Brief History
BRIEF HISTORY OF EVERETT ROTARY CLUB
Everett, Washington
by Lawrence E. O'Donnell, Everett Rotary Historian, December 4, 2017
Henry Prince, an Everett tobacco store owner and former Tacoma Rotarian, called a meeting on December 8, 1916, to discuss the formation of a Rotary Club in Everett. With Tacoma Rotary as sponsor, the Everett Club was organized one week later by 52 Everett professional and business men. Attorney Clayton Williams was elected the first president. On March 1, 1917, Everett Rotary was chartered as Club No. 272 by the International Association of Rotary Clubs (now Rotary International), which traced its origin to the first club in Chicago, Illinois in 1905.
Today, Everett Rotary continues its affiliation with Rotary International, a service organization that has over 1,230,000 members in more than 35,000 clubs. Among its many programs, Rotary International is probably best known for its nearly completed effort to eradicate polio world wide. Everett Rotarians have contributed generously to the Rotary Foundation, including the Polio Plus campaign. In addition, the Club has conducted a number of its own international projects in countries such as Mexico, India and the Dominican Republic. At the local level, Everett Rotary has been involved in countless activities from the sponsorship of hospital rooms to support of the Achievement Via Individual Determination (AVID) program for students. Service to youth has been the prime focus and the Club is proud of the nearly four million dollars of scholarships it has awarded to local students.
In 2016-2017, the approximately 140 members of Everett Rotary celebrated the Club Centennial with more than a half million dollars of local and international projects, a new written Club history, an insert in the (Everett) Herald newspaper, a Founders Day Gala, a Charter Night Party, and a special Club luncheon attended by Rotary International President John F. Germ.