It’s not every day that a person or organization becomes 75 years old, and a local group soon will be celebrating that accomplishment in a major way.
Dr. Sylvia Whitlock, the first female president of any Rotary club worldwide, is slated to be the keynote speaker when the Rotary Club of Mount Airy marks its three-quarters-of-a-century existence as a key service organization here.
This will occur during a luncheon gathering on July 16 at Cross Creek Country Club, to which the general public is invited along with Rotarians.
It is scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., with tickets costing $15. June 24 is the last day to buy tickets, either by sending a check payable to the Rotary Club of Mount Airy at P.O. Box 781, Mount Airy, NC, or going online to reserve seats at htts//RotaryClubMountAiry75th.eventbrite.com
Organizers are hailing the upcoming appearance by Sylvia Whitlock as a “unique opportunity to hear from a true trailblazer in the Rotary world.”
“She is the second-most important person in Rotary behind Paul Harris,” local club spokesman Michael Barnes said in reference to the man who in 1905 founded a group that became the humanitarian organization Rotary International.
In making history as the first woman to serve as a Rotary Club president, Whitlock broke barriers and paved the way for future generations of female leaders in the organization, planners for the July event say.
“We are honored to have her share her insights and experiences with us as we celebrate 75 years of service in our community.”
Now living in California, Dr. Whitlock, who reportedly is 90 years old, was educated through high school in Kingston, Jamaica, before earning advanced degrees from several other institutions, according to bio information.
In 1987, she became president of a Rotary Club in Duarte, California, to achieve the distinction as the first such leader in the Rotary International fold, after years in which woman were barred from even being club members.
Whitlock has not only talked the talk in her Rotary capacity but walked the walk through such activities as helping to establish an AIDS clinic in Jamaica, supporting an orphanage in Mexico, sinking wells in Nigeria and raising almost $90,000 to educate girls in India.
She has spoken to numerous Rotary clubs in the U.S. and overseas, and garnered awards including NAACP Woman of the Year.
Local history
It was in the early spring of 1949 when 20 local business and professional leaders held an organizational meeting to establish a unit of Rotary International in Mount Airy.
On June 27 of that year, the new Mount Airy Rotary Club received its official charter at the Blue Ridge Hotel then located downtown. It had been granted admittance to Rotary International on May 25, aided by sponsorship from the High Point Rotary Club.
Raymond Smith Jr. was named the first president of the local Rotary Club and Lester Y. Haynes, vice president.
It was formed to “encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise,” according to news reports at the time.
July’s anniversary celebration will be a special occasion “as we reflect on our club’s rich history and look toward a bright future of service and fellowship,” states an announcement for the upcoming event.
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