Celebrating 40 years of Rotaract in 2008

ROTARACT

In 1968 the United States was bubbling over with the energy of change. Apollo 8 rocketed toward the moon, protesters screamed for an end to the Vietnam War, and the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. sparked riots in cities across the nation.

In this revolutionary climate, several entrepreneurial college students sought to establish a new club at the University of North Carolina in Charlotte, N.C., USA. Their drive sparked the creation of the club that became Rotaract.

Today, Rotaract, Rotary International's service club program for young adults ages 18-30, has grown to more than 186,000 members in about 8,100 clubs in nearly 140 countries.

Although Rotaractors everywhere have continued traditions started by the UNCC club's 21 founding members, little is known about the founders. So we tracked down several of them to ask about their lives today and their memories of the club.

Rotarians have known for a long time that Rotaract builds leaders, and the pioneer members we spoke to thrived because of their entrepreneurial spirit, creativity, and drive — hallmark traits of Rotaractors past and present.

Bill Baumgardner

Then: Club president, 1967-68

Now: Successful entrepreneur and race-car owner

Bill Baumgardner was a freshman at UNCC when he and his buddy Dick Helms brought their proposal for a college-level Rotary program to the Rotary Club of Charlotte-North.

"At that time, we wanted to help in the growth of the college and continue the tradition of Rotary," says Baumgardner, who had been part of an Interact club in high school. "So we thought maybe we could get a Rotary club to sponsor a college version of Interact at UNCC."

The time was right for new ideas. When Baumgardner enrolled at UNCC the campus was just getting established. Dorms were under construction, and barely 1,800 students commuted to the campus each day.

The idea of extending Rotary to college-aged youths struck a chord with Charlie Grier, a member of the Rotary Club of Charlotte-North.

"We met at Grier's house one night with several Rotarians and they said we had an interesting concept," recalls Baumgardner. Grier contacted the university president as well as the dean of students to get permission to promote a club similar to Interact, sponsored by Charlotte-North Rotarians.

"It just snowballed from there," says Baumgardner. "We got it through the board at UNCC, and I was president when Rotary gave us our official charter." Baumgardner still keeps a plaque from Rotary, thanking him for serving as president of the club, in his office.

"I have a glass cabinet and a wall with mementos from various parts of the world," he says. "That Rotary plaque is right there with everything that's meant something to me."

After his days in Rotaract, Baumgardner went on to own a small accounting firm. He later created StaffAmerica, an offsite human resources company that takes care of staffing and accounting needs for companies. "In the beginning, it was just me and a part-time secretary," says Baumgardner. "But it grew from a start-up to almost a billion-dollar company."

Baumgardner sold StaffAmerica in 2003 and says he's been retired ever since, though he is considering starting another company.

Baumgardner's other business venture, the BACE Motorsports race team, is still going full speed ahead. The team competes in the NASCAR Busch Grand National series, and has won three national championships.

"We have more exciting plans for BACE Motorsports," says Baumgardner. "But I can't reveal those yet."

This article originally appeared in the March 2006 issue of The Rotarian.