Club History

In 1905, Paul P. Harris founded the Rotary Club of Chicago, marking the genesis of Rotary, the world's premier service club. Harris sought to replicate the camaraderie of his youth in a professional setting. The term "Rotary" originated from rotating meetings among members' offices.

Rotary swiftly gained traction in the U.S., with clubs spanning from San Francisco to New York by the 1920s. Its global expansion led to the adoption of the name Rotary International in 1922, with clubs on six continents.

In late 1983, Cary Rotary Club's directors proposed a new club for Cary, North Carolina, due to the town's rapid growth. John Hatcher, Charlie Lytle, and Tom Sibley formed a committee to recruit members. Tom Sibley, a former Cary Rotary Club president, agreed to lead the new club. They decided to meet on Thursday evenings.

The provisional club convened its first meeting in February 1984 at the old Golden Corral. As membership grew, they selected officers and deliberated on a name, ultimately choosing "Cary-Kildaire" to follow alphabetical order. The charter application was submitted in June 1984, officially establishing Cary-Kildaire Rotary Club as the 50th club in Rotary District 7710.

During the formation, Marc Smith and Dennis Pitts designed a club banner, incorporating the Kildaire family tartan. However, due to cost and supply concerns, an alternative design was chosen, featuring the tartan pattern printed on green fabric. Despite a misspelling on the initial banners, members were pleased with the final result.