FOUNDER OF ROTARY INTERNATIONAL

PAUL P. HARRIS
19 April 1868 to 27 January 1947

The foundation upon which Rotary is built is friendship; on no less firm foundation could it have stood. Paul P Harris, 1935,"This Rotarian Age" Today, Rotary is well known throughout the world for its dedication to service and international goodwill. Changing the world through service was hardly uppermost in the mind of Paul P. Harris when he founded the organization in 1905 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He envisioned a new kind of club for professionals that would rekindle the fellowship he had known in his youth.

On the evening of 23 February 1905, Harris invited three friends to a meeting. They discussed Harris' idea that business leaders should meet periodically to enjoy camaraderie and to enlarge their circle of business and professional acquaintances. The club met weekly; membership was limited to one representative from each business and profession. Though the men didn't use the term Rotary that night, that gathering is
commonly regarded as the first Rotary club meeting.

Significance Of The Rotary Wheel

First designed in 1905, the early emblem was a simple wagon wheel to represent civilisation and movement. In 1922, the organisation decided to create an emblem for the exclusive use of all Rotarians and the following year the present emblem, a gearwheel with 24 cogs and six spokes, was adopted. A keyway was added to signify the usefulness of the gearwheel. To this is added a note from the Rotary Club of Burlington, Ontario, Canada "Our wheel will not act alone. It needs energy... a force to set it in motion" Our emblem must be one of the most widely recognised symbols in the world. We wear it with dignity and quiet pride. For us it is a passport anywhere in the world of Rotary. To non-Rotarians, it identifies each of us as a person dedicated to the ideal of service and to improving the well-being of all people.

A Definition of Rotary

Rotary is an organisation of business and professional leaders, united worldwide, who provide humanitarian service, encourage high ethical standards in all vocations and help build goodwill and peace in the world.

The Object of Rotary

The Object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service as a basis of worthy enterprise and, in particular to encourage and foster:

FIRST The development of acquaintance as an opportunity for service

SECOND High ethical standards in business and professions, the recognition of the worthiness of all useful, occupations, and the dignifying of each Rotarian’s occupation as an opportunity to serve society.

THIRD The application of the ideal of service in each Rotarian’s personal, business and community life.

FOURTH The Advancement of international understanding, goodwill and peace through a world fellowship of business and professional persons united in the ideal of service.

My Rotary Emblem

It grants me a great and honourable privilege. Anywhere I go, each wearer of this noble badge is my friend. Into their surroundings I may go with assurance of a warm welcome. It requires of me that I think in harmony with the principles of Rotary, the highest in the land and broad enough to encompass every daily activity. It requires that I dispel the prejudices of race, creed and political views. I must be patient, liberal, just and upright all to a noticeable degree. It reminds me that it moves in a realm unto itself. It is looked upon with unimpaired respect wherever it appears. Its wearer enjoys a distinction that only the violation of its principles can mar. All this speculation makes me wonder if I deserve to wear it. Am I equal to all that it implies?

Mission Statement

The mission of Rotary International is to support member clubs in fulfilling the Object of Rotary by:

• Fostering unity among members clubs;
• Strengthening and expanding Rotary around the world;
• Communicating worldwide the work of Rotary; and
• Providing a system of international administration.

The Rotary 4-Way Test

Created by Rotarian Herbert J Taylor in 1932 as a code of ethics for a failing company in post depression difficulties, it was adopted by Rotary International in 1943. The test has been translated into many languages and published in hundreds of ways reflecting the internationality of Rotary. In English it asks:

“Of the things we think, say or do:

1. Is it the TRUTH?
2. Is it FAIR to all concerned?
3. Will it build GOODWILL and better FRIENDSHIPS?
4. Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?”

Herb Taylor became president of Rotary International in 1954-55

Declaration of Rotarians in Business and Professions

As a Rotarian engaged in business or profession, I am expected to:

• consider my vocation to be another opportunity to serve;
• be faithful to the letter and to the spirit of the ethical codes of my vocation, to the laws of my country, and the moral standards of my community;
• do all in my power to dignify my vocation and to promote the highest ethical standards in my chosen vocation;
• be fair to my employer, employees, associates, competitors, customers, the public, and all those with whom I have a business or professional relationship;
• recognise the honour and respect due to all occupations which are useful to society;
• offer my vocational talent to provide opportunities for young people to work for the relief of the special needs of others, and to improve the quality of life in my community;
• adhere to honesty in my advertising and in all representations to the public concerning my business or my profession;
• neither seek from nor grant to a fellow Rotarian a privilege or advantage not normally accorded to others in business or professional relationship.