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.
While Rotarians were dedicated to community service in general, for example giving Christmas parties for poor children, one of the club's most important functions involved support for education. A Boy's Committee existed as early as 1920 whose purpose was to keep boys in grammar and high school instead of working. The Student Loan Fund was established in 1923 and made its first college loans in the following year. It was succeeded by the Student Scholarship Fund in 1974.
From the description of Records of the Rotary Club of Wilmington, Delaware. (Hagley Museum & Library). WorldCat record id: 164071901
