Fifteen Members Charter & Start the Rotary Club of Brentwood

Originally published Friday April 1, 1949 in the Brentwood News

April 1, 1949 – Fifteen business men of Brentwood, Oakley and Byron took final steps at a noon luncheon Monday for the organization of a Rotary Club in Brentwood as a unit of Rotary International, world-wide  service organization.

Listed as charter members are William D. Dickey, Fred Abbott, James de Fernery, Jr, Mark E. Eisele, Wilfred H. Carpenter, Anders C. Anderson, Clair B. Cheseldine, Richard J. Wallace, Frank H. Vonder Ahe, and Stanley E. Nunn of Brentwood; C. C. Olney, Frank R. Shellenberger, Elmer E. Espercia and E. A. H. Prewett of Oakley and Fabin Richard, Jr, of Byron.

Officers had been elected at an earlier meeting with Olney as president, Dickey as secretary, and Wallace as treasurer.

Present at Monday’s meeting were Hal Forsey, president of the Concord club, and Henry Spiess, president of the Antioch club, the sponsoring clubs.  Also present as an interested advisor was Arthur Honegger, member of the Antioch Rotary club.  Organization of the Brentwood cub brings the number in the county to six with clubs already active in Antioch, Pittsburg, Concord, Martinez and Walnut Creek.  Truly international, Rotary has clubs in more than 6,500 cities and 80 countries.

President Olney explained that the Brentwood club will have the same general objectives as all Rotary clubs in North and South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Islands of the Pacific – to foster and encourage the “Ideal of Service” as a basis of worthy enterprise.  “Rotary may be defined as a fellowship of some 315,000 business and professional executives throughout the world who are united in the ideal of service which is thoughtfulness and helpfulness to others: Olney stated.

“Members of Rotary clubs endeavor to exemplify their motto, Service Above Self, in all of the daily business, social and civic contacts by placing obligation to serve others before desire for profit for themselves.  A Rotary club selects its membership on the basis of once active member from each recognized business and profession in the community.:

The Rotary club of Brentwood will have regular weekly meetings at the Continental club at 12:15 each Monday.  As soon as it has been formally admitted to membership by Rotary International, it’s official Rotary charter will be delivered by Al Tisch, district governor at a special meeting which will be attended by Rotarians from many of the clubs in the Rotary district.