Rotary has been integral to our community since 1939, and it’s easy to take the club for granted.  Rotary – and the volunteer work we do to raise money and support local non-profits – all began back in 1905. That was when a guy named Paul Harris, a Chicago lawyer, decided to recreate the small-town sociability he knew growing up in northern New England. Times being what they were at the turn of the (previous) century, it probably never occurred to him that women might have a place at the table. 

Not that that stopped them. Over the next decades, a Rotary-affiliated women’s auxiliary, called the Inner Wheel, became quite popular across the Rotary world. And wives of Rotarians who showed up to help were welcomed (if only in the kitchen) and often referred to as RotaryAnns. Meanwhile, the doors to Rotary itself were officially closed to women. 

Until the mid ‘80s, that is. A woman named Sylvia Whitlock had been elected to membership by her club in Duarte, California, despite the gender ban. But when she was subsequently elected club president, Rotary International learned of her existence and quickly took action to have her removed from membership.     

The Duarte Club refused to comply, and the resulting legal case went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1987, the Court ruled that Rotary clubs may not exclude women from membership on a basis of gender. They based their decision on Rotary’s own marketing:  Rotary had always claimed that young professionals who joined Rotary would be able to advance their careers by rubbing shoulders with the community movers-and-shakers. The Supreme Court held that if this were indeed the case, keeping women out of the ranks would be discriminatory. It should be noted that Lions, Kiwanis, and other male-only private organizations were not part of the lawsuit; however, once the court ruling became known they quickly changed their policies and also admitted women.   

An accompanying demise: A few male Rotarians tried to call those pioneer women who became Rotarians “RotaryAnns,” the name that previously had denoted the wife of a Rotarian. That name died a rapid death, and deservedly so, when the women retaliated by calling male Rotarians “RotaryAndys.”  

Here in Boothbay Harbor, in 1988 then-club president Bruce Tindal led the way, and that year, four women were inducted into the club.  All were local leaders, and all would have been asked to join years earlier if not for their gender. Those first four women were Jane Conley, Gail Clark, Karen Fiducia, and Gloria Walter, who went on to become the first female president of the club exactly one decade later. 

This correspondent became the second woman to serve as Boothbay Harbor club president in 2006-07. And in the almost two decades since, one-third of our Presidents have been women, culminating in current President Laurie Zimmerli 

Today, women make up about one-third of Rotarians worldwide, and about 40 percent of Rotarians in North America.  And we are increasingly being seen in Board positions. The first woman to serve at the most senior level of Rotary International was Carolyn Jones, from Anchorage, Alaska, who was named trustee of The Rotary Foundation in 2005.  Women served on Rotary’s Board of Directors in subsequent years, and in 2022, Jennifer Jones, from Windsor, Ontario, became Rotary’s first female president.  Meanwhile, this correspondent has followed Jones’ lead and is currently serving on the Board of The Rotary Foundation; in 2026 I will transition over to a two-year position on the Board of Directors of Rotary International. 

Our first meeting of 2026 is on Jan. 8. Our very own Bruce Harris will be speaking about Education Boothbay - advancing innovation, enhancing education, and empowering students to achieve their full potential.  Interested in learning more about Rotary and all the fun we have while giving back to the community? Ask any Rotarian or come by the Clubhouse at 66 Montgomery Road on Thursdays at 6 p.m. or so for a social.  The meeting starts at 7 and typically wraps up no later than 8.