Kutztown Rotary History

When you drive through Kutztown during the holiday season and once again enjoy the decorative trees and lights, think of the Kutztown Rotary Club. Funds donated by Kutztown Rotary are used to defray the cost of the Christmas trees and lights that adorn the streets of the borough.

The Kutztown Rotary Club was begun on a brisk April 14th in 1926. According to Charles Esser, a charter member, William Derstine of the Quakertown Club was instrumental in organizing the Kutztown Club. The need for a service-oriented club in the Kutztown seemed to be a view shared by a number of business and professional people within the community.

With the help of Arthur Bonner, the club organized in the spring of 1926 to include the following members: John H. Bieber, Arthur Bonner, John W. DeTurk, O. H. Dietrich, Charles Esser, 0. Raymond Grimley, Dr. E. E. Hamilton, Quinton D. Herman (Pres.), William D. Landis, Rev. R. B. Lynch, George H. Rohrer, Dr. Amos C. Rothermel, Dr. Henry W. Saul, Robert Schlenker, William Siegfried and Charles Stein.

The earliest records of the club are newspaper accounts of meetings beginning in January of 1928. The membership had risen to about 30 active participants. The emphasis during those years of business expansion in our country was on the state of our economy-many programs devoted to business particulars and proper business ethics. The club's meetings were sometimes given over to discussions of community welfare and community improvement. On one evening, the brothers petitioned the State Highway Department to stop their plans for re-routing route 22. They felt it would hurt Kutztown and the surrounding communities.

We are indebted to Brother Arthur Bonner for his records, as secretary, from 1934 to 1950. This chronicle of events passes through an era of great turmoil and great accomplishment in our country. Coincidentally, this was a phase that our own club went through. On July 24, 1935, the club, with 7 members present, asked itself … whether we should continue our Rotary Club. Somehow the economy of the country had affected the club so that the mid-30's were a time of introspection. The programs seemed more devoted to schools and vocations with a special emphasis on local happenings and community betterment.

With a special assist from President Paul Wiltraut, the club pulled through those doldrum days and had a membership of 21 by the end of 1937.

The years of World War II saw Rotary grow steadily in Kutztown. The expressed feeling of the club seemed to be that we needed to include our total business community in the club because we both needed each other. The subjects of many of those wartime meetings were directly related to the conflict. On January 7, 1942 the Rev. Renoll spoke to us on The underlying causes of our Foreign Wars.

Kutztown Rotary had a national emphasis during those years. There was a great interest in such themes as conservation of resources, national education programs and how to help in the war effort. There was an effort to recruit more members because many clubs had . . . lost so many of (their) young men of late, they know it and can't help it.

By the time Kutztown Rotary celebrated its 20th anniversary in 1946 the club had 30 members. With the end of the war, attention focused once more on our local community with many projects and programs related to our local schools and college. Although Arthur Bonner still maintained the minutes of board meetings, Martin Hitter and Harry Yoder were editing the weekly bulletin. There was a movement once again to increase membership. By 1949 the club had a membership of 40.

One of the most significant community projects begun during the post-war years was the establishment of Boy Scout Camp Edmar. Although completed in the 50's the Camp was an idea begun after the war and carried forward to completion over many Rotary administrations. The club´s annual ham and bean dinner is a constant reminder of this work.

Rotary International service had its roots prior to W. W. II but began in earnest in 1947. With a donation of $50 to the Rotary Foundation, a living memorial was begun to Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary. The character of our own club became more cosmopolitan with a drive for Rotary Foundation and the beginning of international services such as Rotary Exchange and the hosting of foreign students.

Camp Neidig was created by Joseph S. Neidig, governing officer of Rotary District 2654, in 1950. During his term as governing officer, Neidig founded the "Leaders of Tomorrow," a camp at Camp Delmont in Green Lane, Pennsylvania. The purpose of this camp was to further the leadership abilities of young boys. After District 2654 split in 1961, the newly-formed District 7430 decided to rename the camp "Camp Neidig" in honor of the camp's founder. In 1990, females were invited to camp for the first time, as Camp Neidig became a co-educational experience. Through 1994, the camp was held at Camp Conrad Weiser in Wernersville. Camp Manatawny near Boyertown then hosted the camp from 1995 through 2000. In 2001, Camp Neidig moved to the Pocono Valley Resort. Three years later, Neidig proudly returned to Camp Manatawny in 2004.

During the 60's and early 70's efforts were made to increase our participation in international endeavors by such means as Happy Dollars (generally attributed to Rev. George Shults).

At its 50th anniversary in 1976, a glance at the weekly bulletin described 25 separate functions of the club - from distinctly club activities, such as the 50th year celebration, to community efforts such as Town and Gown, vocational service such as F.F.A. to international service such as Rotary Foundation. There is little doubt that Rotary encompassed the truest meaning of the word Service.

In 1980, the Kutztown Rotary club initiated it annual golf tournament. This became the club´s major fund raiser and has funded many worthwhile community projects and scholarships. Today it is known as the Donald L. Boyer Golf Tournament in memory of Rotarian Donald L. Boyer.

In 1984 the club started a profitable partnership with the Berks County Kennel Club Dog Show at the Kutztown Fairgrounds. This proved to be another major fund raiser for the club´s charitable activities. The club started sponsoring an annual Health Scan project and providing Christmas trees as decoration for Main Street. 1984 also saw the start of the clubs highly successful "Student of the Month program.

A development in 1985 was the addition of four members from the disbanded Topton Club: John W. Tallman, Forrest K. Fetherolf, Isaac R. Evans, and Dean G. Wetzel. These men joined the club as experienced Rotarians and made their presence felt by their willingness to become involved.

1986 saw the introduction of the song, R-O-T-A-R-Y at all meetings. The club has been a singing club every since.
1990 started the annual softball game with the Fleetwood Rotary Club that increased friendship and rivalry between the clubs.

In 1994, at its 70th Anniversary celebration the Kutztown Rotary Club gratefully acknowledged the dedicated service of its senior members, particularly Martin H. Ritter, Wilmer F. Beck, Jacob R. Esser and Samuel P. Smith who had been Kutztown Rotarians for 218 collective years. It also welcomed its new members, including our first female Rotarian, Barbara Stratton, who joined in 1994.

In 1999 the club started an annual practice of serving a dinner at the Reading Homeless Shelter.

The bicentennial saw a milestone in the history of the Kutztown Rotary Club. Erin Webb became the clubs first female president. Today our club has 7 female members and 2 have served as Club President.

In 2001 the club celebrated its 75th Anniversary and sadly recognized the dedicated service of several members who had passed away the previous 5 years. These included:

1982 saw the start of an effort by the club to organize a Rotaract Club at Kutztown University. This effort finally was successful in 2003, when Tom Turner formed a partnership between our club and the Lambda Chi Alpha service fraternity at Kutztown University. They assist our club with our service projects and we assist them with theirs. It is a great relationship. Both groups have increased their level of community service since working together.

2003 saw the start of the annual Kutztown Rotary Downtown Minigolf Tournament. 2004 saw the start of the Flatworks Rotary Art Show and Sale at the Radius Toothbrush factory. These are both great events for the community and also generate funds for local charities.

2004 is when the Kutztown Rotary Bulletin went digital. Prior to this Peter Keegan had been printing and distributing the Bulletins. Now they are archived at http://kutztownrotary.org. The 2004 Christmas Party at the Bowers Hotel included sleigh rides.

The Reading and Shillington Rotary Clubs started a Leadership and Ethics conference in 1997. Kutztown and other Berks County Rotary Clubs have joined this effort in which, the U. S. Military Academy at West Point, and the Center for Leadership and Ethics joined forces to sponsor and managed two leadership and ethics conferences at Penn State Berks and Albright College: the New Generations Conference for for 8th & 9th grade students, and the Ethics and Leadership Conference for high school juniors.

In 2005 Rotary International celebrated its centennial and the Kutztown Rotary Club took on a centennial project, providing the Kutztown Park with many new picnic benches. In 2005, Kutztown Rotary resurrected its Exchange Student program. It had Celso Santin from Brazil from 2005 to 2006, Aditi Gopalani from India from 2006 to 2007, Carlos Ramirez from Chile from 2007 to 2008, and Lucas Bodenbender fro Germany from 2009-2010.

The 2006 Flatworks Art Exhibit and Sale was held at the Kutztown Airport inside the main hangar. In 2007, Flatworks moved to the Kutztown Auto showrooms. 2007 also saw the club moving from Moselem Springs in to Season's Grille.

In 2007, Kutztown Rotary joined the Shelterbox program which started in Cornwall, England in 2000 to fill a void in international disaster relief. Formerly only food and medicine was provided. Shelterboxes provided shelter, water purification and cooking for a famiy group of 10. In 2002, the Shelterbox program spread to the US.

2007 saw the beginning of Kutztown Rotary participation in the Merchant's trick or treat night ouside Nancy Hildenbrand's home. We handed out pencils to all of the little ghouls and goblins.

In 2008, Urban-Rural night was opened up to the Fleetwood Club. Over 100 farmers and Rotarians attended to hear Sheila Miller speak.

In 2009, Kutztown Rotary moved to Kutztown Tavern after the Season's Grille closed. 2009 saw the last year of the partnership between the Berks Kennel Club and the Kutztown Rotary at the annual fall dog show at the Kutztown Fair Gounds. Declining attendance in 2008 and 2009 caused the dog show to relocate. The club sold chicken Spiedies at the Muscle on Main hot rod show and the Energy Fest in Kempton. In 2010, the club switched to hot dogs which were a lot less work.

So whether it be the Christmas lights in winter or the picnic benches in summer, the Rotary Club is a conspicuous part of life in Kutztown.

The clubs oldest member and member with the most tenure was Martin Ritter who at age 98 had been a member for 71years. Martin was President of Kutztown Rotary Club during 1942-1943. During his tenure as president, the meeting place of the Club was at the Keystone House for three months and at the Bruce Orth Tea House for the balance of the year. One of the Club projects was the giving of eye glasses to the needy. Martin recalls a very pleasant Christmas Party and a party for the Rotaryanns and children, which, he believes, was the first that the club ever held. Martin resigned in 2007.

Jake Sayshen is the member with the most tenure today. He joined in 1955. Bill Bender is a close second, joining Rotary a month later in 1955. After Jake and Bill, Richard Wagner has the next most tenure having joined Kutztown Rotary in 1978.

Kutztown Rotary is unique in many ways largely due to its rural setting as well as the background of its members and its Pennsylvania German Heritage. Now that it is over 80 years old and growing, it continues its involvements both on the local level and abroad. For over 80 years many of our Rotarians have unselfishly given of their time and talents in making the Kutztown area and the world a better place to live. The Kutztown Rotary takes pride in acknowledging the many club members who have served in the past and present as they lived the Rotary Motto, He Profits Most Who Serves The Best.

Camp Edmar

Camp Edmar was created as an 8-acre gift from Edna and Marcus Held, hence EdMar. It is located in Greenwich Township above Schofer’s Dam, not far from Kutztown. The Kutztown Rotary sponsored the clearing of the land and planting of a 1,000 spruce and pine trees.

The lodge was designed by local architect Paul 0. DeRagon and erected in 1952 in memory of Oscar L. Stein, Scout leader and teacher in Kutztown High School. It was built for Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, and Brownies.

Paul Herring, Jacob Esser and Paul 0. DeRagon were members of the Kutztown Rotary Club.

The lodge was financed through donations from organizations, businesses and individuals. When completed it was decicated on September 30, 1953. It cost $7,200 and left a debt of $3,400. Doughnut and bake sales were held from 1953 until 1965 to pay off this debt. In February 13, 1956, the Kutztown Rotary paid $1,115 to pay off the debt. After that, the doughnut sales and breakfasts paid for the maintenance expenses.

Since 1958, the Camp Edmar Committee has served ham and string bean dinners to Rotary and Lions clubs who in turn are generous in supporting Camp Edmar.

In July 1957, the Kutztown Rotary paid $1,000 to finance installation of toilets.

In April 1959, the Kutztown Rotary bought 5 acres, increasing the total acreage to 13.5. At this time Camp Edmar had a lodge, water system and toilets.

In 1981, the Kutztown High School flag pole was moved to Camp Edmar. It was dedicated to George F. R. Frey, Edmar president from 1952 to 1978, and L. Russell Brooks, Edmar secretary from 1952 to 1979.

Kutztown Rotary Club's First Meeting

Close to 200 Rotarians were in attendance representing 15 Clubs from the 50th district. The charter was presented to Q. D. Herman by District Governor Dr. Gilbert J. Palen who delivered an inspiring address. The charter was Charter Number 2311.

Rev. Hanry I Stahr, President of the Bethlehem Rotary, delivered a 30-minute address on the 10th anniversary of the Bethlehem Club's Charter Night. The address was entitle "Beware of doing things just because everybody else does." Rotarian Stahr's message was "Do not follow the crowd but lead the way."

William A. Derstine, Quakertown, the District Governor's special representative and local organizer, presided. William A. Derstine was assisted in organizing the Kutztown Club by Samuel I. Henry of the Allentown Club.

Music was presented by 31 members o fthe Hamburg Boys Band sponsored by the Rotary Club of Hamburg.

Charles Meredith, Quakertown Free Press, on behalf of the Quakertown Club, presented Q. D. Herman with a gong and gavel.

Dinner was served by the Kutztown Fire Company Auxiliary with Mrs. George Leiser in charge. Tables were decorated in Rotary colors and with potted plants. Each server wore a paper hat with the Rotary emblem on it. Souvenirs were leather key purses.

Guests were present from Allentown, Reading, Emmaus, Northampton, Catasauqua, Quakertown, Hamburg, Dryville, Bethlehem, Slatington, East Greenville, Palm, Philadelphia, Pennsburg, Vineland NJ, Hereford, Boyertown, Soudertown, and Kutztown.

Kutztown guests included: H. B. Yoder, William S. Rhode, Max Wirtz, George W. Bieber, Dr. C.C. Boyer, William S. Christ and Clarence Siegfried.

First Officers and Charter Members

Kutztown Rotary Club Past & Present Presidents

Past & Present Members of Kutztown Rotary

Our Inbound Exchange Student Miki Funaki from Tokyo, Japan - 2010-2011

Our 2010-11 Japanese exchange student Miki with Rui, a fellow incoming exchange student and the younger brother of Celso Santin our Brazilian exchange student from 2005-6, while meeting with other Rotary District 7430 exchange students at the YMCA's South Mountain Camp.

Miki's home is Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. It is located on the eastern side of the main island Honshu and includes the Izu Islands and Ogasawara Islands. Tokyo Metropolis was formed in 1943 from the merger of the former Tokyo Prefecture (Tokyo-fu) and the city of Tokyo. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family.

The prefecture is part of the world's most populous metropolitan area with 35 to 39 million people and the world's largest metropolitan economy with a GDP of US$1.479 trillion at purchasing power parity in 2008.

In 2009, Tokyo was named the world's most expensive city according to the Mercer and Economist Intelligence Unit cost-of-living surveys and named the third Most Liveable City and the World’s Most Livable Megalopolis by the magazine Monocle.

Tokyo was hit by powerful earthquakes in 1703, 1782, 1812, 1855 and 1923. The 1923 earthquake, with an estimated magnitude of 8.3, killed 142,000 people. Tokyo is located near the boundary of three plates that have been relatively quiet since 1923, it is thought that this shows that the seismic activity is building up and will surely release in a devastating earthquake some time in the future.

Tokyo was originally a small fishing village named Edo. Tokyo lies in the humid subtropical climate zone with hot humid summers and generally mild winters with cool spells. The region, like much of Japan, experiences a one-month seasonal lag, with the warmest month being August, which averages 27.5 °C (81.5 °F), and the coolest month being January, averaging 6.0 °C (42.8 °F). Annual rainfall averages nearly 1,470 millimetres (57.9 in), with a wetter summer and a drier winter. Snowfall is sporadic, but does occur almost annually. Tokyo also often sees typhoons, though few are strong. The last one to hit was Fitow in 2007.

Exchange Student Lukas Bodenbender from Cölbe, Germany - 2009-2010

Lukas, Patt McCloskey, Aaron Messersmith and Andrew McLellan as Lukas arrived at the Philadelphia Airport.

Exchange Student Carlos Ramirez G. - 2007-2008

-2006 to 2007

The Kutztown Rotary Club hosted exchange student

from India. Aditi was a Junior at Brandywine Heights High School.

Her host family was the Sherry's in Rockland Township. Her Rotary Mentors are Patt McCloskey and Bob Hobaugh.

Aditi, from Nagpur, India, speaks 4 languages, Hindu, English, Sanskrit, and a dialect Hindustani. Her city Nagpur is also known as the "Orange City," as it is a major trading center for oranges. It's said to be the cleanest city in India and one of the greenest.

Nagpur is the most central city in India. It has a population of over 2.5 million people while the total Indian population is over a billion. The size of India is about 1/3 the size of the USA.

Aditi was accustomed to hot weather but not cold weather. The climate of Nagpur follows a typical seasonal monsoon weather pattern. The peak temperatures are usually reached in May/June and can be as high as 48C (118F). The onset of monsoon is usually from July and the season extends up to September, with monsoon peaking during July and August. After monsoons, the average temperature varies between 6C (43F) and 27C (80F) right through December and January.

The Flag of India consists of three equal horizontal bands of saffron (subdued orange) (top), white, and green with a blue chakra (24-spoked wheel) centered in the white band; similar to the flag of Niger, which has a small orange disk centered in the white band. In India, the chakra represents each of the centers of spiritual power in the human body, usually considered to be seven in number.

India is in Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan. Nagpur is at about the same latitude as Guadalajara in central Mexico. Ancient cultures in India go back to at least 5,000 BC.

Exchange Student

Celso Santin - 2005 to 2006

The Kutztown Rotary Club hosted Exchange Student Celso Xavier Santin Jr. from São Paulo, Brazil. Celso attended and graduated from Kutztown High School where he played on the football team. The economy of Dracena is a mixture of manufacturing and agriculture and is a cultural center. Celso has a younger brother. His mother is a business teacher and she also teaches dance and swimming. His father manages the family's furniture manufacturing business. His father was president of the local hospital for three years. His grandparents own and operate a farm west of Dracena. Celso was hosted by the Hobaughs and Kristen Tuerk. Celso was from Dracena, Brazil, a town of approximately 45,000 in the western part of the State of São Paulo, about 500 miles west of Rio De Janeiro. Celso was a great addition to our club in the 2005-6 school year.

Past Kutztown Rotary Club Events

Kutztown Rotary Centennial Project

Picnic Tables For The Park

Kutztown Rotary Hosts Group Study Exchange Team from Columbia

On April 10, 2003, the Rotary Club of Kutztown hosted the District Reception for the Group Study Exchange Team from Columbia. Past District Governor, Bob Antoine organized the exchange. Exchange members are, left to right: Juan G. Ospina Rodriguez, Business Management; Paulina Saldarriaga-Ehlers, International Business; Pablo Arlas Amezquita, Civil Engineer; Jiovany Orozco, Electrical Engineer; and Team Leader, Eduardo De La Cruz, Industrial Engineer.

Group Study Exchange - South Africa & Lesotho

Group Study Exchange for 2006-2007 - Districts 7430 & 9320

South Africa (Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, North West) & Lesotho

Kutztown Rotary's Representative to the Out-Bound S. Africa 2006 District 7430 Group Study Exchange Team was Kevin Schmeck

Kutztown Rotary Club's 75th Anniversary

On July 30, 2003, the Rotary Club of Kutztown, and it's President, Tom Turner (front row, second from right), welcomed District Governor, B. J. Metz (red tie), and the District's First Lady, Kristie Metz (red scarf). Also present was Assistant District Governor, Leroy Seip, (front row, right). Other club members pictured are (front row from left) Richard Wagner, Patt McCloskey, Jean Boyer, (back row from left) Isaac Evans, Bob Hobaugh, Bill Bender, Ham Phillips, Dan Breidegam, George Barrell, Jim Springer, Dennis Lutz, Larry Biehl, Jim Scott, Steve Henning, Barry Martin and Denton Fenstermacher. Also present but not pictured was Margaret Grossman.

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From the November 13th Reading Eagle


	"There was always a good program and meal, and that was enough to keep me coming back, and back and back again for more," says Isaac R. "Ike" Evans in response to his award for 41 years of Rotary Club service.

Four decades in loyal service to the Rotary

Isaac. R. "Ike" Evans, 80, a Kutztown-area man who is moving to a Chester County retirement home, is honored by fellow Rotarians before he relocates.

Isaac R. "Ike" Evans liked to mingle with his peers and, well, eat.

In the 1960s after an accidental meeting that was followed by engaging conversation and a good meal, Evans decided to join the Rotary Club.

Evans, 80, enrolled with the Topton Rotary Club in 1965 while he worked as a design controller for Caloric Stove Co. in Topton.

"I enjoyed meeting professionals, and there was always a good program and meal, and that was enough to keep me coming back and back and back again for more," Evans said.

Rotary International provides humanitarian services through more than 32,000 clubs and 1.2 million members worldwide.

For 41 years, the Maxatawny Township resident has made an effort to attend at least one weekly Rotary Club meeting. When that wasn't possible, he volunteered at a Rotary event, which holds the same merit as going to a meeting.

That amounted to about 2,100 meetings.

In August, members of the Kutztown Rotary Club, where Evans is a member today, honored him for his faithful attendance during an event at East Penn Manufacturing Co. near Lyons

Club members believed their fellow Rotarian was unstoppable, but in September, misfortune ended Evans' attendance streak.

Evans, who is diabetic, said he thinks he was prescribed the wrong dose of insulin.

"I passed out in my home," he said. "When I woke up, I called 9-1-1 and was taken to the hospital by ambulance."

After leaving the hospital, he stayed with his oldest daughter, Rebecca Huzar of Mendenhall, Chester County; and later with another daughter, Diane M. McDermott of Mount Pleasant, S.C.

He did not attend a Rotary meeting during his recovery.

But Evans came home Nov. 3, and five days later he was back at a Rotary meeting.

Evans said goodbye to club members at that meeting because he is moving to a retirement home near Honey Brook in northern Chester County.

"I'm going to look for another club," he said. "I hear there is one in Downingtown."

Jim R. Springer, club president, said Evans is not the Kutztown Rotary's oldest member, but he is the only one with perfect attendance.

"He made every effort in his life to be there," Springer said. "You don't see that very often."

Evans credited his wife of 52 years, Nancy P., for helping him remember meeting times and locations. She died Jan. 31, 2004.

"She would drive me to meetings and wait for me in the car and read," Evans said. "She loved to read."

Evans also attended Rotary Club meetings when he was on the road in the late 1960s doing consulting work for Capitol Records in Scranton.

He was a member of the Topton Rotary until the late 1980s when that club closed due to a lack of members, he said.

"I immediately joined the Kutztown club without skipping a beat," he said.

[Contact reporter Marcia Weidner-Sutphen at 610-371-5081 or