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What You Missed Last Week!

A familiar quote says, “Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” The Rotary Club of Thomasville came together one hundred years ago. It has been making progress by staying together as a cohesive unit. The club has had great success because we work together as a team with a common purpose, “Service Above Self.” At last week's meeting, we saw the results of coming together, staying together and working together.

The meeting was all about us, the Rotary Club of Thomasville. On full display, was clear evidence of what happens when each member does just a little by putting “Service Above Self.” No one of us can do it all, but each of us can do a little. And it is the little that each member does, that makes all the difference. Each director gave a summary of the great work their committee is doing and will continue doing.

We accomplished much over the last year, but we can do even more. As we close out one year and enter a new one, ask yourself the following two questions.

• What did I do well this past year?

• What will I do differently in the coming year?

Each director made it clear, that the work we do is dependent upon teamwork. You and I must choose a team/teams to work with. Have you decided where you can make your greatest contribution? Now is the time to do so and you are needed. Remember, we are one hundred years old. Let’s continue to build upon our rich history. Let us give future generations reasons to look back years from now and marvel at the great things we accomplished. As Helen Keller said, "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." Congratulations Rotary Club of Thomasville!

This Week's Program

Our State representatives will update us on happenings at the Capitol.

Darlene Taylor.  Committees:  Chairwoman - Governmental Affairs, Vice Chairwoman - Legislative and Congressional Reapportionment, Vice Chairwoman - Health Appropriations Subcommittee, Committee Member - Agriculture and Consumer Affairs, Committee Member - Governmental Affairs, Committee Member - Information and Audits, Committee Member - Insurance, Committee Member - Public Safety and Homeland Security, Committee Member - Rules Committee Member, and Committee Member - Transportation.

John LaHood.  Committees:  Game, Fish & Parks - Vice Chairman Appropriations Health & Human Services Human Relations & Aging - Secretary Information and Audits Science and Technology

ABC's of Rotary

Paul Harris - First but Not First

Was Paul Harris the first president of a Rotary club? No.

Was Paul Harris the first president of Rotary International? Yes.

There is an easy explanation to this apparent contradiction. Although Paul Harris was the founder and organizer of the first Rotary club in Chicago in 1905, the man selected to be the first president was one of the other founding members, Silvester Schiele. By the year 1910 there were 16 Rotary clubs, which linked up as an organization called the National Association of Rotary Clubs. Two years later the name was changed to the International Association of Rotary Clubs, as Rotary was organized in Winnipeg, Canada, and then in England, Ireland and Scotland. In 1922 the name was shortened to Rotary International. When the first organization of Rotary clubs was created in 1910, Paul Harris was selected as the first president. He served in this position for two years, from 1910 until 1912. Thus, the founder of the Rotary idea, who declined to be president of the first club, became the first president of the worldwide organization, Rotary International.