History of the Cedar Falls Rotary Club

In the summer of 1923, Roger Leavitt, C.A. Morris, Jack Newman, Harry Isreal, Frank Weisbard and Fred Adams met at the Black Hawk Hotel for dinner and to discuss the possibility of starting a Rotary Club in the city of Cedar Falls. The next morning they canvassed Main Street inviting business and professional men to join in starting a Rotary Club. The Waterloo Rotary Club sponsored the Cedar Falls Club and on the evening of February 4, 1924, the District Governor weathered a blizzard to present the charter to a packed house of about 100 people. There were 20 charter members with Roger Leavitt serving as the first President. At the first regular meeting after organizing, President Seerly of Iowa State Teachers College said, “the one thing that seems to impress everyone is that people have it in their heads and in their hearts to do something for others, for the community and for society in general.” The first year was spent organizing and building the Club.

To encourage regular attendance during one of the early years, the Club was divided into groups. A box of oranges was the prize and the winners presented their prize to residents of the Western Home. From 1924 to 1931 there was a period of healthy growth in membership and in Rotary spirit. The early 1930’s influence of the depression and slow recovery preceding World War II were difficult times. There was even pressure to disband the Club. But in the late 1930’s the Club took on new life and membership began to increase.

During World War II food problems became so acute that the Black Hawk Care was forced to discontinue serving Rotary lunches. Almost a year later arrangements were made with the Cedar Falls Woman’s Club for luncheon service. The programs during the 1940’s were influenced by the problems of the war, but soon after, Rotary emphasis was placed on serving youth.

During the thirty-five year period following World War II, the Cedar Falls Rotary Club grew in membership and in service to the community. Service projects ranged from reconditioning the recreation center, construction of a shelter house on the Clay Street playground to furnishing a room at Satori Memorial Hospital and paving the bike path entry to George Wyth Park. Under the Presidency of LeRoy Redfern, the Club celebrated the Golden Anniversary, the 50th anniversary of the founding of Rotary by Paul Harris.

In 1987, the Cedar Falls Rotary Club responded generously to Rotary International’s goal to raise $ 123 million to immunize the children of the world against polio and other dreaded diseases. Forty-two thousand dollars was pledged over a three-year period by Club members and $219 million was pledged to Rotary International, far exceeding the goal. During the same year, the court case in California cleared the way for the admission of women to Rotary in the United States, Eight new women members were inducted into the Cedar Falls Rotary Club in the 1987-88 year.
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In the spring of 1990, the Cedar Falls Rotary Club proudly chartered the first Rotaract Club in District 597. The Club chartered membership consisted of twenty-seven outstanding University of Northern Iowa students and one young businessperson. In July 1991, the Club completed the shipment of education books to Orlu, Nigeria. Each year the Rotaract Club continues to sponsor one or more service projects.

In the decades of the 1980’s and 1990’s numerous local organizations and projects were supported by contributions from the Cedar Falls Rotary Club. The number of major projects and the size of contributions grew significantly. In 1988, a contribution of
$ 2,500 was made for the construction the Hearst Center for the Arts. Combined with individual Rotary member gifts, more than $ 30,000 was contributed to this project, a significant response in honor of James Hearst, a highly respected and 27-year member of our Club. Generous gifts from James and Merle Hearst and the community made the Hearsts’ dream of a center for the arts a reality.

In 1991, the Club held a successful spring auction fundraiser, a project chosen as a commitment to community service and Rotary Club fellowship. The success is embodied in a new Club committee and dedication of $ 10,000 to the new Cedar Falls Recreation Center. Success from the first two years of the auction was a factor in the pledging of
$ 9,000 to the renovation of the Regent Theatre and $ 15,000 over a five-year period for the University of Northern Iowa Performing Arts Center. In addition, funding was provided to assist the Cedar Falls Historical Society in the construction of the Carriage House Museum. Financial assistance was also provided to enhance the bike and recreation trails. To support the youth of the area, the Cedar Falls Rotary made a significant contribution for the development of the Cedar Valley Soccer Complex.

To begin the new millennium, our Club provided $ 15,000 to establish the Rotary Prairie Park, a ten-acre prairie near Big Woods Lake. Clearing and planting with 82 varieties of prairie grass and wildflowers was completed in the spring of 2001. In recognition of this outstanding project, Rotary District 597 made a one time grant of $ 8,000. Grant funds will be used to develop a trail through the prairie and establish signage. The land is owned by the City of Cedar Falls.

In addition to the Rotary Prairie Project, the Cedar Falls Rotary Club is extremely pleased to have provided financial assistance for the new Cedar Falls Public Library, a community facility that will be used by citizens of all ages. The Club has also provided financial support for the construction of the new McLeod Center at the University of Northern Iowa.

In keeping with the purpose of Rotary, each year the Cedar Falls Rotary Club endeavors to serve our community, nation, and the world through worthwhile projects.

Robert R. Hardman, Club Historian and Past President