Chronology, Rotary Club of Norfolk, 1914 - 1963

1914: The club was chartered on May 1 as Club No. 114 by the International Association of Rotary Clubs.  - The first Ladies Night party was held on June 15 in Ocean View. 

1916:  The Newport News club was established, sponsored by the Norfolk Rotary Club. - The membership decided to organize a committee to investigate starting a Boys Club in Norfolk. 

1918: The Portsmouth club was formed with sponsorship by the Norfolk club.  - A dance was given for 2,000 men in uniform at the Armory. 

1919: The Boys Club project began with the recruitment of a superintendent. 

1921: A Norfolk-sponsored club was started in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. 

1927: The Virginia Beach club was sponsored. 

1934: The Twentieth Anniversary Celebration was held on May 1, with 227 Rotarians, wives, and guests in attendance.  Entertainment consisted of an address by the Past District Governor. 

1936: On January 14, the luncheon speaker was Sally Rand, of fan dance fame, according to the report of the meeting.  Her talk, titled Never a Dull Moment, provided captivating entertainment for those in attendance. 

1947: The student loan fund was created with $1,000 from the club's treasury. 

1949: A facility to house the Boys' Club was built at Colonial and 26th Street, with significant leadership from individual Norfolk Rotarians and financial support from the club. 

1955: The 50th anniversary of Rotary International was celebrated with a Ladies Night soiree in which some members sported 1905-era costumes. 

1959: The Norfolk Medical Research Foundation was established by the Rotary Club with seed money and intangible support.  - The Northside Norfolk club was organized.  - Norva News, the first newsletter of the Norfolk Rotary Club, began publication with volume 1, number 1 on April 2. 

1960: The Haiti medical project in Jeremie, Haiti, was started, developing into a major focus of the club until the mid-60s, when political change in Haiti made further work impossible. 

1961: Norfolk sponsored a club in Port-au-Prince in conjunction with its first Haiti service project. 

1963: The club was invited to enter a float in the Parade of Nations, a major element in the International Azalea Festival.  This was a major club activity until 1981.