History
of
The Rotary Club of Space Center (Houston), Texas, U.S.A.
Club 2010 District 589
for
Rotary Year 1967-1968

President
Richard Allen  

Chartered August 6, 1964

Four years of serving the local and world communities with a passion for
“Service Above Self”


Officers
First Vice President
Larry Sarahan
Second Vice President
Don Kirk
Secretary
Harry Jennings
Treasurer
 Bill Swenson

Directors
Don Ahlborn
Jack Bridwell
Jerry Hammack
Red Harrison
Roger Hobart
Vince Lipovsky
Bev Steadman

Words from President Allen
Historian 2009 met with Richard (Dick) Allen, President of the Space Center Rotary Club (Club) 1967-68  on January 26, 2010.  A summary of our conversation follows.  President Allen was in the banking business and moved to the Clear Lake area in 1963.  He became a chartered member of Space Center Rotary Club in 1964, and remained a club member until about 1972 when his businesses required him to be out of the area.  However he remained a Rotarian with many years of perfect attendance.  He was the founding Chairman of the Freeman Memorial Library. He was also part of a group  where he suggested the name for the Lunar Rendezvous Festival for the festival.  He was also Chairman of the Clear Creek Basin Authority.  He was a world war two B24 Liberator pilot flying 21 missions out of Italy over Germany.  He was training on the B29 Super Fortress when the war ended.

He stated that the Club was a close group having many social gatherings together.  A newspaper clipping shows the “jolly” group on the lawn of President Allen who lived off of Egret Bay at that time.  He spoke of close friendships with the astronauts and some who were his neighbors.  He also noted that several of the astronauts were honorary members of the Club.  One of his fond memories was the 1968 District 589 Conference held at the Holiday Inn in Nassau Bay, Texas during his tenure as president.  It was the most attended conference up that time.  Martin Gracey (President 1966-67) was the Chairman.  There were numerous articles and pictures   (following the NASA Johnson Space Center pictures) of the conference in the local newspaper.  In addition to these articles, he brought several others involving the Club which are listed below and can be viewed in their entirety by clicking on the respective article.
   Congressman Casey guest speaker at the Club meeting
   Foreign students visit the Club
   Rodeo time discussed at the Club meeting
   New driver laws explained to the Club members
   Sal Manzo talks about the airport at the Club meeting
   Ed Bracher speaks to the Club and new Club officers (President Hammack 1968-69)
   New Club officers (President Lindquist 1970-71)
   Article about the Club and Dick Allen as president of the Clear Creek Basin Authority
   Article about some Club activities

President Allen also brought some photographs of a visit by the President of Rotary International, Luther H. Hodges,  to NASA Johnson Space Center, a copy of Orben’s Current Comedy which was used for some of the humor placed in the early newsletters, Blastoff, and a poem regarding a long time member of the Little Rock Rotary Club to review.

He rides his bike (at 85 years of age) from his home in Timber Cove to Clear Lake Park and keeps an eye on the deceased Club member monument at the park.  In fact he and I drove over to the park and he showed me the new names engraved on the back of the monument.  He said that he wished that the monument was higher and more visible or  relocated to the museum area at the northern part of the park so more people could see it.  President Allen told me about the Rotarians involvement in the design of the Landolt Pavilion and kitchen as we rode around the park even though it was built 12 years after he left the Club.  He noted in closing that he has been married 64 years (Mrs. Allen).  

History
The history for the Rotary Club of Space Center (Houston), Texas, and U.S.A. has been compiled from previously written histories and chronologies which can be found in the Welcome section of the Home Page.   For the most part, the wording of these previously written histories have been used verbatim except for the insertion of additional information found elsewhere, obvious errors, and annotations by Historian 2009.
  
There were very few documents in the history file.  There was no budget found in the archives for the Rotary year, however the Rotary year 1971-1972 budget documents contained a tabulation of budgets for Rotary years, 1967-68, 1968-69, 1969-70, and 1970-71.  It is noted in this document that the total budget for Rotary 1967-68 was $5,175 and with $850 given to following service projects: Freeman Library, International Education Students, Harris County Boy’s Home, Little League, and Boys Scouts.  The Club started the year with a treasury balance of $1,242.25.  The Conference publicity budget was increased from $200 to $500 with the Board instructing the treasurer to juggle the budget to pay the increased convention costs.

There were no Blastoffs in the history file, however the  Club Programs and Special Events listing noted 10 programs.

The Club's avenues of service committee members can be viewed by clicking on   Committee Members.  

There were 13 Board meeting minutes.  The July 1, 1968 Semi Annual Report of Club Membership noted a membership of 95 active members and 7 honorary members.  The  Club's Roster   is based on the July 1, 1968 Semiannual Report of Club Membership.

The Club and the Board began meeting at the Nassau Bay Hotel on September 18, 1967.

Career Day was held on March 29, 1968.  This was a vocational program organized by the Club in conjunction with the Clear Creek School District.  Guest speakers discussed their professions and educational training with students interested in vocational guidance.  Buzz Aldrin, astronaut, was accepted for Honorary Membership in the Club.  One hundred and three tickets were ordered for the opening day baseball game in the Astrodome which was a family social event with the trip to the ball game via bus.  Surplus books from the Freeman Memorial Library were sent to Brazil.  An Interact Club was organized, another family picnic was discussed, and the Board voted to have the 5th Monday meetings held in the evenings as a special Ladies night. 

There was a newspaper article dated December 2, 1967 about a resolution endorsed by the Club denunciating civil disobedience.  It is not clear in the article what prompted the resolution.   A note dated April 27, 1967  from Senator John Tower tentatively accepted an invitation to District 589 Conference in 1968.

The 59th Rotary International Convention was held May 12-16, 1968 in Mexico City, Mexico.  There were 11,840 in attendance.  Jerry Hammack represented the Club. 

The Club hosted the District 589 Conference in April 18-20, 1968.  Two thousand invitations and conference information packets were mailed to district members.  This diligent work brought about the largest attendance to date for any district 589 conference.

Rotary year 1967-68 was placed in the archives in July 2009.