History of Rotary International and The Prescott Rotary Club
Paul P. Harris was born 9 April 1868 in Racine, Wisconsin. He, and three other men, founded Rotary on 23 February 1905 in Chicago. The name Rotary was selected because the meeting place rotated from office to office of the members. In 1911, clubs were chartered in Dublin, London, and Belfast, and in 1912, the word “International” was added. In 1924, the current logo, with 24 cogs, 6 spokes, and a keyway was approved. The 4-Way Test was first publicized in 1933. Harris died in 1947. The Paul Harris fellowship program was initiated in 1957. The Group Study Exchange Program was begun in 1965. The 3-H Program (Health, Hunger, and Humanity) was developed in 1978. PoloPlus has the objective of ridding the world of polio. In his last message, Harris said: “I would like to think that the pioneering days of Rotary have only just begun. There are just as many new things to be done as ever there were. Rotary must certainly continue to pioneer or be left in the rear of progress."
The Rotary Club of Little Rock was the first club organized in Arkansas and was chartered in 1914. Clubs in Fort Smith and Hot springs were begun in 1916. The Prescott Rotary Club was started on 20 March 1925!