MURFREESBORO BREAKFAST ROTARY CLUB HISTORY

The Rotary Club came to Murfreesboro in 1919. At that time, Nashville Rotarian James Casey was a good friend of Murfreesboro’s James M. Butler, the two sharing an interest in jersey cattle and both serving on the Board of Directors of the Tennessee State Fair Association. James Butler discussed Rotary with Collier Critchlow, who had first heard of the organization during a visit to Ft. Worth, Texas, and the idea of having a club in Murfreesboro took seed. The Murfreesboro Rotary Club was organized in August of 1919 and received its charter on October 1 of that year as the first civic club in Murfreesboro.

Many years later, some of the members of the Murfreesboro Rotary Club deemed it desirable to begin a Breakfast Rotary Club.

On May 5, 1988, the Murfreesboro Breakfast Rotary Club received its charter.   Mr. Jim Garner, Jr. of the local club (now known as the Murfreesboro Rotary Club) presiding, and District Governor Charlie Lane as special guest speaker.

The first program presented the next week at the regular Breakfast Club meeting was provided by Blake Tidwell who spoke on downtown Murfreesboro’s city/county discussion.

Charter members of the Murfreesboro Breakfast Rotary Club were the following:

Officers:

• Gerald D. Noffsinger, President
• John T. Bragg, Jr., Vice-President
• Mark E. Adkins, Secretary
• B. Jo Atwood, Treasurer
• Douglas A, Swann, Director
• Ewing Sellers, Director
• Robert Ingle, Director
• David Kellerman, Director
• Eddie Knox, Director

Other members included: 

The first Directors’ meeting occurred on July 26, 1988, at the Shoney’s on Broad Street in Murfreesboro.

The Club’s checking account was opened at First Southern Bank.  Jo Atwood reported at that meeting that the cash flow of the Club was sufficient for it to continue to meet its financial expenditures. Notwithstanding, the Directors discussed raising the dues – but it was decided to wait until additional funds were necessary before raising the dues.

The first two new members accepted into the club were:

• Allen Polk
• John McCrary

Also, at that meeting there were three individuals proposed as new members:

• Robbie Cleveland
• Jack Griffon
• Russ Barnett

In 1992, the Murfreesboro Breakfast Rotary Club welcomed Group Study Exchange Scholar, Monica Lewis, from England.  In appreciation for the hospitality shown by our club, the Rotary Club of Golders Green, England, planted a tree in honor of the Murfreesboro Breakfast Rotary Club at the Pestalozzi Rotary Forest at Pestalozzi Children’s Village, Sedlescombe, East Sussex, England, and recorded the planting of the tree in the Register of Trees. The Rotary Club of Golders Green then issued a certificate to that effect dated October 5, 1992.