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 : |
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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
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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. |