Club
grows to 275 members in 1980s
Spawns the Charleston Breakfast Club
From
"Service Above Self: A History of the Rotary Club of Charleston
-- 1920 - 2004," published Feb. 2005.
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more.
You can learn all about the Club's activities in the 1980s by
downloading the full chapter. |
The
Eighties brought exciting change to the Rotary Club of Charleston.
The Club, like the city of Charleston, was growing, and during these
times members had to make important decisions about how far and
in which direction Charleston Rotary should grow. The Club realized
that to grow sometimes meant to tear down walls.
And
when walls came down in Charleston, new opportunities arose for
Rotarians to do what they do best - serve. One of the most notable
events to occur during the decade was the acceptance of women to
the Club. Breaking down walls allowed the Charleston Club to sponsor
the creation another club in the area, the Charleston Breakfast
Club, and for the original Club to move to a new meeting location.
As
the decade was coming to a close, on September 21, 1989, the members
of the Rotary Club of Charleston experienced Hurricane Hugo literally
tearing down walls no one ever dreamed of taking down. Hugo was
arguably the greatest natural devastation to Charleston since the
great earthquake of 1886. The people of Charleston pulled together
during this time, and members of the Rotary Club once again responded
like they always did, serving the community with their time and
resources.
Membership
The
Club began 1980 with more than 215 members. By the end of the decade
as women were able to join for the first time, the Club grew almost
30 percent to 278 members.
Projects
and community service
Club
members dedicated countless hours to community service project during
the Eighties. Among the most noteworthy were the Gift of Life program,
which the Club started to help pay medical expenses for life-saving
operations for children from Third World countries, and the Wood
for Warmth program, which provided free firewood to local needy
families.
Club
members also collected used stamps, which were used to get credits
for vaccines in Third World countries, and hundreds of pounds of
clothes and shoes for the needy in Honduras.
Members
agreed to raise money to fund international efforts to eradicate
polio and a local effort to finish a campaign to erect a statue
in Wraggsborough Square.
During
the decade, members helped to start a Charleston Breakfast Rotary
Club and an Interact Club.
Notable
speakers
The
Club continued to attract high-quality speakers to educate and entertain
members weekly. Among the more notable:
- Club
member Reuben Greenberg, the local police chief who attracted
the attention of the TV program 60 Minutes;
- Lou
Roddis, a member who described an investigation into the Chernobyl
nuclear disaster based on his experience as a member of a study
commission appointed by President Reagan;
- Gene
Figg, a Charleston native with an international reputation as
a major builder of bridges;
- College
of Charleston President Harry Lightsey, who described how the
school was gaining a great national reputation; and
- State
Ports Authority Chairman Bob Royall, who described how the port
was growing.
--
David Abel, contributing editor
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