Club History
Rotary Club of Columbia, Mo was chartered April 1, 1922 and was the home club of 1934-35 of the Rotary International President Robert E. Lee Hill. The University of Missouri columns in the old club logo recognize the centrality of education to the Rotary and Columbia. The club is informally called the Downtown Rotary Club.
Club Committees | Club Leadership | Tom Botts Award | Past Club Presidents | Attendance | Rotary Links
Board Members
Ted Jacobs
Jason Knipp
Becky Bocklage
Veli Thipe
Ann Merrifield
Chris Kelly
Andrew Grabau
Tom Botts Award
This award recognizes outstanding service by club members. It was named for Tom Botts, who until his death at age 94 on March 1, 1999, was the club’s oldest member. Affectionately called “Coach” because of his tenure as MU track coach from 1946 to 1972, Tom served as Club Secretary for 13 years during the 1970s and 1980s. In recognition of his m any years of outstanding service to the club, the community and the University, he was given a special award by the Board of Directors in 1985, and the Tom Botts Award was created.
SELECTION CRITERIA:
1. Exemplify the Rotary four-way test: (a) Is it the
truth? (b) Is it fair to all concerned? (c) Will it build goodwill and better friendships? (d) Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
2. Exemplary service to Rotary
3. Achievement in business or profession
4. Service to the community
5. Member of the club for at least five years
Have a candidate for the Tom Botts award in mind? Use the form below to nominate them!
Previous Tom Botts Recipients
1985: Tom Botts
1986: Bob Teel, Harry Herman, Leland Schaperkotter, Herb Schooling
1987: Sam Black, Elmer Ellis, Charlie Diggs, Sr., Charles Proctor
1988: Andy Bass, Bill Bradshaw, Seymour Smith, Earl English
1989: Sidney Neate, Sam Langley, Ed Lambert, Hugh Stephenson
1990: Russell Thompson, Bill Kimel, B.D. Simon, Albert Price
1991: Duke Walthall, Everette Kahl, Joe Covington, Tim Donovan
1992: Robert Karsch, Robert Shaw, Ronald Mason, R.D. Ross
1993: Kenneth Clark, Paul Kuckelman, Harold Edwards, Jack Kennedy
1994: Smiley Herrin, Kenneth Freeman, Tom Payne, Marvin Shamberger
1995: Adolph Schroeder, Don Ruthenberg
1996: Larry Clark
1998: Carl Scheneman, Steve Scott
1999: Glenn McElroy
2000: David Rogers
2001: Claude Barton, Scott Orr
2002: Earl Proctor, Muriel Battle
2003: Deanna Corn, Earl Robert Jones
2004: George Ashley
2005: Cindy Mustard
2006: Jolene Schulz, Cindy Sheltmire
2007: Marty Walker
2008: Darcy Wells
2009: Judy Elliott
2010: Melvin Platt
2011: Gertrude and G.B. Thompson (joint award)
2012: David Oliver
2013: Rollie Hausman, Ann Deaton
2014: Susan Bell
2015: Keith McLaughlin
2016: Chief William Markgraf
2017: Kelley Upham
2018: Brenda Woods
2019: No award given
2020: Mike Randerson
2021: Bob Churchill
2022: Mark Hargens
2023: Barbara Churchill
Past Club Presidents
2024-2025: Josh Lehman 2023-2024: Chrissy Jones 2022-2023: Renee Reed-Miller and Chuck Doss 2021-2022: Barbara Churchill 2020-2021: Mark Hargens and Mike Randerson 2019-2020: Neil Carr 2017-2019: Bob Churchill 2016-17: John Baker 2015-16: Kelley Upham 2014-15: Susan Bell 2013-14: Jerry Murrell 2012-13: Melvin Platt 2011-12: Brenda Woods 2010-11: Keith McLaughlin 2009-10: Rollie Hausman 2008-09: Darlene R. Johnson 2007-08: Tony St. Romaine 2006-07: Paige Scott 2005-06: Darcy Wells 2004-05: Marty Walker 2003-04: Andy Bonderer 2002-03: Ed Blaine 2001-02: Bill Markgraf 2000-01: R.D. Ross 1999-00: Dee Corn 1998-99: Bob Bohnenkamp 1997-98: Jeff MacLellan 1996-97: Tim Donovan 1995-96: Bob Jones 1994-95: Steve Scott 1993-94: Jim Roller 1992-93: Jerry D. Harl 1991-92: Richard Halterman 1990-91: Ronald E. King 1989-90: Jerry D. Kennett 1988-89: Hugh E. Stephenson, Jr. 1987-88: Joe L. Moseley 1986-87: Russell V. Thompson 1985-86: K. Blake Danuser 1984-85: Charles W. Digges, Jr. 1983-84: Ronald E. Mason 1982-83: E. Lynn Miller 1981-82: William R. Kimel 1980-81: Thomas E. Baumgardner 1979-80: David B. Rogers 1978-79: Dolf Schroeder 1977-78: Harlan E. Jensen 1976-77: William P. Jenkins 1975-76: Leland Schaperkotter 1974-75: Kenneth Clark 1973-74: Donald C. Patterson 1972-73: John P. Kennedy 1971-72: Charles G. Gibbens 1970-71: Robert L. Teel 1969-70: Kermit A. Crawley 1968-69: Jean J. Madden 1967-68: Andrew J. Bass, Jr. 1966-67: Kenneth K. Keown 1965-66: A. Perry Phillips 1964-65: Robert C. Shaw 1963-64: Joe E. Covington 1962-63: B.D. Simon 1961-62: Scott Wright 1960-61: Kenneth Freeman 1959-60: Leo F. Van Coutren 1958-59: Edward H. Weatherly 1957-58: Paul W. Mathews 1956-57: Charles W. Digges, Sr. 1955-56: Max Gill 1954-55: Charles G. Proctor 1953-54: J. Rogers Cockran 1952-53: H. Donovan Rhynsburger 1951-52: Sidney M. Neate 1950-51: Thomas D. McHarg 1949-50: Clarence C. Lightner 1948-49: Henry H. Kinyon 1947-48: Patterson Bain 1946-47: H.R. McArthur 1945-46: John Rufi 1944-45: Arthur L. Hulen 1942-43: James C. Miller 1941-42: Arthur S. Emig 1940-41: Joseph R. Somerville Jul-Oct 1940 Samuel T. Bratton 1939-40: John Estes Gillaspie 1938-39: Karl D. Dietrich 1937-38: C. Mitchell Tucker 1936-37: W. Morris Dinwiddie 1935-36: Thomas B. Taylor 1934-35: Nick Thurmond Cave 1933-34: Isadore Arnold Barth 1932-33: Chester Leland Brewer 1931-32: John Philip Hetzler 1930-31: Walter Homer Braselton 1929-30: James Sidney Rollins 1928-29: Orville Marion Barnett 1927-28: Frederick B. Mumford 1926-27: Charles William Digges 1925-26: Robert E. Lee Hill 1924-25: William Joseph Hetzler 1923-24: Henry Alison Collier 1922-23: Frank Bingham Rollins Feb-Jun 1922: Jay William Hudson
Attendance
Makeups/Excused Absences: To help our attendance average, please be sure to report your makeups and to request excused absences when your absence is unavoidable. If you make up at another Columbia club, your attendance automatically will be reported to our club. However, if you make up out-of-town, you must self-report those makeups. If you attend a Rotary International or District sponsored online/virtual event, it will count as a make up. When you need to report a makeup or request an excused absence, you can do so by replying to this message or by filling out one of the yellow cards available on the sign-in table at meetings.
To report an excused absence, please email Darren Day at daydarren2310@gmail.com.
Missed a meeting? Make it up at another Rotary club
Columbia Area Make-up Locations
- The Impact Rotary Club, Tuesdays at 7:00 AM except last Tuesday of the month at the Country Club of Missouri, 1300 Woodrail Avenue
- The Rotary Club of Columbia South, Fridays at 6:45 a.m. at the Country Club of Missouri, 1300 Woodrail Avenue
- Rotaract of Columbia, Third Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m . at various locations.
Our normal meeting location is Reinhardt Construction (2401 Bernadette Dr Suite 109, Columbia, MO 65203). We update the Rotaract website meeting tab with different events that we participate in as well.
- The Metro Rotary Club, every Wednesday at 12:00 noon at The Columbia Country Club, 2210 Country Club Drive, Columbia, Missouri.
