Club History
Rotary Club of Columbia, Mo was chartered April 1, 1922 and was the home club of 1934-35 of the Rotary International President Robert E. Lee Hill. The University of Missouri columns in the old club logo recognize the centrality of education to the Rotary and Columbia. The club is informally called the Downtown Rotary Club.
Committee Chairs | Club Leadership | Tom Botts Award | Past Club Presidents | Attendance | Rotary Links

Community Service Committee: Mike Randerson

Fundraising Committee: Josh Lehmen

Foundation Committee: Chuck Doss

Foundation Committee: Rollie Hausman
International Service: Nadege Uwase

Club Programs Committee: Chris Kelly

Club Programs Committee: Andrew Bonderer

Treasurer: David Clithero

Secretary: Al Tacker

President Elect: Josh Lehmen
Board Members

David Atkins, Class of 23-24

Rachelle Augustine, Class of 25-26

Becky Bocklage, Class of 24-25

Past President: Chuck Doss

Ted Jacobs, Class of 24-25

Walter P. Lantzy, III, Class of 25-26

Ann Merrifield, Class of 25-26

Past President: Renée Reed-Miller

Mahree Skala, Class of 23-24
Tom Botts Award
This award recognizes outstanding service by club members. It was named for Tom Botts, who until his death at age 94 on March 1, 1999, was the club's oldest member. Affectionately called "Coach" because of his tenure as MU track coach from 1946 to 1972, Tom served as Club Secretary for 13 years during the 1970s and 1980s. In recognition of his m any years of outstanding service to the club, the community and the University, he was given a special award by the Board of Directors in 1985, and the Tom Botts Award was created.
SELECTION CRITERIA:
1. Exemplify the Rotary four-way test: (a) Is it the
truth? (b) Is it fair to all concerned? (c) Will it build goodwill and better friendships? (d) Will it be beneficial to all concerned?
2. Exemplary service to Rotary
3. Achievement in business or profession
4. Service to the community
5. Member of the club for at least five years
Have a candidate for the Tom Botts award in mind? Use the form below to nominate them!
Previous Tom Botts Recipients
1985: Tom Botts
1986: Bob Teel, Harry Herman, Leland Schaperkotter, Herb Schooling
1987: Sam Black, Elmer Ellis, Charlie Diggs, Sr., Charles Proctor
1988: Andy Bass, Bill Bradshaw, Seymour Smith, Earl English
1989: Sidney Neate, Sam Langley, Ed Lambert, Hugh Stephenson
1990: Russell Thompson, Bill Kimel, B.D. Simon, Albert Price
1991: Duke Walthall, Everette Kahl, Joe Covington, Tim Donovan
1992: Robert Karsch, Robert Shaw, Ronald Mason, R.D. Ross
1993: Kenneth Clark, Paul Kuckelman, Harold Edwards, Jack Kennedy
1994: Smiley Herrin, Kenneth Freeman, Tom Payne, Marvin Shamberger
1995: Adolph Schroeder, Don Ruthenberg
1996: Larry Clark
1998: Carl Scheneman, Steve Scott
1999: Glenn McElroy
2000: David Rogers
2001: Claude Barton, Scott Orr
2002: Earl Proctor, Muriel Battle
2003: Deanna Corn, Earl Robert Jones
2004: George Ashley
2005: Cindy Mustard
2006: Jolene Schulz, Cindy Sheltmire
2007: Marty Walker 2008: Darcy Wells
2009: Judy Elliott 2010: Melvin Platt
2011: Gertrude and G.B. Thompson (joint award)
2012: David Oliver
2013: Rollie Hausman, Ann Deaton
2014: Susan Bell
2015: Keith McLaughlin
2016: Chief William Markgraf
2017: Kelley Upham
2018: Brenda Woods
2020: Michael Randerson
2022: Mark Hargens
Past Club Presidents
2022-2023: Chuck Doss & Renee Reed-Miller
2021-2022: Barbara Churchill
2020-2021: Mark Hargens & Mike Randerson
2019-2020: Neil Carr
2018-2019: Bob Churchill
2017-2018: Bob Churchill
2016-17: John Baker
2015-16: Kelley Upham
2014-15: Susan Bell
2013-14: Jerry Murrell
2012-13: Melvin Platt
2011-12: Brenda Woods
2010-11: Keith McLaughlin
2009-10: Rollie Hausman
2008-09: Darlene R. Johnson
2007-08: Tony St. Romaine
2006-07: Paige Scott
2005-06: Darcy Wells
2004-05: Marty Walker
2003-04: Andy Bonderer
2002-03: Ed Blaine
2001-02: Bill Markgraf
2000-01: R.D. Ross
1999-00: Dee Corn
1998-99: Bob Bohnenkamp
1997-98: Jeff MacLellan
1996-97: Tim Donovan
1995-96: Bob Jones
1994-95: Steve Scott
1993-94: Jim Roller
1992-93: Jerry D. Harl
1991-92: Richard Halterman
1990-91: Ronald E. King
1989-90: Jerry D. Kennett
1988-89: Hugh E. Stephenson, Jr.
1987-88: Joe L. Moseley
1986-87: Russell V. Thompson
1985-86: K. Blake Danuser
1984-85: Charles W. Digges, Jr.
1983-84: Ronald E. Mason
1982-83: E. Lynn Miller
1981-82: William R. Kimel
1980-81: Thomas E. Baumgardner
1979-80: David B. Rogers
1978-79: Dolf Schroeder
1977-78: Harlan E. Jensen
1976-77: William P. Jenkins
1975-76: Leland Schaperkotter
1974-75: Kenneth Clark
1973-74: Donald C. Patterson
1972-73: John P. Kennedy
1971-72: Charles G. Gibbens
1970-71: Robert L. Teel
1969-70: Kermit A. Crawley
1968-69: Jean J. Madden
1967-68: Andrew J. Bass, Jr.
1966-67: Kenneth K. Keown
1965-66: A. Perry Phillips
1964-65: Robert C. Shaw
1963-64: Joe E. Covington
1962-63: B.D. Simon
1961-62: Scott Wright
1960-61: Kenneth Freeman
1959-60: Leo F. Van Coutren
1958-59: Edward H. Weatherly
1957-58: Paul W. Mathews
1956-57: Charles W. Digges, Sr.
1955-56: Max Gill
1954-55: Charles G. Proctor
1953-54: J. Rogers Cockran
1952-53: H. Donovan Rhynsburger
1951-52: Sidney M. Neate
1950-51: Thomas D. McHarg
1949-50: Clarence C. Lightner
1948-49: Henry H. Kinyon
1947-48: Patterson Bain
1946-47: H.R. McArthur
1945-46: John Rufi
1944-45: Arthur L. Hulen
1942-43: James C. Miller
1941-42: Arthur S. Emig
1940-41: Joseph R. Somerville
Jul-Oct 1940 Samuel T. Bratton
1939-40: John Estes Gillaspie
1938-39: Karl D. Dietrich
1937-38: C. Mitchell Tucker
1936-37: W. Morris Dinwiddie
1935-36: Thomas B. Taylor
1934-35: Nick Thurmond Cave
1933-34: Isadore Arnold Barth
1932-33: Chester Leland Brewer
1931-32: John Philip Hetzler
1930-31: Walter Homer Braselton
1929-30: James Sidney Rollins
1928-29: Orville Marion Barnett
1927-28: Frederick B. Mumford
1926-27: Charles William Digges
1925-26: Robert E. Lee Hill
1924-25: William Joseph Hetzler
1923-24: Henry Alison Collier
1922-23: Frank Bingham Rollins
Feb-Jun 1922: Jay William Hudson
Attendance
Makeups/Excused Absences: To help our attendance average, please be sure to report your makeups and to request excused absences when your absence is unavoidable. If you make up at another Columbia club, your attendance automatically will be reported to our club. However, if you make up out-of-town, you must self-report those makeups. If you attend a Rotary International or District sponsored online/virtual event, it will count as a make up. When you need to report a makeup or request an excused absence, you can do so by replying to this message or by filling out one of the yellow cards available on the sign-in table at meetings.
To report an excused absence, please email Al Tacker at altacker@aol.com.

Missed a meeting? Make it up at another Rotary club
Columbia Area Make-up Locations
- The Rotary Club of Columbia South, Fridays at 6:45 a.m. at the Country Club of Missouri, 1300 Woodrail Avenue
- IMPACT Columbia, Tuesdays at 6:45 a.m. at Country Club of Missouri, 1300 Woodrail Ave, Columbia, MO 65203.
- The Metro Rotary Club, every Wednesday at 12:00 noon at The Columbia Country Club, 2210 Country Club Drive, Columbia, Missouri.