Posted by Jim Fitzgerald
The Rotary Club of Marshall Texas has sponsored four clubs.  The first was the Longview club in 1929, the Carthage club was co-sponsored with the Center Rotary Club in 1945, the third was Marshall -Metro in 1981, and the last was Hallsville.  The most challenging sponsorship was Hallsville in 1988, which already had a strong, well established, and functioning Lions club.  Moreover, there were no Rotarians living in Hallsville and there was no interest in starting a Rotary club by anyone living in Hallsville at the time.
  
None the less, during his official visit to the Marshall Rotary club, September 7th & 8th, 1988, District Governor Tom Bagwell challenged the Marshall club to start a new Rotary club in Hallsville.  Rotary president, Jim Fitzgerald, not wanting to let the governor down, said he would try.  As soon as he could, he met with his friend Admiral Sam Moore, and ask him if he would take the lead in starting a new club in Hallsville.  Sam’s answer was “yes”, and a most unlikely enterprise had begun.
 
The two met later to discuss the issues with Art Dymond, a long-time member of the club who told them that Hallsville was a bedroom community with an active Lion’s club, and no suitable place to meet.  He knew that several unsuccessful attempts had been made to form a club there, and the chances were slim that a functioning Rotary club was feasible, because the odds were stacked against it from the beginning. 
 
Never-the less, Sam was willing to give it a try, with one qualifier, it must be done in six weeks.
 
Because Hallsville was halfway between Marshall and Longview, they decided to ask the clubs in both cities to assist the Marshall club in organizing the new club.  By the end of September, the other clubs had agreed to assist, Rotary had approved the process, and District Governor Bagwell had appointed Admiral Sam Moore as his Representative. 
  
The first step was to get representatives from each of the other clubs and set up an organizational meeting.  Clubs with members assisting in the new club’s creation, and attending and celebrating the success of the endeavor, were Marshall-Metro Rotary president, John Alford, Longview Rotary president, Casey Cammack, Warren Leddick, representing the Longview South Rotary club.  
 
The first organizational meeting was held at 6:45 AM, September 26th, 1988, at the Harrison County sub-courthouse.  Those attending were Admiral Sam Moore, Marshall Rotary club president, Jim Fitzgerald, several members of the Marshall club, Longview-South club, and prospective new Rotarians.  The Marshall Rotary club was the designated sponsor of the Hallsville club.
 
To almost everyone’s amazement, the Rotary Club of Hallsville Texas, was chartered, and had its first official meeting November 9, 1988, with Steve Sutton as president, exactly six weeks from the first organizational meeting.