Kingston Rotarians--Part of a World Community

The Rotary Club of Kingston, which is made up of approximately 30 professional and business leaders, is one of some 27,000 Rotary Clubs worldwide. These clubs form an association under the umbrella of Rotary International.

The international Rotary community consists of about 1.2 million business and professional people in virtually every nation of the world. These members, through their individual clubs, provide humanitarian service, encourage and practice high ethical standards in all vocations, and strive to build goodwill and peace in the world.

The object of Rotary is to encourage and foster the ideal of service. The motto of Rotary is "Service Above Self." It is a statement of conviction to which all Kingston Rotarians strongly subscribe.

A Brief History

Rotary, which was the world's first service club, began with the formation of the Rotary Club of Chicago on February 23, 1905. The club was founded by a young lawyer, Paul Harris, and three friends.

The club's meetings "rotated" among the members' offices, thus the name Rotary. Within twenty years the ideas and ideals of Rotary had spread to every continent.

Although not among the earliest clubs, the Rotary Club of Kingston is, nevertheless, over 50 years old. It was formed in 1954. Its first president was George Warlick, who is still an active member of the club.Since George started it off in 1954, nearly fifty individuals have held the position of president of the Rotary Club of Kingston. All of the Past Presidents are shown in the following table: