Four Avenues of Service - Historical Development

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As Rotary grew, so did the complexity of its practices, making it difficult for Rotary International to succinctly and clearly answer the question, “What is Rotary?”

In 1923, RI President Guy Gundaker of Philadelphia wrote a booklet titled “A Talking Knowledge of Rotary.” It was an excellent resource for club officers and new members, but it hardly summarized the organization’s universal objectives into a memorable definition.

One Sunday morning in 1926, Sydney Pascall and Vivian Carter reasoned that “We should be able to consolidate all Rotary activities onto a half-sheet of paper”

The two concluded that Rotary was like a three-lane highway: one lane where a Rotarian could serve his club, one to serve his vocation, and one to serve his community. Yet while these three lanes were adopted by Rotary, others within the movement were urging Rotary to embrace international peach and goodwill as an added emphasis. In 1928, the Minneapolis convention unanimously adopted International Service as the final track of what has forever been known as Rotary’s Four Avenues of Service.