Chicago Tribune - Monday, 27 January 1947

PAUL P. HARRIS DIES;

FOUNDER OF ROTARY CLUBS--

Won World-Wide Fame Thru Organization

    Paul P. Harris, founder of Rotary International, and its president emeritus, died yesterday in his home, Comely Bank, at 10856 Longwood Dr.  He was 79, and had been in failing health in recent years. He was a lawyer in private life.

    Mr. Harris founded Rotary in 1905, and since then had seen it grow from single club with a few members in Chicago to 5,638 clubs in 75 countries with more than 259,000 members.

 A spirit of loneliness influenced Mr. Harris in part to create the world-wide organization.  He was born in Racine, Wis., but reared at in Vermont.  He was educated at Princeton and the University of Iowa in 1891.  For five years he roamed, working as a newspaper man, an actor, and a salesman.  He worked on fruit farms, and twice worked his way to Europe on cattle boats. (Continued, Please see "Beginning of Rotary" below)

[RC of Blue Island-Crestwood and other Rotarians created a memorial at Mount Hope Cemetery in Blue Island, IL to Paul Harris and his life-long friends Jessie and Silvester Schiele. The cemetery is best known for the Rotary memorial.  How to find Mount Hope ]

"As Rotarians walk on the path leading to the Paul Harris Shrine, it is almost overwhelming to realize how this humble man spawned an organization that has spread throughout the world.

The pictures tell the story, but the true feeling sets in when one visits his grave site and sees the Shrine that was dedicated to him.

Mount Hope Cemetery is only a 25 minute drive from the ROTARY/One offices and a visit to the Paul Harris Shrine should be high on visiting Rotarians' list of tourist attractions in Chicago." (Dick McKay - Founding secretary/treasurer, Rotary Global History)

Beginning of Rotary

    In 1896 Mr. Harris settled in Chicago and began the practice of law. Although friendly by nature, he had few friends, and he saw others, like himself not native to the city, in similar situation.

    One day in 1900 Mr. Harris had dinner with a lawyer friend, and latter the two strolled the neighborhood where his colleague introduced Mr. Harris to several neighborhood merchants as his friends.  Up to then Mr. Harris had not made social friends out of this business friends, or clients.  The neighborhood experience gave him an idea.

    Mr. Harris decided to organize a club of representative business and professional men in fellowship and friendship.  Three of his clients, Silvester Schiele, Gustavus Loehr, and Harry Ruggles, joined with him.  They met periodically in the old Mme. Galli restaurant, often called the birthplace of Rotary, where over the dinner table they discussed plans for the club.

Other Clubs Formed

    On Feb. 23, 1905, Rotary was born, and was so-called because it's members met in rotation at their several places of business. The idea spread, and similar clubs were formed in other cities.  Essence of Rotary's purpose was and is--serve; high standards in business, professional and community life.

(end of the Chicago Tribune Obituary)

Read retired RI general secretary, Ches Perry's speech, in memory of Paul Harris. It was delivered at the 1947 convention of Rotary less than five months after Paul's death.

Harris' friend since before the turn of the century, and the first Rotary president, Silvester Schiele not only lived next door to the Harris', but his grave was moved to the memorial for Paul Harris after the founder's.