Archives West Finding Aid

The Logan Rotary Club was founded June 17, 1919, through the combined efforts of officers in the Salt Lake City and Ogden Rotary Clubs of 1918. The Logan Rotary Club is a branch of the International Rotary Club, founded February 23, 1905, in Chicago by Paul P. Harris. The name "rotary" derives from the rotation of weekly meeting places for members who gather to discuss projects and listen to guest speakers in hotels, restaurants, and meeting halls. Rotary Clubs in close proximity to one another are organized into districts, and each district holds its own annual District Conference. The Logan Rotary Club belongs to District 542. On a larger scale, each year an International Convention is held, usually in the United States. Founding officers of the Logan Rotary Club were Robert Anderson: President; Ariel F. Cardon: Vice President; Roy D. Thatcher: Secretary-Treasurer, E. S. Budge, Mariner S. Eccles and Roy Bullen: Directors.

Rotarians are businessmen and professionals of a community whose aim is to promote fellowship and good business practices, exemplifying the Rotary motto, "service above self - he profits most who serves best." Each member represents a different business or professional occupation. The four areas of focus for club members are: club service, vocational service, community service, and international service. These areas are reflected in the Rotary Club's committees devoted to youth service, community health and safety, fine arts, education, civic affairs, international information, and contacts, occupational information and rural-urban services. Activities are reported in the publication The Rotarian. Rotarian wives, called Rotary Anns, provided assistance with many of the Rotary Club's fundraising activities and are actively involved in traditional club activities such as the Annual Family Party and Annual Christmas Party.

Since its formation, the Logan Rotary Club's services have grown from supporting established causes to initiating new services. In 1920 the club supported its first cause by raising $6,000 to sponsor the Utah State Agricultural College's Male Glee Club's appearance at the International Rotary Club convention in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Subsequent years witnessed a shift toward initiating projects that impacted the Logan community through a multitude of avenues including, but not limited to, city beautification, establishment of parks and playgrounds, conservation, athletic programs academic support in the form of scholarships and student loans, and outreach to foreign students.

In the 1930s, the Logan Rotary Club also focused on national causes and participated in agencies established under Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal like the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, the Federal Emergency Relief Administration, and the Civilian Conservation Corps. In the 1940s, the club continued to focus on needs close to home; Rotary luncheons were devoted to the war effort, supporting the Red Cross, war bonds, rationing programs, and air raid rehearsals. From the mid- 1940s to early 1990s, the Logan Rotary Club continued to support the local community; some of its bigger projects included erecting a Boy Scout Center on Pioneer Avenue and helping finance Sunshine Terrace, a nursing home/rehabilitation center.