A LOOK BACK:Huntington Beach Rotary Club at 20

I hope a great many of you have had a chance to hear the bands in this summer’s Sunday concert series in Central Park.

I just returned from listening to one of these great groups and I must admit that this year’s bands sound better than ever. Maybe it’s the cool weather, the great acoustics from the new band shell or the enthusiasm of the musicians themselves.

Speaking of the new band shell, it seems no matter where I go in Huntington Beach I can’t get away from some of its rich history. If you look past the musicians, you’ll see on the shell the Rotary International emblem.

The Rotary Club in Huntington Beach has a great tradition of civic accomplishments. This week we’ll see how the club evolved, celebrated its 20th anniversary and has continued to serve the community for the past 84 years.

At just about every major Rotary Club event you’re likely to spot longtime member Dale Dunn practicing the club’s motto, “Service Above Self.”

Paul P. Harris, a Chicago attorney, originally founded the Rotary Club in 1905 and in just five years the organization had grown to 16 clubs throughout the nation. The idea of forming a local chapter here in Huntington Beach belongs to one man: William J. Ellery.

Ellery had been a member of the Miami, Ariz., chapter before coming to Huntington Beach to take over the management of the First National Bank in 1923.

Interest in the Rotary organization was stimulated when they held a huge convention in Los Angeles. With assistance from the Santa Ana Rotary Club acting as the “Mother” club, the process began to receive our charter.

With the help of Gus Daly, Mac Robbins and Guy Gilbert, the club received its charter in July of 1923.

There were 17 charter members, including Harry Anderson, Jeff Davis, Tad Dunning, William Ellery, Dr. Gramlich, Loran Henrickson, McClellan G. “Mac” Jones, Roy Kutter, “Mac” McElfresh, Clinton Newland, Leonard Obarr, Oscar Schneider, Ed Suter, Joseph Vavra, Jack Whitney, Vic Wilhelm and Douglas Young.

The first meeting was held on Aug. 3, 1923, inside the cafeteria of the old Huntington Beach High School where 12 members listened to Mac Robbins speak. The meeting was presided over by its first president, Jack Whitney.

These original members held a picnic to celebrate at the Orange County Park (now Irvine Regional Park) on Aug. 17, 1923.

The first few meetings were not well attended, with only about a half-dozen members showing up.

Shortly afterward, local Huntington Beach baker John Eader joined the organization and would remain as an active member for nearly half a century.

During one of its meetings in 1934 charter member Harry Anderson made local history by leading the members in singing its very first song, “Little Liza Jane,” and I wonder if the membership still sings that song today.

The membership celebrated the 20th anniversary of its founding on Aug. 20, 1943, with a huge celebration at the Golden Beach Café at 310 Ocean Ave.

Dr. Lawrence Whittaker was elected the 21st Rotary president and he selected Pete Peterson and Harry Bowman to head the program committee. They invited Mac Robbins of Santa Ana and William Ellery of Monrovia, two of its original members, to the anniversary, where they told the membership of how the club was formed.

Robbins stressed the seriousness and importance of club membership and the obligations of the individual members.

Of the 17 original charter members, only eight were able to attend this anniversary celebration, including M.G. Jones, its only active member.

Many of those eight no longer lived in Huntington Beach, including Anderson, who lived in Los Angeles; Ellery from Monrovia; Obarr in Santa Ana; Dr. Gramlich in Long Beach; and McElfresh from Covina.

During this celebration, Harry Anderson led the members in singing of Little Liza Jane as he had done nine years earlier.

The current song leader, John Peterson, gave a tribute to the club pianist Margaret Colvin. Colvin had played the piano for the club from 1927 until 1972.

John Eader baked a special three-tiered anniversary cake for the occasion, and M.G. Jones made the first cut. Former member John Africa of Tulare was the honored guest of Rotary President Whittaker.

Past presidents of the club read like a who’s who of Huntington Beach, including those of its charter members and also through the years Al Greer, Warren Bristol, Willis Warner, John McDonald, Art Frost, Howard Hepburn, Sam Bowen, Dr. Ralph Hawes, Marcus McCallen, Charles Furr, Dr. Lawrence Whittaker and Dale Dunn.

During the 1950s, the Huntington Beach Country Club served as a meeting place for the Rotary Club and in the 1960s they would meet inside the Sheraton Beach Inn on Pacific Coast Highway.

Other places they met include SeaCliff Country Club, Francois’ restaurant on Beach Boulevard, Pepper’s restaurant, the Elks Lodge and today at the Meadowlark Golf Course.

In 1973, Rotary Club, President Dale Dunn had the honor of celebrating the club’s golden anniversary at the Huntington Inn, where he introduced Jim Spear, past district governor, as the speaker for the evening.

In 1998, the club, under President Harry Selling celebrated its 75th anniversary, when the club sponsored a chili cook-off fundraiser to build the concrete bandstand in Central Park. Recently the club donated the inflatable band shell we see today.