Paul Harris, one of the co-founders of Rotary, was born in Racine, Wisconsin on April 19, 1868. While he was a young boy, his parents fell on hard times and he was sent to live with grandparents in Vermont. As a young adult, he had a wide range of educational and vocational experiences before settling down in Chicago to practice law in 1896. In 1905, he and three friends formed Rotary. He passed away in 1947 at 78.  Click here  for a more complete biography in Wikipedia.

During his lifetime, Paul saw Rotary International grow to 300,000 members in over 6,000 clubs spanning 75 countries, a testament to his vision and leadership. Today, Rotary is now several times larger in all respects, a testament to his legacy. Since 1987, Rotary also includes women, a goal of Jean Harris, Paul’s wife.