History of Reynolda Rotary

1982    Pete Hondros, Dr. David Burr (Winston-Salem), and Jim Kitchen (Stratford) meet to talk about starting a third club.

1983    On August 24, Dr. Burr presided at the first meeting of the provisional Rotary Club held at RJR Headquarters. There were 18 prospective members. A nucleus committee of Winston-Salem, Stratford, and the new club was formed:  David Burr, Wade Phillips, Bob Sprinkle, Marcus Crotts, Don Hamrick, Pete Hondros, Will Mann, Larry Sheppard and Fred London

The second meeting was held on September 23 at the Holiday Inn North with 19 charter members and seven from Winston-Salem and Stratford. At the October 14 meeting, the name "Reynolda Rotary" is selected. Friday, 12:30 p.m. chosen as the permanent meeting time. Meetings were to be held at the Holiday Inn North.

The Charter was received on January 6, 1984 with a celebration at Winston Square on March 21, 1984. Rick Wesley was the Master of Ceremonies. Pete was unable to finish his first term due to illness, and Wayne Roquemore completed the year for him. The Charter members were:

1984-1985 Larry Sheppard was the first full-term president. Community Service began by working with the Salvation Army Boys' Club. It was decided that "we wanted Rotary to be fun without compromising its' principles of service and goodwill."

1985-1986 Dan Taylor was President during what became known as the "Where Is the President?" year. Dan says that his year as President led the way for anyone else to be president and that came to pass the very next year.

1986-1987 Rick Wesley was President when we earned the club's first district citation for doing well. We raised $16,850 for the Polio Plus campaign. This was the year we let Gary Strickland join the Club.

1987-1988 During Bill Voiers' term the first women were admitted. They were Kitty Green (1/15/88) and Gayle Anderson (2/5/88). Our newsletter won its first district award. We began to develop the first directory. We hosted exchange students from Brazil and Austria. We received a Presidential Citation. The meeting place moved to AT&T.

1988-1989 Jim Clapper hired Lynn Ebert as Executive Secretary. His greatest legacy!

1989-1990 Mike Wells was President, in spite of the fact that he came from West Virginia. We helped build Habitat for Humanity house and had record support for the Benevolence Fund. The membership process was refined. Members enjoyed a bus trip to a Charlotte Hornets game.

1990-1991 During Will Mann's term we hosted a group study exchange from Osaka, Japan. The Community Service and Vocational Service Committees sponsored six business/community tours for members of the Boys' Club. We were represented at the first joint Piedmont meeting for Save Planet Earth. Our one mistake - Bert Wood was allowed to slip into the Club.

1991-1992 George Lautemann's goal for the year was "to have fun." We had two visits from the District Governor. Don Moore, Executive Director of the Boys' Club was presented with a Paul Harris Fellowship. Coach Gaines set the record as the winningest coach in college basketball. The Reynolda Rotary Review won the District 7690 Merit Award.

1992-1993 During Jim Fyock's term our membership increased by 10%, and we sponsored a new club in Clemmons. For a brief time, we met at Staley's Steak House. We received a Presidential Citation.

1993-1994 Sara Smith was our first female President. We began meeting at the Lawrence Joel Veteran's Memorial Coliseum, and our membership passed 100 for the first time. We began "drafting" committee members, and the Board began meeting after lunch on the first Friday of the month. Passing of the President's Coat tradition began.

1994-1995 During Paul Sinal's term, we sponsored our first member of a Group Study Exchange - Steve Lyda went to Norway. We also hosted a group from Norway. We held an art auction as a fund-raiser. The Reynolda Rotary Review won the District 7690 Club Bulletin Award. Pete Hondros, our first President, died.

1995-1996 Jim Martin initiated the International Service Committee to begin looking at opportunities for international service. We hosted a group study exchange from Denmark.

1996-1997 During Tom McDowell's presidency, we established a sister club relationship with the Rotary Club of Poznan, Poland. He, Robert Eshelman and Tom Taylor went to Poland. Later that year, we hosted a group of nine members of the Poznan Club.

1997-1998 Katherine Memory was President. We achieved an average of 76% and a total membership of 114. One hundred percent of our membership participated in the Benevolent Fund. Dues were increased to $125 per quarter, and we began filing federal income tax returns and established a 501C3 status for our Club. Reynolda Rotary Club won four awards:

District 7690 Membership Development & Retention Award for 1997-1998
Presidential Citation from Rotary International for 1997-1998
United Way of Forsyth County's Community Volunteer Organization Award for 1998
Governor's Award for Outstanding Volunteer Service for 1998

1998-1999 J.D. Wilson was President. Stuart Fountain was District Governor. During his tenure, our membership rose to 124. We won the Presidential Citation. Continued relationship with Poznan Club. Agreed to co-sponsor Habitat House with the Clemmons, Kernersville and Winston-Salem Rotary Clubs. Katherine Crosby was one of our guest speakers. Charter Members automatically took the Senior Active Classification during January 1999.

1999-2000  Charles Hauser  was President.   John Haynes was District Governor.   Hurricane Floyd devastates Eastern North Carolina.  We raised $5,515 that was sent to fellow Rotarians in District 7720.   Executive Secretary Lynn Ebert was acknowledged and thanked for her 10 years of service.   Our sister-club in Poznan, Poland sent Wojciech Siepnewski to spend about five weeks in the U.S.  Wojciech is the son of a Rotarian in Poznan.  We sent student Spencer Robert, who was hosted by the Poznan club, for an additional five weeks.  Secretary Bill Petree established a web site for us.    Reynolda, Winston-Salem, Clemmons, and Kernersville Rotary Clubs built the “Rotary House” in conjunction with Habitat for Humanity.  We won Club Bulletin Award at District Conference for “large club” Reynolda Rotary Review.  

2000-2001 David McMillan was President.  Jack Greene was District Governor.  We completed the Habitat for Humanity "Rotary House."  The District sponsored a Lithuanian exchange student, Marius Grazenbergas; he attended our club meetings a few times.   The Reynolda Rotary Review stopped being mailed to the entire membership.  Those that requested it, now receive the Review via e-mail.   District Governor-Elect, Terry Alexander, died. President-Elect Florence Corpening represented us at International Conference, held in San Antonio, Texas; PETS, and District Assembly.   Don't forget the jokes that President David told each week.

2001-2002   Florence Corpening was our President -- the 20th of our Club.PDG Stuart Fountain was again District Governor (due to death of District Governor-Elect Terry Alexander).  District Theme was "Make Terry Proud."  RI Theme was "Mankind is Our Business."  Forty-six (46) from our club attended a meeting sponsored by the Chamber and the Winston-Salem Rotary Club in which the proposed Wachovia /First Union merger was the topic.  Due to LJVM Coliseum construction (enlarging the Assembly Room and Administrative Offices), we met in various locations for a while (from July 13, 2001  'til March 2002 , we either met in the Home & Garden Building, Bridger Field House or the Main Lobby of the Coliseum).  We had a push to increase our Paul Harris Fellows and Sustaining Members.  At the end of this fiscal year, we have  60 Paul Harris Fellows (2 of these are Benefactors) and 23 Paul Harris Sustaining Members.  Four of these were made Paul Harris Fellows during this fiscal year.  We took in 6 new members and maintained an average of 60% attendance within the district.

Warren Steen was our President.   Henry Brown was District Governor.  RI Theme was "Sow the Seeds of Love."  "The Power of One" was the District Theme.  We began this year with membership at 127.   Our August 16 program brought record attendance as everyone came out to hear Honorary Reynolda Rotarian and Congressman Richard Burr.  Friday, August 23 was Reynolda Rotary Night at the Ballpark, which DG Brown also attended.  We've re-established contact with our sister club in Poznan, Poland.  We hosted the GSE Team from Nigeria, taking them on company tours and hosting a banquet in their honor at the Piedmont Club.  We kicked off our Centennial Project; our project is Cook Elementary School.   Our club won the Gold Club Award for our projects/work this fiscal year; award presented at District Conference.

2003-2004    Our president was Emmett McCall.  Robert Newton was District Governor.  RI Theme was “Lend a Hand.”  Our August 1 meeting was held at Cook Elementary School (our Centennial Project partner).  We held our 1^st Annual Reynolda Rotary Yardsale, where many of the proceeds will benefit Cook.   Our December 19, 2003 meeting was held at Cook School, where we scattered so that each classroom had 4-5 Rotarians in addition to its teacher.  Each classroom played Christmas Bingo and made holiday crafts, and each child received a holiday stocking filled with toys and candy, along with a football for the boys and a doll for the girls.  January 6, 2004 marked Reynolda Rotary’s 20th Anniversary, which we celebrated by having a special program during our January 23 meeting.    For a week in April, we held a Book Fair for the students at Cook.  We hosted the GSE team from Mexico; our nominee to the out-bound GSE team, Catrina Thompson, was accepted.

2004-2005       Gerald Chrisco was this year’s president.  Don Allred was District Governor.  DG Allred’s visit took place at Cook Elementary School.  Additionally, ADG Ed Robbins, WS/FC School Superintendent Don Martin, and a few school board members were present.  October 16, 2004 was the 2^nd Annual Reynolda Rotary Yard Sale, held in the parking lots of Blue Rhino/Southern Community Bank.  February 2005 we held our first Fish Fry, with proceeds going to Cook School.  Clarence “Big House” Gaines died at the age of 81.  He was a charter member of our Club.  We won the United Way Volunteer Organization of the Year award.

2005-2006       President this year was Lionel Branscomb.   Phil Morris was District Governor, and he made his visit to our Club on August 26.  RI Theme was “Service Above Self”.   On September 27, 2005, Reynolda Rotary was honored by the Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School Board for all our work at Cook Elementary School.  Jim Fyock, our 11^th club president, passed away October 8, 2005.  He was a Charter Member of Reynolda Rotary.  We held a Family of Rotary Event:  Wine Tasting on March 3, 2006 at Pinebrook Country Club.  Proceeds benefited the Benevolence Fund.  All the 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th graders from Cook Elementary School joined us at our June 2, 2006 meeting.  It was an End-of-Year Celebration.  The students arrived at the Coliseum in stretch Hummers.  In addtion, we had several school board members to join us. June 16, 2006, we held the 1^st Annual Reynolda Rotary/Clarence “Big House” Gaines Golf Tournament.  Twenty-nine teams participated.  Proceeds go into the Gaines Scholarship Fund that we have at the Winston-Salem Foundation.

2006-2007       Robert Eshelman was this year’s president.  Mitzi Ellis was District Governor.  “Lead the Way” was our RI Theme.  One of our members, Thorns Craven, was the GSE Team Leader for the out-bound team that went to Scotland.  We then in turn hosted the Scotland team when they visited in the spring of 2007.  June 8, 2007 was the 2^nd Annual Reynolda Rotary/Clarence Gaines Memorial Scholarship Golf Tournament, again held at Salem Glen.  We raised $11,949.

2008-2009  President this year was Sylvia Oberle.  Charles Allen was our District Governor. Reynolda Rotary turned 25 years old as our club was chartered January 6, 1984.  In recognition of this milestone, we held an Anniversary Gala on March 20, 2009 at Deacon Tower.  Former Reynolda Rotarian and Past President Rick Wesley was the night’s emcee.  All past presidents received invitations to attend.  Lynn Ebert celebrated 20 years as Executive Secretary of Reynolda Rotary.  This year’s theme was MAKE DREAMS REAL.  We sponsored Jenna Farris to India as a GSE member, and after the trip came back to speak as one of our programs.

2009-2010 As its Second Quarter Century began, the club’s leadership boldly embarked on some new pathways. Bill Hinman was Reynolda Club president and Mike Conrad served as District Governor.

Benevolence causes were selected by the board in advance. Members – 90% of whom gave a total of $14,545 – were asked to contribute at one of several suggested giving levels (contrary to the former practice of asking every member to give the same amount). A new membership category – the “Rule of 85” – allows senior members a way to be relieved of any meeting attendance requirement. Katherine Memory became the first such member of the Club. A year before awarding the first grants from the Big House Gaines Scholarship Fund, Clara Lucille Berry Gaines was inducted as the Club’s second-ever Honorary Member. 

The Club installed a new secretary (the second in its history) and a new treasurer (after 9 years of service from one member), and began using new software to track attendance and financial accounts. The website was completely redesigned by David Richards, and offers a broad array of new tools. A Club Assembly was held to elicit members’ input. North Carolina Governor Beverly Perdue spoke to the Club March 5, 2010. New recognition of members who demonstrate exceptional service above self came with the first awarding of the Reynolda Rotary Club Rotarian of the Year Award. The initial recipients were Debbie Cesta & Bill Park for their leadership of the Club’s involvement at Cook School.

Bill Petree served the club as its 1st webmaster, creating our original website. In addition, he served as Secretary for 24 years.

Many thanks also to Amy Gardner who served as Treasurer for 9 years.