M.D.
2005-2006 Donald L. Warren
2006-2007 William Brownlee Seabrook

(Contributed by Jo Ann Scott)