Diveristy in the Club
Originally, the Club was composed of men, mostly of German, Scots, English, Irish, and other Anglo-Saxon extraction, but over the years, the composition of the Club changed. French and Italian surnames started to appear in the Roster, and membership diversity continued to expand. After Rotary International asked clubs to accept women as members in 1989, it did not take too long for a woman to be invited into our Club, when Nancy Battersby joined in 1990. Nancy also became the first woman president of our Club, when she served in 1998-99. During the 1990s, Irene Kalnins became the Club's first Latvian-born Rotarian, followed by Chinese native George Wang, the Club's first Asian member, and Puerto Rican native Guillo RodrÃguez, who also served as president in 1999-2000. At the start of the 2002-03 Rotary year and under the presidency of Luis Ortiz, the Club welcomed its first African-Americans, Lee Moss and Ed Robinson; a half-dozen others followed over the next decade.
The Club has also distinct representation of some of the world's religions. The Club members profess many creeds, including Christianity (Protestants, Catholics, etc.) and Judaism, among others. All members respect each other and believe that the diversity in the Club is an asset upon which to build good relationships that translate into good deeds for humanity.