Rotary came to McCook in 1921, when Dist. Gov. Luther Brewer came out from Hastings to help the local club get started. A survey of McCook found McCook to be a trading center for 20,000 people, with an active Chamber of Commerce and a suitable place to meet -- The Monte Cristo Hotel, and soon, a fine new hotel, The Keystone).

There were 11 physicians, 11 attorneys, four dentists, four manufacturing plants, five jobbers, four banks, two schools, 30 retail stores, nine churches, two hotels, three newspapers, one railroad -- 85 occupation classifications available, and progressive business men. It was pointed out that the finest band in the state was led by a McCook jeweler, Col. H.P. Sutton, former leader of Ringling Brothers Circus Band.

It should be noted that Col. Sutton declined to join the new club, but his son, Harold, a World War I veteran, did join.

The club was formally instituted on December 14 1921, with the following men in attendance. Virg. Barbazette, Dale Boyles, Bill Bullard, Dan Colson, John Cordeal, Harry Culbertson, C. W. DeGroff, J.N. Gaarde, Bob Gatewood, Tub Jennings, Elmer Kay, Frank Kimmell, Lew McConnell, Fred Pennell, Frank Real, Rolland Reed, Wm. Springer, Marvin Somerville, Harry Strunk, Louis Suess, and Harold Sutton. 27 members from the Hastings Rotary Club were in attendance that night as well.

Marv Sommerville was chosen the first McCook president. Membership fee was set at $10, with annual dues of $20. Charter members were given their badges for free, but new members had to buy their own. At the first meeting Lou McConnell gave a talk about the evils of Trading Stamps for merchants.

While the members took their organization seriously, fun was a big part of the meetings. Originally the Sergeant of Arms was an important office in Rotary. McCook's first Sergeant of Arms was John Cordeal and he imposed the following fines: Failure to wear your button $.25, Being tardy, $. 10, calling another member by his last name or using the title, Mr., Dr., etc, $.10, being absent from a meeting $.50. $1.10 was collected at that first meeting, and $ 100 was appropriated to the new YMCA.

An early project of the McCook Club was to spearhead the drive of $37,800 for the new hospital (the old St. Catherine's). Another sponsored a troop of Boy Scouts, along with a $150 donation for Scout expenses getting to the camp at Champion Lake.

Throughout that first year, new members were taken into the club, but members were also being drummed out of the Club. Railroad man Harry Culbertson was suspended for missing four successive meetings. He was later reinstated, but after another suspension he moved to the Kiwanis Club, where he was still an active member into the 1960s. In September, Baker Lloyd Slaughter, who owned the bakery we eventually bought in 1957, was elected to the club but by November Lloyd had already missed his allotted four meetings in a row and was suspended.

At the 1922, first annual banquet, George Norris, an honorary member, was on the program and among other things said that he would be retiring after his present term in the Senate ended and looked forward to meeting more with the McCook Club -- this was 22 years before he actually retired from public life, following his defeat in 1944.

An early project was the Boys Loyalty Parade, in behalf of Boys Week. In 1923, at a cost of $83.25, the parade was such a success that a full report on the parade was sent to the Natl. Secretary in Chicago. In Aug. Frank Kimmell paid tribute to U.S. President Warren G. Harding, a Rotarian. President Harding had just died in office.

Relationship with the Kiwanis Club was quite cordial. There was always a bit of good natured bantering between the Clubs, but numerous mentions state that Rotary entertained Kiwanis at a dinner at the Keystone, the Kiwanis entertained Rotary at a picnic etc. The Rotary/Kiwanis softball game was a highlight of summer.

In December 1923 Rotary voted to help the Kiwanis Club put on a Mother & Daughter banquet.

In 1925 telephone company manager Frank Hamilton, originally from my home town of Plainview, went into Rotary. This was a good move as over the next 50 years Frank served in all the Rotary offices, as well as Dist. Gov., and ram-rodded numerous successful Rotary projects. Frank's paper on the early day Rotary provided these tidbits.

In 1925 it was proposed that the meeting day change from Friday to Tuesday. Ed Kelso said that he didn't like to eat fish when the rest of the Rotarians were eating chicken, and Pat Walsh said he had eaten so many fish that he didn't want to eat fish again -- ever.

In 1926 the Rotary Club bulletin first came on the scene, with Clem Boughton as Editor In February Dale Boyles had the program and had as his guests veterans from the Civil War. 1. G.W. Furrow, who served under Grant at Vicksburg, 2, Barney Lewis, who served in the 15th West Virginia Division under Sheridan at Opecan and Cedar Creeks, 3.

Tom Bales who served with the 57th Indiana under Rosencrans at Stones's River, 4. Clark Marsh of the 11th Michigan under Gen. Thomas at Chickamauga, 5. John Jamison, McCook's only Confederate veteran, of the 6th Missouri Confederate under Gen. Price at Pea Ridge, 6. T.J. Smith of the 13th Infantry, who ranged up and down the Mississippi River under Sherman. What stories those fellows must have had to tell.

On the day that the cornerstone was laid for the new courthouse in 1926 Attorney General Spillman spoke at the event and to the Club, Members attended a Farmers and Merchants Picnic, where Rotarians outpulled the Kiwanis Club in a tug of war contest. Immediately after that an impromptu team of farmers challenged and made short work in outpulling the Rotarians at that same picnic.

The "Dirty Thirties" brought special problems, even to the Rotary Club.

Reflecting the money-tight situation for everyone, dues were dropped from $20 to $15 per year. Rabbits became a real nuisance in SW Nebraska, competing with livestock for food. In an effort to alleviate the problem, in 1932 the Rotarians joined in a rabbit hunt with the Kiwanians. At a Labor Day Picnic Rotarians joined Kiwanians and Spring Creek Farmers at Dedman's Grove. They also gave $67.90 to the Relief Program.

At one Rotary meeting the featured performer was Harold Larmon, accompanied by Miss Lyman, his music teacher. Harold played four of his own compositions.

Even during the Depression the McCook Club maintained some of the favorite traditions. They entertained an inter-city Ladies Night meeting, where Rotary Clubs from North Platte, Hastings, Holdrege, Orleans, Curtis, and Cambridge, and Oberlin and Atwood in Kansas were in represented. Dist. Gov. Hugh Butler was the guest speaker. The Arapahoe Club challenged McCook to an attendance contest, winners to eat chicken while losers ate beans. At a January meeting McCook, with 100 percent attendance, honored Ed Petersen as the first recipient of the Rotary Good Citizen Award.

Fun was the object of the game when The McCook Club accepted the challenge of a Culbertson group to a Burro baseball game. That year Rotary voted to field a team to play kittenball (softball) in a new league that was being formed in McCook. The Oberlin Rotary Club kitenballers challenged the McCook Club and came away with a 19-5 win, after which they were entertained at a dinner at the Keystone Hotel.

The Rotary Club maintained a close relationship with the College and High

School Athletic teams in the '30s entertaining the teams at meetings, while the teams invited the Rotary Club to be their guests at a home game. In 1938 the Club established a

Rotary Trophy to be awarded to the Outstanding Performer at a track meet.

So much for this glimpse of Rotary in the '20s and '30s the fun, the programs and the place of Rotary in McCook -- another of the fine organizations that have helped to shape the fabric of our community.