function MM_preloadImages() { //v3.0 var d=document; if(d.images){ if(!d.MM_p) d.MM_p=new Array(); var i,j=d.MM_p.length,a=MM_preloadImages.arguments; for(i=0; i

Our Club is Our Rotary Family

In 1959, Rotary International was 54 years old. The South End Rotary Club (now University Area) sponsored the founding of a new Rotary Club, River Oaks. The Rev. Thomas W. Sumners, rector of St. John the Divine Church, and a past president of the Rotary Club of South End, was the first president of River Oaks. Our charter was presented to us at a dinner meeting on October 2, 1959, by Tom Niland, District Governor of District 589 of Rotary International.
The club has produced 69 Paul Harris Fellows and 15 Paul Harris Sustaining Members. Eighteen of our members have perfect attendance records ranging from 35 years to five years. Ongoing activities include: The 500 Limited Club is a non-profit organization founded by Emmet Parkerson, who was Chairman of the Board for the first ten years, and Lewis Ransopher. The 500 Club raises Funds for assistance to Houston police officers who have been injured in the line of duty. Awards are made, on average, to 3 officers per year. The Fund stands in excess of $100,000. The River Oaks Charitable Trust provides Funds to charitable organizations each year. This fund stands in excess of $100,000. It disburses only the earnings from the Fund annually. Some recent recipients are: Juvenile Court Volunteers, Crisis Intervention of Houston, Shriners Hospital for crippled children, The Rose (mammogram screening), Kid Care (meals for children) and Terrace Weekday Programs (after school child care). River Oaks is a major supporter of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Houston (formerly Rotary Boy's Club). Each year we sell turkeys and hams at Thanksgiving and Christmas for their benefit. River Oaks is the top seller in the district, selling over 800 in each of the last three years, providing a direct benefit of over $12,000. One of our members, Harold Goldstein, has been on their board for several years and assists with the operation of Camp Mahan. River Oaks, along with two other Houston clubs and the Rotary Club of San Luis Potosi in Mexico made contributions and received a matching grant from The Rotary Foundation to build a school for the hearing impaired children in San Luis Potosi. The school was completed in 1995, after three years of dedicated work by the Rotary Clubs. Our Jack Wallace led this effort. River Oaks, with help from two other Houston clubs, has gathered and made four significant shipments of medical equipment and supplies to a general hospital in Nalchik, Russia, which is providing much needed medical aid to many of the victims of the fighting in the Russian republics. This is an ongoing project and we hope to send additional equipment and supplies on a regular basis. Alex Gabriles of our club is the driving force and leader of this project. Several River Oaks sponsored students have received Rotary Foundation scholarships to study abroad and be ambassadors for the United States and Rotary. We presently have a student studying in Moscow. Dr. Gil Cuthbertson is our leader in this area. In 1992, Alex Gabrfles was the GSE team leader of a team to Spain. In 1994, Jack Wallace was the GSE team leader of a team to Australia. In 1995, Jess Ocampo was GSE team leader of a team to the Philippines. In 1998, Jim Hruzek was the team leader to the Czech and Slovak Republics. River Oaks was the sponsoring club for the GSE team from the Philippines in 1995. We publish a roster annually with member's photos and personal data. We also publish and mail to all members the Acorn , a bi-weekly newsletter about the club and upcoming activities and events. We have a fellowship night dinner each month with our spouses at a different local restaurant which is a family evening of fun and good fellowship.

Club Visits

Please report any site problems to our Webmaster