The Archives

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.

Members of the RGHF 1905 Society, listed by year from 2001, who received rare 1905 Liberty V nickels for preserving the history and philosophy of Rotary.

The 1905 Society of RGHF, which since 2001 has presented rare 1905 Liberty V nickels to Rotary leaders and historians who preserve Rotary's history.

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.

The 1946 obituary of Silvester Schiele, first president of the Rotary Club of Chicago, who died on December 17, 1945, by General Secretary Philip Lovejoy.

Joe Kagle, a 76-year-old Rotarian of 40 years, gives a personal account of the 2008 Rotary International Convention in Los Angeles, good, bad and ugly.

RGHF award recipients of 2010, including Norm Winterbottom in Auckland, Nevine Abdelkhalek in Egypt and Christodoulos Achilleoudis in Cyprus.

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.

Richard 'Titch' Harrison, ROTARY/One club historian, reconstructs the roster of the thirty-nine members who joined Rotary in its first year, 1905 to 1906.

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 Rotary, from Paul Harris's law degree in 1891 and years of wandering to the first meeting in Room 711 of the Unity Building in 1905.

A review of A Process Mind, the memoir of Napa surgeon Richards P. Lyon, from a Depression-era boyhood and a 1936 bicycle tour of Europe to urology.

Joseph L. Kagle, Jr. in August 2006 on how joining the Rotary eClub of the Southwest, USA changed his view of the world after 35 years in Rotary.

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.

Paul P. Harris on peace, from a 1945 interview in Tuskegee, Alabama, with the story of Jill Jackson Miller's 1955 song Let There Be Peace on Earth.

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 J Klumph (1869-1951) of Cleveland, sixth president of Rotary, whose 1917 proposal for an endowment fund became The Rotary Foundation in 1928.