Port Huron Chess Club

            Port Huron Chess Club – a Brief History

January 2026 commemorates the 57th year of operation for the Port Huron Chess Club. Founded in January of 1969, Washington Junior High School’s multipurpose room on the corner of 10th and White Streets in Port Huron served as its initial venue. Founding members were Lon Rutkofske, a first year teacher at Washington that year, Robert Duncan, a veteran industrial arts teacher at Crull Junior High School,  Norman McLeod, a drafting specialist working at Mueller Brass Company and John Haake, an irascible local retiree that enjoyed blowing cigar smoke (Most chess clubs permitted smoking back then) in your face as you played him and scaring you to death when behind the wheel. Lon took the initiative to seek city sponsorship by meeting with Joseph Marshall, City Recreation Director for Port Huron early that year. Joe and his successors, James Downey, and Betty Dunn have been staunch supporters of our efforts financially by providing funds to purchase sets, clocks, boards, trophies, and supplies, as well as, securing a host of free meeting sites throughout the community over the years. In addition to the Washington School multipurpose room, the PHCC has also enjoyed comfort and accommodation at SC4, Peru Village on 7th Street, the American Legion- Charles Hammond Post on 6th Street, the Adult Activities Center on 7th Street, and finally, at the newly constructed Palmer Park Recreation Center. The winds of change have shifted over the years as the PHCC enjoyed membership rolls as meager as 4, and as expansive as 125, all the while, through thick and thin, adversity and abundance, a hearty core stood fast to keep the dream alive, the pieces banging and the clocks ticking.

Veterans of the PHCC hope that the new year will bless us once again with abundance in the form of increased participation, and continued support of the Port Huron Recreation Department and Director Nancy Winzer, who has been very encouraging in providing us with new digital clocks as well as facilities support. Managers, Amanda Dickinson and Natacha Hayden, of the Palmer Park Recreation Center have continued the strong support for the PHCC. Supervisor Ronda Bingham took the reins at Palmer Park just as the COVID-19 pandemic struck the country and has been highly supportive of our efforts! The most recent change has been the addition of Jenny Meyers who is assuming the supervisory duties at Palmer Park, and we are looking forward to yet another great chess season!