January 4, 2021
Brothers Crawford and Rhydon Mays were given credit by our first club president J.B. Jemison for “agitating” the organization of the club. The Mays were cotton buyers in the Thomasville office of Georgia Cotton Company, which was headquartered in Albany. When Crawford transferred to the head office, he joined Albany’s Rotary Club. Shortly after, he and Rhydon began enthusiastically recommending the formation of a club in Thomasville.
Until 1989 the Constitution and Bylaws of Rotary International stated that Rotary club membership was for males only. In 1978 the Rotary Club of Duarte, California, invited three women to become members. The RI board withdrew the charter of that club for violation of the RI Constitution. The club brought suit against RI claiming a violation of a state civil rights law that prevents discrimination of any form in business establishments or public accommodations. The appeals court and the California Supreme Court supported the Duarte position that Rotary could not remove the club's charter merely for inducting women into the club. The United States Supreme Court upheld the California court indicating that Rotary clubs do have a "business purpose" and are in some ways public-type organizations. This action in 1987 allowed women to become Rotarians in any jurisdiction having similar "public accommodation" statutes. The RI constitutional change was made at the 1989 Council on Legislation, with a vote to eliminate the "male only" provision for all of Rotary. Since that time, women have become members and leaders of clubs and districts throughout the world.