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.

 

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