THE ROTARY CLUB OF TUSCALOOSA WAS CHARTERED IN 1917, only 12 years after the founding of Rotary International. We are proudly Tuscaloosa ʼs oldest civic organization, second oldest of the 55 Rotary clubs in District 6860 (north Alabama), and Number 282 among the more than 32,000 Rotary clubs in the world. From its earliest days, the club actively supported community projects and promoted education through awarding of student scholarships.
Tuscaloosa Rotarians celebrated in 2005 the “100 Years of Service” of Rotary International. Standing proudly at the downtown corner of Greensboro and 8th Street in Tuscaloosa is the Rotary Centennial Clock, a Rotary gift to the citizens of Tuscaloosa County. From its 250 square foot plaza, it offers the correct time on four faces, each of which identifies Rotary. Along with the clock are three monuments with bronze plaques, sharing with the public what Rotary is and what Rotarians stand for – service (community projects) and integrity (the Four-Way Test).
As integration came to the South, Tuscaloosa Rotarians led the way, becoming in 1973 the first Rotary Club in the state to induct a black member. When the RI Constitution was amended to include women in what had previously been an all-male club, Tuscaloosa was among the first in Alabama to cross this barrier. The club has shown continued growth to its present size of more than 200 members.