Records of the Boise Rotary Club
MSS 138
N.B. Additions have been received which extend the dates of many of the series in the collection.
Consult the archivists in the Special Collections Department for more information.
Paul Harris founded Rotary in the first decade of the twentieth century. He wanted to bring together business people with varied background for social fellowship and community service. The first official Rotary Club meeting was on February 23, 1905, in Chicago, Illinois. Paul Harris promoted the idea outside of Chicago and by 1908 San Francisco became the hometown of the second Rotary Club. By 1910 there were 16 Clubs throughout the United States. That same year club representatives met in Chicago in August to form the National Association of Rotary Clubs. In 1912, Canada and England established clubs and the name changed to the International Association of Rotary Clubs. The Rotary convention of 1922 shortened the name to Rotary International, which has remained to the present.
The Rotary Club is a business service organization. Locally supported clubs involve themselves in community projects for the betterment of society. Rotary Club International developed membership requirements for participation in the club based on business activities. Membership in Rotary is by invitation only, and only a Rotarian can propose someone for new membership. Membership classification is broken down into hundreds of professions, but at any given time there can only be one representative from each classification.
The Boise Rotary Club formed in 1917. The Boise Chamber of Commerce called an organizational meeting early in the year in which about fifteen businessmen attended. The first meeting of record occurred on March 29, 1917. Seventeen charter members were present and they established important committees. Boise was the 120th Rotary club formed. As of the mid 1980s membership was approximately 250. Future weekly meetings were set for lunch on Thursdays, which have remained constant throughout the club’s history. A second meeting was on April 5, 1917, during which they installed the first officers, C.A. Barton as President, H.F. Lemp as Vice-Pres, R.R. Alexander as Secretary. During the Saturday evening banquet of April 28, 1917, at the Owyhee hotel, the Governor of District 14, Dr. R.C. Witherspoon, officially installed the officers of the new Boise Rotary club. More than 100 men from Boise, Salt Lake City and Portland attend the banquet. Portland Rotary Club President Charles E. Cochran presided. The first service obligation that the Boise Club accepted on June 7, 1917, was to raise $2200 for the Salvation Army.
The various clubs of Rotary International are divided into districts. Each district elects a Governor who presides for one year. These districts change as new clubs are added and the membership increases. The result is that the Boise Club has been in several different districts. The club was founded while in district 14. Boise is presently in district 540 of Rotary International.
Community service projects of the Boise club have included such things as the Annual High school scholarships, the international student exchange program, Crime stoppers, a playground for handicapped youth, a soccer field, the young artist competition, and the annual Business Week.
With the increasing growth of Boise came the necessity of new Rotary Clubs. The Rotary formed second club on January 20, 1972. Since then two other clubs have been established in Boise to bring the total to four clubs. The Boise Rotary Club has maintained a membership over 200 since the 1960’s.
by David H. Crain
Scope and Contents Note
N.B. Additions have been received which extend the dates of many of the series in the collection.
Consult the archivists in the Special Collections Department for more information.
The Boise Rotary Club collection contains records of the club, beginning with the formation of the organization in 1917 continuing through to approximately 1990. The collection is organized into 7 major series and housed in 16 manuscript boxes. The 7 series are:
1. Reports
2. Financial
3. Board of Directors minutes
4. Secretary's files
5. Miscellaneous
6. Boisetarian
7. Miscellaneous newsletters
plus Oversize materials
The Rotary Club is organized according to the policies and guidelines of Rotary International. The fiscal year of the Rotary Club runs July 1 through June 30. This is the time frame that the officers serve within and the method by which business is conducted. Officers are elected annually and serve for a one year period. There does not appear to be a limitation of the president who presides over an elected board of directors. The various service committees of the organization report directly to the board of directors.
The collection is not an exhaustive record of the Boise Rotary. This appears to be a result of different record keeping practices of the various secretaries who headed up the administrative affairs of the organization. Some secretaries stayed in office for many years while others maintained the position for the one year period. Some secretaries obviously archived more materials than others. The result is a spotty record with very little information in some periods and an over abundance in others.
Most of the files are organized by fiscal year. Others were collected in calendar year groups.
Two books were removed from the collection and cataloged: History of District 542, by T. Earl Pardow, and Service is My Business, which is a publication of Rotary International. These two books can be located through the Library's catalog. Also removed from the collection was a set of the annual convention year book of Rotary International.
The collection was donated to the Albertsons Library by the Boise Rotary Club in November 1994. Additions to the collection are expected.
Collection Number: MSS 138
Inclusive Dates: 1917-1990
Collection size: ca. 7 feet (in 16 boxes and 1 oversized folder)
Processed by: David H. Crain, 1995
Box and Folder List
N.B. Additions have been received which extend the dates of many of the series in the collection.
Consult the archivists in the Special Collections Department for more information.
The files in this box contain information about club activities, committee reports, membership and some budget reports.
Box 1: Reports
Folder 1: Monthly Reports, 1917-1920
Folder 2: Semi-Annual Report, 1969-1971
Folder 3: Annual Report, 1964-1969
Folder 4: Annual Report, 1969-1972
Folder 5: Annual Report, 1972-1973
Folder 6: Annual Report, 1973-1974
Folder 7: Annual Report: 1983-1986
Folder 8: Annual Report, 1986-1989
This is a record of weekly deposits, amounts deposited, and in the early records, a record of individual amounts. The budget files contain spreadsheet style annual budgets.
Box 2: Bank Deposit / Budget
Folder 1: Bank Deposit Slips, 1925-1927
Folder 2: Bank Deposit Slips, 1928-1930
Folder 3: Bank Deposit Slips, 1931-1933
Folder 4: Bank Deposit Slips, 1934-1935
Folder 5: Bank Deposit Slips, 1936-1937
Folder 6: Bank Deposit Slips, 1938-1940
Folder 7: Bank Deposit Slips, 1941-1943
Folder 8: Bank Deposit Slips, 1944-1945
Folder 9: Bank Deposit Slips, 1946-1947
Folder 10: Bank Deposit Slips, 1948-1950
Folder 11: Budget, 1920-1969
Folder 12: Budget, July 1969 – June 1975
Folder 13: Budget, July 1975 – June 1980
Folder 14: Budget, July 1980 – June 1985
Folder 15: Budget, July 1985 – June 1989
Box 3: Misc Receipts / Income Tax Returns
The income tax returns below are not complete for all the years indicated. The miscellaneous receipts are a varied collection of transactions, mostly 1940’s, not organized in any manner.
Folder 1: Income Tax Returns, 1969-1988
Folder 2-6: Misc Receipts
Series 3: Board of Directors- Minutes
Box 4: Board of Directors Minutes – Bound Books
These are bound pages of records of the meetings. Earlier pages contain minutes of both the Board of Directors as well as weekly club meetings.
Book 1: Board Meeting Minutes, 1920-1922
Regular Club Meeting Minutes, 1920-1922
Book 2: Board Meeting Minutes, March 1924- June 1950
Regular Club Meeting Minutes, March 1924 – June 1950
Box 5: Board of Directors Minutes
The minutes in box 5 are a collection of loose pages which appear to have come out of the bound books of the previous box.
Folder 1: Board of Directors – Minutes, January- December 1917
Folder 2: Board of Directors – Minutes, January- December 1918
Folder 3: Board of Directors – Minutes, January- December 1919
Folder 4: Board of Directors – Minutes, January- December 1922
Folder 5: Board of Directors – Minutes, January- December 1923
Folder 6: Board of Directors – Minutes, January- March 1924
Box 6: Board of Directors Minutes
Box 6 contains a nearly complete record of the monthly Board of Directors meetings, some months are missing.
Folder 1: Board of Directors, July 1966 – June 1967
Folder 2: Board of Directors, July 1967 – June 1968
Folder 3: Board of Directors, July 1968 – June 1969
Folder 4: Board of Directors, July 1969 – June 1970
Folder 5: Board of Directors, July 1970 – June 1971
Folder 6: Board of Directors, July 1971 – June 1972
Folder 7: Board of Directors, July 1972 – June 1973
Folder 8: Board of Directors, July 1973 – June 1974
Folder 9: Board of Directors, July 1974 – June 1975
Folder 10: Board of Directors, July 1975 – June 1976
Folder 11: Board of Directors, July 1976 – June 1977
Folder 12: Board of Directors, July 1977 – June 1978
Folder 13: Board of Directors, July 1978 – June 1979
Folder 14: Board of Directors, July 1979 – June 1980
Folder 15: Board of Directors, July 1980 – June 1981
Folder 16: Board of Directors, July 1981 – June 1985, Misc
Folder 17: Board of Directors, July 1985 – June 1986
Folder 18: Board of Directors, July 1986 – June 1987
Folder 19: Board of Directors, July 1987 – June 1988
Folder 20: Board of Directors, July 1988 – June 1989
Folder 21: Board of Directors, July 1989 – June 1990
The Secretary files contain a wide variety of information concerning the administration of the club. These files include correspondence, membership, and activities.
Box 7: Secretary Files
Folder 1: 1917-1922
Folder 2: 1923
Folder 3: 1924
Folder 4: 1925
Folder 5: 1926-1939
Folder 6: 1941-June 1945
Folder 7: July 1945 – June 1946
Folder 8: July 1946 – June 1947
Folder 9: July 1947 – June 1948
Folder 10: July 1948 – June 1949
Folder 11: July 1949 – June 1950
Folder 12: 1954-1959
Folder 13: 1960 – June 1970
Folder 14: July 1970 – June 1971
Folder 15: July 1971 – June 1972
Folder 16: July 1972 – December 1972
Folder 17: January 1973 – June 1973
Box 8: Secretary Files
Folder 1: July 1973 – June 1974
Folder 2: July 1974 – June 1976
Folder 3: July 1976 – June 1978
Folder 4: July 1978 – June 1980
Folder 5: July 1980 – December 1980
Folder 6: January 1982 – June 1981
Folder 7: July 1981 – June 1981
Folder 8: July 1982 – June 1982
Folder 9: July 1983 – June 1983
Folder 10: July 1984 – December 1984
Folder 11: January 1985 – June 1985
Folder 12: July 1985 – September 1985
Folder 13: October 1985 – December 1985
Folder 14: January 1986 – March 1986
Folder 15: April 1986 – June 1986
Box 9: Secretary Files
Folder 1: July 1986 – September 1986
Folder 2: October 1986 – December 1986
Folder 3: January 1987 – March 1987
Folder 4: April 1987 – June 1987
Folder 5: July 1987 – September 1987
Folder 6: October 1987 – December 1987
Folder 7: January 1988 – September 1988
Folder 8: April 1988 – June 1988
Folder 9: July 1988 – September 1988
Folder 10: October 1988 – December 1988
Folder 11: January 1989 – February 1989
Folder 12: March 1989 – April 1989
Folder 13: May 1989 – June 1989
Box 10: Conventions
Box 10 contains information related to the annual district conference.
Folder 1: District Conference, 1927
Folder 2: District Conference, 1931
Folder 3: District Conference, Bills, 1931
Folder 4: District Conference, 1935
Folder 5: District Conference, Bills, 1935
Folder 6: District Conference, 1941
Folder 7: District Conference, 1945-1947
Folder 8: District Conference, 1948
Folder 9: District Conference, 1976
Folder 10: Other
Box 11: Roster of Members and Committees, 1928-1989
Box 11 contains a collection of annual address books of the members. It is a complete list of names and addresses of members and in later publications it also includes photos of each member.
This box contains an assortment of record as listed on individual file folders
Box 12: Miscellaneous
Folder 1: Correspondence - Undated
Folder 2: Rotary Foundation / Paul Harris Fellow, 1981-1985
Folder 3: Paul Harris / Rotary Foundation Budget, 1981-1985
Folder 4: Group Exchange, 1982-1986
Folder 5: Youth Exchange, 1977-1981
Folder 6: Youth Exchange, 1982-1987
Folder 7: Soccer Field Pledges, 1987-1990
Folder 8: Club Committees, 1923-1932
Folder 9: Constitution & By-laws
Folder 10: Elections, 1918-1948
Folder 11: Miscellaneous
Folder 12: Outline of Classifications, 1937
This is a collection of the weekly newsletter printed by the Boise Club to keep members informed of weekly activities. This is a source of information related to functions and activities of the club. It includes records of who spoke at weekly meetings and what they talked about, names of visiting guests, and news items of significance to the club.
Box 13: Boisetarian
Folder 1: July 1948 – June 1949
Folder 2: July 1949 – June 1950
Folder 3: July 1950– June 1951
Folder 4: July 1951– June 1952
Folder 5: July 1952– June 1953
Folder 6: July 1953– June 1954
Folder 7: July 1954– June 1955
Folder 8: July 1955– June 1956
Folder 9: July 1956– June 1957
Folder 10: July 1957 – June 1958
Folder 11: July 1958 – June 1959
Folder 12: July 1959– June 1960
Folder 13: July 1960 – June 1961
Box 14: Boisetarian
Folder 1: July 1961 – June 1962
Folder 2: July 1962 – June 1963
Folder 3: July 1963 – June 1964
Folder 4: July 1964 – June 1965
Folder 5: July 1965 – June 1966
Folder 6: July 1966 – June 1967
Folder 7: July 1967 – June 1968
Folder 8: July 1968 – June 1969
Folder 9: January 1972 – June 1972
Folder 10: July 1972 – June 1973
Folder 11: July 1973 – June 1974
Folder 12: July 1974 – June 1975
Folder 13: July 1975 – June 1976
Folder 14: July 1976 – June 1977
Box 15: Boisetarian
Folder 1: July 1977 – June 1978
Folder 2: July 1978 – June 1979
Folder 3: July 1978 – June 1980
Folder 4: July 1980 – June 1981
Folder 5: July 1981 – June 1982
Folder 6: July 1982 – June 1983
Folder 7: July 1983 – June 1984
Folder 8: July 1984 – June 1985
Folder 9: July 1985 – June 1986
Folder 10: July 1986 – June 1987
Folder 11: July 1987 – June 1988
Folder 12: July 1988 – June 1989
Series 7: Miscellaneous News Letters
This is a collection of other news letters and information from Rotary International
Box 16: Miscellaneous News Letters
Folder 1: Rotary International News, 1917-1922
Folder 2: Rotary International Weekly Letter, July 1916 – June 1917
Folder 3: Rotary International Weekly Letter, July 1917 – June 1918
Folder 4: Rotary International Weekly Letter, July 1918 – June 1919
Folder 5: Rotary International Weekly Letter, July 1919 – June 1920
Folder 6: Rotary International Weekly Letter, July 1920 – June 1921
Folder 7: Rotary International Weekly Letter, July 1921 – December 1921
Folder 8: Other Rotary Clubs
Folder 9: District 540 News Letters, 1981-1985
Special Edition of the North Side News, Jerome, ID. Coverage of the District 540 Conference, June 17-19, 1982, at Twin Falls