Rotary Year 1958 — 1959

For many years the annual District Conference had been held in a different city each year. This had the advantage of reducing travel time for the Rotarians in the vicinity of the conference town. But it had the disadvantage of working with different hotel management and entertainment attractions each year. District Governor Bonner decided to try a new idea for his conference. He received permission from RI to hold the conference at Jekyll Island, Ga., a newly acquired property of the State of Georgia. As a conference center and vacation resort, the Island had superior hotel and motel accommo- dations, plus golf, swimming, an excellent beach, and other attractions for families and children. In addition, the resort had a permanent management staff and the conference chairman would be working with the same food and management people each year. Jekyll Island became the permanent location for the conference and in a few years the attendance reached the 1000 mark.