ROTARY CLUB OF SANTA CRUZ
  • Programs & Events
  • NEWSLETTER
    • Spokes 2024-2025
    • Spokes 2023-2024
  • PHOTOS
    • President Stone 2024-2025 >
      • Fourth Quarter >
        • June 6, 2025
        • May 30, 2025
        • May 23, 2025
        • May 17, 2025 Big Event
        • Evening With The Stars
        • The Red Carpet
        • May 9, 2025 scholarships
        • May 2, 2025
        • April 25, 2025
        • April 11., 2025
        • April 4, 2025
      • Third Quarter >
        • March 21, 2025
        • March 14, 2025
        • March 13, 2025 Mackenzie's
        • March 7, 2025
        • February 25th Social
        • February 21, 2025
        • February 7, 2025
        • January 31, 2025
        • January 24, 2025
        • January 17, 2025
        • January 10, 2025
      • Second Quarter >
        • December 18, 2024 Xmas Sweaters
        • Holiday Social
        • December 20, 2024, Xmas Program
        • December 13, 2024
        • December 6, 2024
        • November 22, 2024
        • November 15, 2024
        • November 8, 2024
        • November 1, 2024
        • October 25, 2024
        • October 18, 2024
        • 2024 Past Presidents
        • October 14, 2024 Fred's Social
        • October 8, 2024
      • First Quarter >
        • Rotary Social 9/28/24
        • Club BBQ
        • Vocational Scholarships
        • July 26, 2024
        • June 19, 2024
        • July 12, 2024
        • July 4, 2024
    • President DeBernardo 2023-2024 >
      • Fourth Quarter >
        • June 28, 2024 Debunking
        • June 21, 2024
        • June 14, 2024
        • June 7, 2024
        • May 31, 2024
        • May 24, 2024
        • May 17, 2024
        • Beach May 5, 2024
        • May 3, 2024
        • April 26, 2024
        • April 19, 2024
        • April 12, 2024
        • April 5, 2024
      • Third Quarter >
        • March 22, 2024
        • March 15, 2024
        • March 8, 2024
        • March 1, 2024
        • February 23, 2024
        • February 16, 2024
        • February 9, 2024
        • February 2, 2024
        • January 26, 2024
        • January 19, 2024
        • January 17, 2024 - Social B
        • January 17, 2024 Social A
        • January 12, 2024
        • January 5, 2024
      • Second Quarter >
        • December 20, 2023 Social from Maurice
        • December 20, 2023 Social
        • December 15, 2023
        • December 8, 2023
        • December 1, 2023
        • November 17, 2023
        • November 10, 2023
        • November 1, 2023 Social at Mo's
        • October 27. 2023
        • October 20, 2023
        • October 13, 2023
        • October 6, 2023
      • First Quarter >
        • September 29, 2023
        • Sept. 22, 2023 Scholarships
        • September 15 Barbecue
        • September 8, 2023
        • September 1, 2023
        • August 25, 2023
        • August 18, 2023
        • August 11, 2023
        • July 28, 2023
        • July 26, 2023 Social Photos from Mo
        • July 21, 2023
        • July 26, 2023 Social
        • July 7, 2023
        • July 4, 2023 Flags
  • What is Rotary?
    • Who We Are
    • Club History
    • Officers
    • Directors
    • Info for Prospective Rotarians
    • Become a Rotarian
    • Where does your money go?
    • Annual Fundraiser
    • Our Centennial
    • Rotaract Club of Santa Cruz County
  • FORMS & LINKS
  • CONTACT
  • PROJECTS
    • Community Service Projects
    • Guatemala Water Projects
  • Club Service Committee
    • Club Service
  • Community Service Committee
    • Community Service
    • Make a Donation Request
  • Vocational Service Committee
    • Vocational Service
    • Academic Scholarship Program
    • Vocational Scholarship Program
    • Scholarship Program History
  • International Service Committee
    • International Service
  • Avenues of Service
  • Santa Cruz Rotary Community Fund
  • Santa Cruz Rotary Endowment
  • News Updates

Club History

It's November 29, 1921. At the St. George Hotel on Pacific Avenue, 25 men gather for lunch constituting the first meeting of the proposed Santa Cruz Rotary Club. The club was granted its charter from Rotary International four months later. The charter was officially presented by the San Francisco Club at a banquet held at the St. George Hotel on June 24, 1922. This was the first charter issued to a club in a city with a population under 11,000. The success of the Santa Cruz Club opened the door for the formation of other clubs in small towns across the country. Judge Harry Bias was elected to serve as the Club’s first president. The Board of Directors included George Cardiff, Robert Jones, Fred How, and George Wood.

The Santa Cruz Club is still well known for its fun and friendship. This characteristic is rooted in the very beginnings of the Club. In the 1920s, the Club was a place where one could always hear a song or two sung at the lunch meeting, generally accompanied with a well-meaning prank. At a 1929 dinner, to poke fun at the officer who installed the Club several years earlier and who had a penchant for wearing bright colors, all the Club members rushed to Morris Abrams clothiers and purchased the loudest, widest ties possible. The incident garnered a lengthy front page story in the Sentinel the next day. A pattern of fun, friendship, and service had been set. Rotary was on its way to becoming an intricate part of the fabric of Santa Cruz life. 

The cream of Santa Cruz joined up
The 25 charter members of the Rotary Club reads like a who’s who of Santa Cruz’s social, civic and business life in the 1920s. Judge Bias was elected president in March 1922; his term expired with the end of the Rotary year, June 30, 1922. He was then elected to a full one- year term, making him the only president in Club history to serve more than 12 months.

Morris Abrams, a clothier, was an active leader in the Santa Cruz business community for six decades. Mr. Abrams once said, “Santa Cruz is not only a good place for a man to rest at the end of the road, but for a young man to work at the beginning of it.” When Mr. Abrams opened his store on Pacific and Lincoln in the early 1900s, his was the last building facing toward the river, and pine forests grew near the back of his shop. Whenever he had to pay a fine at Rotary, regardless of the amount, he would simply throw in a handful of pennies. He enjoyed the penny-pinching image this gave him. However, whenever a project came up or a need arose, Mr. Abrams was always the first one to step forward with a contribution, usually the largest donation in the club. Because of his friendliness, his generosity, and his belief that every customer should be a friend, Abrams was know as “The Poor Man’s Friend.”

Charles Klein was the owner of Klein & Trumbley Jewelers on Pacific Avenue and was known as the “Grand Old Man of Golf.” In 1950, at the age of 80, Mr. Klein shot a 36 on the front nine of Pasatiempo Golf Course. An early and ardent supporter of Rotary, Mr. Klein remained active well into his 90s.

Even California leaders were part of our Club
William T. Jeter, a charter member, was Lt. Governor of California from 1895 to 1898. He was born in Illinois in 1850 and came to Santa Cruz in 1877. In 1884 he was elected district attorney, a position he held until 1890, when he was elected mayor. He was instrumental in securing 12,000 acres of north county redwoods for a state park as well as the Big Trees Grove in Felton. After completing his political career, he served as president of the Santa Cruz County First National Bank for many years. He was an active Rotarian with a perfect attendance record until the illness that led to his death in 1930. Flags around the state were lowered to half-staff to honor this great Santa Cruzan.

Throughout its history, the Santa Cruz Rotary Club has attracted some of the city’s most important and influential business people and civic leaders. As the Club has passed its 100th year of service to the community, this continues to be the case. However, there may never be a more illustrious group than the charter members of 1922.

Rotary Club of Santa Cruz
© Copyright 2025.  All rights reserved.
Picture
Website  design  and computer services provided by ​
​
User Friendly Computing
  • Programs & Events
  • NEWSLETTER
    • Spokes 2024-2025
    • Spokes 2023-2024
  • PHOTOS
    • President Stone 2024-2025 >
      • Fourth Quarter >
        • June 6, 2025
        • May 30, 2025
        • May 23, 2025
        • May 17, 2025 Big Event
        • Evening With The Stars
        • The Red Carpet
        • May 9, 2025 scholarships
        • May 2, 2025
        • April 25, 2025
        • April 11., 2025
        • April 4, 2025
      • Third Quarter >
        • March 21, 2025
        • March 14, 2025
        • March 13, 2025 Mackenzie's
        • March 7, 2025
        • February 25th Social
        • February 21, 2025
        • February 7, 2025
        • January 31, 2025
        • January 24, 2025
        • January 17, 2025
        • January 10, 2025
      • Second Quarter >
        • December 18, 2024 Xmas Sweaters
        • Holiday Social
        • December 20, 2024, Xmas Program
        • December 13, 2024
        • December 6, 2024
        • November 22, 2024
        • November 15, 2024
        • November 8, 2024
        • November 1, 2024
        • October 25, 2024
        • October 18, 2024
        • 2024 Past Presidents
        • October 14, 2024 Fred's Social
        • October 8, 2024
      • First Quarter >
        • Rotary Social 9/28/24
        • Club BBQ
        • Vocational Scholarships
        • July 26, 2024
        • June 19, 2024
        • July 12, 2024
        • July 4, 2024
    • President DeBernardo 2023-2024 >
      • Fourth Quarter >
        • June 28, 2024 Debunking
        • June 21, 2024
        • June 14, 2024
        • June 7, 2024
        • May 31, 2024
        • May 24, 2024
        • May 17, 2024
        • Beach May 5, 2024
        • May 3, 2024
        • April 26, 2024
        • April 19, 2024
        • April 12, 2024
        • April 5, 2024
      • Third Quarter >
        • March 22, 2024
        • March 15, 2024
        • March 8, 2024
        • March 1, 2024
        • February 23, 2024
        • February 16, 2024
        • February 9, 2024
        • February 2, 2024
        • January 26, 2024
        • January 19, 2024
        • January 17, 2024 - Social B
        • January 17, 2024 Social A
        • January 12, 2024
        • January 5, 2024
      • Second Quarter >
        • December 20, 2023 Social from Maurice
        • December 20, 2023 Social
        • December 15, 2023
        • December 8, 2023
        • December 1, 2023
        • November 17, 2023
        • November 10, 2023
        • November 1, 2023 Social at Mo's
        • October 27. 2023
        • October 20, 2023
        • October 13, 2023
        • October 6, 2023
      • First Quarter >
        • September 29, 2023
        • Sept. 22, 2023 Scholarships
        • September 15 Barbecue
        • September 8, 2023
        • September 1, 2023
        • August 25, 2023
        • August 18, 2023
        • August 11, 2023
        • July 28, 2023
        • July 26, 2023 Social Photos from Mo
        • July 21, 2023
        • July 26, 2023 Social
        • July 7, 2023
        • July 4, 2023 Flags
  • What is Rotary?
    • Who We Are
    • Club History
    • Officers
    • Directors
    • Info for Prospective Rotarians
    • Become a Rotarian
    • Where does your money go?
    • Annual Fundraiser
    • Our Centennial
    • Rotaract Club of Santa Cruz County
  • FORMS & LINKS
  • CONTACT
  • PROJECTS
    • Community Service Projects
    • Guatemala Water Projects
  • Club Service Committee
    • Club Service
  • Community Service Committee
    • Community Service
    • Make a Donation Request
  • Vocational Service Committee
    • Vocational Service
    • Academic Scholarship Program
    • Vocational Scholarship Program
    • Scholarship Program History
  • International Service Committee
    • International Service
  • Avenues of Service
  • Santa Cruz Rotary Community Fund
  • Santa Cruz Rotary Endowment
  • News Updates