Posted by Jim Fitzgerald
The Rotary Club of Marshall will be celebrating its 100th birthday August 24, 2019 at the convention Center, honoring the men and women who have faithfully led the club during a century of “Service Above Self”.  Many interesting things have been revealed in our search of the archived records of the “Marshall News Messenger”, but one of the more interesting ones popped up at a banquet March 31, 1955, which was held here in Marshall, to celebrate the golden anniversary of Rotary   International.
 
The occasion was a Ladies’ Night Dinner, at which there were nine father-and-son member combinations present, probably a record for clubs of this size.
The father-and-son group, on this occasion, included Oscar and Wesley Jones, Clayton and Roger Lewis, Erick P. and Price Littlejohn, B. C. McElroy Sr. and Jr., A. D. McPhail Sr. and Jr., George Prendergast Sr. and Jr., E. L. Wells Jr. and Newman Wells, Paul and Tom Whaley, and S. E. Wood Jr. and Paul Whaley Wood.
 
In addition, the club had a three-brother member combination, which included Bryan Blalock, whose classification was “Dairy Products”; C. S. Blaylock, “Building Products”; and Richard Blaylock, “Civil Law”.  Their Older brother Horace Blaylock, though not a charter member, joined soon after the club was formed, and had he not moved away prior to this banquet (he was serving as senatorial district committeeman of the State Democratic Executive Committee), would have made this a four-brother combination. 
 
For many reasons, of which the main one is pride, it was not uncommon for sons of Rotarians to become a Rotarian themselves; it may even be that a very large number of sons followed in their father’s Rotary-footsteps, and still do.  
With the introduction of women into Rotary in 1987, daughters (mothers, and wives too) were included in the mix, and now we have daughters following in their father’s footsteps, as evidenced by one of our newest members Mrs. Molly Hollis, daughter of Marshall Rotarian, Brad Howlett.
 
In a somewhat bizarre twist, even mothers and fathers are following in their sons and daughters’ footsteps.
 
For this and many other reasons, we will be “Celebrating a Century of Changing Lives in Marshall--- and Beyond”, August 24, 2019, at the Marshall Convention Center.