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Paul Harris Index

www.harrisoffice.org  - See photos of RGHF's Tenth Anniversary visit to the Harris Office www.rghf101010.org

 

PAUL'S OFFICE: YESTERDAY AND TODAY

Welcome to the Paul Harris Office "Gallery" in RI Center in Evanston. In this room, on the 18th floor of the world headquarters, (right), you will find a collection of souvenirs, gifts & other items acquired by Paul Harris over many years.

In Rotary Center in Evanston, the office which was used by Paul Harris as President Emeritus, has been re-created. It contains many souvenirs from his journeys round the Rotary world, as well as gifts and awards presented to him and photographs of other distinguished Rotarians. The room is open to visitors.

This part of our website shows you some of the items on show. Visitors should note that there are occasions on which some items may be removed or be moved to a different position..

The Gallery contains a large number of photographs of people, events, and scenes some of which we have not reproduced on this site as yet because we do not wish to infringe any photographer's copyright.

This advice comes from the Legal Department of RI even though almost all are at least 60 years old, and most over 70.
At the entrance to the Paul Harris Gallery a life size statue of Paul Harris welcomes you in with outstretched hand. A report in the Rotarian in 1993 tells the story of this figure.
"The statue, a gift to RI on behalf of the Rotarians of Japan, is the product of two generations of artists and Rotarians. The head is modeled after a sculpture created by Isao Morioka of Tokyo based Rittaishashinzo Studios. The sculptor met Paul Harris in 1935, when Paul sat for a bust that the Japanese artist made. The finished bronze bust was given to Paul as a gift by Ukemichi Yoneyama, founder of Rotary in Japan.

The original bust is now on display in Paul's boyhood home. Wallingford, Vermont, USA at the "little red schoolhouse", meeting place of the Rotary Club of Wallingford. The new statue's body was completed in 1993 by Isao's son, Kimihiko Morioka, president of Rittaishashinzo Studios and past President of the Rotary club of Tokyo-Keihin.
 

The completed statue is of bronze-finish fibreglass. It was broken down into three sections for the trip from Japan, and delivered to Evanston personally by Kimihiko, who reassembled it with nuts, bolts and epoxy. The statue was dedicated on March 27, 1993."

 

This article was written by Candy Isaac of RI and was reproduced in the Rotary History and Heritage International Fellowship newsletter in 1998. We would like to thank all concerned for this article.




Come into the Paul Harris Gallery
and look round.


Also see additional Harris memorabilia in the Ziegler Collection

The Late Paul D. McLain (July 2011)This ongoing project is the work of RGHF senior historian Basil Lewis, first posted 7 April 2006. This section is maintained by RGHF webmasters, the late Paul D. McLain and Jack Selway. If you can help identify or supply more information about anything on this page, please contact us at www.historycomment.org

We acknowledge the assistance of DG 11/12 David Templin, ROTARY/One (RGHF Member), Neil Dahlmann of Rotary Club of Highland Park in District 6440, and Jack Selway, USA, with providing photos used in this section.

Learn more about tours of Rotary International Headquarters

HOME SECTION HOME Paul P. Harris, The Founder of Rotary International CALENDAR
Harris' Art Paul P. Harris Paul's Health On Internationalism Paul's 1918 Office On The Mayflower?
Memberships Early Cemetery Cemetery Map Memorial Obituary Paul's Office Today
A Gift for Paul Global Views of PH Argentina Scotland Turkey Rawlins Survey
Rawlins Answers Restless Years Signatures Harris Autographs Harris Checks Doc's & Charters
Harris Letters This Rotarian Age Speech, 1928 "Friendship Trees" Wallingford, VT South Africa 1934
Tribute to Harris Peregrinations My Road To Rotary Founder of Rotary Europe 1932 European Tour 1928
RIP Letters PH in The Rotarian Harris Philosophy Radio Speech 1933 30th Anniversary Jean & Paul
Photo Gallery Distant Sense A Road Traveled Perry by Harris Paul's Bio of Jean Harris Timeline
Books All Harris Writing Rotarian Articles Convention Messages Meet Paul Harris