Club History
The Gaylord Rotary Club has the unique designation of being the first service club in Gaylord! The idea to organize was first presented to I.M. “Brit” Nelson by a LeSueur Maytag dealer named Ed Meierbochtal in 1952 at a Shakopee restaurant called The St. Paul House. Brit agreed and Ed offered to visit Gaylord to begin the process of recruiting 20 charter members required to begin the club.
It only took two days to recruit enough Gaylord businessmen to complete the list of required charter members! The newly formed Rotary Club accepted its charter at the Charter Night Ceremonies held on April 22, 1953 in the Gaylord High School Auditorium. Visitors from 31 clubs of the 174 District attended!
The first meeting was held at the Sibley House in Gaylord at the designated Wednesday noon meeting time. Maynard Nesvig, owner of Nesvig Equipment Company, was named Gaylord Rotary’s first president. The speaker was Reverand Donald Bond from the Congregational Church in Mankato. The 20 Charter members included:
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Ted Aaker
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Clayton Johnson
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Harry A. Knobel
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Al Poscke (5th)
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George Anderson
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Jerry Johnson
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Brit Nelson (4th)
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Cy L. Renner
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Ray Busch
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Dr. Ronald E. Johnson
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Maynard Nesvig (1st)
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J.J. Salzwedel
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John Estenson
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Ralph Jones
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Dr. Duane C. Olson
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Duane A. Wilson
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Dr. Earl Fore
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Rev. A. Claire King
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Henry B. “Casey” Otto (3rd)
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Otto Zarnott
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The Gaylord Rotary club is also a charter organization for the Gaylord Boyscouts, which was founded by one of Gaylord’s charter members, George Anderson. Since its inception in 1953, Gaylord Rotary has been a consistent and loyal supporter of the Gaylord Boyscouts.
Today, the club meets on Wednesdays at 12:05 pm at EJs Restaurant in Gaylord. We are nearly 25 members strong and known for a number of programs and projects in the Gaylord area. Learn more about our club’s service work here.