Salem Rotary Club History

The First Officers Of The Salem Rotary Club

Seated, left to right, Robert W. Hill, Secretary. George W. Ashton, President.    J. Clarke Brown, Vice President. Top Row, left to right, Directors Arthur H.
 Palmer, Robert P. Butterick,
Lawrence Pedrick, S. Fred Smith, Aubrey Nelson

Rotary Comes To Salem, Massachusetts

Although the Rotary Club of Lynn and Salem were sponsored by Boston Rotary, it is an interesting coincidence that both the Lynn and Salem Clubs were sparked into existence by contacts with Haverhill, whose club was formed in 1915. Fred Whittier of Lynn attended a meeting of the Haverhill club as a guest while he was in that city on business, thus leading him to take steps to bring the movement to Lynn.

 

In Salem a photographer by the name of Aubrey Nelson had been a member of the Haverhill club before moving to the Witch City, and he started things moving by talking with Fred Smith, who was with the Electric Light Company. Fred carried his enthusiasm to Clarke Brown, who was in the hardware business, and among the 3 of them, they enlisted the support of Robert Butterick, who was with the Telephone Company, and a lawyer by the name of Robert Hill. It wasn't long before they had captured the interest of George Ashton, in the retail shoe business, a clothier by the name of Arthur Palmer and a druggist  by the name of Lawrence Pedrick, from Ropes Drug

 

These 8 men were the group that traveled to Boston to meet with Lester Winchenbaugh, who was the Deputy District Governor at the time, and with that one meeting the die was cast.

 

According to the minutes of meetings which are available at the Salem Public Library, the Salem Rotary Club had its first meeting on Tuesday, January 8th, 1918, at the Roger Conant Inn at Washington Square. We still have the attendance records for 1918, and there were 23 people present that night. Among their official acts they nominated the following officers: President George W. Ashton, Vice President J. Clarke Brown, Secretary Robert W. Hill, and Treasurer Robert P. Butterick.

 

Salem Rotary's early records were kept in a lock box. After having been missing for many years, it was located in 1978 in one of the vaults in the basement of the Salem 5¢ Savings Bank. Book 1 contains the attendance records from day one. Book 2 contains the minutes of every weekly meeting and book 3 contains the minutes of every directors meeting. The lock box is now in the Salem Library.

 

Our first 8 meeting took place at the Roger Conant Inn, but membership increased so rapidly that getting into larger quarters was inevitable. For some time we debated whether to take the 2nd floor of the Lynde Building at the corner of Essex Street and Hawthorne Boulevard. During negotiations the management offered the club a trial meeting, including a free meal. Following that evening, and in spite of the rent that was $10 per month higher, the Franklin Building became our permanent meeting place.

 

We had 54 members at that time, and they chipped in over a thousand dollars to purchase tables, chairs, dishes, linens and various other necessities. George Morrill gave a large tapestry to hang on the wall, and Robin Damon contributed a clock with the proviso that it should always be placed facing the speaker. Pictures were given to Clarke Brown, Bill Strangman and Frank Tuttle and somehow, a piano was procured.