The world's first service club, the Rotary Club of Chicago, was formed
on 23 February 1905 by Paul P. Harris, an attorney who wished to capture
in a professional club the same friendly spirit he had felt in the
small towns of his youth. The Rotary name derived from the early
practice of rotating meetings among members' offices.
Rotary's popularity spread, and within a decade, clubs were chartered
from San Francisco to New York to Winnipeg, Canada. By 1921, Rotary
clubs had been formed on six continents. The organization adopted the
Rotary International name a year later.
As Rotary grew, its mission expanded beyond serving club members'
professional and social interests. Rotarians began pooling their
resources and contributing their talents to help serve communities in
need. The organization's dedication to this ideal is best expressed in
its motto: Service Above Self.
By 1925, Rotary had grown to 200 clubs with more than 20,000 members.
The organization's distinguished reputation attracted presidents, prime
ministers, and a host of other luminaries to its ranks — among them
author Thomas Mann, diplomat Carlos P. Romulo, humanitarian Albert
Schweitzer, and composer Jean Sibelius.
The Four-Way Test
In 1932, Rotarian Herbert J. Taylor created The Four-Way Test, a code
of ethics adopted by Rotary 11 years later. The test, which has been
translated into more than 100 languages, asks the following questions:
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?
Rotary and World War II
During World War II, many clubs were forced to disband, while others
stepped up their service efforts to provide emergency relief to victims
of the war. In 1942, looking ahead to the postwar era, Rotarians called
for a conference to promote international educational and cultural
exchanges. This event inspired the founding of UNESCO.
In 1945, 49 Rotary club members served in 29 delegations to the UN
Charter Conference. Rotary still actively participates in UN conferences
by sending observers to major meetings and covering the United Nations
in its publications.
"Few there are who do not recognize the good work which is done by
Rotary clubs throughout the free world," former Prime Minister Winston
Churchill of Great Britain once declared.
Dawn of a new century
As it approached the 21st century, Rotary worked to meet society's
changing needs, expanding its service efforts to address such pressing
issues as environmental degradation, illiteracy, world hunger, and
children at risk.
In 1989, the organization voted to admit women into clubs worldwide and
now claims more than 145,000 female members in its ranks.
After the collapse of the Berlin Wall and the dissolution of the Soviet
Union, Rotary clubs were formed or re-established throughout Central
and Eastern Europe. The first Russian Rotary club was chartered in 1990,
and the organization underwent a growth spurt for the next several
years.
Today, 1.2 million Rotarians belong to over 32,000 Rotary clubs in more than 200 countries and geographical areas.