July 1, 1948- June 30 1949

President: Don Phipps
Vice Pres: Roy Downey
Secretary: Dr. Morse &
Ralph Wood
Song Leader: Don Phipps
Apple Seed: Dr. Morse

Attendance: 94.87%
New Members: 16
Members Lost: 9
Members end of the year: 130

We lost our long-time club secretary, Dr. Herbert "Bert" Morse, who passed away on Saturday, November 20, 1948. To him is due almost the sole credit for organizing the Wenatchee Rotary Club and was known as the "Father of the Club." He was its first President and, for years, its Secretary and Treasurer and its Apple Seed Editor. He was undoubtedly the most enthusiastic and loyal member of the Club. In the November 25, 1948, Apple Seed, dedicated to his memory, President Don Phipps paid him the following tribute:

"To our Secretary: Bert will always remain in the memory and thoughts of the Wenatchee Rotary Club. If there has ever been a living exemplification of 'Service above Self,' if the high ethical standards established by the Objects of Rotary were ever demonstrated in the Wenatchee Club, our Secretary has been, and will live on as, our example and standard. Bert's kindly spirit, his friendly attitude, his tolerance, patience and perseverance will remain uppermost in the thoughts of his friends. May we never forget the standards Bert lived by."

From District Governor Al Carson's monthly letter of November 1, a tribute was paid to Bert which he received shortly before his passing: "A TRIBUTE TO A SECRETARY: This year begins the 25th year of perfect Rotary attendance for one Bert Morse, secretary of the Wenatchee Club. My Congratulations to you Bert. I hope every president in our district will read this before his regular weekly meeting. Thanks. It shows it can be done, and Bert has the spirit."

At the time of Bert's passing, of the original 25 charter members, 9 still remained as members. We lost another outstanding member by death this year, Clem Irwin.

Programs for the year were of high caliber. Some outstanding speakers were: Dr. George Benson, President of Harding College, addressing a joint Rotary/Rotary Ann group; Dr. Raymond Allen, President, University of Washington; Dr. Alf Bernard of St. Galen, Switzerland; G. B. Prout, Vice President of General Electric Company; Shirley Weger, 4-H representative to Europe. A memorable program was put on by the Spokane Rotary Club on the subject "Service is my Business." Rotarian Leo Lowe in a specially arranged program amazed his fellow Rotarians by his ability as a magician.

Club history reveals that this was the year the "Four Way Test" was introduced. An outstanding discussion of the Four Way Test was put on by the Vocational Service Committee. Credit for the Four Way Test belongs to Herbert J. Taylor who went on to be President of Rotary International (in 1955).

Our club, led by Kirby Billingsley, organized and sponsored the Grand Coulee Rotary Club which was chartered on January 28, 1949.

Special events for the year included a Rotary picnic and auction in August which raised $525; an Elk feed in January, the result of Flo Dauenhower's successful hunting trip; a Donkey Baseball Game between Lions and Rotary to raise money for charity; a golf tournament sponsored by the Recreation Committee.

The sale of apples, secured by a special committee of the club, netted $1300. $1,000 was donated to Scout A Vista for the Boy Scout Camp development. The club sponsored a marble tournament, benefits for the Milk Fund, a Legion baseball team, a boy to Boys' State, an Apple Box Derby, underwrote a special trip for the high school debate team and provided funds for a special Halloween party for unfortunate children.

An outstanding program of the International Service Committee, with Clay Rule as chairman, was the gathering of 70 packages of clothing and 820 pounds of dried apples which was shipped to Finland. There was considerable correspondence on an international basis by this committee throughout the year.

During the spring of 1949, the Rotary Anns of the Wenatchee Rotary Club, led by Mrs. Ivan Compton and with the assistance of the Spokane Women of Rotary, organized the Women of Rotary of Wenatchee.

Through the efforts of the Board of Directors and a special committee, the final action of business for the year was the adoption of the new proposed standard constitution for the Rotary Club of Wenatchee which called for a complete revision of the constitution and by laws to correspond with the recommendations of Rotary International. This was adopted June 30, 1940, and became effective immediately.