50 Years of Tradition 

For many years the Shreveport Rotary Club was exclusive in Caddo and Bossier Parish. They gave up a part of the territory to establish a club in Cedar Grove (now South Shreveport) and Oil City.

In 1956 the Shreveport Club decided there should be a Rotary Club in Bossier City. They appointed Val Iron, a Shreveport Attorney and Andy Anderson, a Shreveport Oil Man, to organize the extension. Kenneth C. Elliott, Sr. who was a member and past president of the Ruston Rotary Club had just sold his Ford dealership in Ruston and opened a wholesale electrical supply business in Bossier City. Val and Andy knew Ken from Rotary District Conferences and asked him to lead the organization of the Bossier club. Ken had selected the National Bank of Bossier as his business bank and he asked Bob Scott, a Vice-President of that bank, to work with him to solicit members. Together they selected twenty-one members and applied to Rotary International for a charter. The Rotary Club of Shreveport released the Bossier Parish territory and Rotary International issued the Bossier City Rotary Club their Charter dated January 4, 1957.

Bob Scott was the first President and served from January 4, 1957 until June 30, 1958.  Ken Elliott was the second President and served from July 1, 1958 to June 30, 1959. There were organization meetings in various places, but the first regular meeting place was the Officers Club at Barksdale Air Force Base. Later the meetings were moved to Mason's Motel Restaurant and next was the Western Hills Inn on Highway 80. The Western Hills Inn was a showplace in those days and the club met there for several years and hosted a District Conference at that location. In later years the Bossier club decided to extend Rotary to Benton and released the north portion of Bossier Parish to the Benton Rotary Club.