HISTORY AND GROWTH

Naturally, as a new member in Rotary, you should know something about the history and growth of Rotary.

It was on the evening of February 23, 1905, that Paul Harris, a young lawyer in Chicago, Illinois, asked three friends to meet with him. He presented an idea he had been developing. Would it not be a good idea for them to form a group to enlarge their circle of business and professional acquaintances?

Out of the discussion that followed came the beginning of a men's club, membership in which would be limited to one representative from each business or profession. It was agreed that a member should be a proprietor, a partner, or a corporate officer.

At first, meetings were held in turn at the places of business of the members. The Secretary kept a record of the business done among the members. Later this was dropped. Since the meetings were held in rotation, first at one member's place of business and then another's, the name Rotary was suggested.

Thus it was that a lawyer, a mining engineer, a merchant tailor, and a coal dealer formed the first group ever gathered together in the fellowship of Rotary. Very shortly a printer and a real estate dealer were added to the group.

It is important to know that these men met in fellowship. They were congenial and friendly and each represented a different vocation. They had been selected without regard to religious, racial or political background. It is, therefore, important to understand that Rotary is a non-sectarian, non-political organization.

The Rotary Club idea spread quickly. By 1910, the National Association of Rotary Clubs was formed. Rotary became international with the formation of a club in Winnipeg in 1910. In 1911 clubs were chartered in London and Manchester, England and in Dublin and Belfast, Ireland. To meet this extension of Rotary into other nations, the National Association of Rotary clubs gave way, and the International Association of Rotary Clubs came into existence. In 1922, this name was shortened to Rotary International - as we have it today. By January 2001 Rotary had grown to 29,626284 clubs in 163 countries and geographical regions, with 1,193,681 members.

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