Club History
In March 1975 a small group of individuals assembled to discuss the formation of a Rotary Club in this new community known as The Woodlands. The leader of the group was Vernon Robbins, who had been the Director of Construction for The Rouse Company that created Columbia, MD and who had been hired by George Mitchell to help create The Woodlands. Vern had been a charter member of the Rotary Club of Columbia, MD. This group also included Tom Boak and Walter (Corky) Shaw; and while they were all associated with The Woodlands Development Company, they each had a clear interest in more than just their jobs and the infrastructure they were building. The decision to form a Rotary club was unanimous (Schucker, 2024).
The founders of our club are:
| Tom Boak | Barney Dosier | Corky Shaw | Coulson Tough |
| Bill Leigh | Charles Kelly | Vernon Robbins | Larry Kash |
| Ralph Lanning | Roger Broach | Don Rozak | Dick Smith |
| Jim Godbold | Ed Roberson | James Pitchford | Marvin Agnew |
| Tom Dorrell | Jim Veltman | Bob Gustavsen | David Powell |
| Bill Beal |
These men spent many hours organizing the club, identifying prospective members, and informing prospective members about Rotary. Their dedication to Rotary and the new club provided a strong foundation for its future.
District Hall of Famers:
| Tom Boak | David Dollahite | Glen Hall | Larry Hathaway |
| Mary Matteson | Rebecca McGowan | Walter (Corky) Shaw | Scott Wolford |
| Bob Guagenti | Ann Snyder | Jeff Early | Norman Parrish |
The Woodlands Roll of Fame Award recipients:
|
Tom Boak |
Walter Shaw |
Ann Snyder |
Robert "Bob" Guagenti |
|
Glen Hall |
Larry Hathaway |
Mary Matteson (1997) |
David Dollahite |
|
Jeff Early (2006) |
Norman Parrish (2007) |
T. Ross Brown (2008) |
Ron Rogers, DDS (2009) |
|
Bill Leigh (2010) |
Robert C. Schucker, Phd. (2011) |
John Hathaway (2012) |
Andrew Cox (2013) |
|
Ann Wolford (2014) |
Dan Cox (2015) |
Julie Martineau (2018) |
Bill Friebel (2019) |
|
Judy Olson (2020) |
Clay McCollor (2021) |
Randy Kruchten (2022) |
Theresa Wagaman (2023) |
Honorary Members:
| Claude Hunter | Jack Lesch | Toni Vaughn | Ali Sohail |
| Tom Boak | Ed Chance | Andy Cox | Dan Cox |
When the “founders” of the club first met in early 1975 there were 100-200 houses, some fledgling churches and one grocery store across I-45. Jim Rouse had had a vision that it was all about people – creating a different environment for them to work and play in. That concept was translated to The Woodlands by George Mitchell and has been the driving force behind its growth and the growth of our Rotary Club for the past 50 years. Mitchell’s vision was not about creating a residential bedroom community to Houston but rather about creating jobs which would be the driving force behind both residential and commercial growth. The fact that The Woodlands set aside a large parcel of land adjacent to I-45 for the Town Center emphasized the importance of this concept and explains why The Woodlands has surpassed Columbia, MD in jobs and population (Schucker, 2024).
Photo: Bill Leigh with the Time Capsule Stone Marker, April 2025.
Last Updated: G Brown 2025-04-29
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