Roots by Cholly Capps

A Little History of YOUR Rotary Club

Our roots go back to the first Rotary Club, now called – not the Rotary Club of Chicago – but simply Rotary/One.

Everyone should know by now that Paul Harris was one of four founding members. When he passed away January 27, 1947, he was President Emeritus of Rotary International. Like us, he devoted much of his time to Rotary, but, also like many of us, he was also prominent in other civic and professional work. He was the first Chairman of the Board of the National Society for Crippled Children and Adults in the USA (now the Easter Seal Society) and of the International Society for Crippled Children. He was a member of the Board of Managers of the Chicago Bar Association and its representative at the International Congress of Law at The Hague, and he was a committee member of the American Bar Association.

Harry L. Ruggles (you never hear about him) was the 5^th Founding Member. He originated Luncheon Club singing in 1905. That was right after Charles A. Newton (also 1905) thought up the idea of the luncheon meeting. Sylvester Schele (you’ve heard of him) was originator of the Roster-photo and Classification Talks. Montague M. Bear who also joined rotary in 1905, was creator and designer of the first Rotary wheel emblem. Dr. C.W. Hawley (1907) originated Charitable Service as a club objective. Ches Perry (1908) was the originator of the first name badge, assisted in organizing and presiding over the first Rotary convention (1910) was Secretary of RI (1910-1942) and Arthur Frederick Sheldon (1908) originated the motto "He Profits Most Who Serves best” (now degendered).

We owe a whole lot to these early Rotarians who added so much to our own Roots