Academy

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world,” US anthropologist Margaret Mead once said, then adding, “Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Changing the world, however, was hardly uppermost in the mind of Paul Harris when he founded Rotary. The young lawyer from rural New England, USA, was having a hard enough time adjusting to the industrial swagger of turn-of-the-century Chicago. Business boomed, but the “Windy City,” as it is popularly known, was a storm center of labor unrest. Chicago’s boundaries spread like oil on a rainslickened street, barely able to keep pace with the exploding population. Life in the rough-and- tumble metropolis was fast paced but lonely. As Paul lamented soon after his arrival, “People were everywhere, but nowhere a friend.”

Determined to overcome his feeling of alienation, Paul contacted three acquaintances to discuss an idea he had been thinking about for some time. They agreed to meet on the evening of 23 February 1905 in the office of one of the three, Gustavus F. Loehr, a mining engineer. The other two men were coal dealer Silvester Schiele and merchant tailor Hiram Shorey. What did they think about getting together regularly to share friendship, Paul wanted to and expanding their circle of business and professional acquaintances?

The group thought the idea had great merit. They continued to meet at Gus Loehr’s office in room 711 of the Unity Building at 127 North Dearborn Street.* Soon, however, the four decided to “rotate” their meetings at each other’s offices. They settled upon “Rotary” as a natural name for the fledgling group and “Rotarians” for its members.

Rotary’s founders extended an invitation to printer Harry Ruggles to join their ranks, and after he did so, the five men formally organized as the Rotary Club of Chicago. Before long, however, the Rotarians realized that fellowship and mutual self-interest were not enough to keep a club of busy professionals meeting each week. Reaching out to improve the lives of the less fortunate proved to be an even more powerful motivation. “Service Above Self” became Rotary’s motto. And as membership grew, the meetings shifted from Rotarians’ offices to hotels and restaurants, where many are held today.

In 1907, the Chicago club undertook its first Community Service project — erecting a public comfort station near city hall. News of the organization spread, and the ideal of service won ready acceptance everywhere it was introduced. Two years later, the second Rotary club was organized in San Francisco, California, USA. The first club outside the USA was established in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, in 1910. Rotary crossed the Atlantic in 1911 with the formation of clubs in Dublin, Ireland, and Belfast, Northern Ireland. That same year, The National Rotarian —forerunner of THE ROTARIAN, Rotary’s official magazine — was born. In 1912, the Rotary Club of London, England, was founded

In the 1920s Rotary became truly global transcending national boundaries, race, language, and religion — as clubs mushroomed throughout Europe, South and Central America, Australia, Africa, and Asia.

Among individuals outside the US who became Rotarians early on was colorful Harry Lauder. One of the world’s most popular entertainers during his time, Lauder joined the Rotary Club of Glasgow, Scotland, in 1914. A year later he wrote enthusiastically in the Glasgow Rotary Club Gazette, “Rotary is going to be the greatest and grandest cooperative institution ever founded.” During a career that lasted nearly 60 years, Lauder recorded more than 250 songs, appeared in films, entertained troops during two world wars and was knighted for that effort. He visited Rotary clubs wherever he went. At a meeting of the Rotary Club of Chicago he declared, “Rotary is a golden strand in the cable of international friendship.”

As the world’s first association of service clubs, Rotary International also paved the way for several other well-known organizations. It was the forerunner of Kiwanis International and Lions International, founded in 1915 and 1917, respectively. The first women’s service association — Zonta International — was launched two years later and is modeled after Rotary

In addition, Rotary laid the foundation for other humanitarian organizations. In 1920, Edgar “Daddy” Allen and other US Rotarians founded the Ohio Society for Crippled Children. Two years later, it became the International Society for Crippled Children, known as Rehabilitation International. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and cultural Organization (UNESCO) grew out of a Rotary conference held in London, England, in 1942. Rotary had called the conference to explore international educational and cultural exchange despite the vast devastation of World War II. “All thinking men recognize the moral and spiritual value of Rotary,” British Prime Minister Winston Churchill later declared. “There is indeed a wealth of meaning in the motto ‘Service Above Self.’ Few there are who do not recognize the good work which is done by Rotary clubs throughout the free world.”

Outstanding wartime service projects were carried out by clubs such as those in Switzerland, which organized relief efforts for French and Belgian refugees. Rotary clubs in Finland and Sweden gave aid to orphans and other children uprooted by the war. In the USA and Canada, Rotarians spearheaded a clothing drive for victims in devastated areas.

After World War II, Rotary sought to help promote international understanding through educational and charitable programs of The Rotary Foundation and other service efforts. The Foundation had been launched in 1928 by action of the Rotary International Convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. The basis for the Foundation was proposed by Arch Klumph, president in 1917 of what was then known as the International Association of Rotary Clubs. At the International Convention in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, that same year, he had called for the creation of an “endowment fund or Rotary. . . for the purpose of doing good in the world in charitable, educational, and other avenues of community progress.” [he endowment fund, later to) become The Rotary Foundation, received its first contribution in 1918: $26.50 from the Rotary Club of Kansas City Missouri, USA.

Following the death of Paul Harris in 1947, Rotarians contributed US$1.3 million to the Foundation in honor of Rotary’s founder. This tradition of support for the Foundation’s programs continues today. Those who contribute at least US$1,000 to the Annual Program Fund or for whom US$1,000 is donated are, upon request, recognized as Paul Harris Fellows. There are more than 460,000 Paul Harris Fellows worldwide. By 1994, contributions to the Foundation totaled more than US$740 million.

A second Foundation fund, the Permanent Fund, is built from planned gifts, bequests, and substantial outright gifts. Only the income from these gifts is used to fund Foundation programs. The principal remains untouched, providing program support in perpetuity. Permanent Fund donors are recognized as Benefactors of The Rotary Foundation.

In 1985, the Foundation launched a program unparalleled in Rotary’s history —PolioPlus. The program is a commitment to help protect all the children of the world against polio and eradicate the disease by the year 2000, with certification of eradication by 2005, Rotary’s 100th anniversary. Rotarians around the globe have raised US$247 million, much of it by their own personal contributions, and have given countless hours of time in the battle to eradicate polio.

In 1993, the World Health Organization presented its highest award — the Health for all Gold Medal — to for its contributions to global health, especially in fighting polio. RI was the first organization ever to receive the award — all previous winners had been individuals.

In 1994, Rotary International and its partners — the World Health Organization UNICEF, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, national governments, and others — celebrated the elimination of polio in the entire Western Hemisphere. The Pan American Health Organization certified that the America’s last polio victim was Luis Fermin Tenorio of Pichanaqui, Peru, who was stricken in 1991 at the age of two.

In 1995, Rotary’s Council on Legislation adopted a resolution confirming polio eradication as “a priority of the highest order for all of Rotary International.”

Following the end of the Cold War, many clubs in Central and Eastern Europe were readmitted to Rotary and many were formed in the republics of the former Soviet Union. Clubs throughout much of this region had been forced to disband during World War II — afterwards, those in communist countries remained defunct until the late 1980s and early 1990s. “We’ve often heard that the Cold War has ended,” said Robert R. Barth at the 1993 International Convention in Melbourne, Australia, shortly before becoming president of RI.

“But with that antagonism over, we now face new differences, new clashes, and new hostilities in the lands where Rotary is present. These conflicts challenge us further to carry on the activities that make Rotary an international advocate of peace, tolerance, and understanding.”

Toward these same objectives, Rotary maintains official ties with various United Nations agencies, including: UNICEF, the World Health Organization, UN Economic and Social Council, and UNESCO. These links provide Rotary clubs and districts opportunities to participate in joint initiatives in common service areas such as literacy polio eradication, environmental protection, and the search for peace.

In June 1995, more than 3,000 Rotarians gathered at the President’s Conference of Goodwill and Development in San Francisco, California, USA, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the UN’s founding. Rotary International was one of the few nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) invited by the US Department of State to serve as consultant to the UN’s charter conference in 1945 and played a significant role. Today, RI is recognized among the top rank of NGOs at the UN.

Did Paul Harris ever imagine Rotary would grow from an oasis of friendship and service in a single city to become a global force for improving people’s lives? “No, I did not in1905 foresee a worldwide movement,” Paul remarked shortly before his death in 1947.

“When a man plants an unpromising sapling in the early springtime, can he be sure that someday here will grow a mighty tree? Does he not have to reckon with the rain and sun — and the smile of Providence? Once he sees the first bud — ah, then he can begin to dream of shade.”

*Although the Unity Building was later torn down, a group of Rotarians salvaged the furniture, flooring, and wall paneling from Room 711 and formed the “711 Club” to preserve these materials. In 1994, Room 711 was reconstructed at Rotary World I Headquarters in Evanston, Illinois, USA.

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