Paso Robles Rotary Club celebrates 100 years
Photos by Peter Schroeder.
Event held at Paso Robles Events Center Frontier Pavilion
– The Rotary Club of Paso Robles recently celebrated its 100th anniversary as a local service club of Rotary International. The celebration was held at the Paso Robles Events Center Frontier Pavilion.
In early 1922, J. Valentine Wachtel Jr., president of the Paso Robles National Bank, became interested in forming a local Rotary Club. Correspondence began to ensure “men of unquestioned honor and integrity” would participate regularly in this small town with a population of only 2,000-4,000 people. This culminated in a formal application to Rotary International on Nov. 13, 1923.
The original charter for the Paso Robles Rotary Club (#1602) was dated Jan. 15, 1924 and was formally presented at a special banquet at the Paso Robles Hot Springs Hotel on March 15, 1924.
Among other charitable works, the Rotary Club of Paso Robles and Paso Robles Rotary Services, Inc. regularly support youth of the community through grants, school projects, and numerous scholarships to Paso Robles High School and Liberty High School students to further their education after high school through trade schools, colleges, and universities.
The club is very active in local and world community service projects, including projects to clean up the environment, provide resources to serve the local homeless population, aid in educational projects for underserved populations internationally, and more.
