Last week, members of the Benton Rotary Club met at the Cafe Bloom in Benton for fine dining, music by the Courtney Cox Band, and speeches on the history of the Benton club.
In April 1922, an organizational meeting was held at the Methodist church in Benton, and members of the Du Quoin Rotary Club traveled on a special train, picked up members of the Christopher Rotary Club, and were greeted at the Benton train station on South Main Street by a brass kid band.
As a body they walked up to Church Street. About 165 plates were prepared by the Methodist women, and the evening ended with the train leaving the depot at 11:30 p.m.
The first president of the newly formed Rotary Club was J.M. Seymour, who was the operator of Franklin County Coal Company.
The Rotarian motto has always been "service above self," and the club has had countless fundraisers, giving all back to the community and local charities.
