Rotary speaker says George Washington had the most impact as a Founding Father

Oct. 18—The guest speaker at the Rotary of Club of Aiken's meeting Monday didn't have to even think about it.

When someone asked Randolph Russell for his opinion about what Founding Father of this country had the most impact, he said, "Without hesitation, George Washington."

Then, Randolph explained the reasons for his choice.

"Without that one man, we would not have a country or we wouldn't have gotten it when we did and it probably wouldn't have looked the same.

"The more I study about him, the more my admiration increases. And I would have loved to have witnessed what everybody commented on, that there was a certain presence that he had that when he walked into a room, the atmosphere changed.

"At the Battle of Princeton (during the Revolutionary War), he changed the tide just by showing up and being on the battlefield. We are so fortunate to have had him as our first president."

The other American presidents among the Founding Fathers are John Adams, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison. The rest include Alexander Hamilton and Benjamin Franklin.

Opinions differ among historians about who should be on the list of Founding Fathers.

Randolph is the author of "American History in No Time: A Quick & Easy Read for the Basics."

Goodreads.com describes the book as "an overview of the key events, people, places and principles divided into small sections that can be read in around five minutes each."

The entire book "can be read in just a few hours," according to the website.

The Rotary Club meeting was held at Newberry Hall.