Rotary Club of Wilmington, Delaware

The Rotary Club of Wilmington, Delaware was formed at a meeting of nineteen businessmen at the Hotel du Pont on December 3, 1914. The first Rotary Club had been founded in Chicago in 1905, and Rotary achieved international status in 1910. The Wilmington was formally chartered on April 1, 1915, and was the 148th such club to be recognized.

The Rotary Club held weekly luncheon meetings for socializing. Originally, these featured music and group singing, but settled into a standard format featuring a guest speaker on a topic of local interest. The club also held an annual picnic. A Wilmington club member, Norris C. Morgan, wrote the R-O-T-A-R-Y song that became the theme of the entire Rotary International in 1923.

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