It is appropriate to start
this short history of
Rotary in Finland from the first club, The
Rotary Club of Helsinki- Helsingfors.
How
did it all start?
The
first unofficial rotary meeting was held in Helsinki on
August 5 1926.
The
invitation to that meeting was made by the president of the
Rotary Club of Stockholm, Mr Josef Norén.
In
August 1926 a large YMCA meeting was held in Helsinki-Helsingfors
and since there where many Rotarians among the YMCA leaders
that had come together Norén wanted them to also have a
Rotary meeting and it took place at Hotel Kämp, one of the
finest if not the finest hotels and restaurant in town.
There
where some 40 Rotarians from different parts of the world
attending.
The
meeting was chaired by, Mr. Charles R. Hemingway of
Nottingham, England.
Mr.
F.N. Menefee from Michigan, USA was asked to act as
secretary.
Josef
Norén was a leading figure in the YMCA-movement in Sweden
and therefore also had many contacts to the leaders of YMCA
in Finland, among the professor Arthur Hjelt.
Professor Hjelt had recommended certain persons that he
considered suitable to become members of the new club to
also be invited to the August meeting.
It
was at this August meeting that the torch was lit and on
December 1 1926 the founding meeting of the Rotary Club of
Helsingfors-Helsinki was held at the Hotel Kämp.
The
meeting was chaired by, Rotary Internationals Special
Commissioner for Europe Mr. Fred Warren Teele.
The
first President was professor Bernhard Wuolle and Mr. Paul
Thorwall M.Sc. was elected to be the secretary.
There
was a total of 43 people present and they all signed the
list of participants in this important meeting.
Interestingly the median age of the first members was 45
years.
The
first board was also appointed and the first Club By-Laws
were accepted.
Among
the charter members are many influential persons in business
and culture.
Names
may not be so important to the reader but some deserve to be
mentioned.
In
the first board was Mr.
Risto Ryti a
37 year old lawyer who was to become the President of
Finland in the difficult year of 1940 and he served 
until
1944 when he resigned to make way for a other Rotarian
namely Marshall of Finland, Baron
Carl- Gustaf Mannerheim.
Marshall Mannerheim was a honorary member of the Rotary Club
of Helsinki - Helsingfors until his death in 1951.
Other influential persons worth mentioning are Axel
Solitander, Alvar Niklander, Heikki Reenqvist (Reenpää) and
Alfred Paloheimo and many others who held and would later
hold important positions in society.
The
Charter of The Rotary Club of Helsingfors- Helsinki is dated
January 26. 1927 and signed by then RI President Harry
H. Rogers. The Club number assigned to the new club
is 2470.
Finland had become the 34th country in which Rotary was
active.
