On November 15, 1956, a group of business and professional men met with Crawford Rainwater, President of the Pensacola Rotary Club, and Eugene Smith, Chairman of the club's Rotary Extension Committee.  With the help of these “founding fathers@  this organization meeting led to the establishment of The Rotary Club of Pensacola Suburban West. 

The club was admitted into Rotary International (District 242) on March 4, 1957.  On April 23, 1957, the charter was presented to Harold Rose, the club president, in a gala dinner meeting at the San Carlos Hotel.  Martine's restaurant become the meeting place for the club for some seventeen years.  More than 100 Rotarians and Rotary Anns attended the installation meeting.  The featured speaker was Roy D. Hickman, an outstanding Rotarian from Birmingham, Alabama, who would serve as President of R. I. in 1972-73 and as Chairman of the Rotary Foundation Trustees in 1977.  Attending were District Governor Al Nelson, three past District Governors and many presidents of other Rotary Clubs.  One of these was Eric Ericson, then a charter member and first President of the Fort Walton Beach  Rotary  club, who has contributed so much to our club's vigor since moving to Pensacola and becoming a member of our club.  There were twenty-three charter members of our club.