PAUL HARRIS FELLOW RECOGNITION
Rotarians associate the naming of a Paul Harris Fellow as a tribute to a person who has demonstrated a shared purpose with the educational and humanitarian objectives of The Rotary Foundation. The recognition is named after Rotary‘s founder, the late Paul Harris, a Chicago lawyer, who started Rotary with three business associates in 1905.
The Nordonia Hills Rotary President Steve Bugenske presented the award (see the entire video).
A world of goodwill and better understanding comes closer to reality today because the Rotary Club of Nordonia Hills has made a gift to The Rotary Foundation so that Joyce Hunt can be named as a Paul Harris Fellow. In being presented with a Paul Harris Fellow recognition Joyce Hunt joins a remarkable company of people throughout the world, all recognized for their commitment to “Service Above Self” to benefit local and international communities.
Joyce Hunt was presented with the emblems of appreciation given to Paul Harris Fellow recipients
- Certificate
- Pin
- Medallion (optional)
We congratulate you, and thank you for your commitment to Rotary‘s common goals of world understanding and peace. Could you all please stand and join me in congratulating our newest Paul Harris Fellow
Joyce said “I am honored and deeply humbled to receive the Paul Harris Fellow Award from the Nordonia Hills Rotary Club. It is something that I will always cherish! The Emergency Assistance Center can only accomplish its mission of serving our neighbors in need with a community effort. The Rotary members provide the Center with support in many ways and are one of the first groups to offer help. It is a pleasure to work with this great organization!”
The origins of Paul Harris Fellow recognition
The Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation.
Rotary established the recognition in 1957 to encourage and show appreciation for substantial contributions to what was then the Foundation’s only program, Rotary Foundation Fellowships for Advanced Study, the precursor to Ambassadorial Scholarships.
The first Paul Harris Fellows included past RI Director Allison G. Brush, who served during the 1937-38 Rotary year, and longtime RI Treasurer Rufus F. Chapin, both for donations made in 1946. Mrs. Adan Vargas was the first woman to receive the recognition, for a gift made in 1953. Mrs. Harry L. Jones was the second, and one of only five people recognized for contributions actually made in that inaugural year.
Early Paul Harris Fellows received a certificate of recognition. In 1969, the Foundation unveiled the first Paul Harris Fellow medallion at the Rotary Convention in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. Japanese metal artist Fiju Tsuda created the piece under the direction of former Foundation Trustee Kyozo Yuasa. Today, Paul Harris Fellows receive a certificate and pin. They are also eligible to buy a Paul Harris Fellow medallion.
https://www.rotary.org/en/history-paul-harris-fellow-recognition
