Celebrating the Legacy of Paul Harris: A Visionary's Birthday Tribute
Today, on April 19, we celebrate the birth of Paul Percy Harris (1868-1947), whose vision and quiet conviction gave the world one of its most enduring movements of service and fellowship. In 1905, he gathered three friends for a meeting that would become the first Rotary Club, laying the foundation for what is now a global network of about 1.2 million members in more than 200 countries.
He envisioned an organisation where truth, tolerance, and goodwill could unite people beyond boundaries. He believed that all nations are respectable and desire to be honourable in their dealings with other nations, and that Rotary could be a sanctuary to which all are welcome. His words, If you have the love of your fellow men in your hearts, my friends, you are a potential Rotarian, continue to inspire us.
As we reflect on his legacy, let us remember that Rotary is not just an organisation it is a way of life: a good, natural, wholesome, friendly way of life. Today, his legacy lives on through every project, every act of service, and every Rotarian who continues to believe that a better world is possible through fellowship and action.
If all Rotarians follow his footsteps in their truest sense, I am confident that 1.2 million Rotarians and their families together can change the world and create miracles for which Rotary is known. And if we, the Rotarians, unite for good, many more miracles can happen.
We salute this visionary, Paul Harris, and follow the path he showed us.