History
The Rotary Club of Miami received its charter on March 1, 1917, and our history is closely related to the City of Miami’s early growth. For the first 50 years, the club had prominent local and state government, banking, airline, business and religious representation among its membership, allowing the club to partner with both public and private sectors in much of the area’s early development.
The Rotary Club of Miami’s first president was Dr. James M. Jackson, a driving force behind civic consciousness in the new City of Miami. Dr. Jackson’s many outstanding contributions were recognized with the establishment of Jackson Memorial Hospital (JMH) in his honor. Other important founding members of the Rotary Club of Miami included Frank B. Shutts, Crate Bowen, Frank B. Stoneman, John Clausen, Edward B. Douglas, Rodney D. Burdine, and Dr. Bascom Palmer.
The Rotary Club of Miami was active in bringing to Miami the YMCA, Boy Scouts of America, Humane Society and Lighthouse for the Blind. Several members of the club were signatories to the founding documents for the University of Miami. The Rotary Club of Miami worked with other civic groups to establish TB and cancer wards at JMH in the late 1920’s and 1930’s. Our club member Dr. Bascom Palmer established the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute in the 1940’s and 1950’s, which is recognized today as one of the premiere eye hospitals in the United States.
Our club helped establish one of the largest burn centers in the south, in cooperation with the City of Miami Fire Department. In 1984, two renowned Rotarians, Dr. Joseph H. Davis and Dr. Theodore Malinin, created the first Sterile Autopsy Suite at the Dade County Medical Examiner’s office to preserve necessary bone and tissue grafts. The Rotary Club of Miami spearheaded a drive to equip the suite that has helped patients around the world and today is part of the University of Miami’s School of Medicine.
As far back as the 1940’s, the club has been providing scholarships to high school, college and post-graduate students from the Greater Miami area. In the 1980’s, Rotarian Thomas Brown McClelland established a medical scholarship trust fund to be administered by the Rotary Club of Miami. The scholarships are awarded to Miami-Dade County high school graduates attending AMA approved medical schools. To date, almost $9 million has been distributed to over 900 recipients.
The Rotary Club of Miami also presents an annual award to an outstanding officer of the City of Miami Police Department, established by Dr. Jack Griffitts, a long-time member. This recognition event now includes a distinguished City of Miami Firefighter, in memory of Rotarian and club historian Norman Kassoff. The Griffitts-Kassoff awards are presented together at a dinner each January.
In the 1990’s, a generous donation from John and Grace DeLury funded the William R. Robbins Jr. Interact Scholarship Fund at Miami Senior High School. The Rotary Club of Miami awards the funds to the senior Interact student who composes the best essay about the value and impact of Rotary’s 4-Way Test at Miami High. This Interact Club at Miami High has been sponsored by the Rotary Club of Miami since 1948.
The Rotary Club of Miami has an impressive history and program of giving, but today we do not claim credit only for past accomplishments. Our goal of positive impact is constant, while our support adapts to the ever-changing needs of the communities we serve. The club has supported hundreds of charities and helped thousands of people through its many community service projects and philanthropy in almost a century of service, and we look forward to sustaining the club’s rich legacy in the years to come.