The Research Library

Cyprus made history as the first RGHF Country Association, with all Assistant Governors and club presidents becoming financial members in 2011. This article lists the pioneering committee members and highlights several Rotary Clubs across Cyprus, Egypt, and Spain that achieved 100% RGHF membership between 2009 and 2017.

The 1905 Society honors Rotary leaders who received rare 1905 Liberty V Nickels, symbolizing the founding year of the Rotary Club of Chicago. Originating in 2001 at a Salt Lake City conference, this tradition recognizes individuals demonstrating stewardship in preserving Rotary’s history and philosophy, linking today’s leaders to Paul Harris and Rotary’s earliest days.

The 1905 Society honors Rotary leaders and historians who preserve the organization's founding legacy, symbolized by rare 1905 Liberty V Nickels tied to Paul Harris and Rotary's Chicago origins. Since 2001, RGHF has presented these awards to RI presidents, directors, historians, and dedicated volunteers worldwide who champion Rotary history and stewardship.

A photo feature honoring the 1905 Society, highlighting recipient DGN Ijeoma Okoro alongside Past Rotary International President Frank Devlyn, Rotary International President 2014/15 Gary Huang, Tom Shanahan, and Rotary International Vice President Anne Matthew, celebrating Okoro's recognition within this distinguished Rotary donor society.

Richard "Dick" Lyon recounts his 1936 around-the-world bicycle journey with brother Ted, funded by their grandmother's inheritance and transformed into a Rotary Ambassadors of Goodwill trip by their father, with help from Paul Harris himself. The memoir traces their eight-month adventure through Japan, China, Europe, and beyond amid pre-war tensions.

This 1946 obituary honors Silvester Schiele, co-founder and first president of the Rotary Club of Chicago, who died December 17, 1945. Written by General Secretary Philip Lovejoy, it traces his humble Indiana upbringing, successful coal business career, enduring friendship with Paul Harris, and lasting legacy of service, idealism, and mentorship to countless young men.

A 76-year-old Rotarian recounts the 2008 RI Convention in Los Angeles, weighing its grandeur against logistical chaos. He describes injuring himself before an early meeting, endless lines, and vanishing food, contrasted with highlights like the Hollywood Bowl, Disney Theatre Center, and moments of genuine Rotary fellowship amid the overwhelming scale.

Recognizing 2010's RGHF honorees worldwide, including Norm Winterbottom, Nevine Abdelkhalek in Egypt, Christodoulos Achilleoudis in Cyprus, and 1905 Society inductees Titch Harrison, Norman Proctor, and Sherry Koski. Highlights include Cairo's gala celebration, Nicosia-Lefkothea's full club membership, and upcoming conferences in Cairo, Amman, and Bavaria.

Richards P. Lyon, MD, received the 1905 Society award in Napa, California on 31 August 2011, presented by an RGHF Zone 25 board member. The photo captures Carol and Dick Lyon together, with Dick's award visibly pinned to his jacket, commemorating this Rotary historical honor.

A photo gallery from the 2013 Lisbon Rotary gathering featuring notable Rotary International figures, including Past President Jon Majiyagbe, RGHF Executive Chair Nevine Abdelkhalek, founder Jack Selway, Registrar Steve Hellersperk, VP Anne Matthews, RID Celia Giay, RIBI President Nan McCreadie, and Ron Burton being pinned by Majiyagbe.

On June 30, 2022, Fred Otto, a Rotarian from The Chicago O'Hare Rotary Club, was inducted into the RGHF Paul Harris Society, receiving the 1905 Liberty Nickel award, the organization's highest honor. This recognition celebrated his exceptional Service Above Self, honoring his significant contributions and dedication to the Rotary Global History Fellowship.

Historian Richard Harrison reconstructs Rotary's original 1905 roster, uncovering the thirty-nine founding Chicago members whose incomplete records he pieced together decades later. Profiling figures like Paul Harris, Harry Ruggles, and Sylvester Schiele, he ranks their contributions using a point system, revealing who truly built Rotary's foundation before it grew into a global movement.

PDG Norman F. Kloker was President of Rotary Club One (ROTARY/One) 1985-86, Governor of Rotary District 6450 1989-90, Chairman of RI’s 75th Anniversary Convention Landmark Committee, and was Co-Founder of the Paul Harris 711 Club of which he is Past President and Life Director. Also a director of the Paul Harris Memorial Committee, Norm was the…

February 23, 1905. The airplane had yet to stay aloft more than a few minutes. The first motion picture theater had not yet opened. Norway and Sweden were peacefully terminating their union. On this particular day, a Chicago lawyer, Paul P. Harris, called three friends to a meeting. What he had been thinking and talking about for some time was a…

A One Page History of the Beginning and Growth of Rotary In 1905….. 37 year old attorney Paul Harris changed the world. From the years 1891-1896 Paul Harris, who was raised by his New England grandparents with values of tolerance toward all, gained his law degree in 1891. 1 In his senior year, a

A review of Napan Dr. Richards P. Lyon's memoir "A Process Mind," tracing his remarkable life from a Depression-era family, a 1936 bicycle tour of Europe as a Rotary Ambassador, Stanford athletics, to serving as a Marine battalion surgeon at Iwo Jima and later becoming a renowned urologist dedicated to healing and self-realization.

A veteran Rotarian reflects on joining Rotary eClub of the Southwest, describing how virtual membership expanded his global perspective and volunteer capacity. He details international projects spanning Georgia, El Salvador, and beyond, contrasting land-based Rotary limitations with the eClub's freedom to leverage diverse talents, ultimately reaching far greater service hours and impact worldwide.

Profile of Abbas Lavingia, RGHF Ambassador and President of RC Karachi Karsaz, RID 3270. Born in 1956 in Karachi, this Paul Harris Fellow and graphic designer has championed education and health projects, served on membership committees, and works to preserve and promote Rotary district history among fellow Rotarians.

Rotary membership is portrayed as a genuine adventure in service, blending fellowship, ethical business practice, and international goodwill. Drawing on the Object of Rotary and testimonies from members worldwide, this chapter explores how classification, shared projects, and deep camaraaderie transform individual commitment into a powerful force for community and global understanding.

Adventures in Service, first published in 1946 during Paul Harris' final year, remained in print for decades. This copy, the 5th printing from 1950 and copyrighted by Rotary International, was acquired by Wolfgang Ziegler. For the History of Rotary Project, it summarizes Rotary's history and Harris' guiding vision, available here in PDF format.

The Rotary Club of Port Elizabeth, South Africa's third club, was chartered in 1925. During Paul and Jean Harris' 1934 visit, Paul planted a Norfolk Pine in the city park bearing his inscription "Witness humbly, build bravely, love widely." A yellowwood tree was later added in 1992 by RI President Rajendra Saboo.

An Interactive Journey of Peace "The way to war is a well-paved highway and the way to peace is still a wilderness." Paul P. Harris From a recorded interview in Tuskegee, Alabama, USA in 1945 "The Rotary way works! But Rotary has no patent on it, for it is but the Golden Rule in action. Any person,

Seven paths to peace Contents Where the Paths Begin The Path of Patriotism The Path of Conciliation The Path of Freedom The Path of Progress The Path of Justice The Path of Sacrifice The Path of Loyalty Impact Outline of Policy in International Service Appendix DISCUSSION GUIDE FOR SEVEN PATHS TO

Arch Klumph, Rotary International's sixth president, proposed the endowment fund in 1917 that became The Rotary Foundation in 1928. Born in 1869, he rose from office boy to lumber company owner, joined Rotary Cleveland in 1911, and championed charitable giving, leaving a lasting legacy until his death in 1951.