A Part of Our History of
Rotary in South
America
Prepared by the district and not verified
by Rotary Global History
PORT
The first
news of Rotary came to Brazil around 1916.
American
consul, BA in law which degree was so revered here that he soon
became a great lawyer in Rio de Janeiro: Mr. Richard Paul Monsen.
Besides
Monsen, competed for the deployment of Rotary in Brazil an
Englishman rooted in Uruguay,
Herbert P.
Coates
(who was also known as Herberto Percival Coates) founder of
the Rotary Club of Montevideo, in 1918, the first in the Spanish
language in South America, the actual first club was formed in Cuba.
The
Rotary Club of Rio de Janeiro was founded in 1922, but was only
registered in February 18, 1923 with the number 1362, followed by RC
Sao Paulo (29 February 1924), the two being the beginnings of Our
District .
Only with
the achievement of the Conference of South American Rotary Clubs in
Montevideo, from 17 to 20 February 1927, the demand was
discussed in greater breadth, for the creation of District for this
part of the world. The discussions involved the nine clubs from five
countries: Argentina (RC - Buenos Aires, Cordoba, La Plata and
Rosario), Brazil (RC of Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo), Chile (RC of
Santiago), Peru (Lima, RC) and Uruguay (Montevideo, RC).
The
representative of Brazilian clubs J.
Shalders,
proposed the creation of two districts that were separated by the
Andes - a bringing together of the clubs of Argentina, Brazil and
Uruguay, and another, bringing together the clubs of Chile and Peru.
That
suggestion was accepted by Rotary International, and it created
District 63, which initially included the Brazilian clubs in
consequence.
Hence
we have the result of redistricting and reorganization which is the
forerunner of what exists today.
DISTRICT
63 -
between 1927 - 1929; first District Governor - Donato Cominara of RC
Montevideo;
DISTRICT
72 -
between 1929 - 1939; only 12 clubs covering all 72 states of the
country; first District Governor - Edmundo de Carvalho of RC Sao
Paulo; District Conference held in Sao Paulo (2 to3 May1930);
DISTRICT
28 - between 1938 - 1949; covering the Sao Paulo region;
divided into 4 sectors with Assistant Governors; first Governor -
Ismael de
Souza of RC Santos;
DISTRICT
119 - between 1949 - 1956; first Governor -
Adalberto
Bueno Neto, of RC Sao Paulo;
DISTRICT
461 - between 1956 - 1969; redistribution of clubs; first
Governor -
Victor Mayerá of RC Santo Andrea;
DISTRICT
462 - between 1969 - 1991; with redistribution of clubs;
first Governor -
Moacyr de
Mello Sa of RC Ourinhos
DISTRICT
4620 - between 1991 - 1996; same territory; first Governor - Jorge
Narciso de Matos of RC Sorocaba-South
The
DISTRICT 4310 - from 1996 >; with redistribution of clubs
from District 4260 and now occupying the territory
north of
Highway Castelo Branco; first Governor - Minoru Sakate of RC
Botucatu-North
acknowledgements to the Board,
Clubs and Members of District 4310
