Happy 109th Birthday to Rotary and Room 711

Posted by Mike Close 
on Mar 10, 2014
 

Our organization has just celebrated the 109th anniversary of its founding. As part of the celebration, the room where it all started is being moved, renovated, and being made more accessible and interesting for visitors. Here are some of the details. If you're ever in Chicago, it's worth a visit to see how history was made. Enjoy!

Image23 February 1905 was a cold winter night, but Paul and Sylvester were used to the cold of Chicago's winters, and after dinner, they walked to the Unity Building to meet two other men in Room 711 of the Unity Building. www.room711.org is where the story begins.

Visit this website for 10 minutes, 10 hours, or 10 years of enjoyable reading. Share it with your friends. It's the true story of one man's dream, made greater by millions of Rotarians. There's a great video there of the early years.

 

Room 711, which has been located on the 16th floor of Rotary World Headquarters in Evanston, IL since 1993, has been recently relocated to the 1st floor. Visitors will have better access to the room which will become part of a larger visitor experience that is being developed. A re-dedication and ribbon cutting was held on 21 February 2014 with many 711 Club members in attendance. 711 Club President Dick Galitz spoke about the significance of the room and its place in Rotary's history.

In the photo, History and Archives Manager Stephanie Giordano, 711 Club President Dick Galitz, and Deputy General Secretary Pete DeBerge cut the ribbon at the dedication of Room 711 at RI World Headquarters.