STANLEY R. CLAGUE

President,
Rotary Club of Chicago

Thirty-four years ago it was the
pleasure of the then President of the
Chicago Rotary Club to welcome to

 

this city the delegates of fifteen other
Rotary Clubs who, with the delegates
from our Club, convened here for the
purpose of forming an association of
existing and future Rotary Clubs.

Twenty years later the Chicago Ro-
tary Club again had the honor and
pleasure of welcoming to our city a
convention of the Rotary Clubs with
over 11,000 delegates and visitors from
3,350 Clubs in 60 countries. Truly the
movement had become “Rotary Inter-
national.”

Tonight it is my privilege on behalf
of the 720 officers and members of the
Chicago Rotary Club to welcome to
Chicago what is the most unusual and
unique Convention of Rotary Interna-
tional that has ever been held.

We of Chicago most heartily wel-
come you, President Charlie, members
of the Board, and all others attending
this 1944 Assembly and Convention.

xk *

Convention Hospitality
Lounge

Because of wartime restrictions, no elab-
orate plans were made to entertain those
attending the Convention. However, the
wives of the members of the Rotary Club
of Chicago were active throughout the
five days of the Convention, serving as
hostesses in the Hospitality Lounge. Tea
was served every afternoon, and incidental
entertainment included bridge, book re-
views, musical numbers, and dramatic
sketches.

FERNANDO CARBAJAL
Past President, RI

During my year as President of Ro-
tary International it was my good for-
tune to visit Rotary Clubs in every
country in the Americas, from Canada
on the north to Argentina and Chile
on the south. I feel particularly sure,
therefore, that I can speak especially for
the Rotarians of this Western Hemi-
sphere. I know how they love Rotary
and how they respect “Old Number
One.”

The world of tomorrow will need
the idealism of Rotary more than ever
before. The wounds of this war will
be deep. We must be prepared to ap-
ply the soothing and healing lotion of
service to others. We must mobilize
the resources and the vast potential

 

strength of our organization for the
battle that still lies ahead.

We are here, therefore, to get a new
vision, to resolve anew that this great
power for good which has been put
into our hands shall not go unused,
but be treated as a sacred trust.

We, who have gathered here in Chi-
cago for this historic Convention, are
relatively few in numbers but the posi-
tions of honor and responsibility which
we hold make our potential leadership
very important. It is good for us to be
here in the birthplace of Rotary. We
hope and resolve that it shall be good
for Rotary that we have been here.

xk *&

Fellowship Dinners

On Saturday evening many of those at
the Convention enjoyed a special oppor-
tunity for fellowship at the British Com-
monwealth of Nations, the Ibero-Ameri-
can, U.S.A. and International Fellowship
Dinners. In addition to the interesting
talks which were given, there was special
musical entertainment.

[3]

PAUL P. HARRIS

President Emeritus, RI

We might think of Rotary today as
something like a great river, the surface
of which is disturbed at times, but the
current moves irresistibly on. The sur-
face of Rotary is whipped up at times
by the political winds which play upon
it, but Rotary moves steadily onwards;
the fiat of despots is unable to stem
the flow.

The loss of Clubs in middle Europe
during the present war has been far
more than offset by the organization
of new Clubs in other parts of the
world. ‘There has never been such an
awakening of interest in Rotary. Now,
as never before, right-minded men in

all civilized nations see the need of

promoting international understanding
and good will and no better way of
accomplishing this objective has as yet
been made available than Rotary’s
world-wide fellowship of business and
professional men.

I have been privileged to visit many
countries in the name of Rotary, and
the more I visit, the more I am dis-
posed to conclude that there are no
great fundamental differences between
men and between nations. None are
entirely good, none entirely bad. The

 

great mischief-maker is misunderstand-
ing. Every nation has contributed
much to the sum total of human hap-
piness.

ok *

Report of the Creden-
tials Committee

Oiicers) Presents 60 os ps
Delcoates Present. cn ee a 158
Nunber ‘of Proxies’ 3553)
Total Convention Vote....3,765