About Us

Circa 1921 - A History of Rotary Club in San Marcos

(Picture Courtesy San Marcos-Hays County Collection, San Marcos Public Library) 

The Rotary Club of San Marcos (Club 1924), founded on November 5, 1921 by 25 charter members, is a volunteer organization of regional community and professional leaders uniting to provide humanitarian service and goodwill through community service projects.  Rotary club members work locally, regionally, and internationally to combat hunger, promote peace, improve health and sanitation, and provide education & job training under the motto “Service Above Self”.  Feel free to join them for a meeting to see what local Rotarians are doing for your community.  Meetings are every Wednesday, Noon at the Price Center Banquet Room, 222 W. San Antonio Street. For more information visit www.rotaryclubsanmarcos.org

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District 5840 History

Rotary International District 5840 lies deep in the heart of Texas, covering an area of 52,466 square miles encompassing 44 counties. There are nine Rotary districts in Texas, with District 5840 having a membership of 2,900.

Rotary first came to Texas in 1912 when clubs were chartered in San Antonio, Dallas and Houston. Rotarian Herbert J. Hayes organized the San Antonio Rotary Club, the 52nd Rotary Club to be chartered, in June 1912 with 11 men. Today, the San Antonio club is the largest Rotary club in the world with a membership of more than 600. The Cuero Rotary Club was the second club formed in the District and was sponsored by the Victoria Rotary Club in District 5930. The Cuero Club's charter number 907 was issued May 1, 1921. The Beeville Rotary Club, the third club in the District, was sponsored jointly by the Victoria Rotary Club and the San Antonio Club. Beeville holds charter number 955, issued on May 1, 1921.

Our District has furnished Rotary International with one of its most illustrious presidents, Harry H. Rogers of San Antonio, in 1926-1927. In 1924-1925 he served as a director of Rotary International and under his dynamic leadership in 1947-1948, he placed the Rotary Foundation on a sound footing.

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About Rotary

Rotary was born in 1905, the idea of an attorney Paul Harris, who along with four of his business friends founded the first Rotary Club. Harris' idea was that business leader's should meet periodically to enjoy camaraderie and to enlarge their circle of business and professional acquaintances. The name "Rotary" derived from the early practice of rotating meetings among member's offices. As Rotary grew, its mission expanded beyond serving the professional and social interests of Club members. Rotarians began pooling their resources and contributing their talents to help serve communities in need. The organization's dedication to this ideal is best expressed in it's principal motto: "Service Above Self."  To learn more about Rotary, click here.

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The Four-Way Test


From the earliest days of the organization, Rotarians were concerned with promoting high ethical standards in their professional lives. One of the world's most widely printed and quoted statements of business ethics is The Four-Way Test, which was created in 1932 by Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor (who later served as RI president) when he was asked to take charge of a company that was facing bankruptcy.

This 24-word test for employees to follow in their business and professional lives became the guide for sales, production, advertising, and all relations with dealers and customers, and the survival of the company is credited to this simple philosophy. Adopted by Rotary in 1943, The Four-Way Test has been translated into more than a hundred languages and published in thousands of ways. It asks the following four questions:

" Of the things we think, say or do:
1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and BETTER FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?"