Ipswich MA Rotary - History of Ipswich Rotary

The Ipswich Rotary Club was chartered May 11,1923, under the auspices of the Salem, MA, Rotary Club with an initial membership comprised of 20 local business and professional men. Within 6 months 8 new members were inducted and the club has continued to prosper, meeting continuously at various local venues at noon on Thursdays with an average membership of between 50 and 60 members.

At the very beginning the object of the club was put forth to be, "an organization that would seek" to fulfill its commitment to our own community as well as to the world-wide objectives of Rotary International.” From the very beginning the club demonstrated its commitment by the extent of its service to the community. For the first 20 years the Club sent twenty-four boys annually to the Salem fraternity Boys Camp in Rowley. Other early-year activities included the Club’s donation of the original instruments for the Ipswich High School Band, sponsoring a local Boy Scout troop and providing scholarships for crippled children. Under the leadership of the Club’s first president, Walter Hayward, the Club was noted for doing all the solicitation of funds for Cable Hospital.

During the years of WWII the Club reported "real problems of meeting place and attendance." A quote from the Club secretary for 1942-1943 notes, "Conditions attributable to the war have forced many small business of the type commonly represented in our club to curtail their help and in many cases virtually to dissolve. Men who operate such establishments have been required in some cases, temporarily it is hoped, to switch to other occupations, and in others, to shift their base of business operations in such a manner as to preclude their regular attendance at Rotary meetings."

In spite of the difficulties faced during the war years, the Club continued its tradition of service. In 1942 the Club sponsored the organization of a committee which came to be known as the Boys-in-the-Service Committee with Ipswich Rotarian Clarence Pickard as permanent chairman. This group raised considerable sums and the first Christmas after they were organized they were able to send approximately 500 money orders of $5 each to home-town boys in the service all over the world. During the life of the group, Servicemen and Gold Star Mothers were remembered every Christmas. After the war the committee paid for the memorial in Cowles Cemetery dedicated to the memory of the Ipswich men who gave their lives in the service of their country. During this period the Club sent local newspapers to local servicemen and, interestingly, cigarettes to Ipswich servicemen serving in New Guinea. Financial support was provided to the Red Cross, area support facilities for servicemen and welfare groups.

Following the war the Club returned to more normal conditions. In 1948 the Club celebrated its 25th anniversary and new projects were undertaken such as equipping the junior baseball team with uniforms and helping to finance a trip to Kansas by the Legion baseball team. In addition several major long-term club projects were initiated. A substantial Student Loan Fund was created and funded by auctions and, later, a Horse Show. In 1956, 1957 and 1958 the Club sponsored Harnecues at Maplecroft Farm. That featured harness racing and barbecued steer beef for the benefit of Cable Memorial Hospital. The Harnecues were extremely popular and well attended.

In 1957 the Club began to study the possibility of initiating action leading toward the development of town-owned land on Town Hill as a park for a testimonial to the Rev. Daniel Boone, rector of a local church, an Ipswich Rotarian and tireless worker for the residents of Ipswich. Subsequently the park was established and the Rev. Daniel Boone Park can still be enjoyed to this day.

Past President Irving M. Lippoldt (1959-1960) served as District Governor in 1965-66 and Past President Wilmot E. Hall (1955-1956) served as District Treasurer for many years. In 1962 and 1964 the Club sponsored dinners to honor visitors from Ipswich, England, here under the leadership of the editor of the East Anglican Times.

The Club continued to provide scholarships and loans in subsequent years and also in 1972 the Club launched an ambitious project to provide a substantial donation for the building of a new YMCA facility in Beverly that would also serve Ipswich. Then in 1973 the Club celebrated its 50th anniversary.

In 1979 our Club was host to Rotarians and their wives from the Ipswich East Club of Ipswich, England, and the following year a group of our Rotarians and their wives paid a visit to Ipswich, England. From this beginning the two clubs have continued to visit each other on a regular basis. Most recently the Ipswich East visited in 2000 and we will make a return visit in 2002. Many firm, long-standing friendships have formed over the years of the visitations.

In 1989 the Ipswich Rotary Club welcomed its first women members and Dorothy Levesque served with distinction as the club’s first female president.

In 1994 the Club initiated the practice of honoring a Person-of-the-Year by selecting a person from the area "who has exemplified the Rotary ideal of Service Above Self to his/her community." An appropriate plaque is presented to the recipient at our Annual Meeting and that person is made an Honorary Rotarian for one year.

Club members volunteer their time for civic activities and Club fund-raising activities have ranged from clambakes and hot dog sales to raffles and auctions and a wide variety of other activities over the years. As a result donations have been possible to diverse groups providing help and assistance in the local community. The club has continued to be active in providing scholarships. Examples of the Club’s activities include a donation for a van for the Council on Aging and substantial contributions have been made to the new Ipswich YMCA. The Club has provided the circulation desk in the children’s room at the Ipswich library as well as providing for protection for the library’s archive material.

A majority of our members are Paul Harris Fellows and contributors to the Rotary Foundation. The most recent 8 club presidents have received a Presidential Citation. There is every reason to believe that the Ipswich Rotary Club will continue to be an active and vital part of our community.