Rotary Club of San Francisco Turns 100
Posted by Tony Gilmore
On 12 November 1908, the Rotary Club of San Francisco was chartered at a formal banquet attended by founding members Homer Wood, Chester H. Woolsey, and Roy R. Rogers
Wood, a young attorney who'd arrived in San Francisco only the year before, learned about Rotary from Manuel Muñoz, who was in town on business. Muñoz was a new member of the Rotary Club of Chicago and a close friend of its founder, Paul P. Harris.
As a member of the Union League Club and other organizations in San Francisco, Wood was intrigued by the idea of Rotary. He wrote to Harris for more information, which he shared with Woolsey and Woolsey's friend Rogers.
Wood was elected the club's first president and became known to Rotarians as the father of Rotary on the Pacific Coast. He went on to found clubs in Los Angeles, Oakland and Seattle.
The San Francisco club's primary purpose was promoting the business interests of its members, but by World War I, the focus shifted toward engagement with the global community.
By Donna Polydoros
Rotary International News -- 12 November 2008
As a member of the Union League Club and other organizations in San Francisco, Wood was intrigued by the idea of Rotary. He wrote to Harris for more information, which he shared with Woolsey and Woolsey's friend Rogers.
Wood was elected the club's first president and became known to Rotarians as the father of Rotary on the Pacific Coast. He went on to found clubs in Los Angeles, Oakland and Seattle.
The San Francisco club's primary purpose was promoting the business interests of its members, but by World War I, the focus shifted toward engagement with the global community.
By Donna Polydoros
Rotary International News -- 12 November 2008