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History of Rotary Clubs in Brazil
Written by Alberto Olavo de Carvalho
While the first steps towards the introduction of Rotary in Brazil had been taken in 1916, only in 1922 (December) did
they manage to join sixteen professionals of various classifications, who were willing to join the Rotary Club of Rio de
Janeiro, which eventually successfully received the approval of Rotary International.
In 1920, the first attempt to establish a club was rejected by Rotary International because the social framework was
incorporated exclusively by American citizens residing here.
The ethics of historiography requires that the facts be reported and the narrator's assertions are supported by documentary
evidence, but on my part, I can not prevent the formation of my analytical mind, I feel the need to penetrate the causes
encourages, modifying or preventing the events.
So, I take of myself, in complete reverence, as the young go-trainer and in the process by which the leading characters,
that the earlier delay in the formation of the Rotary Club of Rio de Janeiro, was due on the one hand, to the radical
nationalism prevalent between the Brazilians at the time, and in addition, to the exaggerated tendency of Americans to
remain divided and isolated as residents and, in particular, those who supported the assertion that "the spirit of
Rotary would not be accepted by Latinos", issued by two delegates of Rotary International, which had failed in the
founding of the Rotary Club of Havana, years before.
Herbert Coates, the U.S. ambassador in Montevideo, Uruguay, who recalled Momsen, his colleague in Rio de Janeiro,
and brought in 1916, from Chicago, the allocation of funds to create Rotary Clubs via the headquarters of their embassies.
Coates succeeded in 1918 and in 1922, and came to Rio de Janeiro as a representative of Rotary International and supported
by some members of the two previous failed attempts, managed to establish the Rotary Club of Rio de Janeiro, under the
chairmanship of John Thomé Saboya e Silva, which resulted in affiliation with Rotary International on February 28, 1923.
Despite that, only Herbert Moses, among the previously interested parties participated, and among the founders was Richard
Momsen, who although responsible for founding in 1916, only joined the club in November 1923.
Brazil was thus the fourth country in South America and the sixth of Ibero-America to host Rotary.
Before Brazil we were in the order: Cuba, Mexico, Uruguay, Argentina and Peru.
On February 29, 1924 installed with the Rotary Club of Sao Paulo, Brazil's second, that only a year after the
March 24, 1925, achieved membership of Rotary International.
Included in its statutes were fortnightly meetings while Rotary International required required weekly meetings.
Although modifying the statutes, the Rotary Clubs of Brazil only began to conduct weekly meetings in 1929.
On February 26, 1927 is based, with 25 members (the largest in the act of the foundation), affiliated to Rotary
International on 21.05.1927, the Rotary Club of Santos, patronized by two other Rotary Clubs which assisted in its creation.
The 4th Rotary Club came shortly after in Belo Horizonte, on September 13, 1927, affiliated to Rotary International
number 2701 in the paragraph on November 10, 1927.
In the same year founded also the 5th Brazilian Rotary Club of 1927, in Juiz de Fora, on November 9, affiliated to
Rotary International on 10.01.28.
In 1928 founded Rotary Clubs in Palmerston North, Petropolis, Campos and Porto Alegre.
The economic slump, which was widespread throughout the Western world, was likely one of the determinants of sudden
shrinkage in the emergence of new Rotary Clubs in the vast territory of Brazil - in 1929 and 1930, only 2 Rotary Clubs
were founded in that period : Those of Ribeirao Preto and Nova Friburgo.
But the biggest reason that come to threaten Rotary in Brazil, was without a doubt, the Decree-law 330, of 18.04.38
by the Presidency, which forbade "organize, create or maintain societies, foundations, companies, clubs and any
establishment of a political, but they are ultimately unique to advertise or spread among his compatriots of ideas,
programs and standards of action ... the same prohibition extends to branches ...".
The first impact of this decree-law was the disastrous possibility that they were forced to close down all activities of
Rotary Clubs that existed then.
With the efforts of the Rotary Club of Rio de Janeiro and goodwill by the Minister of Justice then, we were able to
circumvent the situation by replacing the statutes of the Rotary Clubs, the word "affiliation" (the Rotary
International) for "cooperation".
From 1931, therefore, rose again the enthusiasm for expansion, with rare and spaced oscillations.
Today Brazil occupies the number three place in the world in number of clubs, outweighed only by the United States and Japan
It would be unforgivable, at the close of this snapshot of the settlement of Rotary in Brazil, to omit the name of
the gentle, skillful, dynamic and efficient Jim Roth, an official of Rotary International with the specific allocation
of expanding the mesh of Rotary Clubs, structure and excite them, guide and publicize the spirit of service, heart and
motor of the purposes of Rotary to promote understanding between nations.
Don Jim from California, approximately 40 years of age, came to Brazil in 1928.
He traveled approximately 280,000 kilometers in the service of Rotary;
He organized and founded 83 Rotary Clubs and helped in the foundation of 12, totaling 95.
He organized and oversaw the Rotary District Conference held here during his stay, since the first of District 63 (Brazil,
Argentina and Uruguay), in Rio de Janeiro in 1929.
There was asked how many problems with his personal magnetism and conciliatory spirit.
He gathered at the Secretariat of Rotary International in 1942 and then, retired.
I had the privilege to meet him, when the RC of Gairloch founded in 1941.
THE DISTRICTS OF BRAZIL
The Administration System of Rotary International dividing the world into districts, ie territories
encompassing a number of Rotary Clubs, dates back to the Convention of 1915 in San Francisco - California.
Obviously, the time of the founding of the first Clubs in South America there would be no allocated district.
Only in 1927 were created two districts for the Rotary Clubs of Ibero-America.
They covered Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina grouped in District 63, during the years 1927-28 and 1928-29 under Rotarians,
respectively, the governors from Uruguay and Argentina Donato walk Cupertino Campo Dei.
In the years after 1929-30, Rotary Clubs Brazilian began to compose District 72 covering the whole of our country.
That position remained without amendment, under the responsibility of a single governor for each year until 1938, when the
district was divided into 4 sections under the general administration of a governor and the collaboration of three assistants.
Under the primitive conditions of that time it was not possible to offer satisfactory assistance to clubs,
enormously distant and unable to communicate effectively with each other.
It is therefore easy to imagine the force's willingness to serve and determination that sustained the character of
companions who were willing to take governorship of District 72, even divided into four sections.
While therefore inappropriate in this brief report, the enumeration of all the governors of that district, let me pay tribute,
citing the names, to those who most stood out among the first ten:
Edmundo de Carvalho (1929-30) of Rotary Club of São Paulo;
Miguel Arrojado Lisbon (1930-31);
Samuel Augustus Leon de Moura (1931-32), the Rotary Club of Santos;
Laut Borba (1933-34) of Rotary Club of Recife;
Armando de Arruda Pereira (1935-36) the Rotary Club of San Luis Dias;
Paulo Lins (1938-39), the Rotary Club of Recife, helped by 3 assistants.
From the year 1939-40 the four sections of District 72 began to form themselves into Districts 26, 27, 28, 29.
In 1943 District 28 is devided, adding to District 41.
These developments have taken place as we increased the number of Rotary Clubs.
In 1944 there were already six districts; in 1947, seven: 26, 27, 28, 29, 41, 43, and 72 returned; this remained still
during 1948-49.
In 1949 Rotary International set out to change the district numbers and continued with seven districts under the numbers:
117, 118, 119, 120, 121,123 and 124, by the year 1951.
In 1952 more developments caused the creation of eight districts; in 1954 there were nine; in 1956, ten; in 1958, 12;
from the previous year with another series of numbers: the move to four hundred hundred.
After eleven more years, in 1969, continued to happen the unfolding: pass to fourteen districts.
In 1970, fifteen; in 1971, eighteen; in 1973, nineteen; in 1974, twenty; in 1977, twenty-two; in 1981, twenty-four; in 1985,
twenty-six; in 1986, twenty-seven; in 1988, twenty-eight; in 1989 twenty-nine; in 1990, thirty-one; in 1991, thirty-four;
and in 1992, thirty-six, which two years ago, received at the end of the numbers, a zero, passing thus the numerical
designation of thousands.
So we are now holding 45.57% of districts in the region of Rotarians derive.
BRAZILIAN DIRECTORS
In 1957 Brazil has occupied the 3rd place in the world in number of Rotary Clubs.
However, only 3 Brazilians had so far served on the Board of Directors of Rotary International, while Canada and England,
placed below, for years maintained a permanent director.
On the other hand, occupying the first place in appointments (more than 34% of the entire region), the other participating
countries in the region already had a twenty-directors.
It was time to raise the issue of the apparent criterion of discriminating appointment of the director by the Board of
Directors of Rotary International.
The companion Nicholas Filizola, engineer, from the Rotary Club of Sao Paulo, produced a deeply persuasive work, based on
statistical evidence irrefutable, demonstrating the inequity of treatment given to the Brazilian Rotary, finishing by suggesting
the zoning of the indication rotation to appoint directors.
Working with the numbers of clubs, from Rotarians and Districts, concluded that the region would be divided into three
zones and that Brazil participate in two of them: the south (Zone I) with Argentina and Uruguay and the center (zone 2)
with Paraguay, Peru, Chile and part of Bolivia.
While we have achieved, after thorough job of spreading belief and the work of Nicholas Filizola throughout Latin America,
by itself, Eurico White Ribeiro, Adalbeno Bueno Neto and others, to approve the zoning of appointments, we could only
indicate Directors through a Selection Committee of the Convention of 1962, in Los Angeles.
Subsequently we have yet to work on Filizola, isolate Brazil in Area 2 between three areas.
Later, in 1972, we derive from the division into five zones, while in Brazil the numbers 2 and 4.
Thus, we had a permanent director for four years in each quinquennium.
In the last Council of Legislation, in 1991, succeeded, after all, six areas to derive and Brazil holder of three of them:
the zones 2, 4 and 6.
Since then of 1993-94 have a permanent director in the Board of Directors of Rotary International.
There follows a list of directors Brazilians:
Miguel Arrojado Lisboa, (1931/33);
Armando de Arruda Pereira (1937/39 e 1941/42);
Lauro Borba, (1947/49);
Ernesto Imbassahy de Mello, (1954/56 e 1974/75);
Raimundo de Oliveira Filho, (1966/68);
Walter Koch - the 11 indicated by commission - (1972/74);
Alberto Pires do Amarante (1975/77);
Paulo Viriato Corrêa da Costa, (1978/80 e 1989/90);
Archimedes Theodoro, (1980/82);
Guido Arzua, (1983/85);
Mário de Oliveira Antonino, (1985/87);
João Lauro Klieman, (1988/90);
Genival de Almeida Santos, (1990/92);
Gerson Gonçalves, (1993/95);
José Alfredo Pretoni (1995/97)
BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT OF ROTARY INTERNATIONAL
Armando Arruda Pereira - 1940/41
Ernesto Imbassahy de Mello - 1975/76
Paulo Viriato Corrêa da Costa - 1990/91
SERVICES
For all of the above, there is no way to deny the growth and expansion of Rotary in Brazil.
But leave it to someone stranger to Rotary, who is available to read this brief overview of its history, ask and what resulted,
for Brazil, this laborious development of a national arm of an international entity?
A small part of this work, and claim domestic horizon, does not contain a listing of benefits arising of such extension.
Not even we would have "skill and art" to gather as well as to spread there by Rotary and Rotarians.
Even for those capable of understanding, as service, the inspiration that the actions of Rotary instills in the community,
there is no room here to list the most humble portion of the "service" by Rotary held today in our country.
Point is, for this inquiry is not on hold, just a few of the many, many achievements by Rotarians that remain, since
the deployment, to witness the spirit of Rotary:
the Colegio Rio Branco, one of the most respected educational institutions in the country;
HOME-SCHOOL the Rotary that houses nearly 1000 children, ministering to them education and vocational guidance;
To the numerous foundations, scattered around Brazil, offering scholarship and social assistance;
The contribution to the polio-plus program, which - since it can be said - extinguished polio in the country, dropped
dramatically and the incidence of pertussis and the consequences of measles, of tetanus, tuberculosis and diphtheria;
The countless scholarships pre-and post-graduate offered the young Brazilians on the outside;
"the buildings Rotary" which rise in many Brazilian cities, enriching them with the urban heritage, hotels,
hospitals, schools, homes, kindergartens, constructed and maintained by promotions of Rotary Clubs.
Finally, a national commercial bank of expression born of the initiative and promotion of Rotarians, and continues to serve
the Brazilian economy, the Bank incorporated Bamerindus do Brasil SA, which has resulted.
And what about the Foundation Rotária so already worldwide and continues to offer the Brazilian, instilled them
the condition of citizens of the world?
Partners Rotarianos, remember the potential for direct and indirect services to the Rotary Club has its own and
add it to the rest of the 1892 Rotary Clubs Brazilian multiplied by their age and creativity.
Do you feel swell the pride they feel they are Rotarianos and also the responsibility and determination that they make
in service to the Rotary and Brazil before the humanity!
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