RGHF Rotary Global History Fellowship

 

"Slowly, we seek to serve others, believing that history will encourage membership retention and increase contributions to The Rotary Foundation."

HISTORY●GLOBAL●DISTRICT●CLUB●MISSING●LIBRARY●HARRIS●PEACE●TRF●PHILOSOPHY●PRESIDENTS●CONVENTIONS●NEW●COMMITTEE●JOIN●email●FORUM●SEARCH●RGHF RGHF is not responsible for Google translation errors

Home SECTION HOME The Secretariat of Rotary International HISTORY CALENDAR
STAFF ARCHER CHAPIN FUTA LOVEJOY MEANS
PERRY PERRY/CHAPIN PIGMAN BUILDINGS TOUR  
SECTION CHAIR, WOLFGANG ZIEGLER COMMITTEE WHAT'S NEW? UPDATES
The Treasurer of Rotary International 1912 - 1944

A banker, with great wit, who was Rotary's Treasured Treasurer for 32 years.
Rufus F. Chapin (left), International Treasurer, and Chesley R. Perry, International Secretary. (Feb 1917 The Rotarian Rufus was a banker. The name Rufus was happily and most naturally changed to “Rough-house” (Read what Harris wrote about Chapin) The treasurer's Auto-Biography Early Rotarians play a cruel practical joke on Rufus

Two old members of the Chicago Rotary Club "caught" at the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad station, enroute with Chicago Rotarians to visit the Rotary Club of Milwaukee:

D Rudman & W Ziegler

 (Written by the International Treasurer, Rufus F. Chapin, in response to a, request,  from the Managing Editor for a short biographical sketch)  
In Chapin's usual humor, a tribute to Rotary's second president on the event of his marriage Paul Harris' "Rotary Room" at Comely Bank 1927, (l-r) Paul, Silvester Schiele, Bernard E. Arntzen and Rufus. (From "The Golden Strand" ROTARY/One) "Shingles and Shirts" is the latest from his fount of wit, and is one result of nearly six months' confinement at his home, ... In Memoriam: Rufus Chapin, Treasurer of Rotary 1912-1944
Paul Harris' tribute to.. his friend "Chape" The Old Guard is mentioned in this 1915 Rotarian Article Rotary's Dollar-a-Year man
(From the 1938 convention in San Francisco) As always the business of the Convention could be monotonous. Although we remember that Chesley Perry served as Secretary for 32 years, another Chicago Rotarian served for many years in an important position. Rufus F Chapin took care of Rotary finances for many years and was here told "You are re-elected Treasurer of Rotary International as usual".

Rufus Chapin is mentioned at the 1939 Convention when he shows his modesty.

 Chapin was a Charter Trustee of the Rotary Endowment fund.

Read about his family background

In 1930, general secretary Ches Perry organized a committee to write the early history of Rotary. The first meetings were at the home of Rufus Chapin.

 

Rufus was known for his wit. At a convention, when it was asked that there be a unanimous vote for him as treasurer of RI for the coming year, he shouted no. After the laughter had subsided, he still got the last laugh by refusing to come on stage to accept the applause.

Earlier in his Rotary life, sometime after he took office as the president of the Rotary Club of Chicago, in June of 1918, he was asked to write an "autobiography" for The Rotarian. What he wrote, and our historian, Dr. Wolfgang Ziegler, in August of 2003, found was the following. Chapin's "Auto Biography" is about an "Automobile."  READ THE "AUTO" BIOGRAPHY
 

Become a member of Rotary Global History Fellowship for only $30 USD. Dues support internet, membership services, and convention costs. Click here to join!

RGHF Disclaimer  Privacy Policy  Usage Agreement

The contents of this website, our electronic features and newsletters have been researched, collected, compiled, and written by Rotarians.

RGHF Mission: As an effort to serve others, RGHF accumulates and preserves the complete history, values and philosophy of the Rotary movement, as well as encourages others to do the same at every level of the Rotary movement, and publishes those histories, values and philosophies on the internet, as well as other forms of media as expedient. 17 March 2003, amended 20 December 2007, Rotary Global History Fellowship Board of Directors.

This fellowship is not an agency of, or controlled by, Rotary International, but is affiliated with individual Rotary districts, clubs, other Rotary organizations and enjoys the support of Rotarians, clubs, districts, and zones world-wide. The views and opinions expressed on this website are not necessarily the collective views and opinions of Rotary International or all Rotarians. Rotary International is not responsible for any content and accepts no liability therefore. © 2000-2008 RGHF (Rotary Global History Fellowship)