The Golden Strand

The Founder of Rotary This Rotarian Age My Road to Rotary

kept the “boys” from disbanding more than once by quite literally jumping into song. But when the meetings began to have long reports of news about new clubs, mostly from the west coast and the work of Homer Wood, the club became unsettled. When it was clear that many in the club did not want time taken up with talk of “extension” of new clubs, ironically, Rotary’s 4th president, who’d saved Rotary with a song, Harry Ruggles? Well, he and Charles Newton put their heads together to pick someone who would stop Paul Harris. They picked the man who would become the “Builder of Rotary” Chesley R. Perry.

Now, read the actual sections of “The Golden Strand” by Oren Arnold, copyright Rotary Club of Chicago 1966. (signed copy at right Thomson)

How did the book get its name? See Glasgow Rotarian Harry Lauder.

San Francisco gets its start, but the talk of new clubs takes of up too much time at Chicago meetings and Harry Ruggles is in a bad spot.

Ches Perry became the builder, he soften things, but when time came to pick a president for the new “Association,” Paul Harris was not the unanimous choice.

Ches, Paul and others worked hard to create the association and the first convention of 1910. Paul Harris was the unanimous choice as the first president of the National Association of Rotary Clubs.

What did the Irishman from San Francisco do? And what was the preposterous prediction at the 1910 convention by a New York Rotarian?

1931 Award of Merit

Harry Lauder in 1922