Rotary is a global network of more than 1.2 million neighbors, friends, leaders, and problem-solvers who see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.

Solving real problems takes real commitment and vision. For more than 110 years, Rotary’s people of action have used their passion, energy, and intelligence to take action on sustainable projects. From literacy and peace to water and health, we are always working to better our world, and we stay committed to the end.

Learn more about our structure and our foundation and our strategic vision.

What we do

Rotary members believe that we have a shared responsibility to take action on our world’s most persistent issues. Our more than 45,000 clubs work together to:

Our mission

We provide service to others, promote integrity, and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace through our fellowship of business, professional, and community leaders.

Vision statement

Together, we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change — across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.

Paul Harris Fellows

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.

A.Z. Baker, 1955-56 RI president, admires a newly minted Paul Harris Fellow medallion at the 1969 Rotary Convention in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.

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.

Many other notable figures have been named Paul Harris Fellows, including U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, U.S. astronaut James Lovell, UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar, and polio vaccine developer Jonas Salk.

The number of Paul Harris Fellows reached the 1 million mark in 2006.

Paul Harris Fellows in Nashville Rotary

William Polk Alexander, III
Derek W Anderson
Rodrick B. Ballard
Margaret L. Behm
Lady A. Bird
Frederick Lee Blank, III
Gerald W. Brase
David E. Briggs
David E. Briggs
Stewart Bronaugh, Jr.
George S. Bryan, Jr.
Ben A. Burns
Theresa C. Carl
Lucy Carter
Ernest A. Clevenger
Stephanie Coleman
David L. Condra
Elizabeth B. Crook
Jerrall P. Crook, Sr.
Alfred Degrafinreid, II
Vance P. Derryberry
Rodger Dinwiddie, Jr.
Renee D. Drake
Charles W. Dunn
Kimberly K. Estep
Gary Everton
Jeffrey Fincher
Sara J. Finley
Robert C. Fisher
Jack D. Fleischer
Gil Fuqua
Doug Gold
Brian Haile
Charles L. Hankla
C. Thomas Thomas Harrington
William H. Hawkins
Tony Heard
Stephen O. Hewlett
H. Hill Hill McAlister
Genma Stringer Holmes
David E. Hornsby
Susan A. Huggins
Tari P. Hughes
Suzanne S. Iler
Clay T. Jackson
Hal B. Johnson
Robert Van Johnson
Jeffrey Jowdy
Thomas P. Kanaday, Jr.
Kristen Keely-Dinger
William C. Koch, Jr.
Harry L. Allen
Carlene Lebous
William B. Lee
David W. Levy
Meredith Libbey
William N. Liles
Mark H. Lincoln
William A. Martin, Jr.
Walker Mathews
Collen Mayer
Scott Maylath
Mark A. McNeely
Erik C. Milam
Janet M. Miller
William D. Morgan
Marlene Eskind Moses
Rhonda Nelson
Katherine Nicholson
William L. Norton, III
Katherine Kelly O’Connor
Tim Ozgener
Laurence M. Papel
Diana Pelham
Philip M. Pfeffer
Van G. Pond, Jr.
Joanne Pulles
Sarah Hardison Reisner
Robert C. Ripley
Anna Roberts
Ronald Q. Roberts
Philip W. Ryan
Christopher C. Sabis
Tim Schoettle
Ralph J. Schulz
Joyce Searcy
Charles G. Sell
Grace Sutherland Smith
Todd Smith
Clark Spoden
James W. Spradley, Jr.
Charles L. Starks
Robert L. Stokes
Laquita R. Stribling
Charles A. Sueing, Jr.
Joel R. Sullivan
Graham Thomas
Byron Roscoe Trauger
Davis W. Turner
Alan D. Valentine
Deborah Varallo
J. Evette White
Katherine M. Willey
Larry L. Woods
Berje K. Yacoubian
Ken Youngstead