Port Lavaca Rotary Club: A century of community service
Published 5:15 am Saturday, September 20, 2025
By Russell Cain
One man may not be able to change the world, but he can start a wake to alter the futures of many others and bring communities together across the world. That man was Paul Harris.
In 1905, Harris started the first Rotary Club in Chicago. The initial purpose of this club was to bring professional men of different backgrounds together to share their various ideas and form a brotherhood. Over time, it not only morphed to include a larger cross section of the community population but also added local and international humanitarian efforts to its goals. Rotary adopted the motto, “Service before self.”
On May 7, 1925, a little over 20 years after the first Rotary club was conceived, Port Lavaca added another chapter to the 2027 clubs in existence at that point spanning 6 different countries. The Port Lavaca club began with 14 charter members headed by realtor, Willis Carter, the first president of the group. The organizational and first meetings were held in the Lavaca Hotel in downtown Port Lavaca.
