Rotary District 7750

District 7750 History

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District 7750 History

The Rotary Club movement began in 1905 in Chicago, IL when Paul P. Harris, a young attorney, brought a group of business and professional men together to recapture the friendliness and fellowship many had known in the small towns where they grew up. Harris named the group Rotary because its members rotated the meeting location. In November 1908 a second Rotary Club was organized in San Francisco closely followed by Clubs in Oakland and Los Angeles. The New York City Rotary Club was formed in 1909 and in 1911 Rotary became international with the formation of Clubs in Ireland and England.

With this growth Rotary began organizing itself into Districts, first called Divisions (1912). South Carolina’s first clubs, Greenville (1916), Spartanburg (1916), and Anderson (1917) were in District 4, which included the southeastern part of the United States. Then in 1918 the Clubs in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina were grouped to form Division 7. Lewis W. Perrin (Spartanburg) served as District Governor of District 7 in 1920-21.

North Carolina and South Carolina were reorganized into District 38 in 1922 and by 1926 there were sufficient clubs to form District 58, an area that included all of South Carolina and Western North Carolina. Zac Wright (Newberry) was the first District Governor of District 58.

In 1937 District 58 was changed to District 190 and in 1945, when North Carolina split into four Districts, South Carolina became a single District (190). After WWII (1949) the District number was changed to 282 and then five years later (1954) the state was split into two Districts. The eastern portion became District 283 and the western portion remained 282. In 1957 our District number was changed to 775 and finally in 1991 it became District 7750, as it is known today.

There are 55 Clubs in our District and approximately 3100 Rotarians. Our District consists of the 19 western counties plus a portion of Lexington County. District 7770 includes the 26 eastern counties plus a portion of Lexington County and has 77 Clubs and 4500 Rotarians.

Internationally, Rotary today is made up of more than 32,000 clubs totaling 1.2 million plus Rotarians in more than 162 countries.

District Governor

George Fletcher
District Governor
(District Governor 2009-2010)

George Fletcher is Executive Director of the SC Council on Competitiveness. Prior to that, he was President of Fletcher Group, Inc. an environmental engineering consulting company that he started in 1993.

He has been active both professionally and in the community. He has served as Chairman of the Greenville Chamber of Commerce (2000), Chair of the Greenville County United Way Campaign (2004), President of the American Council of Engineering Companies – SC (2003), and numerous other boards and commissions. He was the original Chair of the ICAR Task Force, and was the Coordinator for the Greenville Vision 2025 process.

He has Bachelors Degrees in Civil Engineering and Business Administration from the University of Kansas, and a Masters Degree in Environmental Systems Engineering from Clemson. He is a Professional Engineer registered in five states and a Diplomate in the American Academy of Environmental Engineers.

His Rotary involvement includes serving as President of the Rotary Club of Greenville, Assistant Governor for Districts 3 and 12 and District Secretary under DG Sue Poss. George is a member of both the Paul Harris Society and the Bequest Society.

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District Governor Elect

Becky Faulkner
District Governor Elect
(District Governor 2010-2011)

Rebecca (Becky) Faulkner has been a member of the Greenville Breakfast Rotary club since 1995. She has served as Vocational Chair and was Club President in 1999-2000. In 2004 she led a District 7750 GSE team to Brazil. Her husband Tom, a member of the Greater Greer Rotary club, and she have hosted two Rotary youth exchange students and numerous GSE team members. Becky has served on the District 7750 GSE Committee since 2004. She is currently serving as a member of the District 7750 Literacy Committee. She has also served as the Assistant Governor for Area 3 from 2005-2008.

Becky is a graduate of Furman University with a BA in Elementary Education. She holds a Master's Degree from Clemson University and a doctorate from Nova Southeastern University. Becky retired from Greenville County Schools in 2000 and is currently beginning her fifth year as an Assistant Professor of Education at the University of South Carolina Upstate. She also works as an educational consultant.

Tom and Becky are the parents of three grown sons, Andrew, Joshua and Charles and grandparents to one precious granddaughter, Ashleigh Rebecca. Tom and Becky are very active in the Church of the Good Shepherd in Greer, SC and also share a love for traveling, gardening, and reading.

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District Governor Nominee

Gary Goforth
District Governor Nominee
(District Governor 2011-2012)

Former Assistant Governor Gary Goforth, a member of the Rotary Club of Emerald City for 14 years, has been selected to serve as District 7750 Governor for the Rotary year 2011-2012.

Born in Hawaii, Gary graduated from Vanderbilt University with a Bachelor’s Degree in physics in 1976 followed by a Doctor of Medicine degree in 1980. He was awarded a Master’s Degree in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene from the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in 1990. He completed his Family Medicine internship and residency in Hawaii at Tripler Army Medical Center in 1983, and served with the U.S. Army on active duty as a family physician for 14 years prior to moving to Greenwood, South Carolina in 1994. He retired from the South Carolina Army National Guard as a Colonel in 2001. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians. He serves as the Director of Medical Education and the Family Medicine Residency Program Director at Self Regional Healthcare. Gary is currently on sabbatical in Afghanistan where he is working with CURE International Hospital to develop the only Family Medicine and Pathology residency programs in the country. He will resume full-time employment at Self Regional Healthcare in June, 2009.

Gary served as the President of the Emerald City Rotary Club in 1998-99, as an Assistant Governor for Area 9 from 2002-2005, and as a member of Rotary District 7750 Strategic Planning Committee since 2006. Gary has chaired the District Foundation Grants Subcommittee since 2000 and has led our efforts to become more involved in international projects and District Simplified Grants. In 2002, Gary was awarded Rotary International’s “Service Above Self” Award and in 2004, the Rotary Foundation awarded Gary its “Citation for Meritorious Service” award. He is a multiple Paul Harris Fellow and a member of the Bequest Society.

Gary has been active both professionally and in the community. He serves on the Board of Directors for the South Carolina Academy of Family Physicians, Greater Greenwood United Ministries Free Medical Clinic, Community Initiatives, Hospice Care of the Piedmont, and Volunteer in Medical Missions. Gary has led more than 35 international medical mission trips. He was honored as the 2008 SCAFP South Carolina Family Physician of the Year, the 2008 SCRHA Rural Educator of the Year, and a finalist (top 5) for the 2008-2009 AAFP National Family Physician of the Year.

Gary is married to Kathy, and they have two sons (Jonathan and Michael) and one daughter (Sarah). They are both active at South Main Street Baptist Church in Greenwood. Kathy is now serving as a high school mathematics teacher at the International School of Kabul.

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