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HOW ROTARY STARTED IN WINNIPEG

This club was organized on Nov. 7th, 1910 as Club number 35. A young Winnipeg business man, P.A.C. McIntyre of Berry Bros., paint and varnish manufacturers, made a trip to U.S. in 1910 and on his way home stopped in Chicago to visit his cousin, Will Lander, who was a member of the Chicago Club No. 1. Pac (as he was called) had lunch with Paul Harris and Ches. Perry and as might be expected, he returned to Winnipeg just filled with Rotary. Pac contacted A. W. Morley (who is often credited with founding the Winnipeg Club) and A. W. interested a few friends and they met in the old Y.M.C.A. building on Portage Ave. at 8 P.M., Nov. 3rd, 1910. After a discussion on the matter, A. W. Morley moved and W. N. Brown seconded a motion "That a Rotary Club be formed". The meeting adjourned and met again on Nov. 7th at 8 P.M. in A. W. Morley's office in 601 McArthur Building. Geo. A. Kobold was elected the first President, W. A. Templeton, Vice-Pres., with W. N. Brown, A. W. Morley and R. S. Rowland as Directors. W. J. Clubb was at that meeting and was a charter member.

The group had been in correspondence with Chesley R. Perry, Chicago, Secretary of the National Association of Rotary Clubs. A letter was read at the Dec. 7th meeting from Ches. in which he said "It is evident this organization is now International." It The group knew nothing much about Rotary and as yet had no constitution or by-laws. Another letter from Ches. dated Jan. 4th, 1911 suggested the Rotary year run from July 1st, but Winnipeg did not follow the suggestion at that time. The Club wrote Chicago to find out what benefit could come from joining the National Association. The letter from Ches. must have been convincing because at once $1.00 was collected from each member as the National Association per capita tax. For months the new Club met monthly at any convenient time and then decided on the second Wednesday in each month. The annual meeting of 1912 was held in the Grange Hotel on Jan. 10th. There were 60 present and bi-monthly luncheons were decided upon. At the 1913 annual meeting held in January the weekly luncheon was adopted.

Chicago invited the Winnipeg Club to send a delegate to the National Association's Convention (the 3rd) to be held in Duluth in August. At that convention Walter J. Clubb of Winnipeg moved "that the name of the organization be changed from National Association of Rotary Clubs to International Association of Rotary Clubs", and the motion was carried. W. J. Clubb was then President of the Winnipeg Club and at this convention he was elected a Vice-President of the International Association, and of course the first officer of Rotary International in Canada. At this Duluth convention also it was decided to drop the "personal gain" idea and branch out into fields of unselfish work. In 1912 five members of the Club secured a charter under "The Joint Stock Companies Act" and the Winnipeg Rotary Club Ltd. came into existence on September 14th, 1912. This was to prevent anyone else using the Rotary name in Manitoba. On Feb. 2nd, 1914 a Private Bill Charter was issued and the "Ltd." was dropped.

There were no districts in Rotary until 1915 when at the San Francisco convention Districts were set-up and all Western Canada was in the 18th District. The Calgary Club had been organized in 1914. Vancouver and Victoria had been organized in 1913. At the Atlanta convention held in June 1917 the 18th District was extended east to take in the Pt. Arthur - Ft. William Club, formed in 1916. Vancouver and Victoria were removed from the 18th District at this 1917 convention but not the rest of B.C. At the Kansas City convention, June 18th, the 18th District was changed to the 19th and was set-up as Alberta Saskatchewan-Manitoba and that part. of Ontario west of the 85th meridian. At the Los Angeles convention in 1922 the 19th District was changed to the 4th. In the 1915-16 Rotary year Sam Dickson of Edmonton, working with Jim Ryan of Calgary and P.A.C. McIntyre of Winnipeg, got the Edmonton Club started. At the San Francisco convention, 1915, Jim Ryan of Calgary was appointed Governor of the new 18th District. The Edmonton Club was Jim Ryan's first; Ft. William-Pt. Arthur was next in 1916 (May 17th) and Moose Jaw was next, also in 1916. The men in Moose Jaw first interested were J. E. Overs (tobacco retail) and J. F. Hare a lawyer. J. F. Hare became the first President. The organization date was May 31st, 1916.

The first District Conference in Western Canada was held at Victoria, Feb. 20-21, 1916. About 250 attended but many were from N. W. United States. It will be noted this was before Vancouver and Victoria were removed from the 18th District. Stu Campbell was Governor of the 18th District for the Rotary year 1916-17 and he served well and is still (1954) an active member of the Winnipeg Club. During Stu's year a conference was held in Winnipeg. Only 57 registered and only the Vancouver Club was represented and by one delegate. Jeffrey Lydiatt of Calgary was Governor in 1917-18 and brought in Regina, Saskatoon, Medicine Hat and Lethbridge. Jeff Lydiatt's name also was to stand high in Rotary as he later served on the International Board.

And so Rotary became International and the 19th District grew and produced many outstanding men in Rotary, amongst whom was James W. Davidson of Calgary, a man who stands out all alone in developing Rotary around the world; also Dr. Crawford McCullough who became President of Rotary in 1921-22.

J.A.C.

[To read about Paul Harris' visit to the Winnipeg club, click here]

Letters to Joseph A. Caulder from the Winnipeg club

[Clink on letter to enlarge]

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