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