On September 4th, 2003,
Matts O.
Ingemanson spoke at the Rotary Club of
Yonkers, which is two times Past District Governor Chuck Katze’s own Rotary
Club. Chuck had invited him to give a new speech about Paul Harris. The
Yonkers Rotarians heard about the exiting youth of Paul Harris,
including his 5 restless years after law school when he traveled to different
places in America and Europe and worked as a newspaper reporter, manual
laborer, teacher at the L.A. Business College, actor in Denver, traveling
marble salesman, cowboy, cattleman and sub-foreman of a gang of cattlemen.
They also heard Paul Harris speak through a recording from 1933. Matts
Ingemanson's presentation, in combination with Paul Harris' own speech,
explained how Paul Harris inspired the creation and growth of Rotary to become
the most prominent service organization in the world today. It showed Paul
Harris as a youthful person that is more likely to inspire young people to
join Rotary. It may surprise you that Paul Harris was only 37 years old when
Rotary was founded in 1905 and only 42 years old when he became President of
the National Association of Rotary Clubs, which later was re-named Rotary
International.
