The Rotary Club of Newton Conover
(Chartered February 8, 1949, Club No. 7174)
When 21 business and professional men in the community came together in late 1948 at the invitation of the Rotary Clubs of Hickory and Lincolnton, they made a commitment to service and agreed to be the newest group in Rotary International. Among the individuals representing sponsoring clubs who encouraged the Newton-Conover men to pursue the Rotary goals was Lenoir-Rhyne College Professor, Dr. Walter T. Nau. Several of the charter members had previously been Rotarians in other communities. On January 15, 1949, the Club received its Charter, and that momentous occasion was celebrated with a banquet held on February 9, 1949. The golden anniversary of the Club was celebrated at a banquet on February 9, 1999, 50 years to the day from the initial event.
The Club first met a Warlong Glove Manufacturing in Conover, North Carolina. When the company was sold, meeting were held at the “White Pine,” a restaurant and entertainment establishment also located in Conover. During the 1995-96 Rotary year, the meeting was moved to the Catawba Country Club, where the Club continues to meet for lunch on Tuesday at 12:00 noon, with membership enrollment that has varied between 75 and 90.
Elected at the fledgling Club’s first president was Adrian L. Shuford, Jr. of Conover, a glove-manufacturing executive, Secretary of Warlong Glove Manufacturing Company. Other charter members and their vocational categories are listed below:
O. W. Bolick, Jr., partner in Southern Furniture Co. (Upholstered Furniture Mfg.)
M.C. Campbell, Superintendent of Catawba County School (Education)
Rev. Dr. Joseph H. Carter, pastor of Newton First Presbyterian Church (Christianity – Protestantism)
Ernest B. Clapp, owner of City Pharmacy (Drugs – Retailing)
Dr. Kenneth L. Cloninger, physician and part owner of Catawba Hospital (Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat)
Lloyd E. Coley, partner in Coley-Gurley Clothing Co. (Men’s Clothing Retail)
Charles R. Corriher, Mgr. of Corriher Implement Co. (Distribution – Tractors)
Robert F. Eller, Jr., owner of Eller Buick Company (Automobile Retailing)
W. Cowles Gaither, V.P. of Ridgeview Hosiery Mill Co. (Ladies’ Hosiery Mfg.)
Atley E. Hartman, Treasurer and General Manager of Maiden Sales Company (Distribution of Upholstery Fabric)
P. W. Herman, owner of Arndt & Herman Lumber Company (Lumber Mfg.)
David Neal Jones, President of New Implement Co. (Farm Implement Retailing)
Dr. Frank W. Jones, part owner of Catawba Hospital (Surgeon)
Locke W. Lowrance, owner of Newton Cleaners and Dyers (Dry Cleaning)
Dr. William T. MacLauchlin, a partner in Conover Medical Clinic (Physician)
John P. Mehaffey, (Security Brokerage)
Leonard Moretz, Sect. and Treasurer of Carolina Mills, Inc. (Cotton Spinning)
Thomas R. Owen, owner of Thomas R. Owen Insurance Agency (Insurance – Fire)
Charles L. Sigmon, Asst. Cashier Catawba Cty. First National Bank (Banking)
Oscar C. Smith, Manager of Carolina Oil Company (Distribution – Oil Products)
Although other charter members are now deceased, the Club is fortunate to have two still active in the organization – Charles Corriher and Dr. William MacLauchlin, both of whom have served as President during their half-century as Newton-Conover Rotarians. A complete list of Club Presidents is shown below:
A. L. Shuford, Jr., 1949-50
Dr. Frank Jones, 1950-51
T. R. Owen, 1951-52
Dr. Kenneth Cloninger, 1952-53
Robert F. Eller, Jr., 1953-54
W. Terrell Webster, Jr., 1953-54
Dr. W. T. MacLauchlin, 1955-56
Charles Tarr, 1956-57
Dr. Bernard Rabold, 1957-58
Cecil Reinhardt, 1958-59
J. Robert Gaither, Jr., 1959-60
Dr. Joseph A. Young, 1960-61
A. A. Kuhn, 1961-62
Charles Corriher, 1962-63
Carroll Barringer, 1963-64
J. Howard Kelly, 1964-65
Frank Cloninger, 1965-66
Claude S. Abernethy, Jr., 1966-67
Villard Blevins, 1967-68
Leonard Moretz, 1968-69
Willard J. Miller, 1969-70
Thomas W. Warlick, 1970-71
William Mebane, 1971-72 and 1972-73
John Weatherly, 1972-73
Jerome W. Bolick, 1973-74
Dr. John F. Sinnett, 1974-75
J. Michael Abernethy, 1975-76
Joe Long, 1976-77
Bruce Bishop, 1977-78
Charles Windham, 1978-79
John M. Geer, Jr., 1979-80
H. D. Griffin, 1980-81
Martin Burrows, 1981-82
James Webb, 1982-83
R. Garrison Corne, 1983-84
Tony Pope, 1984-85
Thomas Yount, 1985-86
Paul Walker, 1986-87
Bobby Boyd, 1987-88
Dal Poston, 1989-90
George Moretz, 1990-91
Ruben Sipe, 1991-92
W. C. Upchurch, 1992-93
Stuart Terry, 1993-94
Dan Timmerman, 1994-95
Steve Dobbins, 1995-96
Rev. Dr. Bill Mims, 1996-97
William Holloway, 1997-98
David L. Phillips, Jr., 1998-99
Scott Gilfillan, 1999-2000
Greg Terry, 2000-01
Ann Sperry, 2001-02
Robert Smith, 2002-03
Clark Isaac, 2003-04
The Club history includes two fathers and sons who have served as President – the late Leonard Moretz and present member George Moretz, and Stuart Terry and son Greg. Twenty-seven of our Past-Presidents are still active members. In the broader history of Rotary International, the Newton-Conover Club has had two of its members serve as District Governor; Dr. John F. Sinnett in 1978-79 and R. Garrison “Gary” Corne, now a member of Catawba Valley Rotary Club, in 1989-90.
in 1969, the Club sponsored establishment of an Interact Club for students at Newton-Conover High School under the direction of Rotarian Michael Abernethy with Everett Simmons as Faculty Advisor. This Club is still and active part of campus affairs. The first President was Libby Hoke Pitts. In 1970, Rotarian Abernethy oversaw establishment of a Rotaract Club at Catawba Valley Technical Institute (now Catawba Valley Community College), and Ms. Pitts was that organization’s first President.
In 1975, the Club presented its first Paul Harris Fellowship to Adrian Shuford, the Charter President. Since that time, a number of Rotarians, their family members, and other community activists have been honored as Paul Harris Fellows. The are currently 41 Club members who are Paul Harris Fellows, and 55 Paul Harris Sustaining Members. The total number of Paul Harris Fellows realized from our Club is 105
For the past half-century, the Club has been involved in public service with members in both elective and appointive positions in local Municipal and County government and in the State Legislature. The Club has been prominent in various community betterment projects through the decades. The first President along with others was instrumental in founding the YMCA of Catawba County, and that institution’s initial site in Conover has been named in honor of Adrian Shuford. For approximately 20 years the Club has sponsored a summer day camp for handicapped adults from throughout Catawba County, which is held at the Conover YMCA facility. The Directory of that program, Mrs. Willie Harrison, was sponsored by the Club on a scholarship for study in Australia. A local young man, William Moser, was sponsored by the Club for a Rotary Scholarship for international study, and now has a career in the US Foreign Service. With support of the Club, scholarships have been granted to graduating seniors at Newton-Conover High School via the Interact Club, one each year to and Interact member and one to a non-member. For a number of years, the officers of Interact were sponsored at the Rotary Summer Leadership Camp in Brevard. During our 1998-99 year under the leadership of President David Phillips the Club honored member and Past District Governor Dr. John F. Sinnett by establishing a Trust Fun to provide annual student scholarships. Scholarship recipients are students enrolled in courses related to the medical profession at Catawba Valley Community College. In 1995-96 the Club arranged and sponsored donation of a complete vision clinic which was shipped to Bolivia. The medical clinic went to an under-developed community in the South American nation as part of the Andean Rural Health Care Project. The equipment had been acquired from Dr. Roy Stewart of Newton when he retired and closed his local clinic. During its first five decades, the Club financially supported many civic projects, and members have donated their time and talents on behalf of the Club. For a number of years members have been recognized for their efforts on behalf of the Salvation Army Christmas fund, as one example.
Both members and non-members have been honored since 1976 with annual presentation of the Club’s Vocation Service Award for contributions to the community. This award represents the highest honor the Club can bestow in recognition of an individual’s service through their profession. Individual recipients include Leonard Moretz, 1976; Dr. Jess White, 1977; Adrian Shuford, 1978; Charles Windham, 1979; Jerome Bolick, 1980; Dr. William MacLauchlin, 1981; Joe Long, 1982; Rev. Stanley Stiver, 1983; Claude Abernethy, 1984; Ed Schrum, 1985; Sherrill Cranford, 1986; Stine Isenhower, 1987; Robert Paap, 1988; Ed Robinette, 1989; Robert Gaither, 1990; Michael Abernethy, 1991 ; Charles Corriher, 1993; Hugh Gaither, 1993; Mrs. Ann Gaither, 1994; George Moretz, 1995; Tony Pope, 1996; Thomas Warlick, 1997; Dan Timmerman, 1998; Stuart Terry, 1999; W. C. Upchurch, 2000; Rev. Fred Thompson, 2001; Steve Dobbins, 2002; and Glenn Morrison, 2003.