There are many who hunt for autographs. The signature
of Napoleon, Thomas Jefferson or Gandhi would be priceless to many.
The signatures of the founder of Rotary are sought
after by some Rotarians as collectables, but to us, they are part of
a story. Or, in some cases hints at parts of a story we may never
know.
Why for example did Paul write a check to his
sister Nina for $15.00 in 1941? It is interesting to our
project simply because it's the only tangible connection we have
with his sister, then living in Denver, from whom he was separated
when he was 3. Why also would he write a
check to the publisher of "My Road to Rotary,"
Kroch's Book
Store? It probably doesn't matter, but it gives us the opportunity
to introduce you to the family which later gave $10 million dollars
to the
Cornell University Library. At the time Harris knew he
father Adolph Kroch, he had only a small bookstore in Chicago.
Then there are
documents and charters signed by Paul Harris and many
interesting letters. Like the one where Harris says he's
sorry for not referring to Seattle by their proper number
and mistakenly giving that honor to
Los Angeles s "#4". That letter also gives due credit
to Seattle for our Rotary platform.
There are a few actual autographs, but none more
intriguing to investigate than "Sheltered
during his recovery." This rare first edition of "This
Rotarian Age" contains an
inscription by Harris that may tell us
where he spent his time recovering from some very serious physical
illnesses. If you like a mystery, you'll enjoy following this
thread through his books.
Jack Selway, Former Chairman
and Founder
Rotary Global History
Webmaster for
www.rotaryfirst100.org |
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