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History of Rotary in ARGENTINA
Part of our Section on the History of Rotary in South America
How was Rotary born in Argentina and how did it Grow?
By Nestor Carlos Sarandria
Director of Press Rotary Rotary Club of Villa Urquiza
Rotary first came to Argentina with great favour via our host, the Rotary Club of Montevideo, Uruguay.
As a result of these meetings, the Rotary Club of Buenos Aires was created on 8 November 1919 which thence became
the first Rotary Club in Argentina.
(Rotary International lists the Charter date as 1 April, 1920. Webmaster).
Within a short period, Heriberto P. Coates began the rapid expansion of Rotary in our country.
On 8 September 1922, sponsored by the Buenos Aires, the second Rotary Club in Argentina, the Rotary Club of Rosario
was created.
The Rotary Club of Buenos Aires was very active in promoting the Rotary ideals and was also responsible for the
formation of -
* The Rotary Club of La Plata on July 25, 1927
* The Rotary Club of Bahia Blanca on December 20, 1927.
In subsequent years began a steady expansion, not just by the enthusiasm and zeal of the Buenos Aires club, but also
by other clubs which in turn, were created.
The representatives of Rotary International, Don Jim Roth,
Don Casimiro Lana Serrate from the Rotary Club of Buenos Aires, accelerated the process of diffusion, and the
natural gravitation of his ideals of service and friendship as an opportunity to serve, acquires dimensions across
the country.
The following list details the 15 clubs founded in the early formative years in of Rotary in Argentina, that is
between 1919 to 1939, with the club name and date of its foundation.These are the very clubs that have been directly responsible for the fact that Argentina
presently supports the extraordinary number of with 592 clubs.
(Below)
Paul and Jean Harris in Buenos Aires
In chronological order those clubs were:
Buenos Aires November 8 1919
Rosario September 8 1922
La Plata July 25 1925
Córdoba November 30 1926
Mendoza June 25 1927
Bahía Blanca December 20 1927
Santa Fe February 8 1928
Concordia March 16 1928
Parana April 7 1928
Salta May 23 1929
San Juan June 23 1929
Tucumán June 29 1929
Corrientes July 15 1929
Paul Harris and his wife
Jean Thomson Harris,
Resistencia July 21 1929
accompanied by Rotarians, visit the promenade
Posadas September 16 1929
of Palermo. This picture evokes the days when
the founder of Rotary was in 1936, in Buenos Aires.
And so, from these seeds grew the gigantic tree of Rotarians that are Argentina.
Who was James H. Roth?
James Roth's role was a Special Ambassador of Rotary International and one of Rotary's "
Early Leaders".
Full details of his involvement in developing Rotary in South America can be seen
here.
For information on other clubs created with the assistance of James Roth, refer
here
He was directly or indirectly responsible for creating 164 clubs in 20 countries.
Posted by RGHF senior global webmaster
Greg Barlow, Malaysia
11 August 2008 |
