Rotary Club of Broadmoor District
P. O. Box 38572
Colorado Springs, CO 80937

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CLUB HISTORY

The Broadmoor Rotary Club was sponsored by the Downtown Rotary Club and had its first meeting on October 9, 1957. It was officially chartered by Rotary International on December 19, 1957. The club met at various locations during its early formative years in the southwest area of Colorado Springs and now meets at the Cheyenne Mountain Conference Center. To get to the Conference Center, take the Clubhouse Dr. exit off of South Nevada (south of Lake St) and go straight ahead at the stop sign into the parking lot.

Club membership currently stands at 66. Club meetings are at noon on Thursdays.

THE ROTARY CLUB OF THE BROADMOOR DISTRICT
History by Nolan Drury
ORGANIZATION OF THE CLUB
IN THE BEGINNING . . . it was evident to members of the downtown Colorado Springs Rotary Club that the Broadmoor-Skyway area needed a very special Rotary Club with very special members.

Accordingly, a special committee headed by Rotarians Henry Willie and Lester Howard was formed to proceed with the study, which would eventually lead to that special Rotary club of the Broadmoor District with twenty-two special charter members. Those two loyal Rotarians, Henry and Lester, with the support of the members of the downtown Colorado Springs Rotary Club, gave many hours to the numerous tasks necessary to complete the organizational work and then proceed with the application for a charter from Rotary International. The contribution of Rotarians Henry Willie and Lester Howard should not be forgotten, for they were the key individuals in the formation of our great club. It was their strong leadership and inspiration that brought us to that first club meeting in the beginning -- OCTOBER 9, 1957, and the eventual Rotary International Charter presentation December 19, 1957.

Organizational meetings were held at the Chicken Shack on South Nevada and then on that eventful day, October 9, 1957, at the Bruin Inn, located up North Cheyenne Canon. Charter President Fred Short brought down the gavel to start that first Broadmoor  Rotary club  meeting with those special Rotarians making Rotary history that even they could not foresee. The meetings were so hot that the Bruin Inn burned down after the first meeting. We had to move the meeting place and Enricos on South Eighth Street (across from Howdy Pard Restaurant) was chosen. An elegant banquet at the Broadmoor Hotel was the scene of the delivery of charter from Rotary International designating the Rotary Club of the Broadmoor District as one of the very finest Rotary Clubs in all of Rotary, an honor that we have held since that date on December 19, 1957 . . . long live Broadmoor Rotary.

Our club did experience some difficulties with a permanent meeting place. as Enricos became the Safari Lounge, unsuitable for our meetings. We moved to the Moors country club south of Colorado Springs, then on to the Beefeaters Restaurant on South Tejon Street, the Golden Dragon on South 8th Street and then good times were held in  the Holiday Inn until 1965 with good meeting facilities and excellent cuisine for many years.

And so it came to pass that the following CHARTER MEMBERS led us out of the wilderness of North Cheyenne Canon to our present plush surroundings:

Charter Officers were:
President                 Frederick W. Short
Vice President         Rudolph Olson
Secretary.                 Kenneth D Willson
Treasurer                 Roy W. Harvey

The Charter Members were
John C. Birkes Rudolph Olson
Garth W. Boyce James G. Peters
William A. Crumrine George Phillips
Frederick R. Funk William D. Ritchie
Walter E. Glander Dr. R. G. Rolofson
Roy W. Harvey Robert L. Schafroth
R. T. Hereford William R. Shannon
Frank W. Ladwig Frederick W. Short
Faunt D. LeRoy James R. Stillwell
Mike Ludwig, Jr. James Thompson
Charles S. McGee Kenneth D. Willson

The Holiday Inn Central was our meeting place for some 27 years, but when they changed the motel to a Holiday Inn Express, no luncheons were available to the Broadmoor Rotary Club, so the club moved to the Red Lion Inn with our first meeting there taking place October 1, 1992. From the beginning, the Broadmoor Rotary Club wanted to meet at the Broadmoor Hotel, but all efforts failed, even though our third President, Roy Harvey was Assistant Manager at the Broadmoor Hotel, we were rejected because the hotel would not obligate the hotel to any group for weekly meetings and that was the BAD NEWS; Now for the GOOD NEWS -- The Broadmoor Rotary Club met at the Broadmoor Hotel effective January, 1995. That lasted only ten years and in 2005 we relocated to the Cheyenne Mountain Resort, where we usually meet at the Remington II room and enjoy soup, salad, sandwiches and desserts, except on special occasions when a full meal is served. The scenery overlooking the lake, golf greens and Cheyenne Mountain is unparalleled.

GROWTH OF THE CLUB
It has been our desire to maintain growth of the club both in membership and activities in line with Rotary International. We have deliberately aimed to bring into the club only people who possess the qualities in their business and professional activities that represent the kind of idealism Rotary requests. As with membership development, we have tried to gear our club activities to the Rotary ideal of "Service Above Self". These activities will be considered in this account on two bases: (1) those that are international in scope, and (2) those that are more or less local in nature.

Rotary is an international service organization, and its principal emphasis has been to increase "international good will and under-standing." At the same time, it is characteristic of Rotary clubs to also be of service within their own communities, although so frequently it is often difficult to separate local from international service. In this summary that attempts to cover briefly the development of our club's service activities, much reference to individual names is being largely avoided. This is not to imply that we have been lacking in a strong and imaginative leadership. On the contrary we have been fortunate in the very high quality of our leadership ... our club could not take the deserved pride it does in what we have achieved had it not been for the constructive leadership of our Presidents, Officers and Board of Directors. Although these Rotarians have always been the generating force within the club, every significant activity in the end has been accomplished only through the efforts of all members working together in the true spirit of Rotary. Negative responses to requests to lend a hand with projects in this club have been rare.

In recent years Rotary International, following a Supreme Court ruling, declared that Rotary membership should be open to all qualified women.  Many clubs throughout Rotary responded affirmatively. In 1994, Becky Snyder became the first woman to be inducted as a member of the Broadmoor Rotary Club.  And in 2001 Mary O’Connor became our first woman President.  Our Stag Steak Fry is no longer for men only.

COMMUNITY SERVICE ACTIVITIES
Although it has been our policy to be restrictive in support of various community activities and agencies, being aware of budget limitations and the qualifications of agencies requesting our support, a compilation of what we have done becomes a more comprehensive listing than many of our members might suspect. The following enumeration of our past and present community projects is not necessarily complete, but it is evidence that we do keep involved in this avenue of service.  We have given our assistance to an annual Scout-O-Rama. There was a time when our club helped with a Boy Scout Explorer troop. The club was active in the YAL programs for many years. We now sponsor an Interact Club at Cheyenne Mountain High School, and the young people in the club undertake at least one major community project each year. The annual Catch-It-Calf event at the El Paso County Fair has been the recipient of our sponsorship for many years.  In conjunction with the other Rotary Clubs in Colorado Springs, we have been actively involved in the Champions Program for High School athletes.  For several years we assisted in the United Way Fund Drive by contacting prospective donors among business people; however, we do not make club donations to this organization.  One of our most ambitious community projects has been the annual scholarship awards.  These awards are given to two of the student Rotarian guests who attend our club meetings during the nine-month school year. Cheyenne Mountain High School has been helpful in the selection of these young people. The award is $1,500 each and the competition for these scholarships is noteworthy.  Scholarships have also been given to given to graduating seniors from the Harrison School District, based on need and potential.

Our club has enjoyed a steady growth in both members and activities. When we consider the many activities we enjoy, perhaps the annual highlight is our annual Christmas Party for Handicapped Children. Of course, the presence of Santa Claus at this party is always the highlight of that day for all . . . especially the children, and one of our members stars as jolly ole St. Nick. In the past Jack Williams and John Weiler have filled that role. More recently we have had both Santa Claus and “Nana” Claus, thanks to Paul and Jan Foreman. Another annual event held at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo is our Steak Fry at which some of the most talented steak chefs in the county demonstrate their talents. When Rotary was a male only club, this was a “stag” event but now all genders are equally welcome.

The annual Valentines Party to which wives, daughters and granddaughters are invited is our February special event which is highly cherished by many of our young ladies. There are several club social events shared by Rotarians and their spouses or guests.  The annual Presidents Dinner Party is held in late June at the changing of the guard. The current president is thanked for his service to the club and is presented with a past-presidents pin and he pins the incoming president with a President’s pin.  Some of the activities that have been held in the past include Casino night, and a Barn Dance and BBQ at the Lee Four Way Ranch. They too were always a lot of fun.  On special occasions, we have also enjoyed bus trips to out of town events including Dinner Theater in Denver. More recently a hay ride to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo has been a welcome winter event. 

We know of no organization that does more for International Exchange than Rotary ... we are truly an international organization with great emphasis on youth. This should be remembered when people ask us about Rotary. Rotary information is important to our Rotary growth, both individually and collectively. Many pamphlets on Rotary information are available to our members simply for the asking and it should be obvious that the members who avail themselves of this additional information are the better-informed Rotarians on the subject of Rotary. Rotary Fireside chats for all new Broadmoor Rotarians enhance Rotary Information and fellowship. One of the best International magazines available is our Rotarian magazine. Rotarians are given the opportunity to keep abreast of the many international aspects of Rotary International when we read this fine magazine.

The following is offered for the many Rotarians who have wondered why our Rotary Club does not sing during our regular club meetings; during our formative years we DID sing during our club meetings under the direction of Broadmoor Rotarian Dick Jurgens, the famous big band leader, who was the elected club song leader. The years went by and our voices faded, as did Dick Jurgens, which left us, as we are now ... a vociferous but non-singing Rotary club.

Our club has enjoyed many fund raising events such as Casino Night, Christmas tree sales at Wal-Mart, a Golf Tournament, and free will monetary gifts from our members to pay for the projects. The Broadmoor Rotary Club contributed many thousands of dollars to Polio Plus, which was a great effort by all of Rotary International. The cover on our Rotarian magazine, December, 1994 said it well for Polio Plus "No More Polio In The Americas, Thanks, Rotary." Community Service projects such as Acacia Hotel luncheons for seniors, dictionaries for third graders, and shopping sprees for underprivileged children add measurably to the well being of our community.  With the influx of younger members into our club in recent years we can be sure to have good, steady quality growth.  We should continue to be one of the best clubs in District 5470.

During the 50th U.S. Women’s Open Golf Tournament in 1995 at the Broadmoor, our Rotary family served, as needed, to make the event a success.  The Broadmoor Rotary Annual Five-Star Charity Golf Classic began in 1998 and is a great fundraiser, thanks to the leadership of Ron Walden along with the support of our entire Rotary Family.

The Read to Succeed Program at Skyway Park Elementary School, under the leadership of Martin Emeson, is popular with our club and requires many reading Rotarians.

Our club was honored in the Rotary Year 2000-2001 as the recipient of the coveted D.D. Monroe Award for being the best club in the District during the tenure of President Dick Foster.    This is the first time our club has received this award In addition to being a very active Past President, starting in 2002, Dr. Richard “Dick)”Foster became the club’s first District Level Officer when he served as District Lt. Governor for International Service, District Rotary Foundation Committee Chairman, and District Grant Sub Committee Chairman.  In 2003 he was honored as the Outstanding Rotarian of the Year for the entire district.  Since Dick assumed these positions, more Grants have been submitted to the Rotary Foundation for matching funds than in all the previous years combined. In 2006-07, under unusually trying circumstances, with the severe cardiac disability of the District Governor-Elect, Dick was named District Governor, the first member of this club to have attained that honor.

Our club has participated in and sponsored a number of Grants both outgoing to Third World areas as well as incoming to areas in need in our own community. The Broadmoor Rotary is here to stay and attracts well qualified, active members.

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