By Anna Gerber

After years of community involvement and service, the Rotary Club of Westerville has had something to celebrate – 50 years of actively improving the community.

On April 6, 1959, the Rotary Club of Westerville was chartered by Rotary International in a ceremony at Otterbein College. There were originally 35 members, which was the maximum membership allowed at the time by Rotary International. Membership included many notable Westerville residents: the president of Otterbein College, the city manager and the owner and publisher of the local newspaper were just a few of the club’s recognizable members.

Fifty years later, the Rotary Club of Westerville is still thriving. The group now sports 115 members. It is comprised of Westerville business and professional leaders who meet weekly for lunch at Villa Milano. As is true for Rotary International, the group participates in various community service projects.

To celebrate its milestone, the Rotary Club of Westerville hosted a birthday party for members April 25 at Cherry Valley Lodge. They also celebrated during the club’s May 7 lunch meeting. The formal event included speeches by Rotary dignitaries, a presentation of a new copy of the official charter and a congressional proclamation for the event, facilitated by U.S. Rep. Pat Tiberi and presented by Mayor Anne Gonzales.

“In the past 50 years, our club has enjoyed being a part of the Westerville community and has worked with virtually every club, government agency, school and college on every project imaginable that benefitted the community,” says Kirk Lawson, chairman of the 50th anniversary celebration. “Very little has been accomplished without some influence of our club directly or from the members of our club. We have funded, volunteered, led and participated in everything.”

The club’s contributions to Westerville include numerous scholarships and student recognition programs in local schools, the construction of the Harris-Askins House elderly housing complex at 200 S. State St. and the Rotary Amphitheatre in Alum Creek Park. The club also hosts annual events such as the Rotary Fish Fry, the Independence Day Celebration and the Phil Brown Holiday Basketball Tournament.

After 50 years, Lawson says the Rotary Club of Westerville’s success can be attributed to its member’s selfless attitudes and devotion to their community.

“Our goal has never been to be singled out for our involvement or our accomplishment on behalf of the city, but to sit back and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that we individually and collectively have provided ‘Service Above Self’ to our community and beyond,” Lawson says.

For more information about the Westerville Rotary Club, visit www.rotaryclubofwesterville.com.

Anna Gerber is a contributing writer for Westerville Magazine.


Rotary International was founded in Chicago in 1905 by a group of businessmen, with the motto “Service Above Self.” Presently, Rotary has more than 1,200,000 members in 33,000 clubs, which are located in 200 countries worldwide.