Lansing H Irvine,
President 1920-1921
1878 – 1954
 
Lansing attended school in Marshall, and a military academy in N. C.  Lansing Switch was named after him by his father Hugh R Levine.  He worked in the offices of the T&P railroad before moving to Marshall, where he worked briefly in the railroad stores department. 
 
He married Miss Lulu Fry in 1901, making him the son-in -law of Major E J Fry, owner of Fry-Hodge Drug and worked for him over a quarter of a century, he became manager of Fry-Hodge Drug, and eventually President.  He and his father-in-law joined the Rotary club in 1919 as charter members.  His classification was “Retail Drugs”.
 
He was cited many times for excellence in his profession, winning several awards for the store’s performance.  He was loved by the children, who “seldom left the sore without a gift of some sort”.  It was his way to encourage them and be a role model for them.  He was a member of the Elks club, rising to the position of “Exalted Ruler”
 
The entertainment committee kept the interest and attendance up, but Lansing didn’t stop there. He served as the second President of The Rotary Club of Marshall in 1920-21, sandwiched between two of the icons of the Marshall Rotary club, Lancing Irvine was his own man, confident and resourceful, he saw unmet needs, unresolved problems, and believed that Rotary could help. 
 
Lansing was a true Rotarian who believed in putting his “clout” behind his words and the Rotary Club of Marshall Texas and the city of Marshall were beneficiaries of his leadership throughout the year.
 
At the end of his year, he had a huge banquet, celebrating his year by opening the meeting with a “Bung Starter”, a relic of the past, which he was soon to be, but honoring the many accomplishments that had been done in less than two years.
Early in his year he asked for and got approval to create a Public Affairs committee and four sub-committees to study and bring back recommendations to the club. 
 
The recommendations of the committee included working with the Chamber of Commerce to address six pressing issues;
  1. inaugurate a city market,
  2. work with the agricultural agent to agitate and educate farmers and ranchers in improved methods of raising stock; and farmers in choosing and planting better seeds,
  3. expand and extent the phone system of Marshall,
  4. repair all streets in need of repair,
  5. hire a city engineer,
  6. improve, upgrade, and expand the city’s water supply system.
Two other recommendations included:
  1. appoint a committee to confer with the fire chief relative to the need for more firemen
  2. Appoint a committee to determine if the club would favor investigating complaints about violators of city ordinances, and bring a complaint against them in the name of the Rotary club and putting the club’s resources and the member’s “clout” behind them 
The successes he had, set the pattern for future presidents, and Marshall Rotary became a force to be reckoned with for the next 99 years!