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Like the coconut and other good things that came to Hawaii from the sea and thrived, Rotary came to Hawaii in 1915 by Shipboard, the Lurline. It all started with a social acquaintance between V.O. Lawrence, a member of the number 3 Rotary Club of Oakland, California and James L. Coke, later Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Territory of Hawaii. As they sailed together from San Francisco to Hawaii, they talked about Rotary and organizing a Rotary Club in Hawaii.
Upon arrival in Honolulu, Justice Coke invited a number of Local Professional and Businessmen to meet with Lawrence and himself at the old Commercial Club. After Lawrence had explained the objectives of Rotary, the group decided to organize the Rotary Club of Honolulu. The charter was dated July 1, 1915; just ten years after Paul Harris started the Rotary movement. The Honolulu Club received its charter with 28 Charter Members and the distinction of being the 170th club admitted into Rotary, which then had a membership of 20,000 members.
Rotarians believed the Territory of Hawaii was qualified for organization as a separate district. Up to that time we were part of California District 104. At it’s January 1938 Board Meeting, Rotary International approved the split of District 104 with all the clubs in Hawaii united in new District 100 and California remaining in 104. Wayne Steward, Past President of the Rotary Club of Honolulu was our first District Governor. Rotary in Hawaii became of age, with only five clubs and 231 members. In 1950, District 100 was re-designated 150 and again changed to District 500 in 1957. The most recent number change took place in 1991, when we were designated District 5000.
The most significant event of Rotary in Hawaii was the hosting of the 60th International Rotary Convention ion in May 1969. It was a colossal undertaking, involving hundreds of members from all the clubs in the District. It was the second largest Rotary Convention held in the United States, attracting 66 countries and 14,684 attendees. Kiyoshi Togasaki of Japan was the President of Rotary International at the time.
Morley Theaker of the Honolulu Club developed and vigorously pushed the idea that Hawaii could really take on the convention. After securing the support of local Rotarians, Morley personally took the official invitation to Rotary International Headquarters where he met with Carl Miller, the President of Rotary International who was instrumental in persuading the Board to settle on Honolulu. Carl Miller later moved to Hawaii and became an active member of the Rotary Club of Honolulu and shared the fellowship of Rotary with many District 5000 Rotarians.
The Rotarians in District 5000 are very proud of their accomplishments. The Club leaders of yesteryear have left their legacy and challenge to every Rotarian and newly elected club leader each year to continue to make Rotary the meaningful and living entity that it is in Hawaii and everywhere.
Rotary's Beginnings
The world’s first service club was founded on 23 February 1905 when lawyer Paul Harris and three friends met in a small office in downtown Chicago. These men wanted to rekindle in the “turn-of-the-century city” the spirit of friendliness they had known in their hometowns. Word of the club soon spread and others were invited to join. They named their new club “Rotary” to describe the practice of meeting in rotation at the member’s various places of business.
Originally formed for fellowship, the first Rotary Club quickly evolved to use the talents and resources of its member to serve the community. By the end 1905, the Rotary Club of Chicago had 30 members. Three years later a second club was established in San Francisco, California, USA. The next year three more clubs were established on the West Coast of the United States and a fourth in New York City. Within a few years other groups formed service clubs based on the Rotary model.
The first Rotary Convention was held in the Congress Hotel in Chicago in August 1910. The National Association of Rotary Clubs was organized at that time with 16 member clubs. Rotary founder Paul Harris was elected the association’s first president.
Rotary’s International Growth
During the 1911-1912 Rotary years, the association became international with the founding of a club in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Soon Rotary crossed the Atlantic to establish clubs in England, Ireland and Northern Ireland. The National Association of Rotary Clubs, which became the International Association of Rotary Clubs in 1912, adopted the name Rotary International (RI) in 1922.
Before reaching its 20th birthday, the Rotary association had grown to include some 200 clubs with more than 20,000 member across the globe.
* The first Rotary Club in Latin America was organized in Havana, Cuba in 1915.
* Asia’s first club was established in Manila, Philippines in 1919.
* In 1921, Rotary Clubs were organized for the first time on continental Europe (Madrid, Spain), Africa (Johannesburg, South Africa), and Australia (Melbourne).
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