Twenty-five charter members applied to Rotary International headquarters in Chicago and held their first meeting on July 7, 1933. The club name "Rotary" was chosen because members originally met in rotation at their several places of business. Since our founding, 91 Rotarians have served as President of the Clifton Springs-Phelps Rotary Club.
- Founding Officers: President Boyd Little · VP W. Malcolm Griswold · Treasurer Carl DeGraw · Secretary Adolph Hollander
- 1933 — Club chartered; first luncheon meeting held at the Clifton Springs Sanitarium
- 1938 — Clifton Springs-Phelps Rotary hosts Rotary District Assembly
- 1941 — Founder Paul Harris visits local Sanitarium and attends an inter-city meeting here
- 1956–57 — Received award for best project centered on the 4-Way Test
- 1961 — Instituted annual high school scholarship award based on need and merit
- 1968 — Co-hosted the District Conference at the Concord Hotel in the Catskills
- 1970–72 — Pledged $10,000 toward the new hospital over ten years
- 1973 — 40th Anniversary; first Paul Harris Fellowship awarded to Jack Loveless
- 1977–78 — Howard Smith serves as District Governor
- 1985 — PolioPlus drive begins nationally
- 1989 — Rotary International opens membership to women; Jean Day becomes our first female member
- 1994–95 — Jean Day becomes our first female President
- 1995 — Completed new bandstand in Clifton Springs Village Park (renamed Griswold Park)
- 2004 — Last Charter Member, Malcolm Griswold, passes at age 100
- 2009–present — Food booth at annual NY State Pageant of Steam & John Deere Days
- 2014–15 — Scott MacDonell serves as District Governor; club hosts District 7120 conference in Buffalo
- 2014–present — Supporting Malawi Children's Village (irrigation, education & healthcare)
- 2018–22 — Pledged $10,000 toward the hospital's Medical Village project
- Since 1973 — Over 103 Paul Harris Fellows named, each representing a $1,000 donation to the Rotary Foundation
History compiled by Fred Gifford, Clifton Springs-Phelps Rotary Historian (January 25, 2005). Updated 2025 by Scott MacDonell.