772 ROTH, GEORGE F., JR. Northern Kentucky Rotary clubs are part of Rotary International’s District 6740, which includes 43 clubs with about 2,000 members throughout Northern and Eastern Kentucky, including Lexington. The organization known today as Rotary International was initiated by Paul Harris, an attorney, who met with three friends, Gustavus Loehr, a mining engineer; Silvester Schiele, a coal dealer; and Hiram Shorey, a merchant tailor, on the evening of February 23, 1905, in Chicago. As this group continued to meet weekly for fellowship and to enlarge their circle of business acquaintances and activities, their membership grew and meetings rotated among members’ offices. Soon they adopted the name Rotary for their group. Other groups, called clubs, were started, and the organization became international in 1910 when the first club outside the United States was formed. A few years later the motto “Ser vice Above Self” was adopted to signify Rotary International’s identity as the world’s first ser vice organization. The organization’s 4-Way Test, adopted in 1943, asks “Of the things we think, say or do: 1) Is it the truth? 2) Is it fair to all concerned? 3) Will it build goodwill and better friendships? and 4) Will it be beneficial to all concerned?” Primarily designed to bring together business leaders committed to these principles and to their communities, the Rotary Club concept grew rapidly. By the beginning of the 21st century, there were well over 1 million members in 650–700 clubs worldwide. Rotary Clubs in Northern Kentucky Newport, November 1, 1920; changed to Rotary Club of Fort Thomas–Southgate in 1989; changed back to Newport in 1991; became Rotary Club of Campbell Co. in 2003 Covington, December 1, 1920 Maysville, November 6, 1923 Falmouth, November 20, 1924 Owenton, 1925 Carrollton, June 1, 1926 Augusta, 1920s Erlanger, January 6, 1938; became Rotary Club of Erlanger–Fort Mitchell, 1993; now Rotary Club of Kenton Co. Ludlow, March 28, 1938; changed to Rotary Club of Fort Mitchell in 1984 and expanded territory; canceled its charter and joined Rotary Club of Erlanger–Fort Mitchell, 1993 Bellevue, 1938–1991; merged with Newport club, 1991 Florence, November 3, 1944 Walton, 1945 (the club lasted only a short time) Boone Co., 1976–mid-1980s “Club Charters to Be Received by Kentucky Rotarians in Newport and Covington,” KP, December 16, 1920, 1. “Crippled Kiddies Entertained by Rotary Club,” KP, December 24, 1927, 1. “Falmouth Rotary Club Leads District in Attendance,” KP, October 31, 1929, 7. “Quota Raised by Rotary Club: $5000 Added to State Fund for Crippled Children,” KP, November 8, 1928, 1.
“Rotary Club Told of Camp,” KP, August 19, 1931, 2. “Rotary Grove Dedicated in Devou Park,” KP, June 8, 1932, 1. Rotary International: The Rotary Foundation. www .rotary.org (accessed December 20, 2006).
Raymond G. Hebert
ROTH, GEORGE F., JR. (b. January 18, 1905, Covington, Ky.; d. October 22, 1989, Covington, Ky.). Noted architect, author, and historian George Frederick Roth Jr. was born and grew up in Covington. He earned a degree in architecture from the University of Cincinnati in 1927 and an MA degree there in 1929. He then became a partner in the architectural firm of Potter, Tyler, Martin, and Roth, later known as Roth Partnerships. Roth designed many of the hospitals (and hospital additions) in the Greater Cincinnati area, including St. Luke in Fort Thomas; St. Elizabeth in Covington; and Bethesda Hospital, University Hospital, Jewish Hospital, Children’s Hospital, and the Shriners Burns Institute in Cincinnati. He also designed hospitals in Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, Ohio, and Jamaica. He was the architect of several churches, including Grace Episcopal in Florence, Ky. Roth taught architecture for more than 37 years at the University of Cincinnati. He was a president of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), from which he won several awards for professional excellence; he was named an AIA Fellow in 1983. Roth served for 11 years on the Cincinnati Board of Education and 27 years on the board of the Baker-Hunt Foundation. He was also a historian; he helped preserve Cincinnati’s Union Terminal, an act that earned him the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Historic Preservation Award. Roth was a member of the Cincinnati Historical Society and the Filson Club in Louisville. Later in life, he wrote a book about the history of his church, Trinity Episcopal Church, in Covington. Roth died of cancer at age 84, in Covington’s St. Elizabeth Hospital. Funeral ser vices were held at Trinity Episcopal Church and he was buried at Highland Cemetery in Fort Mitchell. His wife of 52 years, Ruth Marley Roth, and a son, George Frederick Roth III, survived him. “George Frederick Roth, Jr.” KP, October 24, 1989, 4A. “George Frederick Roth Jr., 84,” CE, October 25, 1989, 5E. “George Roth Left His Mark as Architect,” KP, October 23, 1989, 1K–2K. Roth, George F., Jr. The Story of the Trinity Episcopal Church in Covington. Covington, Ky.: Trinity Episcopal Church, 1991. Tenkotte, Paul A. A Heritage of Art and Faith: Downtown Covington Churches. Covington, Ky.: Kenton Co. Historical Society, 1986.
ROUSE, ARTHUR B. (b. June 20, 1874, Burlington, Ky.; d. January 25, 1956, Lexington, Ky.). Arthur Blythe Rouse, a lawyer, a legislator, and a businessman, was the son of Dudley and Elizabeth Blythe Rouse; Dudley was president of the Boone County Deposit Bank. He was born in Burlington, but at an early age he moved with his family to a house on Commonwealth Ave. in Erlanger. Rouse’s
early education was in Erlanger Public Schools (see Erlanger-Elsmere Schools), and he attended Hanover College in Madison, Ind., where he graduated in 1896. He continued his education at the Louisville Law School, receiving his JD degree in 1900. He set up a legal practice in Burlington. Rouse entered Democratic politics by serving as a congressional secretary to Daniel Lynn Gooch and later to Joseph L. Rhinock. In 1910 Rouse became the Democratic candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives, running against Bellevue’s mayor, Charles W. Nage. Rouse won the race easily and held the seat for the next 16 years. He married Minnie Elizabeth Kelly on December 14, 1910, and they had two sons, Arthur Jr. and Robert. Rouse retired in 1926, saying that he wanted to spend more time with his family, and Orie S. Ware succeeded him in the U.S. House of Representatives. Rouse returned to Northern Kentucky and resumed his legal practice. In 1927 he was made a vice president of the Liberty National Bank. He also joined a group of builders who began constructing homes near Kyles Ln., in Fort Wright. Rouse and his cousin F. Walton Dempsey entered the public transportation business and started five bus companies. One was the Dixie Traction Company, which later became part of the Green Line Company; another was the Blue Line Transit, which was incorporated into the Greyhound Bus System. Kentucky governor Ruby Laffoon (1931–1935) appointed Rouse State Revenue Commissioner in 1931, a position he held for the next eight years. In 1953 Rouse was appointed Federal Court Clerk for the Eastern Kentucky District, with offices in Lexington. Rouse moved his family there but retained his Northern Kentucky business connections. He died in his Lexington home at age 81 in 1956 and was buried in the Lexington Cemetery. “A. B. Rouse Sr. Dies at Age of 81,” KP, January 26, 1956, 1K. “A Man of Achievements,” KP, January 27, 1956, 2. Boone County Recorder, Historical ed., September 4, 1930. The Political Graveyard. “Rouse, Arthur Blythe (1874– 1956).” www.politicalgraveyard.com (accessed December 31, 2005). Reis, Jim. “Arthur B. Rouse Was Influential in Congress,” KP, April 19, 1993, 4K.
ROUSE, SHELLEY D. (b. February 19, 1867, Crittenden, Ky.; d. March 2, 1944, Covington, Ky.). The well-known Covington attorney Shelley D. Rouse was the son of a Grant Co. farmer, Thomas Rouse, and his wife, the former Nancy Henderson. Shelley’s early education was in public schools in Grant Co. He earned his BA degree from Centre College, Danville, Ky., and acquired his law degree from the University of Cincinnati. On November 20, 1895, he married Alice Read of Covington, and they became the parents of one daughter. Rouse was a brother-in-law of John Uri Lloyd, a renowned scientist and author of several books, including Stringtown on the Pike. Rouse’s first job was as an associate with the law firm of O’Hara and Bryan in Covington. After James W. Bryan re-