History
of
The Rotary Club of Space Center (Houston), Texas, U.S.A.
Club 2010 District 589
for
Rotary Year 1976-77

President
Dr. Lionel Gonzalo Garcia

Chartered August 6, 1964

Thirteenyearsof serving the local and world communities with a passion for
“Service Above Self”

Officers
Vice President
Jim Wyatt
Treasurer
Marvin Matthews
Secretary
Harry Jennings
Sergeant at Arms
Pete Gist
Editor
Gene Lindquist

Directors
Al Jowid
Al Ligrani
Bob Mitchell
Fred Joy
Hal Neely
Charles Hartman
Alfred R. Neumann

Words by President Garcia about his years at the Club discussed on January 14, 2010.

The history for the Rotary Club of Space Center (Houston), Texas, 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.

The history file contained very few documents. There were 23 Board meeting minutes, and no correspondence. There were 5 out a possible 47 newsletters, Blastoffs, assuming that one was issued every Club meeting day. The Club Programs and Special Events listing did not contain any programs. The Blastoffs were legal size written on front and back in various colors such as pink, orange, and blue. The Club continued to meet at theHoliday Inn.

A 1976-77 Interim Budget (before the Shrimp Boil) states an income of $18, 512 and a total expense of $18,151.

The July 1, 1977 Semi Annual Report of Club Membership noted a membership of 128 with 1 Honorary member. The Club's Roster is based on the July 1, 1977 Semiannual Report of Club Membership. Seven previous presidents were on the membership roster.

The avenue of services committee members can be viewed by clicking on Committee Members.

Assuming that all the money received from the Shrimporee,$12,014, (Shrimp Boil Financial Report 1976-77) went to service projects then the total amount given to service and international projects is $40,901. The amount of monies made from fund raisers since the first recorded fundraiser in 1968 is $42,215. A handwritten listing titled " Rotary Charities " apparently contains the local service projects since the Shrimp Boil (Shrimporee) in 1974. A letter dated August 19, 1976  states specifically the Principle Beneficiaries for the years 1974, 1975, and 1976.  A cerificate of appreciation was given to the Club for its support of the center. The cost of the meal ticket was $5.

The Board meeting December 8, 1976 minutes notes money given to the Drug Awareness Program but no discussion about anything else. This is the ninth year of the Drug Awareness Program.

The following is from a previously written History by Wicker.
Early in August, the publicity began for the Third Annual Shrimporee, which was held at Galveston County Park on September 18th. Some of the excellent gifts donated for the auction was a Saab car by Norman Frede and a handmade bicentennial afgan donated by Mr. and Mr's. Ervin Cox. The principal beneficiary of the proceeds of the Shrimporee was the Ed White Memorial Youth Center in Seabrook (more information follows History by Wicker, Historian 2009). A van was purchased by the Club and donated to the Seaman Center. The van will be used to transport sailors from their ships to the Seaman Center. (Historian 2009: see Blastoff September 9, 1976 ).

A committee was appointed by President Garcia to establish ground rules for qualification of NASA and UH/CLC employees for membership in Rotary. Al Ligrani chaired this committee and developed new classification guidelines for their employees.

Pete Gist set up a display of various club banners. This display will be hung in front of the head table at each Club Luncheon meeting. The Club participated again in the Jaycee's Halloween Party. The Freeman Memorial Library, Bay Area Women for Houston Symphony, the Boy, Scouts, the Guatemala Relief Fund, Little League and Pony League baseball were among the recipients of financial support from the Space Center Club.

Four American Field Service students were guests of the Space Center Club on March 11, 1977. President Lionel Garcia presented the American Field Services with a check for $1,000 as the Club's support of the American Field Service program. Representative Bob Gammage also spoke to the Club during March on the future status of Ellington Air Force Base.

Floyd Boze was the first place trophy winner in the Rotary District 589 Conference golf tournament at Woodlands Country Club. The Club presented six $250 educational scholarships to Gary T. Brock, Kristen Gunnerson and Teresa A. Dawson of Clear Creek High School and Dirk W. Van der Meyden, Denise R. Grover, and Robert E. Chamberlain, Jr. of Clear Lake High School. Judge Mike Driscoll was selected as the recipient of the coveted President's Award for Outstanding Service to the University of Houston Law Alumni Association.

The Board voted to reserve space for an experiment on the first payload of the earth orbiting space shuttle. Community schools will design the experiment to be launched into space in 1981.

The Club made its fifth Paul Harris Fellow award to General Harold L. Neely. General Neely was honored for his outstanding work in Rotary especially in the scholarship and fellowship programs on the local and district levels. According to the Rotary Foundation listing, Richard D. Chandler also received a Paul Harris Fellow award making the total since1972 to 6 (Historian 2009).

There was a folder with information on the 1976 Shrimporee. The following documents have been placed in the archives:
(1) Shrimporee 1976 official poster
(2) Shrimporee 1976 flyer
(3) Full page ad in the Clear Lake News Citizen July 29
(4) Full page ad in the Clear Lake News Citizen September 16
(5) Full page ad in The Exchange News
(6) Four newspaper articles, article 1, article 2, article 3, and article 4,
(7) General information Shrimporee 1976 such as committee assignments, cole slaw recipe, list of auction items, and committee reports
(8) A handwritten 1976 Shrimporee Plan

The 68th Rotary International Convention was held June 5-9, 1977 in San Francisco CA, USA. There were 14,168 in attendance. President Elect Jim Wyatt attended from Rotary of Space Center, Houston.

District 589 Conference was held on April 1-2, 1977 at the Woodlands Inn in Woodlands, Texas.

Rotary year 1976-77 was placed in the archives in July 2009.