Rotary District 6780

District History

A Brief History

In 1913, the Rotary Club of Nashville was chartered, the first in Tennessee and only eight years after Paul Harris founded Rotary in Chicago. The Memphis and Chattanooga clubs were chartered in 1914, the Knoxville Rotary Club was chartered in 1915 following a trade visit to that city by a group of businessmen from Louisville, Kentucky - one of whom was a Rotarian. Harriman, chartered in 1919, was the fifth Rotary Club chartered in Tennessee and the first outside the major cities.

The area that presently comprises District 6780 is defined as follows: "Tennessee, that portion east of western boundaries of the counties of Macon, Trousdale, Wilson, Cannon, Coffee, Bedford, and Lincoln, and west of the western boundaries of the counties of Sullivan and Greene." This boundary has been in effect since July 1, 1950.

District 6780's geographical area has evolved over the years. Districts of which the present 6780 area was once a part include :

1915 - District 6: Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Arkansas.
1918 - District 13: Kentucky and Tennessee.
1922 - District 23: Kentucky, Tennessee (except Shelby County), and Virginia (that portion west of the eastern boundaries of the counties of Tazewell, Smyth, and Washington).
1925 - District 52: Tennessee (except Shelby County) and Virginia (that portion west of the eastern boundaries of the counties of Tazewell, Smyth, and Washington).
1937 - District 163: Tennessee (except Shelby County and that portion east of the western boundaries of the counties of Hancock, Hawkins, and Greene).
1949 - District 236: Tennessee, that portion west of the western boundaries of the counties of Sullivan and Greene, except Shelby County.
1950 - District 237: Tennessee, that portion east of the western boundaries of Macon, Trousdale, Wilson, Cannon, Coffee, Bedford, and Lincoln, and west of the western boundaries of the counties of Sullivan and Greene.
1957 - District 678: Same as District 237 except number was changed.
1991 - District 6780: Same as District 678 except number was changed.
2019 - District 6780 has 64 clubs and approximately 3,300 Rotarians.
2020
2021 - District 6780 has 64 clubs and 2790 Rotarians.

Past District Leadership

1915-1916	R.A. McDowell, Louisville, KY*	1966-1967	Frank B. Ward, Knoxville, TN*
1916-1917	James H, Allison, Nashville, TN*	1967-1968	Ernest L. Stockton, Lebanon, TN*
1917-1918	James F. Finlay, Chattanooga, TN*	1968-1969	Frank B. Ward, Knoxville, TN*
1918-1919	Joseph W. Porter, Lexington, KY*	1969-1970	James L. Bomar, Jr., Shelbyville, TN*
1919-1920	Iverson L. Graves, Knoxville, TN*	1970-1971	L.T. Reeves, Cookeville, TN*
1920-1921	Charles W. Bailey, Clarksville, TN*	1971-1972	John C. Brandt, Tullahoma, TN*
1921-1922	T. Graham Hall, Nashville, TN*	1972-1973	Walter T. Pulliam, Harriman, TN*
1922-1923	James H. Richmond, Louisville, KY*	1973-1974	Theodore F. Wagner, Kingston, TN*
1923-1924	Will R. Manier, Jr. Nashville, TN*	1974-1975	John P. Guerry, Chattanooga, TN
1924-1925	W.J. Craig, Bowling Green, KY*	1975-1976	Webster Pendergrass, Knoxville, TN*
1925-1926	Leonard C. Lamb, Knoxville, TN*	1976-1977	Sam Cordell, McMinnville, TN*
1926-1927	H. Vasser Somerville, Paris, TN*	1977-1978	Fred Brown, Athens, TN*
1927-1928	James A. Cayce, Nashville, TN*	1978-1979	Franklin Yates, Shelbyville, TN *
1928-1929	Robert Yost, Bristol, VA/TN*	1979-1980	C.C. “Red” Williams, Oak Ridge, TN*
1929-1930	Frank M. Frankland, Jackson, TN*	1980-1981	James L. Lacy, Cookeville, TN
1930-1931	Eldridge W. Palmer, Kingsport, TN*	1981-1982	Robert G. Ely, Jr., Knoxville, TN*
1931-1932	John L. Hill, Nashville, TN*	1982-1983	C. Morgan Lorance, Shelbyville, TN*
1932-1933	Robert L. Peck, Springfield, TN*	1983-1984	Thomas T. Tidwell, Sr. Knoxville, TN*
1933-1934	Alexander Guerry, Chattanooga, TN*	1984-1985	Ray L. Nation, Chattanooga, TN*
1934-1935	William P. Cooper, Chattanooga, TN*	1985-1986	David L. Cope, Oak Ridge, TN*
1935-1936	F. Bond Wilkinson, Jackson, TN*	1986-1987	M. Eugene Turner, Crossville, TN*
1936-1937	Clarence P. Daniel, Bristol, VA/TN*	1987-1988	Douglas J. Ferguson, Gatlinburg, TN*
1937 -	Eldridge W. Palmer, Kingsport, TN*	1988-1989	Winston L. Wallace, Manchester, TN
1937-1938	H. Grady Huddleston, Nashville, TN*	1989-1990	Arthur V. Clancy, Jr., Knoxville, TN
1938-1939	J.U. Overall, Jr., Dyersburg, TN*	1990-1991	William Hackemann, Shelbyville, TN*
1939-1940	H.B. Barks, Chattanooga, TN*	1991-1992	George W. Evans, Oak Ridge, TN*
1940-1941	Howard K. Edgerton, Lebanon, TN*	1992-1993	James A. Andrews, Cookeville, TN*
1941-1942	John T. Gray, Jr., Brownsville, TN*	1993-1994	Donald R. Collette, McMinnville, TN*
1942-1943	C.V. Bruner, Cookeville, TN*	1994-1995	Arthur H. Pickle, Knoxville, TN
1943-1944	R.L. McBride, Jr. Lewisburg, TN*	1995-1996	H. Bert Coble, Lebanon, TN*
1944-1945	B.C. Durham, Ripley, TN*	1996-1997	John F. Germ, Chattanooga, TN
1945-1946	Winfield Hale, Rogersville, TN*	1997-1998	Charles E. Whittle, Oak Ridge, TN*
1946-1947	N.T. Lowry, Nashville, TN*	1998-1999	Charles E. Nunley, McMinnville, TN*
1947-1948	Mort Greenstone, Paris, TN*	1999-2000	Harry L. Fields, III, Chattanooga, TN
1948-1949	J. Everett Allen Chattanooga, TN*	2000-2001	James H. Buckner, Cleveland, TN
1949-1950	Webb Follin, Shelbyville, TN*	2001-2002	Jackson B. (Jack) Richard, Oak Ridge, TN*
1950-1951	F. Dwight McDonald, Knoxville, TN*	2002-2003	Robin Hines, Tullahoma, TN*
1951-1952	William J. Sanders, Jr. Tullahoma, TN*	2003-2004	Don Hinch, Crossville, TN*
1952-1953	Kenneth H. Brown, Cleveland, TN*	2004-2005	John Bailey, Knoxville, TN
1953-1954	Harry L. Armstrong, Lebanon, TN*	2005-2006	Karen Wentz, Maryville, TN
1954-1955	David Lockmiller, Chattanooga, TN*	2006-2007	Jim Devlin, Tullahoma, TN
1955-1956	Mason Gooch, Sparta, TN*	2007-2008	Robin Textor, Oak Ridge-Breakfast, TN
1956-1957	Bruce H. Sisler, Gatlinburg, TN*	2008-2009	Carol LaRue, Maryville, TN*
1957-1958	G.A. Gearish, Fayetteville, TN*	2009-2010	Carol Foster, Fayetteville, TN
1958-1959	Henri T. Marius, Lenoir City, TN*	2010-2011	Bobby Davis, Kingston, TN
1959-1960	Charles M. Clark, McMinnville, TN*	2011-2012	Frank Rothermel, Knoxville, TN
1960-1961	Charles H. Miller, Knoxville, TN*	2012-2013	Jack Bailey, Oak Ridge TN
1961-1962	Richard Moore, Chattanooga, TN*	2013-2014	Ray Knowis, Tullahoma Noon
1962-1963	Luke Nabors, Morristown, TN*	2014-2015	Jerry Wear, Pigeon Forge
1963-1964	W.H. Hawkersmith, Tullahoma, TN*	2015-2016	Beth Stubbs, Maryville
1964-1965	William T. Sergeant, Oak Ridge, TN*	2016-2017	Fred Heitman, Oak Ridge
1966-1967	Russell H. Pitchford, Carthage, TN*	2017-2018	Debbie Alexander-Davis, Kingston
*Deceased		2018-2019	Jim Roxlo, Chattanooga Breakfast
		2019-2020	Greg Maciolek, Knoxville Breakfast
		2020-2021	Ron Appuhn, Maryville

The College of Governors consists of every past governor who resides in the district. The college is comprised of distinguished Rotarians of vast experience who continue their availability to the district and the current governor for service, collectively and individually. Since July 1, 1950, when the present boundaries of District 6780 were established, district governors have come from Rotary clubs within these boundaries. Rotary District 6780 expresses its most sincere appreciation to the Chattanooga Rotary Club for serving as the depository for past district records and archives of historical value. All clubs should send materials of value to this depository in Chattanooga. A special thanks is given to retired Chattanooga Executive Secretary, Mrs. Thelma Hipp, for this service to the district.