Talk of the Town - Whitley County

(Talk of the Town photo by Marla Fahl) Columbia City Rotarians may have celebrated their 90^th anniversary last Tuesday in front of the site of the club’s first meeting, the Clugston, in Columbia City. Members present for the commemorative photo following Tuesday’s club meeting included, seated from left, Elmer Heinley (a 60 year club member) and Dale Pence. Standing in row one, from left, is Jennifer Zartman Romano, June Keiser, Jacie Worrick, Harold Myers, Dick Haworth, Francis Bundy, Al Anderson and Lisa Harris. Row two, from left, is Ryan Anderson, Trudy Miller-Longhenry, Dr. Renel Alarie, Erica Miller, Tom Drew, Jim Banks, Gene Smith, Brad Minier, Candice Yeakle and Matt Rentschler.

By Jennifer Zartman Romano

History is a peculiar thing.

Sometimes you think you know it and then, when it gets down to it, you realize you might know the whole story.

On Tuesday, May 19, Columbia City Rotarians may have celebrated the 90^th anniversary of the club’s charter. Then again, the celebration might have been a bit premature.

According to local history, the Columbia City Rotary Club was chartered on May 19, 1919, and held their first meetings at the Clugston Hotel in downtown Columbia City.

Rotary International has the club’s charter dated June 19, 1919. Which date is accurate?

An initial look at newspaper coverage of those dates turns up no answers at the Peabody Public Library. Nor did a visit to the Whitley County Historical Museum. Little exists on the early days of the club beyond the written history of the club created in honor of the 75^th anniversary.

Local Rotarians are hoping to find the answer once and for all and perhaps someone in the community knows for sure.

Unfortunately, many of the club’s early rosters, minutes and other important documents were lost in a move between one of the many places the organization has gathered over the years. Possibly somewhere, in the back of someone’s closet or in a storage box, those documents still exist and might shed some light on the subject.

Regardless, local Rotarians are excited about the club’s anniversary – making it among the oldest service clubs continuously meeting in the community.

And, just in case the big day really was May 19, 1919, a large group of Rotarians gathered in front of the Clugston Hotel – still beautiful and glorious today as it was back when the first Rotarians met there – to have their photo taken for posterity on Tuesday afternoon.

A committee is currently planning a major celebration of the group’s 90^th Anniversary on July 10 at 7 p.m. at the site of their first meeting -- The Clugston.