History: a study of the club archives

“How 1984 really turned out in Auburn Rotary”

George Orwell pictured terrible happenings in his book “1984,” which was such a sensation upon its publication in 1949. But in the Auburn Rotary Club events took quite a different turn.

President Bill McLemore opened the year by asking Andy Lamar to investigate the feasibility of establishing an expansion club in the Auburn-Opelika area. By December, Garry Kitely was chairing a committee to form the Lee County Sunrise Club for early risers.

In March, the club welcomed back Clyde Prather as a new old-member.

Later Gene Bramlett served as co-chair for the District Convention meeting in Montgomery at which Marshall Baker, who had served as our president in 1966-67, was elected district governor—the sixth from our Club.

Back in Auburn, the club launched its “Good Citizenship Awards” and selected John Jeffers, Auburn pastor, and Wilford Bailey, former university president, as recipients. In sharp contrast, 12 members of the club asked not to serve on any committee, which upset the members of the Planning Committee.

Report of the History Committee for August 2005