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*	1972-1973	Walter T. Pulliam - 59 Harriman, TN*
1916-1917	James H, Allison, Nashville, TN*	1973-1974	Theodore F. Wagner - 60 Kingston TN*
1917-1918	James F. Finlay, Chattanooga, TN*	1974-1975	John P. Guerry - 61 Chattanooga TN*
1918-1919	Joseph W. Porter, Lexington, KY*	1975-1976	Webster Pendergrass - 62 Knoxville TN*
1919-1920	Iverson L. Graves, Knoxville, TN*	1976-1977	Sam Cordell - 63 McMinnville TN*
1920-1921	Charles W. Bailey, Clarksville, TN*	1977-1978	Fred Brown - 64 Athens TN*
1921-1922	T. Graham Hall, Nashville, TN*	1978-1979	Franklin Yates - 65 Shelbyville TN*
1922-1923	James H. Richmond, Louisville, KY*	1979-1980	C.C. "Red" Williams - 66 Oak Ridge, TN*
1923-1924	Will R. Manier, Jr. Nashville, TN*	1980-1981	James L. Lacy - 67 Cookeville TN*
1924-1925	W.J. Craig, Bowling Green, KY*	1981-1982	Robert G. Ely, Jr. - 68 Knoxville TN*
1925-1926	Leonard C. Lamb, Knoxville, TN*	1982-1983	C. Morgan Lorance - 69 Shelbyville TN*
1926-1927	H. Vasser Somerville, Paris, TN*	1983-1984	Thomas T. Tidwell, Sr. - 70 Knoxville TN*
1927-1928	James A. Cayce, Nashville, TN*	1984-1985	Ray L. Nation - 71 Chattanooga TN*
1928-1929	Robert Yost, Bristol, VA/TN*	1985-1986	David L. Cope - 72 Oak Ridge TN*
1929-1930	Frank M. Frankland, Jackson, TN*	1986-1987	M. Eugene Turner - 73 Crossville TN*
1930-1931	Eldridge W. Palmer, Kingsport, TN*	1987-1988	Douglas J. Ferguson - 74 Gatlinburg TN*
1931-1932	John L. Hill, Nashville, TN*	1988-1989	Winston L. Wallace 75 Manchester TN*
1932-1933	Robert L. Peck, Springfield, TN*	1989-1990	Arthur V. Clancy, Jr., - 76 Knoxville TN
1933-1934	Alexander Guerry, Chattanooga, TN*	1990-1991	William Hackemann - 77 Shelbyville TN*
1934-1935	William P. Cooper, Chattanooga, TN*	1991-1992	George W. Evans -78 Oak Ridge TN*
1935-1936	F. Bond Wilkinson, Jackson, TN*	1992-1993	James A. Andrews - 79 Cookeville TN*
1936-1937	Clarence P. Daniel, Bristol, VA/TN*	1993-1994	Donald R. Collette - 80 McMinnville TN*
1937 -	Eldridge W. Palmer, Kingsport, TN*	1994-1995	Arthur H. Pickle - 81 Knoxville TN
1937-1938	H. Grady Huddleston, Nashville, TN*	1995-1996	H. Bert Coble - 82 Lebanon TN*
1938-1939	J.U. Overall, Jr., Dyersburg, TN*	1996-1997	John F. Germ - 83 Chattanooga TN
1939-1940	H.B. Barks, Chattanooga, TN*	1997-1998	Charles E. Whittle - 84 Oak Ridge TN*
1940-1941	Howard K. Edgerton, Lebanon, TN*	1998-1999	Charles E. Nunley - 85 McMinnville TN*
1941-1942	John T. Gray, Jr., Brownsville, TN*	1999-2000	Harry L. Fields, III - 86 Chattanooga TN
1942-1943	C.V. Bruner, Cookeville, TN*	2000-2001	James H. Buckner - 87 Cleveland TN
1943-1944	R.L. McBride, Jr. Lewisburg, TN*	2001-2002	Jackson (Jack) B. Richard - 88 Oak Ridge TN*
1944-1945	B.C. Durham, Ripley, TN*	2002-2003	Robin Hines -89 Tullahoma TN*
1945-1946	Winfield Hale, Rogersville, TN*	2003-2004	Don Hinch - 90 Crossville TN*
1946-1947	N.T. Lowry, Nashville, TN*	2004-2005	John Bailey - 91 Knoxville TN*
1947-1948	Mort Greenstone, Paris, TN*	2005-2006	Karen Wentz - 92 Maryville TN
1948-1949	J. Everett Allen Chattanooga, TN*	2006-2007	Jim Devlin - 93 Tullahoma TN
1949-1950	Webb Follin, Shelbyville, TN*	2007-2008	Robin Textor - 94 Oak Ridge Breakfast TN
1950-1951	F. Dwight McDonald, Knoxville, TN*	2008-2009	Carol LaRue - 95 Maryville TN*
1951-1952	William J. Sanders, Jr. Tullahoma, TN*	2009-2010	Carol Foster - 96 Fayetteville TN
1952-1953	Kenneth H. Brown, Cleveland, TN*	2010-2011	Bobby Davis - 97 Kingston Tn
1953-1954	Harry L. Armstrong, Lebanon, TN*	2011-2012	Frank Rothermel - 98 Knoxville TN
1954-1955	David Lockmiller, Chattanooga, TN*	2012-2013	Jack Bailey - 99 Oak Ridge TN
1955-1956	Mason Gooch, Sparta, TN*	2013-2014	Ray Knowis - 100 Tullahoma TN
1956-1957	Bruce H. Sisler, Gatlinburg, TN*	2014-2015	Jerry Wear - 101 Pigeon Forge TN
1957-1958	G.A. Gearish, Fayetteville, TN*	2015-2016	Beth Stubbs - 102 Maryville TN
1958-1959	Henri T. Marius, Lenoir City, TN*	2016-2017	Fred Heitman - 103 Oak Ridge TN
1959-1960	Charles M. Clark, McMinnville, TN*	2017-2018	Debbie Alexander-Davis - 104 Kingston TN
1960-1961	Charles H. Miller, Knoxville, TN*	2018-2019	Jim Roxlo - 105 Chattanooga Breakfast TN
1961-1962	Richard Moore, Chattanooga, TN*	2019-2020	Greg Maciolek - 106 Knoxville Breakfast TN
1962-1963	Luke Nabors, Morristown, TN*	2020-2021	Ron Appuhn - 107 Maryville TN
1963-1964	W.H. Hawkersmith, Tullahoma, TN*	2021-2022	Cindy Gammons - 108 Lafayette
1964-1965	William T. Sergeant, Oak Ridge, TN*	2022-2023	Alan Clark, Jr. - 109 Franklin County A.M. TN
1966-1967	Russell H. Pitchford, Carthage, TN*	2023-2024	Susie Cantrell - 110 Cookeville-Sunset TN
1966- Frank B. Ward* 1967 Knoxville TN		2024-2025	Rob Dansereau - 111 Knoxville Volunteer TN
1967- Ernest L. Stockton* 1968 Lebanon TN
1968- Frank B. Ward* 1969 Knoxville TN
1969- James L. Bomar, 1970 Shelbyville TN* 1970- L.T. Reeves 1971 Cookeville TN* 1971- John C. Brandt, 1972 Tullahoma TN* *Deceased
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.