Rotary of The Woodlands fills time capsule to celebrate golden anniversary of club

THE WOODLANDS, TX – The Woodlands chapter of Rotary International recently celebrated its fiftieth anniversary at a lunchtime celebration at The Woodlands Country Club. All year, the service club has upped its presence in the township in honor of this golden jubilee.

Rotary International is a global service organization made up of local Rotary clubs, approximately 35,000 of them across the globe. These nonprofit clubs bring together business and professional leaders to provide humanitarian service, encourage ethical behavior in all vocations, and promote goodwill and peace worldwide. They focus on making a difference in their communities and around the world through various service projects and programs. Originally conceived as a men’s only club, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled on the admission of women in 1987. Today, Rotary International boasts a membership of more than 1.2 million,

The Rotary Club of The Woodlands was established in 1975. In March of that year, a small group of individuals assembled to discuss the formation of a Rotary club in the brand new community known as ‘The Woodlands.’ The leader of the group was Vernon Robbins, who had been hired by George Mitchell to help create the township. The group also included Bill Leigh, Tom Boak and Walter (Corky) Shaw, who were all associated with The Woodlands Development Company. Since those small, early days, the club has grown to several hundred members consisting of industry leaders, community lions, and those merely wishing to make the world a better place. Additionally, this local chapter also hosts a RAH – Rotary After Hours – club and also runs the local Rotary House, an oasis for family members to stay while loved ones are in long-term local hospital care.

Beyond the usual pomp and ceremony befitting such a milestone, club president Denton Florian and his board of directors decided to put together a time capsule to be filled with Rotary and Woodlands memorabilia, buried, and reopened in another 50 years. Coulson Tough Elementary School was chosen as the site to bury the capsule. The club held a ceremony at the school featuring Rotary leaders and community icons, including Bruce Tough, a Rotarian and the son of Coulson. Also in attendance were Township board members Dr. Ann Snyder and Cindy Heiser.

“What a great and appropriate thing to do to be here at this elementary school, named after our friend Coulson, to honor the 50th anniversary of our club,” said Florian. “When I drove in and I saw that sign where his name is etched, and his statue over there and his name on this building, it's such a testament; not just to him personally, but his thinking, his vision. What he built in this community and what he instilled into the hearts of people. You know, I think unarguably The Woodlands is one of the best places to live in the United States, period. And a lot of that is due to Colson, so. We're here with gratitude for what he started. We are all part of his legacy with our, with our Rotary Club.”

Next, Bruce Tough talked about his father, who was a charter member of The Woodlands club from its inception in 1975.

“So Coulson was hired by George Mitchell; he’s one of the original Dream Team to build The Woodlands. He was at the University of Houston and was trying to get a Houston campus up here when Mitchell asked him if he wanted to be on the team. So he became the chief architect for The Woodlands Development Company and did all the commercial development, planning, and construction. Throughout all of The Woodlands, he always instilled community service, so being part of Bill and Tom and Corky founding The Woodlands Rotary as a charter member, that's part of his community service and he instilled that in our family. And this is a great tribute to have the capsule here at this location.”

Surviving founding members Tom Bock and Bill Leigh were also present at the ceremony.

“The thing I remember about Colson was that he didn’t speak very often, but when he had something to say, he made sure he said it and not in a negative way at all,” said Bock. “He was very supportive of pretty much everything we did. He served on the board for a long time and obviously was a charter member, a very important part of our club and obviously The Woodlands. I mean, he was really the original. The Rotary Club as you know chartered in 1975. I think back to that and then think about all the things that this club has done. There’s so much to be so proud of because of what it’s done to make The Woodlands a better community.”

Next, Coulson Tough Elementary principal Christina Julien, spoke.

“I’d like to just say thank you for letting us be a small part of this story and the history here in The Woodlands. You know, I've been privileged to be a part of the Coulson Tough community for fourteen years. I started here as an assistant principal. And I’m blessed because I got to meet and see and interact with the kids in this. I know how much it meant to him, to have the school named for him. We try to honor his legacy every single day in everything that we do, teaching different things to the kids – not just the academic side, but how to be a good citizen in your community and give back in different ways. So we thank you for letting us be a housing for this memento and to showcase to all the different things that Rotary is to the community.”

The time capsule, which will be marked with a special plaque, is scheduled to be dug up and opened on May 19, 2075, the 100th anniversary of the Rotary Club of The Woodlands.