On the evening of 23 February 1905, Paul Harris (19 April 1868 – 27 January 1947) invited three friends to a meeting. 1Silvester Schiele, (second from the left) (29 June 1870 – 17 December 1945) a coal dealer, 2Hiram Shorey, (next to Harris) (29 August 1962 – 29 March 1944) a merchant tailor, and 3Gustavus Loehr, (far left) ( 1864 – 23 May 1918) a mining engineer, gathered with Harris in Loehr's business office in Room 711 of the Unity Building in downtown Chicago on Dearborn Avenue. 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.
As they continued to convene, members began rotating their meetings among their places of business, hence the name Rotary. After enlisting a fifth member, printer 5Harry Ruggles, the group was…
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