The History of Our Club
The history of our Rotary Club begins in 1922 when Rev. Clarence Wood, the Rector of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Roselle, started to think of what benefits a Rotary Club might bring to the boroughs of Roselle and Roselle Park. After visiting several Rotary Clubs while traveling in Georgia and being impressed with what he saw, Rev. Wood returned and contacted the President of the Rotary Club of Westfield, Robert Harden, about starting a Rotary Club in Roselle and Roselle Park. Clarence and Bob were able to spark the interest of 16 men and thus the first meeting was held at the Van Court Inn, located on the corner of First Avenue and Chestnut Street in Roselle, on February 23, 1923. Those 16 men accepted the idea of formally organizing a Rotary Club and a second meeting was held on March 2, 1923. At this meeting Jay W. Rewalt was elected President and the Constitution and By-Laws were adopted as were the organization plans to charter the Club. The first Executive Board was organized on April 6, 1923 and on April 27, 1923 the first slate of officers for the 1923-1924 Rotary Year were elected. The officers were: President - Jay W. Rewalt, Vice President - Elmer Smith, Secretary - Charles Applegate and Treasurer - Arthur Churchill.
Charter night was held on June 7, 1923 in St. Joseph’s Hall. District Governor Lion Woodward presented the charter to President Rewalt and the Rotary Club of Roselle - Roselle Park was born and was officially affiliated with Rotary International as Club Number 1420 in Rotary District 36.
Over the years the Rotary Club of Roselle – Roselle Park has established itself as a great club dedicated to the Object of Rotary which is to encourage and foster the ideals of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster: First: The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service; Second: High ethical standards in business and professions; the recognition of the worthiness of all useful occupations; and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society; Third: The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business and community life; Fourth: The advancement of international understanding, good will and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.
With the Object of Rotary in mind, you can see that the ideal of service is divided into four major Avenues of Service, Club, Vocational, Community and International. Since 1923 The Rotary Club of Roselle - Roselle Park and its members have served each of these Avenues of Service with commitment and pride. The following are examples from each Avenue of Service:
CLUB: 86 years of club leadership, mandatory club attendance, membership development and retention, financial support, fellowship, recreational activities, the club has produced four District Governors, Rev. Herbert K. England, Don C. Lingenfelter (1951-1952), Arthur S. Williams (1965-1966) and James T. Simmons, Jr. (1992-1993), J. Melville McDonnell received the district’s highest honor, the F.S. Matty Matthewson - Rotarian of the Year Award in 1991, Richard O. Johnson and Vincent A. Belluscio have received the District’s Vocational Service Award, James T. Simmons, Jr. has received the Rotary Foundation’s Citation for Meritorious Service and its highest honor the Distinguished Service Award.
VOCATIONAL: High ethical standards in our workplaces, career expo, promoting the Four Way Test, Career guidance to the students and our Student of the Month Program.
COMMUNITY: Autism New Jersey, Relay For Life,Dictionary Project, Adopt-A-Highway, Boys & Girls Club, Central Jersey Multiple Sclerosis Society Bicycle Fundraiser, Student Loan Fund, Scholarships, Holiday Food Baskets, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, Camp Letico, Boys State, Girls State, Libraries, Ambulance Squads, RYLA, Interact, Battered Women Shelters, Union County Amateur Radio Association, Veteran’s Project Honoring WW I and WWII Veterans, Flag Poles at each library, Inter-Faith Council, Youth Sports, Officer Rotary Robot and our Fire and Police Departments.
INTERNATIONAL: Over $135,219.00 in support to the Rotary Foundation (81 Paul Harris Fellows, 2 Benefactors, 2 Major Donors), Water for Peace Project in Central America, Eradication of Polio, Hospital built in Tagum in the Philippines, S.O.S. Childrens Village in Austria, Brother Paul’s Leprosy Colony in India, Host Group Study Exchange Guests, Youth Exchange, Well Project in Senegal, and orphanages in the Dominican Republic and Haiti.
Our Rotary Club and its members are proud of its commitment to the ideals of service and look forward to many, many years of service to the boroughs of Roselle and Roselle Park and the international community as well.
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