Shortly following the founding of Rotary in Chicago in 1905 by Paul Harris and a number of other business associates, other communities began to form similar clubs. It didn’t take long for an organization and missions to form. By 1910 there were 16 clubs with one being in Canada, Rotary International was born.
Originally funded with donations from Rotarian each week – using a “penny jug” coins were collected to begin a scholarship loan fund. The first scholarships were $300 loans, later turned to grants. It is in 1945 that Rotary Club of Lancaster-Depew entered the Hot Dog business, selling hot dogs at football games and sometimes other local events. The first year, profit from the venture was $234.01. Thanks to generosity of the school, food preparations were all originally done in the high school kitchen. It wouldn’t be until the 1970’s that LDRC built the HS concession stand. The popcorn cart didn’t make its appearance until 1983. The stand remains our main source of profit for the scholarship fund.
By 1911 this movement found its way to WNY and the Rotary Club of Buffalo was chartered, becoming RI’s 28th club globally. Through the efforts of the Buffalo Rotary Club on November 10, 1921 there was a meeting held to pursue a local club for our town. Because of the now explosive growth of the organization (just ten years later) the Rotary Club of Lancaster-Depew is club number 4740. Rotary Club of Lancaster-Depew was officially chartered by RI on February 10, 1921. Charter officers were: John F. Patterson, President; Edwin Zurbrick, Vice President; Frank L. Smith, Secretary; Howard L. Meyer, Treasurer; and Raymond M. Smith was the Sergeant-at-Arms. Originally dinner meetings were held in the Village Inn located where the Lancaster Municipal Building now sits. J.O. Garretsee, a charter member, was owner of the Inn and was also a banker and a Mayor of the Village of Lancaster.
Over the years the club has focused on serving many local needs, especially youth services. The club began supporting youth and sports activities right away in the early years in a cooperative effort with Boy Scout Troop #55. The relationship lasted until 1952. Since that time, the club has supported youth theater through the Lancaster Opera House, funded band and sports uniforms and equipment, founded a coat closet, supported local and international projects at Christmas, ran a mentorship program.
Since the beginning the club has raised and given away a six-digit figure toward need-based college scholarships alone for graduating seniors from Lancaster and Depew for more than six decades of consecutive annual awards. Only once in over six decades time has the scholarship amount been reduced. During the 2020 pandemic earnings went to zero, but four scholarships were still awarded to graduating seniors. The concession menu has greatly expanded and adjusted to new tastes. Because of last year’s success, 2022 will bring an increase to the largest scholarships ever granted by the club.
Over the years the club has also supported many international projects with other member clubs through RI. The club has supported cancer research, polio eradication, heart surgeries, helped fund agricultural initiatives, purchased educational resources, wheelchairs and other needed medical implements, and fund small businesses to help women escape poverty. A fresh-water well was constructed by the club in India, in the 1960’s. In 2019 the club financed another fresh-water well in Tanzania, organized (one of ten drilled) spearheaded by RC Amherst. In 2021, a decision to add local plant (moringa seed) for an environmentally sustainable filtration process, was achieved with the added support of the Kenmore RC. This will also create an income source for the small community as well.
Today’s Breakfast of Champions and Breakfast of Character are outgrowths of prior ways the club has reached out to encourage youth. In the 1950’s the club entertained the entire Buffalo Bison’s Hockey Team at a Father and Son dinner where 140 members and guests were present. In 1968, the club began participation in the "Rotary Student Exchange". The following year, we hosted the first student, Dianne Krelle, from Australia. In 1971, Moray Campbell arrived from New Zealand while we sent Kathleen Pionessa to Bolivia for a year. These exchanges were many and continued through about 1990. Through our International Committee, we have hosted many visiting Rotarian, District Governors and their wives from around the world over the years.
D7090 always a leader in giving to RI, Rotary Club of Lancaster-Depew became a 300% member of the Paul Harris Foundation, based on our membership and the amount contributed at the time. The club has continued this history of giving over the decades. Having supported many district initiatives, beginning in 2014, Lancaster-Depew stepped up and helped fund the “Million Dollar Challenge” for D7090.
Beginning in the 1970’s the club began hosting more social programs with spouses, including "Miss Buffalo" cruises, the annual summer "steak-out", a St. Patrick's Day party, a Christmas Dinner Dance at Lancaster Country Club, and joint meetings with other service organizations. There were also informal get-togethers when we hosted visiting District Governors on many occasions.
During the years from 1972-1982, Rotary grew both in the world and in Lancaster-Depew. There were then 19,492 Rotary Clubs and an estimated 901,000 Rotarians in 157 countries around the world. The Lancaster-Depew Club has seen a resurgence of its membership and has grown from 25 members in 1972 to 49 in 1982.
In 1973, the club undertook one of its larger projects it had ever done, when it decided to decorate our downtown business area for Christmas for an estimated cost of $6000. To raise some of this money, the club sponsored concerts by the Shrine Chanters and the Boys Town Choir. The decorations are stored, repaired, upgraded and were put up each year by our club at Thanksgiving. The downtown merchants treated the club to breakfast during the early years.
In 2020 it is these same newly refurbished LED lit decorations that were re-purposed to raise $4,000 for the two local food pantries, during a pandemic by a then yet hopeful-to-be Rotarian. Christmas of 2021 the club doubled down and raised $4,000 for each food pantry as the 57 decorations adorned the CBD.
In 1976 a winning photo in the Rotarian Magazine contest depicted a student decoratively painting a fire hydrant in our "Paint a Plug" project for the Lancaster Village Bicentennial Celebrations. Rotary has benefited the Lancaster High School Marching Band, Carnival Kids Steel Band and the DECA club at the high school as well. Along with five other clubs, we participated for the first time in the Crippled Children's Field Day at Cradle Beach on Lake Erie. We host an Interact Club at Lancaster High School.
In 2015 every member of the club had a PHF, which RI recognized with a banner presentation at District Foundation Dinner that year. In 2016 it became evident that the club could no longer accept the financial risk of a golf outing and the group decided to migrate to an annual car show. A couple of formats and locations have been tried with varying success. The club has a good focus for improvement in 2022, to enhance both operation and profitability.
New ideas are tried and some become annual fundraising events for a term. In addition to those mentioned above, over the years the club has hosted “Radio Days”, band concerts, flea markets, golf tournaments, Million Dollar Hole-in-One Events, gas sales and gas raffles, a fertilizer sale, art raffles, steak cookouts, spaghetti dinners, brick sales, cookbook sales, recently a dine & donate. Fundraisers with the goal of giving back in ways we could not alone. We make it fun, and enjoy working as a team.
At the centennial of the club it is more evident than ever that while history is rich and provides background, it is what we do in the future for local or world benefit that counts most. It is how we serve together that will achieve that progress, therein benefiting others. Our diversity of talents, careers, backgrounds and connections is what makes our organization strong. Having nearly dwindled away before this point, the club is now invigorated and growing again. Of the few clubs that achieve 100, even fewer can say no presidents have repeated. Over the lifetime of LDRC so far there have only been several presidents serve more than a one-year term. None have served more than two.
Over the years the club has met at a variety of venues, always on Thursdays. During the first 85+ years LDRC met for dinner. In addition to changing meeting locations, in 2009 the club made two other major moves. We were in the beta study of the few clubs allowed by RI to pilot a reduced meeting schedule from every week, to two weeks per month. Additionally the club changed from a dinner club to a breakfast format. Meeting schedules have since been further adjusted to member needs a few times. Currently we meet at Russell’s for breakfast at 9:00am. The pandemic led to meetings online and a hybrid format is being kept as a method of attendance for persons who cannot physically attend the meeting. In addition virtual has proved a more efficient way for the BOD to assemble, always.
Diane Terranova is our vibrant Century President. The Rotary Club of Lancaster-Depew is a cohesive team of 20 members, participating in an organization now 1.3 million members strong, and over 34,000 clubs worldwide.
Hopefully you enjoyed this summary, which only scratches the surface of our club’s first 100-year legacy.
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