History:

The Rotary Club of Hinsdale-Oak Brook Gateway was formed in July, 2000, by the merger of the Hinsdale - Gateway Rotary Club and the Oak Brook A M Rotary Club. Our separate pasts have become a common legacy.

In 1991, eight members of the Rotary Club of Hinsdale decided to form a breakfast Rotary Club in the area to relieve the business conflicts of attending luncheon meeting. With the sponsorship of the their club and the guidance of Rotary District 6450, they founded the Rotary Club of Hinsdale-Gateway. The eight founding Rotarians succeeded in recruiting 18 additional members, giving the club 26 charter members when it was chartered on September 11, 1991. For five years the club experienced steady growth, achieving a peak membership of 52, and averaging over 80% attendance at club meetings. For a number of reasons the club shrank in membership over the next four years, with participation by members also dropping. We realized we had to do something or the club faced extinction.

In the spring of 1997, the Oak Brook Rotary Club was wrestling with low membership. A number of members felt changing it to a morning club would be helpful. A straw vote was taken where it became evident that most of those not in favor of becoming a morning club would drop out of Rotary. Twelve members were strongly in favor of a morning club so they formed a provisional club (The Rotary Club of Oak Brook AM) in the summer of 1997 at the DuPage Club. They succeeded in recruiting 11 additional members by the time they were chartered, February 5, 1998.

Early in 2000, the two breakfast clubs started discussions of merger, to promote the survival of a breakfast Rotary Club serving the Hinsdale-Oak Brook area. Many discussions occurred to resolve differences, compromises were achieved and the new Rotary Club of Hinsdale Oak Brook Gateway was chartered in July 2000.