by Jim Williams
Special to The Tidewater News

CARRSVILLE
The Carrsville Ruritan Club will be celebrating 70 years of community service in April. The original charter date of the club was April 16, 1946. The Club was organized from the Farmers Club of Carrsville, which met at Carrsville High School.

On March 5, 1946 the Farmers Club voted to sponsor a Ruritan Club. A group of 70 men met at a dinner meeting in the Carrsville Agriculture building of the Carrsville High School for the purpose of organizing a Ruritan Club in the Carrsville Community.

The group voted to organize a club and set quarterly dues at $3.50 per member, payable in advance.

The Charter meeting was set for April 16. Charter 143 of Ruritan National was presented to the Club by Josh Pretlow, District Governor, on April 16, 1946.

The Club elected a slate of officers that included President J. E. Rose, Jr (grandson is a current member of the Club), Vice-President Lenard Rose, Secretary Jarvis L. Howell, Sr., Treasurer J. Clinton Bradshaw (son was a member until death; 3 grandsons and 2 great grandchildren are current members) and Directors P.B. Butler, Jack Duke and L. E. Outland.

The original Charter was signed by 49 members. The club had a cap of 50, later increased to 60.

Current officers include Clay Byrum, President, who is a descendant of a Charter member and Phillip Bradshaw, Treasurer, whose 2 grandfathers were also Charter members.

The original Club met at the Carrsville High School until 1953 when the Community House construction was completed. This building was sponsored and financed by the Ruritan Club.

Currently, the Club has 33 members including associate members such as Del. Rick Morris.

The Carrsville Ruritans sponsored the chartering of the Carrsville Volunteer Fire department, which has been in service for more than 60 years. The Club built the first Fire Department building that today serves as the local Scout building.

They sponsored and housed the first Rescue Squad in the southern part of the county.

This organization eventually moved to Windsor and formed the Windsor Rescue Squad.

They have also sponsored Scouting since the early 1950’s. The current Scout Troop has been continuously sponsored by the Club since 1961. A Cub pack was organized and chartered by the Club in 1964, and a Venture Crew was charted in 2014.

All three of these organizations are very active with the majority of the leadership from the Ruritan Club.

The Club has been a strong supporter of the schools in Carrsville. The club has stood firm with the community over the years to support the Carrsville Elementary School. Today this school is considered one of the top academic elementary schools in the nation.

They have provided funds to put in outdoor tennis and basketball courts, rebuilding the playground, library chairs, a scoreboard for the gym, and other essential needs of the school.

They provide annual scholarships to graduating seniors in the Carrsville community.

They also provide meals to families in need every Christmas and sponsor the Carrsville Christmas Parade.

The Club’s main fund raiser is their famous Steak Dinner, which will be celebrated this year onSaturday, April 16. See any club member for tickets.

The Carrsville Ruritan Club is part of Ruritan National, an organization dedicated to improving communities across America through volunteer service and meets on the first Monday of every month at the Carrsville Community Center.