The records of Rotary International are complete, but those of the Rotary Club of Manila are not, as most of the records of the early years of its existence were lost during the occupation of the Philippines by the Japanese from 1941 to 1945. We have relied, therefore, a great deal upon Rotary International's records in compiling the pre-war section of this history. Rotary came to the Philippines in 1919 when Rotarian Roger D. Pinneo, a member of the Rotary Club of Seattle, came to Manila with a commission to assist in the formation of Rotary Clubs in the Far East. Reports were coming regularly from the United States of a service organization of business and professional men, formed by a lawyer in Chicago, Illinois, by the name of Paul Harris, that called itself a Rotary Club and its members, Rotarians. The idea of this organization, that Paul Harris visualized and worked upon for several years, was one of friendliness and mutual help. Paul Harris, the founder of Rotary, was brought up in a small town in the eastern section of the United States and he was accustomed to the friendly spirit and the reliance of the members of the community upon each other, in their entertainment, their joys and sorrows and their successes and failures. After graduating from college and securing his degree as a lawyer, Paul Harris opened an office in Chicago about the time of the depression in the late nineties. Business was practically non-existent for a young lawyer and time hung heavily upon his hands. Paul Harris occupied his time visiting with the merchants in his vicinity, trying to establish that feeling of friendship to which he was accustomed in his home town. Before settling down as a lawyer, Paul Harris had traveled extensively throughout the United States and in Europe, not as a tourist, but he had worked his way doing whatever kind of work he could find and his travels had convinced him that friendship and fellowship was the real basis of all human relations. Paul Harris finally persuaded three of his friends in 1905 to meet with him once each week and this was the beginning of the organization now called Rotary which at this date (January 1, 1954) is established in 87 countries and geographical regions about the world. These early Rotarians met in each other's office of place of business by rotation, and from this was derived the name Rotary. Rotary, as visualized by the early Rotarians, was not what we now know as a Service Club, but was for fellowship and mutual aid and therefore it was early agreed that only one member of each business or profession would be permitted to join. Past President Brunnier of R. I., who was a Charter member of the second Rotary Club, that of San Francisco, California, said that each week each member was called upon to report what business they had brought a fellow member, or what professional service they had rendered. Details differ as to the exact occasion, possibly it happened in several Clubs at about the same time, but a community need was brought before the members and by cooperative effort, something was accomplished for the good of the Community. One of the first efforts of this kind was when the Rotary Club of Chicago called attention to the fact that there were no comfort stations in the business section of Chicago and organized a drive which successfully established several of these very essential facilities. It was acts of this type that called favorable attention to the Rotary Club, which prompted its extension to other cities and started the movement on its slow but steady spread around the world, and changed it from an organization with more or less selfish motives to one devoted to improving the lot of their fellowmen. Thus, Rotary became the father of the Service Club idea. Members of the business community in Manila became interested in the reports they had heard of this new organization that was spreading so rapidly throughout the United States, and one of their leaders, Mr. Leon J. Lambert, had corresponded with the President of the International Association of Rotary Clubs (now Rotary International) regarding the possibility of forming a Club in Manila. It was this correspondence that prompted the visit of Rotarian Pinneo to Manila and other cities in the Far Eastdence between Manila and other cities in the Far East. When we speak of correspondence between Manila and Chicago, we should not forget, in this age of airmail and answers returned in approximately one week, that all mail traveled by boat, often slow boats, and answers to letters in less than three months was quite unusual. Rotary was almost fourteen years old when Mr. Leon J. Lambert, then one of the leading businessmen of Manila and President of the Lambert Sales Company, inspired by what he had heard of Rotary, started to correspond with the President of the International Association in Chicago. Yet the Rotary Club of Manila is one of the oldest outside of the continental United States, being the first formed in the Orient and antedating all similar clubs in continental Europe, in Africa, in Australia and except for Montevideo in South America. Only a few Rotary Clubs of Canada, Great Britain, Cuba, and the Club of Montevideo are older than the Rotary Club of Manila. Rotary in Manila It was on January 12, 1919, that Mr. Lambert entertained Mr. Pinneo at a luncheon in his home in Pasay, together with the following prominent businessmen: Messrs. E. E. Elser, James Geary, A. W. Beam and F. N. Berry. All present being agreed that a Rotary Club in Manila would be a benefit to the community, the five Manila residents constituted themselves a committee to proceed with the preliminary steps incident to the formation of a Rotary Club. Mr. Lambert was selected as chairman, and Mr. Berry as secretary of this committee. Informal meeting were held on January 14th, 16th, and 24th, before the organization of the new club was completed, with the following charter members: *Beam, A. Walter President, Benguet Consolidated Mining Company Gold Mining Bennett, R. C. City Editor, Cablenews-American Newspapers *Berry, Fred N. Manager, Philippine Manufacturing Company Manufacturer of Coconut Oil Birkett, H. Partner, Birkett & Holden Broker Stock Bishop, A. H. Manager, The Cooper Company Machinery Importer Bromfield, J. F. Manager, Insular Life Insurance Company Life Insurance Brown, George E. Proprietor, N. & B. Stables Garage Cady, Charles H. Manager, Lambert Sales Company Textiles (Associated-Lambert) Cresap, A. B. Manager, Luzon Brokerage Company Custom Broker Elizalde, Santiago Manager, Ynchausti & Company Ship Chandlery *Elser, E. E. Proprietor, E. E. Elser's Insurance Office Fire Insurance Fischer, Arthur F. Director, Bureau of Forestry Forester Gaches, Samuel F. President, H. E. Heacock Company Jewelry, Retail *Geary, James Manager, Hardware Department, Pacific Commercial Co. Hardware Harrison, Robert J. Partner, Norton, Harrison Company U. S. Lumber *Lambert, Leon J. President, Lambert Sales Company Textiles La O, Gabriel Lawyer Commercial Law Larkin, W. W. Partner, Charke & Larkin Public Accountant Morton, R. C. Agent, Pacific Mail Steamship Company Transportation, Trans-Pacific Passenger *Nieva, G. Manager, Nieva, Ruiz & Company Warehousing Olsen, Walter E. President, Walter E. Olsen & Company Cigar Manufacturer Pitt, Harold M. President, Los Baños Improvement Company Manufacturer of Aerated Waters Pond, Horace B. Vice-President, Pacific Commercial Company Hardware (Associated-Geary) Reis, Julius S. President, Manila Trading & Supply Company Automobiles under P2000 Rockwell, James C. Manager, Manila Electric Railroad & Light Co. Electric Transportation Russell, Claude Director, Bureau of Public Works Civil Engineer Saleeby, M. M. Agent, Hansen & Orth Fiber Expert Samuels, J. L. Manager, Watsonal Drug Company Drug Manufacturer Shaw, W. J. Manager, Atlantic, Gulf & Pacific Company Structural Steel Simmie, George W. President, Simmie & Grilk Stevedore Smith, Walter Z. Manager, Philippine Islands Telephone & Telegraph Co. Telephones Stevens, Frederic H. Manager, E. C. McCullough & Company Printing *SyCip, Alfonso Manager, Siy Cong Bieng Rice Importer Taylor, Carson Proprietor, Manila Daily Bulletin Newspaper man Vincent, Dr. F. W. Doctor Physician Westerhouse, E. J. General Manager, Manila Railroad Company Transportation, steam Zuellig, F. E.

Manager, Lutz & Company Swiss Products Wolff, Thomas J. President, Manila Steam Laundry Steam Laundry The seven charter members whose names are marked with an, composed the first board of directors, to serve until the first annual meeting of the Club in June 1919, and this board elected as the first officers: Leon J. Lambert, President Alfonso Sy Cip, Vice-President A. Walter Beam, Treasurer E. E. Elser, Secretary The Treasurer, A. Walter Beam, offered the offices of the Benguet Consolidated Mining Co. at 400 Kneedler Bldg. as the official office of the Club, where further meetings were held and additional members elected. Before the end of January 1919 a cablegram was sent to the International Association of Rotary Clubs, in Chicago, advising it of the formal organization of this, the first Rotary Club in the Orient, with a membership of 38 persons, the Charter No. 478 was not granted however until June 1st, 1919. In addition, Vice-Governor Charles E. Yeater, who was acting Governor General at the time, was elected its first honorary member.