RECENT PAUL HARRIS AWARDS

At the Changeover for the year ending 2022 - 23 President Noel Trevaskis, OAM presented Paul Harris Fellow Awards to:
        
 
 
At the commencement of year 2022 - 23 President Noel Trevaskis, OAM presented Paul Harris Fellow Awards to:
Roger Budd
 
Campbell Edgerton
 
For the year 2021 - 2022 Immediate Past President Sue Jellis presented Paul Harris Fellow Awards to both Patricia & Martyn Witton for their outstanding work on the Ford Park Markets & Website as well as many other activities.
Sue Jellis Immediate Past President (middle) presenting
Martyn Witton & Patricia Witton with their Paul Harris Awards
 
In May 2021 Sue Jellis, President of the Rotary Club of Merimbula, presented a Paul Harris Fellow Award to our outgoing Treasurer, Peter Lavender, in recognition of his six years of service in this role.
 

ROTARY HISTORY

The origins of Paul Harris Fellow recognition

The Paul Harris Fellow recognition acknowledges individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation.

Rotary established the recognition in 1957 to encourage and show appreciation for substantial contributions to what was then the Foundation’s only program, Rotary Foundation Fellowships for Advanced Study, the precursor to Ambassadorial Scholarships. 

A.Z. Baker, 1955-56 RI president, admires a newly minted Paul Harris Fellow medallion at the 1969 Rotary Convention in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA.

The first Paul Harris Fellows included past RI Director Allison G. Brush, who served during the 1937-38 Rotary year, and longtime RI Treasurer Rufus F. Chapin, both for donations made in 1946. Mrs. Adan Vargas was the first woman to receive the recognition, for a gift made in 1953. Mrs. Harry L. Jones was the second, and one of only five people recognized for contributions actually made in that inaugural year. 

Early Paul Harris Fellows received a certificate of recognition. In 1969, the Foundation unveiled the first Paul Harris Fellow medallion at the Rotary Convention in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. Japanese metal artist Fiju Tsuda created the piece under the direction of former Foundation Trustee Kyozo Yuasa. Today, Paul Harris Fellows receive a certificate and pin. They are also eligible to buy a Paul Harris Fellow medallion. 

Rotarians have a tradition of supporting the Foundation by honoring others. Ida LeTulle Taylor became a Paul Harris Fellow in 1978 when her husband, Vann Taylor, who was serving as a district governor, made a donation in her name in honor of their 34th wedding anniversary. The gift also made her the 25,000th Paul Harris Fellow. 

At the International Assembly in 1979, incoming RI President James Bomar challenged each Rotary club to make one non-Rotarian a Paul Harris Fellow. The Rotary Club of Pikesville, Maryland, USA, responded by making a donation in the name of Mother Teresa in 1980. The entertainer Pearl Bailey also became a Paul Harris Fellow through a joint effort of the Rotary clubs in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. 

Many other notable figures have been named Paul Harris Fellows, including U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, U.S. astronaut James Lovell, UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar, and polio vaccine developer Jonas Salk.

The number of Paul Harris Fellows reached the 1 million mark in 2006.