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Once
upon a time, when Rotary was in its infancy, and you could count the
number of clubs on both your hands and feet and have toes left over,
the Secretariat of Rotary was the Secretary of Rotary, Chesley R. (Ches)
Perry. Today, the Secretariat is the nomenclature given to the
staff, the offices and the services that run the infrastructure of
Rotary International. Originally based in Chicago, the birthplace of
Rotary; it is now headquartered in Evanston, Illinois, and supported
by field offices around the world.
As noted, staff function
began with one Rotarian, Ches Perry, in 1910. His story is part of
Rotary Global History
and can be found under "Staff" along with other past general
secretaries. He was joined two years later by Rufus Chapin, who
would be the treasurer of Rotary until 1942, when he and Perry
retired.
Since then, many
staff members have come and gone. The most notable will be
highlighted and featured in these pages. Some, like Philip C.
Lovejoy and George Means, were General Secretaries. Some, like
Charlotte Lane and Thelma Decker, started as secretaries or typists,
and rose to department heads. All were valuable employees who have
served Rotary over the years.
Jack Selway,
the Founder of Rotary Global History, has stated, “Other
sections will be added and highlighted, so check back here often.
This project grows daily.” What John is really saying, is there is
no
portion of the History that is too insignificant to be noted. And,
if you know a story with historical implications, we would like to
know it as well.
Doug Rudman |
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