WESTFIELD — The Rotary Club of Westfield hosted Past District Governor Dr. D. Michael Hart on February 6, when Dr. Hart told the story of how Rotary began.
A young lawyer named Paul Harris started the first Rotary club in Chicago in 1905 with three other business colleagues. Since they rotated the meeting place between their offices, they decided to call themselves the Rotary Club.
At that time, the United States did not have federal protections for consumers. The free market operated as “Caveat Emptor,” which is Latin for “Let the Buyer Beware.” If someone bought a bad product, he or she could not return it or get a refund. It was hard to decide which business people one could trust. Paul Harris decided that the club would consist of one ethical, trustworthy person from each profession: one lawyer, one butcher, one coal vendor, etc. The club would have an ethical code. Mr. Harris focused on the owner or head manager of each business. It became very prestigious to be invited to join the Rotary Club. This was a group of highly ethical business people one could trust. The story of how Paul Harris started Rotary is detailed in his autobiography, “My Road to Rotary,” published in 1948.
Raised in Vermont, Mr. Harris had traveled widely for five years before starting his law practice in Chicago in 1896, and had made friends all over the world. He started writing to his friends about the concept of starting a highly-ethical club of business leaders. Rotary clubs started springing up all over the world. Mr. Harris and his wife traveled extensively to help the clubs become established. By 1946 there were 5,700 clubs worldwide, and Rotary held its International Convention in Atlantic City. Rotary International currently has 1.4 million business men and women members in 46,000 clubs in over 200 countries around the world.
Famous Rotarians include astronaut Neil Armstrong, Winston Churchill, Walt Disney, Gerald Ford, Pope Francis, Presidents John F. Kennedy and Franklin Delano Roosevelt, inventor Thomas Edison, World Champion boxer Manny Pacquiao, J. C. Penney, Colonel Sanders, Walmart founder Sam Walton; and inventor of the airplane Orville Wright.
The Rotary Club of Westfield will hold its annual fundraiser for scholarships, called Breakfast with the Bands, on Saturday, March 2, from 9 a.m. to noon. It will take place in the cafeteria of Westfield High School, located at 550 Dorian Road. Tickets are $10 at the door.
Last year, the Rotary Club of Westfield Foundation awarded $117,000 in college scholarships and $29,978 in community grants. Recently, the Woman’s Club of Westfield ceased operations, and turned its assets over to the Westfield Rotary Club Foundation to continue its legacy, which will add another $30,000 in annual scholarships for women students, and an additional $9,500 in community grants. Since 1967, Westfield Rotary has awarded $3.5 million in scholarships to 1,800 students. Scholarship applications for Westfield students are available through the Westfield High School Guidance Department.
The Rotary Club of Westfield meets the first three Tuesdays of each month for lunch at noon at Limáni Seafood Grill, located at 235 North Avenue West, Westfield. Guests are always welcome. For information, check out the club website, www.westfieldrotary.com, or contact Club Secretary Dr. D. Michael Hart by email at drmhart@yahoo.com.
