Owego was a thriving town with manufacturing and service businesses and a population of 24,000 in 1919. An Owego insurance salesman, Arthur B. Stiles, decided that the area needed a Rotary club. Stiles spent several months recruiting 15 local men to be charter members of the Club, and on December 3, 1920, the first official meeting of the Rotary Club of Owego was held.

 

Over the past 100 years the club has grown from the 15 original members to nearly 70 members. In 1987 the club welcomed it first woman member, and today nearly 50 percent of members are women. The Club is known for its ongoing local and international service projects.