As reported by John B. Schoolland in 1969
The RiB. It comes to you every week, and it stands for Rotary in Boulder. Or Rotary International Boulder. The translation varied occasionally through the years. The correct spelling is capital R, lowercase i, capital B.
As Schoolland reported, the RiB was born literally on Dutch Westerberg’s kitchen table in 1948. Dutch was the newly elected president and decided that the club deserved a full-scale bulletin. A contest was held to pick the name. Dutch and his wife, Flo, folded, stapled, addressed, and stamped the first issue of the mimeographed publication.
The RiB grew slowly but steadily over the years. Other editors included Bob Bradfield, George Clark, and Bob Rhode. In 1964 it was for the first time printed by offset. In 1960 it won its first best in the district award, followed by others in 1970, 1977, and 1994. Its cover featured original artwork that changed with the season, and it began to include pictures of new members and special events.
It was mailed out by what we now call “snail mail,” and received, ideally, in advance of the meeting. Schoolland described the content as pertinent information about members’ travels, “birthatarians,” news items, etc., interspersed with humorous items, an introduction to the forthcoming program, and an account of the previous week’s program. It even recorded those who had missed the previous meeting, or had presented a “makeup” from another club. Bound copies from the mid ‘60s to the early 2000s are filed at Norlin Library and Carnegie Library. However, copies from prior to 1964 are rare.
The CyberRiB, the online-only version, debuted in 2001. That year 80 members got the RiB by email, and it was mailed to others, at a cost of $16 per year. Members who did not want the snail mail version could donate their $16 to club activities. More recently the snail mail mailing was discontinued.
The first photo directory of members appeared in the late 1960s. A notice said, “As an aid to better acquaintance, the Club is preparing a loose-leaf booklet that will contain a photograph of each member along with pertinent information as to his profession, major interests, and accomplishments. This is based on the conviction that better acquaintance makes for better service.” Our directory is now online-only as well.
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