Tag Archives: history

Virtual tour of One Rotary Center shines

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Vision Statement display and seating area in the west atrium on the 18th floor of Rotary International World Headquarters in Evanston, Illinois, USA.

By Bruce Baumberger, 2010-11 governor of District 6440 (northern Illinois, USA)

As one of the two Rotary clubs normally conducting club meetings at One Rotary Center in Evanston, Illinois, USA, members of the Rotary Club of Evanston Lighthouse were touched by General Secretary John Hewko’s inspirational tour of Rotary World Headquarters. Seeing Room 711, the location of the first Rotary meeting, was a reminder that club members later this year will once again walk by it on our way to club meetings, just as we did prior to the pandemic.

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Take a virtual tour of Room 711

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Room 711 on the 1st floor of Rotary headquarters in Evanston, Illinois, USA.

By Rotary Heritage Communications staff

Each year, thousands of visitors to Rotary headquarters experience Room 711, a recreation of the office where, on 23 February 1905, Paul Harris met with three acquaintances to start a club based on “mutual cooperation and informal friendship.” Continue reading →

Paul Harris on kindness

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“We humans are creatures of habit, and it is just as easy to acquire the habit of speaking kindly as it is to acquire the habit of speaking unkindly”

— Paul Harris, 1935

When he spoke at the 1935 Rotary Convention in Mexico City, Paul Harris had only recently returned from a journey though Asia and the Pacific. He reflected on the opportunities for friendship he encountered on his trip and reminded members of their duty to act as ambassadors of goodwill. Read the full speech.

Editor’s note: 19 April marks the anniversary of Paul Harris’ birth. Learn more about Rotary’s founder.

Why we can’t afford to ignore social media

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Interactors during a photo break at the Rotary Convention in Sydney, Australia.

Interactors during a photo break at the Rotary Convention in Sydney, Australia.

By Marilyn Axler, a member of the E-Club of South Jersey, and Rotary Global History Fellowship board member

I have been using social media to promote Rotary for three years now, posting on LinkedIn and other platforms to connect with others and share Rotary’s message. From time to time, I hear from members who are uncomfortable with social media. They say they feel it is invasive and they bring up concerns for privacy and safety.

Could it be that they are also afraid to embrace change? I agree the telephone is still the best way to communicate sometimes. But social media is clearly where it is at for younger people. Can we really afford to ignore the “new age of communications?” Continue reading →