 In the recreation of Paul
Harris' study in Rotary Center, Evanston, there are many souvenirs from
his travels abroad. One particular item is a watercolour of a rural
scene in England. (second
from the right, bottom row) This is the story of that picture.
 On June 5, 1934,
Paul Harris, then on tour in Britain, headed for Cheltenham, the first
of his promised commitments in England. There he attended an inter-club
lunch meeting on June 5 and was also able to have a short drive through
the Cotswolds. Over 150 Rotarians from all over District 10 were present
at the lunch in the Town Hall.
Members had travelled from ten other clubs, Bath, Bristol,
Cirencester, Gloucester, Hereford, Stroud, Swindon, Taunton, Weston
Super Mare and Wembley. The Mayor of Cheltenham, Councillor E L Ward,
who was also a Rotarian, attended as did the Chairman of the District,
Hugh Towl, who welcomed Paul Harris on behalf of the visiting Rotarians
from his District. "Rotary has meant a tremendous amount to each of us,"
he said. "There are men in this room for whom Rotary has made an almost
entire transition in their lives. It has made the most amazing progress
and in 27 years has spread all over the world. We turn to Paul Harris
and say, 'It is due to you and we thank you for all it has meant to
us'."
 Then to the accompaniment of the entire assembly singing 'John
Brown's Body', the Club President Wilfred Waite presented Paul Harris
with an inscribed scroll and a delightful watercolour of a typical
Cotswold scene, executed by the wife of RIBI Director Scott Langley,
another Cheltenham
member. The scroll read:
 |
| |
To
President Emeritus
PAUL HARRIS
The members of the
ROTARY CLUB OF CHELTENHAM SPA
ENGLAND
to celebrate the honour conferred upon them by your visit, ask
your acceptance of this water colour painting, depicting a scene in
old England dear to your heart.
It is their sincere wish that it may remind you of their constant
loyalty to the cause of Rotary of which you are the distinguished
Founder 5th June 1934
T Wilfred Waite President
Marcus Hazlewood Secretary |
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In his reply to the presentation, Paul Harris said, "My wife and I
have spent spent some very delightful days in the Cotswolds. We have
seen many of the beautiful spots in England and in Scotland and we knew
that in the Cotswolds, we would find districts that were reminiscent of
old England." As on other occasions, he compared himself to a little
stream from which the mighty river of Rotary had received its source.
"The river," he said "was the thing."
For many years this watercolour of a farmhouse in Fairford, a village
in which the Harrises had stayed earlier on their trip, hung in his
study among his many other souvenirs. It can still be seen today in Paul
Harris' study which has been recreated at
One Rotary Center in
Evanston.
Basil Lewis Rotary
Global History Fellowship July 2003
This history is a dynamic site, it is
continually changing and being updated. We do need help and this is a
special request to all readers. -- Over the years, Paul Harris received many
gifts such as a shillelagh from Dublin RC and a
painting from the Cheltenham (UK) RC.
Some of these are in
Evanston; some are elsewhere and some
have been lost. If you know of any gift made to Paul Harris whether it still
exists or not,
please contact us. |
