Date Chartered:
August 23, 1961

1st Officers & Directors:
Herman Abrams - President; George F. Jenny - VicePresident; Irving N. Budoff - Secretary; Philip R. Cooper - Treasurer; Bert W. Corneby - SgtAtArms; Richard H. Thomas & Chester Waszkiewicz, Jr. - Directors

Charter Members:
Herman Abrams; Irving N. Budoff; Philip R. Cooper; Bert W. Corneby; E. Anthony Gordon; Herman Hoffman; John S. Huntington; George F. Jenny; Roger J. Levesque; Harold J. Lyman; Ernest N. Metcalf; Gerald G. Murphy; Gerhard G. Musch; G. Stuart Seaman; George W. Storm; Albert R. Strafella; Richard H. Thomas; Donald N. Urbanke; John Chester Waszkiewicz, Jr.; Robert G. Williams, Jr.; Keith R. Kelts; Howard F. Kline; Robert Suppe.

 

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The Rotary Club of New Hartford received its Charter in August 1961. Charter night was held at Trinkaus Manor on Wednesday October 18, 1961, the first official meeting of the club. There were 23 original charter members present at that meeting. One of these members, Don Urbanke, is still active in the Club.

The first president was Herman (Hy) Abrams, who was the proprietor of a clothing store in the New Hartford Shopping Center. Phil Cooper was the first treasurer. Don Urbanke and Stu Seaman were the fourth and the fifth presidents. Many outstanding individuals from a varied list of occupations have served the club well as president. The club has had a number of meeting places over the years, including some notable ones such as the Ed-Rich Restaurant in the New Hartford Shopping Center. Later on the name of this restaurant was changed to the Red Onion. In order to provide privacy, we moved to the Elks Club on French Road. This meeting place turned out to be an excellent choice and our home for the longest period of time.

Our first attempt at fund-raising was an auction which we held at the New Hartford Shopping Center in the fall of 1962. For many weeks in advance, members were kept busy picking up items for the sale. We even auctioned off several boats and an automobile in the open area of the parking lot. Pancake day was started in 1969, and continues to be one of our major fund raising projects. In 1975 and 1976, the club sponsored horse shows which were held at Tantivy Farms in Kirkland. This project involved selling ads for a program and assisting in many ways at the show. Around this same time, a tradition also developed of having an auction at a regular club meeting early in December each year. For several years, this auction financed a Christmas party for the patients at the Children's Hospital. The Rotary meeting was held with the children, and Santa Claus distributed many gifts purchased with the proceeds of the auction. Santa was impersonated by our own member, Ralph Allinger from WIBX.

An annual golf tournament was started in 1993 and continues as a fund raising project, benefiting the New Hartford Public Library and the New Hartford School System, furthering our participation in Rotary International's literacy program. The club established the Bob Houston Scholarship Fund in memory of Past Preident and Past District Governor Bob Houston. Annually, a two year scholarship to attend MVCC is awarded to a New Hartford High School senior. We also purchased the materials and built the first picnic tables for the opening of the New Hartford Town Park. In 1970, we participated in the centennial celebratin of the founding of the village of New Hartford by organizing and producing the New Hartford Queen Pageant. We also raffled off a scaled down model T Ford to raise funds for the project.

In conjunction with Rotary International's 75th anniversary fund for health, hunger and humanity, the club pledged $15.00 per member. The first project financed under this program was the administering of 700,000 tetanus toxoid shots to children all over the world. The second part of this program provided over one million polio immunizations for children in underdeveloped countries. Our club has been an active participant in the student exchange program, hosting a student, sometimes two, every year. Many other worthwhile projects were accomplished over the years, such as the manufacture and donation of several special wheel charis for young patients of Perthese disease. The son had the disease. Help us to make our future history a memorable one with many additional outstanding projects. - compiled by Don Urbanke, Club Historian

 

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What Is Rotary:
The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular, to encourage and foster the following 4:

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, goodwill, and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

 

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Paul Harris Fellow Awards & Recognition Categories

Anyone who contributes — or in whose name is contributed — a gift of US$1,000 or more to the Annual Programs Fund may become a Paul Harris Fellow. Each new Paul Harris Fellow receives a commemorative certificate, a Paul Harris Fellow pin and a medallion. Cumulative donors are eligible for Paul Harris Fellow recognition when their giving reaches US $1,000.

For each additional gift of US $1,000 or more, including cumulative gifts, a Paul Harris Fellow is recognized as a multiple Paul Harris fellow is eligible to receive a new Paul Harris Fellow Pin with one sapphire for each additional US$1000 gift, up to five sapphires, and may also choose to honor some one else as a Paul Harris Fellow with their Foundation Recognition Points, formerly available credit.

Donors whose contributions to the Annual Programs Fund reach US$7,000 to US$9,000 are eligible to receive a new pin with the likeness of Paul Harris. These pins have one ruby for each additional gift of US $1,000.

A Paul Harris Fellow (frequently called PHF) -- named in honor of Rotary's founder --is the distinction afforded a person who contributes, or in whose name is contributed, US$1,000 to The Rotary Foundation. A new Paul Harris Fellow will receive, upon request, a personalized certificate with presentation folder, a lapel pin, and a medallion with neck ribbon. The distinction is reserved for individuals, either living or dead, and may not be conferred, as has been attempted, upon beloved pets, fictitous characters or inanimate objects.

A Paul Harris Sustaining Member (frequently called PHSF) is a person who makes a minimum initial gift of US$100 and states in writing his/her intention to make a minimum of US$100 or more per year thereafter to the Annual Programs Fund.

The most common types of contributions eligible for Paul Harris Fellow credit is that made to the Annual Programs Fund. Those making the following restricted contributions are also eligible for Paul Harris Fellow Recognition: World Fund, PolioPlus, PolioPlus Partners, sponsor portions of approved Matching Grants, sponsor portions of approved 3-H Grants, and approved Helping Grants.

 

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The 4-Way Test: One of the most widely printed and quoted statements of business ethics in the world is the Rotary 4-Way Test. It was created by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor in 1932 when he was asked to take charge of a company that was facing bankruptcy. Taylor looked for a way to save the struggling company mired in depression-caused financial difficulties. He drew up a 24-word code of ethics for all employees to follow in their business and professional lives.

The 4-Way Test became the guide for sales, production, advertising and all relations with dealers and customers, and the survival of the company is credited to this simple philosophy. Herb Taylor became president of Rotary International in 1954-55.

The 4-Way Test was adopted by Rotary in 1943 and has been translated into more than a hundred languages and published in thousands of ways. Here it is:

The 4 Avenues of Service: For seventy years (since 1927), the program of Rotary has been carried out on four Avenues of Service (originally called channels). These avenues - Club Service, Vocational Service, Community Service and International Service - closely mirror the four parts of the Object of Rotary.

Club Service includes the scope of activities that Rotarians undertake in support of their club, such as serving on committees, proposing individuals for membership, and meeting attendance requirements.
Committees are: Audit, Banners, Bowling, Budget, Classification, Curling, Elections, Good Cheer, Historian, Membership, Membership Development, Member Retention, New Member Organization, Photographer, Public Relations, Roster.

Vocational Service focuses on the opportunity that Rotarians have to represent their professions as well as their efforts to promote vocational awareness and high ethical standards in business. From offering career guidance in high schools, to seeking ways to improve conditions in the workplace, Rotarians and their clubs engage in many different kinds of vocational service.
Committees are: Vocational Awareness, Vocational Awards, Vocations at Work.

Community Service includes the scope of activities which Rotarians undertake to improve the quality of life in their community. Many official Rotary programs are intended to meet community needs, whether it be to promote literacy, help the elderly or disabled, combat urban violence or provide opportunities for local youth.
Committees are: Polio Plus, AIDS Awareness, Community Projects, Environmental Concerns, Handicapped Persons, Literacy Programs, Progress Recognition, Rotary Extension, Senior Citizens, Student Loans, Urban Concerns, Youth Services.

International Service describes the activities which Rotarians undertake to advance international understanding, goodwill and peace. The spread of Rotary clubs across the globe allows for the concerted Rotary support of humanitarian efforts worldwide.
Committees are: World (WCS) Community Service, Rotary Foundation, Youth (YE) Exchange, Group Study (GSE) Exchange. compiled by webmeister Marlene Brown

Club Correspondance forms found here.