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SELECTED HISTORIES OF BRAZILIAN ROTARY CLUBS
10). Rotary Club of San Jose do Rio Preto
November 29, 2005 was a memorable date for the Rotary Club of Rio Preto, San Jose when they celebrated their 75th anniversary.
Rotary started to become international and came to Brazil in 1923 with the founding of the RC of Rio de Janeiro.
Then Brazil had only 35 clubs, grouped into a single Rotary district and whose
governor, Armando de Arruda Pereira, was to become the 1st Brazilian President of Rotary International
in 1940-41.
Having participated during seventy years of history of a community is undoubtedly a fact of extraordinary significance and
that was very worthy of Rotary.
In this period of time, the club registered in their ranks, names and personalities who helped build the story of the district,
with leading initiatives and organised discipline, creating institutions and promoting the development of the community.
Twenty people from varied activities and occupations helped establish the idea of serving in emerging Rio Preto from 1935.
In 1935, Mr. James Roth made a visit to Sao Paulo, as representative of Rotary International.
He was senior official of the Brazilian Electric Companies - the Bond and Share - and in that capacity came to Rio Preto in
October of that year.
Here, he met Jose Gonzaga, the local manager of Companhia Paulista de Force and Light, affiliated to the powerful group of
energy suppliers to almost all the countries of South America
Mr. James Roth and Armando de Arruda Pereira, governor of Rotary, found through information provided by Gonçalves Gonzaga,
that there were excellent conditions to create a Rotary Club in Rio Preto.
And so, with the help of José Gonçalves Gonzaga, went to visit people representing the city, aiming to organize a group of
fifteen to twenty people to initiate a club.
Having made a list of potential members, Roth and Gonzaga met with the guests in the lounge of the noble Prefecture, on the
night of November 29, 1935, when they described the goals of Rotary upon which all present agreed to formalize the Rotary Club .
At the same meeting was elected the first board. The Charter night was held on the night of December 4, 1935 in the Hotel
Terminus, in the presence of authorities, ladies and distinguished guests including the Governor of the Province and
representatives of the hosting club of Araraquara.
The minutes of that meeting were taken by the elected Secretary, Alceu
Assisi, who had the book signed by Mr.
Roth.
They recorded that - the weekly meetings would be on Saturdays at 8pm in the
hotel Términus, length of 1 ½ hours; the meetings of the board would be on
the 1st Saturday of each month in the same place, from 7pm; the 1st board
will exercise until June 30, 1936; the installation of the club day will be
4 December 1935; and the election by secret ballot of the first directors.
In alphabetical order by surname, the list of founding members.
1)
Amaral, of Eros - Bank of issue
2)
Angerami, Jacyntho - Government-ranch municipal 3) Assisi,
Alceu of - Commercial Law 4) Braga, John - Cattle breeding
5) Caldas, Antonio C.
- Benefít of coffee
6) Carvalho, of Borges -
Medical Clinic 7) Cavalcanti, Coutinho -
Medicine-surgery 8) Holy Spirit, Garino of - government-public
safety 9) Fleet, Gumercindo F.
-
Coffee-purchase
10) Furquim, Mario V.
- Medicine-pediatrics 11)
Gonzaga, Joseph G. Luz -
Force electrica 12) Jalles, Euphly - Civil Engineering
13) Marcondes Machado J .B.
- agricultural machinery distribution
14) Mello Oliveira, of Synezio - Medical-opthalmology 15)
Mercer, Herbert - Government estadoal - public health 16)
Monteiro de Barros Filho, Theotonio - Right Pena 17) Nogueira
de Carvalho, José - Armarinhos 18) Silva, Romildo -
Pharmacy 19) Vieira Cardoso, Edgard - Justice public
prosecutors-20) Zini, Ettore - Coffee-growing
acknowledgement to the Board and Members of RC Rio Preto, San Jose
and the above author
11). Rotary Club of Manaus
Manaus was a very
isolated city in Brazil: telex, television, satellite facilities were
unknown in that region of the Brazilian territory.
Local news was
transmitted by radio, and the national Radio National and international news
by the BBC in London, which had a news in Portuguese, broadcast by Radio
Baré.
It was in that
climate that emerged, in the year 1934, the idea of a club of services of
international character which preached understanding and goodwill among men.
The description of
the purposes and objectives of Rotary was given by Mr. James Roth, known as
"JIM", who had lived in Manaus as the official English Consulate and who
undertook the task of creating a new Rotary Club.
JIM received the
support of Mr. Edward Kirk, superintendent of the Company's Bonde, and whose
friendship came from his earlier visits to the city, and Mr. William Coelho
de Souza, who had already been a member of the Rotary Club of Sao Paulo.
After a conversation
between the three the first meeting was held on Tuesday 15 May 1934, in the
local Grand Hotel. The following is the list of its founding members:
Alfredo Castro Lima; Aristotle Magellan Lamb; Bonicio Girão; Hamilton
Hawkins; Ildebrando Silshando; Joseph Vaz Oliveira; Jacob Paul Levy
Beivoliel; Joaquim Leite; John Paul Clayton; Edward Kirk; Luiz Humberto
Souza Camelino; Mario Torres de Melo, Virgilio Xavier de Souza; Waldemar
Pinheiro Souza; Paulo Sarmento; Oscar Guimaraes Maia; Sebastian Barros,
Mario Oliveira Adrião; William Coelho Souza and Glicério Vieira.
At the second
meeting, held on May 23, Wednesday, were sworn new companions, and received
the first Board of Directors, which was thus: President - William Coelho Souza;
1st Vice-President - Joao de Paula Gonçalves;
2nd Vice President - Jose Nunes de Lima; 1st Secretary - Mario Torres de Melo;
2nd Secretary - Sergio Augusto Idaho Bittencourt;
1st Treasurer - Edward Kirk; 2nd Treasurer - Virgilio Xavier de Souza;
1st Protocol - Jacob Paul Levy Benoliel;
and general members - Waldemar Pinheiro Souza, Luiz Humberto Souza Camelino, Luiz Humberto Souza Camelino, Paulo Sarmento and
Oscar Maia Guimaraes
The Rotary Club of Manaus was admitted to Rotary International on June 23, 1934.
acknowledgement to the RC Manaus
12). The Rotary Club of Paraguaçu
Rotarians and relatives wait on the platform of the Sorocabana station of Paraguassú, 25 March1940, for
the special train that brought the visitors to the meeting of delivery of the Constitutional Charter of of the Club.
 The idea of the founding of Rotary Club of Paraguaçu was born at the end of 1939, after several meetings in
Paraguaçu and Sao Paulo, always led by John Augustine, and with the support of the representative of Rotary International,
the American James H. Roth who, according to his Cambraia, was known as Mr. Jim.
Installation of the club occurred upon the arrival by train of all members and their families when,
in a festive meeting chaired by Mr. Jim, the 1st directors of the club were elected:
President - John L. Agostinho; Vice President - Cel. Antonio Nogueira; 1st and 2nd Secretaries - Luiz da
Silveira Penna and Dr. Nicolau Giudice; Treasurer - Ari Leite de Barros; Director of Protocol– Prof Luiz Gonzaga de Camargo;
Director without Portfolio - Isidoro Baptista.
Official speakers at the first meeting were Mr. Jim, John Augustine the journalist, Mario Pacheco and
Felício Tarabay.
The Charter document was delivered on 9 July 1940 which was celebrated by a long and detailed article, in
"The District"
newspaper extracts from which include:
Festivities - The Rotary Club of Paraguassú celebrated with big festivities
upon delivery of the Constitutional Charter of the club. By 2.30pm, a large number of families who waited in the Sorocabana station
for the special train that traveled via the offices of several clubs who
were taking part in the ceremony.
Banners and marching to the sound of the band provided continuous
entertainment in honor of the
visitors, upon their arrival.
After landing, the guest of honour Luiz Gonzaga Rosa, on behalf of
the troop, bade welcome to Rotarians with a fine speech on the ideals of
Rotary between the community and Rotarians.
Tennis Match of the Field
The representatives
from Botucatu were class tennis
players who previously combined with locals to carry out a number of sports matches.
Hence, almost all the visitors who went to the Paraguaçu Tennis Club spent pleasant hours
watching.
Aperitifs
After the tennis
match, everyone moved to the to City Hall, where the municipal mayor Luiz Silveira Penna,
provided appetizers and a fine selection of wines.
Banquet Around
8 pm in the hall of the Workers' Recreation Hall, a large banquet was
provided and the Charter document was officially handed over. The
tables, arranged in the form of "U", sat 120 guests with representatives of Rotary's Clubs of Sao Paulo, Campinas, Botucatu, Marília, Prudente
and Olympia
in addition to the local guests and Rotarians.
The Governor of Rotary, Nagib Jose de Barros
also delivered a fine speech.
Peculiarities of the meeting:
A set of regional Botucatu executed several numbers, and the celebrated musician Angelino de Oliveira, assisted by his
inseparable companion Jose Maria Peres, provided an originally composed guitar solo.
Nívea Ranzani, a graceful singer of radio from Botucatu, enchanted with a beautiful repertoire.
Ball
From The Workers Club, the
Rotarians finally moved to the Paraguassuense Club to enjoy an elaborate
ball where "Paraguassuense" rubbed shoulders with dignitaries of our city.
Two orchestras played "Penguin Paraguaçuense Jazz"
dance and "Jazz Tangarás of Assisi."
The departure
On 10th July at 8:40 a.m.,
a convoy of Rotarians,
traveling in particular by train to Prudente where the District 28 Governor, Nagib Jose de Barros
departed.
The convoy to Wise included John L. Agostinho, Luiz Silveira Penna, José Salomão e Mário
Pacheco.
Acknowledgement to the online "Resort Paper".
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