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History

A Brief History of the Birmingham Rotary Club – Sunrise

In February, 1986, the Rotary Club of Birmingham decided to sponsor a new Rotary Club to meet on a weekly basis at breakfast time in downtown Birmingham. It was the consensus view of the membership that there was a need and indeed sufficient demand for an additional club in the downtown area, and that a breakfast meeting might form the basis for an excellent make-up opportunity for its own members as well as members of others Rotary Clubs in the Birmingham area.

Based on this initial desire, and with the support of the District Governor’s office for District 6860, W.T. Goodloe Rutland, Chairman of the District Extension Committee, held a meeting of charter members of the new club on Thursday, February 27, 1986. This meeting was the basis for the formation of The Rotary Club of Birmingham – Sunrise. Subsequent meetings led to the development of the application and list of charter members for submission to Rotary International for approval and issuance of a charter. And so began The Rotary Club of Birmingham – Sunrise, or as it is more commonly called – The Birmingham Sunrise Rotary Club.

The Club’s territory, defined in accordance with the requirements of Rotary International and its founding club, comprises the territory within the boundaries of I-65 on the westerly side from the interchange of I-59 to 10th Avenue, South, east to Five Points South, Highland Avenue, Key Circle, across Red Mountain to 42nd Street, north on an easterly boundary to take in U.S.Pipe, Jim Walter, and Sloss Furnace to 11th Avenue, North, and back to I-65 along 11th Avenue, North.

Chartering of The Birmingham Sunrise Rotary Club required considerable effort on the part of the District Governor, Henry Graham, along with the assistance of Mr. Rutland and charters members. The Rotary Club of Birmingham – Sunrise was granted its charter by Rotary International on June 23, 1986. On July 22, 1986, The Rotary Clib of Birmingham hosted a charter night at The Harbert Center to celebrate the formation of the new club. 

The earliest meetings of the Club were at the South Central Bell Cafeteria (6th Avenue, North and 19th Street), but by the time of the charter night, the club had moved its meetings to The Harbert Center, where it meets to this day.

Our club will forever be grateful to our charter members listed below:

Rotary Club of Birmingham – Sunrise Charter Members

James Abele, Jr.
Robert Agnew, Jr.
John T. Alvey
Carter Anthony
Keith Arendall
Steven H. Barry 
William G. Bond
Steven A. Brickman
B.R. Brinkley
Blaine Brownell
Lee Burch
Catlin Cade, IV
James Cantrell, Jr.
Michael Cate
Lawrence Clark
Jeffrey Cohn
Clark Collier
Joseph Covington. Jr.
James M. Creamer
Robert Crutchfield
Stewart Dansby
Robert Dobbs
Howard Donovan
Christian Dunn
Glenn Estess, Jr.
Brent Falkenhagen
Harold Fulton
Jim Hanscom
Jimmie Harvey, Jr.
David Hezlep
Richard Horn, Jr.
Thomas Hough
James House
Charles Lichtman
Mark Livingston
Williams Longshore, III
David Lott
Alan Martin
Hugo Marx
Robert Minor
Reese Murray
Mike Quillen
David Rader
Jake Reiss, IV
Thomas Schultz
Wendal R. Scott
James Sisson
Allen Smyly, Jr.
Charles Snell
Frank Vines
Inge Waddle, Jr.
Joseph E. Welden, Jr.
James C. Wilson, Jr.