Rotary's beginning. The world's first service club, the Rotary Club of Chicago, Illinois, USA, was formed on 23 February 1905 by Paul P. Harris, an attorney who wished to recapture in a professional club the same friendly spirit he had felt in the small towns of his youth. The name "Rotary" derived from the early practice of rotating meetings among members' offices.

Rotary's popularity spread throughout the United States in the decade that followed; clubs were chartered from San Francisco to New York. By 1921, Rotary clubs had been formed on six continents, and the organization adopted the name Rotary International a year later.  Learn More

Cary-Kildaire Rotary Club History - April 15,2004.  In late 1983, the Directors of THE CARY ROTARY CLUB decided the time was right for Cary to begin a third Rotary club.  THE CARY ROTARY CLUB had previously sponsored CARY CENTRAL ROTARY CLUB in 1982.  The population of Cary, North Carolina in 1984 was estimated at 28,000 having quadrupled from 7,300 in the 1970 census, and was predicted to grow rapidly.

John Hatcher, Charlie Lytle, and Tom Sibley were appointed as a Committee to select prospective members, and invite them to establish a new provisional Rotary Club.  Tom Sibley volunteered to transfer to the new club and serve as the first President, having served as President of THE CARY ROTARY CLUB previously.  The Committee proposed that the new club meet on Thursday evenings to compliment the other two clubs, which met on Monday for breakfast, and Tuesday at lunch, respectively.  Early on, two more members of THE CARY ROTARY CLUB volunteered to transfer to the new club to help create a core group with Rotary experience; they were Bob Cassell and Jerry Letchworth.

The first meeting of the provisional Club was held in late February 1984 at the old Golden Corral, then located on Maynard Road at Cary Village Mall (later Cary Towne Center).  Attending were prospective members Dennis Pitts and Coy Sevier, along with the Committee, Cassell, and Letchworth.  The Committee continued to brainstorm for additional candidates, and to search for a suitable club meeting location.  The small meeting room at Golden Corral would not be adequate.

By March 22, 1984, the prospective member list had grown to twelve.  The provisional Club selected the following Officers: President – Tom Sibley; President-Elect – Coy Sevier; Secretary – Bob Cassell; Treasurer –Fred Oliver Learn More