The Rotary Club of Temple

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Marker No: 22461

Aluminum 27 x 42 Subject Marker

Geographic: 

Location: 925 North 4th Street, Temple

Marker Text: Part of an international voluntary association of business leaders. The Rotary Club of Temple first under one goal of improving its community on April 19, 1921, when several Wacorotarians met with 122 interested Templemen to formally organize. Roy Campbell (1875-1952) was the first president and John B. Daniel Sr. (1877-1940) was vice-president. 
  Initially focusing on education, a student loan fund was created in 1922, and later elbowed into a Rotary scholarship program. During World War II, McCloskey General Hospital (now Theoline, Teague Medical Center under the Department of Veterans Affairs) became one of the U.S. Army's largest general hospitals. The Temple club organized efforts to contribute a sizable greenhouse to provide therapy for recovering soldiers. Texas Rotarians furnished the materials while prisoners of war, assigned as laborers at the hospital, did the construction. During the mid-1980s, local Rotary clubs, as well as other charities, donated funds and materials to build a Ronal McDonald House to serve the families of hospitalized children receiving treatment at Temple medical facilities.
    Originally a males-only club, a 1987 U.S. Supreme Court ruling against Rotary International's exclusivity allowed women to join. The Rotary Club of Temple has continued to provide leadership and funding for many services that benefit Bell County residents and visitors. Projects such as building and dedicating the Rotary Centennial Park are long-lasting and are enjoyed by continued generations. (2019) 
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