The Rotary Club of Savannah South (RCSS) was chartered on September 8, 1981.  Early meetings were conducted at the La Chateau Restaurant, the current location of Bennigan’s Restaurant on Abercorn Street.  RCSS was chartered by the Rotary Club of Savannah West, which had been the first club to be chartered by the Rotary Club of Savannah.  John Thompson of the Rotary Club of Savannah West was responsible for establishing RCSS.  He conducted two exploratory meetings in what was then the Great Southern Federal Building on Broughton Street.  The first Board of Directors of RCSS included current club members Walt Kawalek (who was club secretary), Hurley Cook (was Sergeant-at-Arms), Scott Backus, and Will Weeks.  The first club president was Mac Stribling.  At that time, Rotary members were Rotarians and Rotary spouses were Rotaryannes.  Of the original chartering group, only three members had prior Rotary experience.  When the club chartered, membership dues were $320 annually.

Will Weeks was President during the 1983-84 year and the club moved from La Chateau to the Holiday Inn Midtown.  It was also the year that George Atherholt became District Governor Nominee, he served as president of RCSS during 1982-83.  He later served as District Governor in the Rotary year 1984-1985.  In that year, President Hurley Cook noted that over the past three years, the membership of RCSS had grown from 27 to 90 members.  On July 24, 1984, the club moved to the Clyde’s Blue Dolphin Restaurant on Mall Boulevard, the current location of South University.  The club’s primary outreach was Greenbriar Children’s Center and the major fundraising project was Night in Old Savannah.  At the annual District Conference, the club won the Porter Carswell Significant Achievement Award.

In 1985-86, Archie Morris became Club President.  During Morris’ tenure, the club won Club of the Year honors by the highest margin ever in the district.  RCSS was second in the district in Paul Harris Fellows, first in the district with Will Watt Fellows, and had attendance above 90 percent.  About 47 club members attended the award presentation at the District Conference.

During 1986-87, Art Gardner served as club president.  The club was again named Club of the Year at the annual District Conference.  Gardner began the tradition of fining club members at weekly meetings.  Other club accomplishments included attendance of more than 90 percent, establishment of a Rotaract Club at Armstrong State College.

Joe Richey led the club during 1987-88.  During that year, Rotary International kicked-off the Polio Plus Campaign.  RCSS was given a goal of $39,000, which was achieved during that year. 

Ray Gaster became the eighth president of the club for the year 1988-89.  Ray was later instrumental in the formation and chartering of the Rotary Club of Richmond Hill where he now holds membership.

In the 1989-90 term, Hay Amos served as club president.  Board members included current members Lynn Hadwin, Billy Sanders, Sam Torres, and Wil Persons.  Club projects continued with participation in Night in Old Savannah.  Another service project included a $2,000 gift to the American Red Cross to assist in disaster relief efforts following Hurricane Hugo.  Also during this year, both Eric and Katherine Johnson joined the club, making them the first husband and wife members.

In the 1990-91 Rotary year, John Gilham was inducted as president.  Fellowship activities that year included a family cookout to celebrate Halloween.  RCSS also initiated the matching program for potential Will Watt Fellows.

During the 1991-92 year, Lynn Hadwin served as club president.  On September 10, 1991, the club celebrated its tenth anniversary with a cocktail party and dinner.  Also that year, the club initiated the Gator Estes Scholarship Program.  The first recipient was Jane Kleinpeter, a student at Armstrong State College.  Money from this scholarship program was also provided to deserving students at Groves High School.  Linda MacMillan was nominated to serve on the Board of Directors, becoming the first female to serve on the Board.  During the 1991-92 year, the club had 107 members, 71 of which were Paul Harris Fellows.  During 1992, the Club was meeting at the Harbour House Restaurant, which had taken over operation at Clyde’s Blue Dolphin.  Members again searched for a new meeting place, and alternatives included Carey Hilliard’s, River’s End, and the Holiday Inn Midtown.

Steve Lewis served the club as president during the year 1992-93.  During this time, members debated the benefits and drawbacks of the proposed Georgia Lottery.  In December 1992, the club relocated back to the Holiday Inn Midtown.  Also during this year, members voted to establish a “no smoking” environment at weekly meetings.

During the 1993-94 term, Lon Stull became president.  Stull’s Rotary year included recognition by Rotary International for the immunization of the 500 millionth child with the Polio vaccine as part of the Polio Plus Program initiated by Rotary International in 1985.  Leo Stull relocated during his term, and Cecil Hodges began his term early as club president.  During Hodges official year 1994-95, the club began acknowledging the birthdays and anniversaries of each member in our weekly bulletin.  The annual Beach Sweep program began, which was chaired by member Gus Debus.  The program is now conducted each year in memory of Debus.

Michael Kemp led the club during 1995-96, in which the club’s outstanding efforts in chartering new clubs began.  The club had previously assisted in chartering the Rotary Club of Savannah East in 1983 and the Rotary Club of Richmond Hill in 1995.  This year also saw the creation of the Sarah Birch Toy Drive program, which was begun in memory of Sarah Birch – daughter of club member Lisa Birch.

In 1996-97, Leonard Trosten served as president.  It was during his term that the club reinstated the practice of holding a fund-raiser, and members worked hard cooking and delivering barbecue chicken lunches.  In celebration of that successful fund-raiser, a low country boil was held at the home of Archie and Betty Morris for club members.  The club engaged in a tree-planting project, along with other community groups, at the Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum.  Also during Trosten’s term, the club decided to honor long-term benefactor James. T. “Gator” Estes and sent Will Weeks to Gator’s home in Florida to make a special presentation for his past contributions.  The Geechee Greeter was recognized as first place in the district awards at the District Conference in Jacksonville, FL.

Kenan Kern became president in 1997.  The club was honored by being the home club to the current District Governor, Lynn Hadwin.  With the assistance of a matching program, the Rotary Foundation honored 20 new Paul Harris Fellows for their support.  Georgia Rotary Student Program (GRSP) honored nine new Will Watt Fellows.  The Rotary Club of savannah Sunrise and the Rotary Club of Skidaway Island were sponsored by our club and each was chartered on October 30, 1997.  Rotary International (RI) recognized this dual sponsorship and same day chartering as a “first” in RI history.  Our club sponsored Sherri Reagan as a team member with the Group Study Exchange team who travelled to the Philippines.  RCSS was honored at district conference with: second place for display, third for community service, first for conference attendance, and runner-up for Club of the Year.  Lynn Hadwin was selected as Rotarian of the Year by the Rotary Club of Savannah East at the close of the Rotary year.

During the 1988-99 year, Billy Sanders served as president.  The club was honored at district conference for its diverse projects, which included continued support of the Greenbriar Children’s Center, the annual Sarah Birch Toy Drive, and the Gus Debus Beach Sweep.

In the 1999-2000 Rotary year, Jim Drake led the club as president, and we saw a renewed emphasis on support of the Rotary Foundation.  Educational programs were presented to better acquaint members with the Foundations programs.  With the assistance of matching funds, 18 new Paul Harris Fellows were named and RCSS was the top club in the district in support of the raffle sponsored for the Rotary Foundation.  RCSS received a Presidential Citation at district conference in recognition of its achievements.  Also during this year, the club began its annual auction which raised in excess of $18,000 for the club and which has proven to be our top fundraiser.

Lisa Birch assumed the presidency of the club for the 200-01 year.  Lisa became the first female president of RCSS.  During her term, RCSS was again recognized as the districts Club of the Year.  Club achievements included more than 70 club members volunteering their time to teach Junior Achievements programs at Bartlett Middle School.   A new Interact Club was sponsored at Bible Baptist High School. A new member mentoring program was developed to help educate new members with RI and the many programs offered for participating members and clubs.  Kenan Kern was named Rotarian of the Year by the Rotary Club of Savannah East at the close of the Rotary year.

During the 2001-02 year, Bruce Peyton assumed the position of president.  The 20^th anniversary of RCSS was celebrated at the Plantation Club and recognized charter members, Rotary Foundation and GRSP supporters.  District Governor Jim Puryear attended the anniversary celebration and recognized the club for its many years of support to District 6920 and RI.

The third decade in the history of RCSS began with John Duren serving as president.  Six club members were recognized as Paul Harris Fellows (PHF) during the year and George Hubbs was recognized as a multiple PHF.  Club members plus club contributions exceeded $23,000 for the Rotary Foundation’s fight to eliminate polio.  The club also made donations to Health Infrastructure in Bolivia and funded the purchase of ovens for indigent families in Guatemala.  The club received a Presidential Citation for its good works at the district conference.

Shari Miltiades served as president of the club for the 2003-04 year.  This Rotary year turned out to be one of those highlights in the history of our club.  Through the efforts of Assistant Governor Jim Drake and District Director Kenan Kern the club was recognized as a 100% Paul Harris Fellow Club.  The highlight if this recognition came on April 27, 2004 when RI President Elect Glenn Estess, Sr. visited the club to make his personal address to the club members and to make known to the Rotary world of this significant achievement.  On this occasion, Savannah South became the largest club in Georgia to achieve this highly regarded achievement.   During the recognition, 31 new and one multiple PHF were inducted.  This large number of new PHF members added to the existing members brought our total number of PHF to 161 in the club’s history.  2003-04 was also the first year that club members communicated extensively by email and a club email directory was created. 

In July 2004, Jim Hazel was inducted as president.  During the year, the club responded to hurricane relief in Florida by sending $600 of supplies to our sister club in Punta Gorda.  The supplies were delivered in a METS truck driven by then club member Fred Jean and his Rotarian wife, Alice, a member of the Rotary Club of Skidaway Island.  Other club activities included a contribution of $2,500 to the Cambodia Corps, Inc. for the shelter of homeless children Mondolkiri Province, a donation of $1,800 to Shelterbox USA to aid families who had lost their homes due to storms, and assisting with the Rotary Club of Hervey Bay Sunrise in New Zealand to provide a cow to the people of Bali who were suffering from terrorist bombings.  International Service included gathering 448 clothing items for our “Coats for Chile” project.  Member Kenan Kern became a charter member of the newly founded Paul Harris Society.  This new foundation recognition program was initiated by D-6920 with 10 members who pledged to contribute $1,000 per year to the Rotary Foundation.  The club held a major fundraiser through the inaugural Equestrian Exposition event that was held in Bluffton, SC.  A large crowd of several thousand participants helped make this event successful.  RCSS was recognized at District Conference with: a Presidential citation, the Governor’s Award of Excellence, second place with the Best Club bulletin, second place for best website, and second place for the Best International Project.

The twenty-fourth year of RCSS was led by President Jody McIntyre.  The year began with the club leading the efforts toward the first GRSP weekend in Savannah in many years.  Seventy two GRSP students from across the state enjoyed a great weekend in Savannah.  The club contributed to a shelterbox for the Katrina/Rita relief efforts.  RCSS also held a second Equestrian Exposition which was very successful.  The club was recognized at District Conference with the Governor’s Award of Excellence, a Presidential Citation, and as runner-up for Best Club Website.  Kenan Kern was nominated by the club as their candidate for the position of District Governor.  The College of Governor’s of D-6920 selected Kenan as the District Governor for the 2008-2009 Rotary year.