Through The Years.....
40's. Bridgeport, like much of industrialized America, was lifted out of the Depression largely by the buildup of World War II. The City and its suburbs became a center for aeronautical industry. The Corsair fighter plane and the Sikorsky helicopter helped win the War for the Allies. Bridgeport was well prepared for the end of the War in the mid-forties. The Bridgeport Chamber of Commerce's Planning Council had prepared extensive recommendations on conversion of defense jobs and plants to peace time use. Harbor, educational and industrial site improvements were planned as well. In 1949 the Barnum festival was started to give Bridgeport a period of fun (and) the Bridgeport Rotary Club completed major improvements to the "Crippled Children's Workshop" this renovation was the first project funded by the Do-Good Chest, the forerunner of the Community Service Fund.
50's. When new Democratic Mayor Samuel J. Tedesco took office in 1957, he found a City badly in need of renewal. Change had occurred rapidly in the late 1950s. Sputnik was launched by the Russians as the first artificial satellite, and educators worried that American school children were falling behind in math and science. The concept of City living seemed doomed for all but the poor and elderly as the suburban exodus continued. The continued deterioration of Bridgeport's center led to the City's firsts urban renewal program, a massive 52 acre State Street Redevelopment Project. The physical renewal of the city was followed by a cultural and spiritual rebirth under Mayor Hugh Curran, who brought into his administration advisors who were as interested in the City's social environment as Mayor Tedesco's administration has been in the physical structure. As the City moved forward, Bridgeport Rotary flourished.

60's In 1962 Rotarian Paul Hine was honored for perfect attendance for forty three years, as well as for serving as the Club's Secretary for thirty five years. Then, in 1967, Rotarians Ed Harrison and Parker Lansdale led the team to found the Bridgeport Area Foundation. Bridgeport Rotary was the initial contributor donating a $1.000, and Ed Harrison became the Foundation's first President. The Foundation is the Greater Bridgeport Area Foundation. From that initial contribution of $1.000, the Foundation has grown to its currents worth of over $25 million. Later that year the Stratford and Bridgeport Club sponsors the establishment of the Trumbull District Club.