Paul P. Harris
Founder, Rotary International

Paul P. Harris (1868-1947), a lawyer, was the Founder of Rotary International, the world's first and most international service club. Rotary is an organization of business and professional leaders, united worldwide, who provide humanitarian service, promote high ethical standards in all vocations, and help build goodwill and peace in the world.

On February 23, 1905, Paul Harris formed the first Rotary club with three other businessmen: Silvester Schiele, a coal merchant; Gustavus Loehr, a mining engineer; and Hiram Shorey, a merchant tailor. Paul Harris named the new club "Rotary" because the members met in rotation at their various places of business.

When President Emeritus Paul Harris passed away on January 27, 1947, his dream had grown from one club, with an informal meeting of four members, to some 6,000 clubs brought together through the service and fellowship of Rotary.

Worldwide, Rotarians lend their time, expertise and resources to a number of vocational programs, and community and international service projects. The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International currently carries out over 60 million dollars worth of international education and humanitarian programs annually. It provides grants which save lives and improve conditions throughout the world; it sponsors international ambassadors of goodwill through educational awards to university students and teachers and through international exchanges of business and professional people. Today, The Rotary Foundation scholarship program is the world's largest privately-funded international scholarship program, with approximately 1,200 scholarships awarded annually. Through its Polio Plus Program, Rotarians have provided funds and volunteers to eradicate polio throughout the world.