6th Convention International Association of Rotary Clubs San Francisco, Cal. July 18-23,1915 with 1,988 in attendance
Paul Harris again was absent due to ill health "It's a grand thing in this period of the world's history, when great nations are at war, to see two such standards raised aloft as have been raised by two of the world's great organizations. ‘Truth’ and ‘Service’ herald the dawn of a new day.“ Paul Harris excerpt from message address to the Sixth annual convention, 19th July, 1915.
Rotary's code of ethics were adopted at the 1915 convention. The actual dissemination of the code was discontinued by the RI board in 1952 but the code still exists. The 1915 Convention at San Francisco was held between July 19th and 23rd. The climate was clearly affected by the Great War that had erupted in Europe. The Rotary Marching Song (sung to the tune of Onward Christian Soldiers)
HISTORY OF ROTARY’S DISTRICTS started at this convention. Organizations of all kinds flourish and grow in proportion to the dedication and strength of their membership and their leaders. The growth and strength of Rotary International reflects the service given by its members within their districts over the years. From the beginning of the first Rotary Club in Chicago, until 1915, there were no Rotary Districts. Clubs acted independently and came together in exchanges between clubs that were geographically close in proximity, and at national meetings organized by Paul Harris and Ches Perry of the Chicago club. H. J. “Bru” Brunnier was President of the Rotary Club of San Francisco in 1914. He is recognized as the originator of the district idea in Rotary. His idea came about during a regional fellowship gathering at a six-city meeting in Tacoma, Washington. Returning by train from Seattle following the conference, Bru awakened in the middle of the night with his idea. He summoned a porter to bring him a railroad schedule of the United States, which also included a map of the USA. Bru’s involvement in Rotary provided him with knowledge of the location of most of the 100 clubs in Rotary at that time. He placed them on the railroad schedule map with dots to show their location. He then combined the clubs on the basis of rail transportation and arrived at 13 groupings. His map and his idea formed the basis upon which Rotary leaders adopted the district plan at the Rotary Convention of 1915 in San Francisco.
11
Made with FlippingBook flipbook maker