1867
Too Revealing?
“They publish the ages of the parties married in a Middletown (Conn.) paper, a procedure not relished by brides of bridegrooms of an uncertain age.”– From The Daily Journal (Wilmington, N. C.), Apr. 28, 1867.
1925
The Rotary Club of Middletown
The Charter Night establishing the Rotary Club of Middletown took place on April 28, 1925, just 20 years after the first Rotary Club was founded in Chicago. Wesleyan University President James L. McConaughy was instrumental in establishing the Club, having been Rotary District Governor in Southern Illinois before moving to Middletown to become President of Wesleyan in 1924. The 23 charter members of the Club began meeting at the Arrigoni Hotel, and in its early years supported community organizations such as The Boy Scouts, The Middlesex Hospital, The Cromwell Children’s Home, The Connecticut State Hospital, the YMCA, the Community Chest and Long Lane School.
In the 91 years since its founding, the Middletown Rotary Club has continued to support local non-profit organizations addressing issues of illiteracy, hunger and the environment, as well as international service projects. Its members endeavor to live according to the motto, ‘Service Above Self.’
Thanks to Biff Shaw for information in this article.
