05/29/2025
What do Charles Lindbergh, Luciano Pavarotti, Thomas Edison, John F Kennedy, Col. Sanders, Margaret Thatcher, Pope Francis, Neil Armstrong, Bill Gates, Walt Disney, and Dolly Parton have in common? They are all Rotarians!
The Atlanta Area Rotary Club is full of rock stars! We have a Chamber of Commerce President, a published author, a ninth-level Paul Harris Fellow and professional volunteer, a bank manager, a tourism director, an insurance agent, a concert photographer, a tax expert, a mayor, a high-profile world-renowned attorney, the inventor of Direct Lithium Extraction, and a National Debate candidate!
COME JOIN YOUR LOCAL FAMOUS ROTARIANS - Tammy Davenport, Kelsey Knox, Debra Durr, Cindi Young, Meredith Dunton, Fern Porter, Jerry Porter, James Brooks, Kate Stow, John Burba, Tony Buzbee and Michael Dubuisson - @ Caffe Crema on Main, Noon, 1st and 3rd Thursday's of each month!
All Rotarians are important and famous in their own way, but there are some whose names are recognized worldwide. Several notable individuals have been members of Rotary International, including presidents, business leaders, and humanitarian figures. Here's a more detailed look at some of them:
• Thomas Burton Adams, Jr.: Lieutenant Governor of Florida (1971–75)
• Roald Amundsen: Rotary Club of Oslo, Norway. (First person to reach the South Pole in 1911).
• Filip Albrecht: Czech-German lyricist, manager, film producer, and writer, Rotary Club Prague International, Czech Republic
• Clinton Presba Anderson: US Secretary of Agriculture and Senator from New Mexico, former Rotary president
• Prince Andrew of Yugoslavia: youngest child of King Alexander I of Yugoslavia.
• Neil Armstrong: First astronaut to walk on the Moon, Rotary Club of Wapakoneta, OH
• Ásgeir Ásgeirsson: President of Iceland, Rotary Club of Reykjavík
• Prince Axel of Denmark: Prince of Denmark and businessman, Rotary Club of Copenhagen
• Kalyan Banerjee: chemical engineer, former Rotary International President
• Françoise Barré-Sinoussi: isolated the AIDS virus at the Pasteur Institute, Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary Club of La Rochelle-Aunis, France
• Edvard Beneš: President of Czechoslovakia, Rotary Club of Prague, Czechoslovakia
• David M. Bennett: Co-founder of Mollie Stone's Markets
• Friedrich Bergius, PhD: Nobel Prize for Chemistry, invented the method for synthesizing fuel from coal.
• Prince Bernhard of Lippe-Biesterfeld: Prince of the Netherlands, Rotary Club of Amsterdam, Netherlands
• Clarence Birdseye, II: invented the method for fast freezing food, Rotary Club of Gloucester, MA
• Frank Borman: U.S. astronaut.
• William Jennings Bryan: US House of Representatives 1891–95, US Secretary of State 1913–15, US Presidential candidate, Rotary Club of Lincoln, Nebraska
• Dr. John Burba pioneer of Direct Lithium Extraction, aka “The Godfather of Lithium,” Atlanta, TX Area Rotary Club
• George W. Bush: Former President of the United States.
• Anthony “Tony” Buzbee: Houston Attorney specializing in high-profile cases – including the sex-crime hearing of Sean “Diddy” Combs; Atlanta, TX Area Rotary Club member.
• Richard E. Byrd Rear Admiral USN: Medal of Honor recipient, North and South Pole explorer, Rotary Club of Wi******er, VA
• Carlos Canseco: physician and philanthropist, Belisario Domínguez Medal of Honor laureate, former RI President
• Jimmy Carter: Former President of United States
• King Charles III, Charles Philip Arthur George: Honorary member of Rotary Club of Banchory-Ternan, Scotland, UK
• Jean-Claude Chermann: isolated the AIDS virus at the Pasteur Institute, Paul Harris Fellow, Rotary Club of La Rochelle-Aunis D1690, France
• Sir Winston Churchill: Prime Minister of England, Rotary Club of London
• Arthur Compton: Nobel Prize for Physics for the particle nature of electromagnetic radiation, Rotary Club of St Louis, Missouri
• Max Cointreau: Rotary Club of Paris, France. (Owner, Cointreau liqueur enterprise).
• Guy Crescent: businessman, Rotary Club of Paris
• Samantha Cristoforetti: an ESA astronaut/Commander aboard the International Space Station, Köln am Rhein Rotary Club - Hamburg
• J. Howard Crocker: Canadian educator and sports executive for the YMCA and Amateur Athletic Union of Canada
• Walt Disney: Animation filmmaker, Honorary member Rotary Club of Palm Springs, CA
• Cecil B. De Mille: Rotary Club of Hollywood, USA. (Film director).
• Thomas Edison: Inventor and businessman, Honorary member Rotary Club of Orange, New Jersey
• Richard L. Evans: Mormon apostle and radio presenter (Music and the Spoken Word), former RI president
• Mia Farrow: Actress and UNICEF ambassador
• Cyrus Fees: Host of Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship, former ring announcer for Ultimate Fighting Championship, Rotary Club of Johnson City, TN.
• Dianne Feinstein: US Senator from California, Rotary Club of San Francisco, CA
• Raymond F. Firestone: Rotary Club of Akron, USA. (Chairman and CEO, Firestone Tire and Rubber Co.)
• Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario, Canada.
• Gerald R. Ford: US President, Rotary Club of Grand Rapids, MI
• Suleiman Frangieh; President of Lebanon 1969–75, founded the Rotary Club of Tripoli, Lebanon 1950
• Pope Francis: Former head of the Catholic Church, Bishop of Rome (deceased)
• Bill Gates: Founder of Microsoft.
• W. B. George: (1899–1972), Governor of District 250 of Rotary International for 1956–57, president of the Kemptville Rotary Club and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
• Sir Nigel Gresley: Locomotive designer and engineer, founder of the Rotary Club of Doncaster, Britain
• Doug Grimston: (1900–1955), president of the New Westminster Rotary Club and the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
• Edgar Guest: American poet, Contributor to the Rotarian magazine, Rotary Club of Detroit, MI
• Elbert Guillory: Louisiana politician
• Dr Lorenzo Guerrero Gutierrez: Rotary Club of Granada. (President, Nicaragua).
• Joyce Hall: Founder of Hallmark Cards, Rotary Club of Kansas City, Missouri
• Warren G. Harding: US President. Rotary Club of Washington, D.C.
• Paul P. Harris: founder of Rotary International, first RI President 1910–12, Rotary Club of Chicago, IL
• Mark Hatfield: Governor, Secretary of State, Representative, Senator in Oregon, Rotary Club of Eugene, OR
• Steingrímur Hermannsson: Rotary Club of Reykjavík. (Prime Minister, Iceland)
• Sir Edmund Hillary: Rotary Club of Auckland, New Zealand. (Mountaineer, explorer and philanthropist and the first person to reach the top of Mount Everest).
• Luther H. Hodges: US Secretary of Commerce and Governor of North Carolina, RI President 1967–68
• Sydney G. Holland: Rotary Club of Christchurch. (Prime Minister, New Zealand).
• Thomas Frederick Hope: General Manager and Chief Engineer of the Guma Valley Company
• James Innes: British entrepreneur, author, and philanthropist, Rotary Club of London, England
• Sheik-Umarr Mikailu Jah: Former Minister of Health of Sierra Leone, and founder of Rotary Club Bo, Sierra Leone
• John Jakes: pen name of Jay Scotland, author of "North and South Trilogy"
• Edmund Jones: Pennsylvania State Representative, 70+ year member of Rotary Clubs of Chester, Pennsylvania and Swarthmore, Pennsylvania
• Duke Kahanamoku: US Olympic gold medalist, called "Father of Surfing", Rotary Club of Honolulu, HI
• John F. Kennedy: US President, Rotary Club of Hyannis, Massachusetts
• Shoaib Sultan Khan: pioneer of Rural Development in South Asia
• Abdulla Khalil: Rotary Club of Khartoum. (Prime Minister, Sudan).
• Chung Yul Kim: Rotary Club of Hanyang. (Prime Minister, Korea).
• Spencer W. Kimball: former president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Karl Kobelt: Rotary Club of St. Gallen. (President, Swiss Confederation).
• Chucri Kouatly: Rotary Club of Damascus. (President, Syria).
• Tapio Korjus: Rotary Club of Lapua Kiviristi, Finland. (Olympic gold medal winner, javelin).
• Jack Guy Lafontant: Prime Minister of Haiti, current President of the Rotary Club of Petion-Ville, Haiti
• Sir Harry Lauder born Henry: vaudeville comedian, Rotary Club of Glasgow, Scotland
• Franz Lehár: Operetta composer, tried to prevent murder of Fritz Löhner-Beda in Auschwitz-III prison camp, Rotary Club of Vienna, Austria
• Charles Lindberg: Rotary Club of Edinburgh, Scotland. (American aviator).
• Dr. Fritz Löhner-Beda: librettist, lyricist, writer, N**i concentration camp prisoner—died in Monowitz, Auschwitz-III, lawyer, wrote Rotary Hymne, Rotary Club of Vienna, Austria
• Dr. Guia Lopez de Leon: known also for her Nightingale Project, is the Transforming President of the Rotary Club of San Pedro South, Laguna, Philippines
• Richard Lugar: US Senator from Indiana, at age 25 joined the Rotary Club of Indianapolis, IN
• Malala Yousafzai: Pakistani women's education advocate and spokesperson for the Malala Fund, Rotary, Swat, Pakistan
• Thomas Mann: German Novelist Nobel Prize in Literature 1929, The Rotary Club of Munich, Germany
• Guglielmo Marconi: Inventor of the viable wireless radio, Rotary Club of Bologna, Italy
• Jan Masaryk: Foreign minister of Czechoslovakia from 1940–48
• Dr. Charles H. Mayo: co-founder of the Mayo Clinic, Rotary Club of Rochester, Minnesota
• Kōnosuke Matsush*ta: founded Matsush*ta Electric Company Panasonic, Rotary Club of Osaka, Japan
• Connie Mack: nee Cornelius McGillicuddy, American professional baseball player, manager, and team owner, five-time World Series Winner
• George S. Messersmith: US Diplomat in Germany, Austria, Cuba, Mexico, and Argentina
• Arch A. Moore, Jr.: West Virginia governor
• Lorraine H. Morton: first African-American and long-serving mayor of Evanston, Illinois
• Wayne Morse: US Senator, Oregon, 1945–69, Rotary Club of Eugene, OR
• Leonard Mulama: Rotary Club of Kisangani. (Prime Minister, Democratic Republic of the Congo).
• Duck-Woo Nam: Rotary Club of Hanyang. (Prime Minister, Korea).
• Lennart Nilsson: Swedish photojournalist, Emmy winner, Rotary Club of Stockholm, Sweden
• Richard Nixon: Former President of the United States.
• Judith O'Fallon: American statistician
• Manny Pacquiao (Emmanuel Dapidaran Pacquiao):, world boxing champion, Philippine senator, Rotary Club of Manila, Philippines
• Choong Hoon Park: Rotary Club of Hanyang. (Prime Minister, Korea).
• Dolly Parton: Musician and philanthropist
• Raul Sapena Pastor: Rotary Club of Asunción. (Prime Minister, Paraguay).
• Konstantin Päts: Rotary Club of Tallinn. (President, Estonia).
• Luciano Pavarotti: Italian opera singer.
• Norman Vincent Peale: author of The Power of Positive Thinking, minister, motivational speaker, RI Public Relations Committee, Rotary Club of New York, NY
• James Cash Penney: founder of J.C. Penney department stores, Rotary Club of New York, NY
• Antoine Pinet: Rotary Club of Saint-Etienne. (Prime Minister, France).
• General Augusto Pinochet: Rotary Club of Santiago. (General & Leader, Chile).
• Leopoldo Pirelli: Rotary Club of Milano, Italy. (President, Pirelli Tire Co).
• Emilio Pucci, fashion designer and politician, Rotary Club of Florence, Italy
• Roberto Pontremoli: the founder of the Rotary Club International of Milan, is an important Italian insurer.
• Prince Axel: Rotary Club of Copenhagen. (Prince of Denmark).
• Prince Bernhard: Rotary Club of Amsterdam. (Prince of the Netherlands).
• Prince Rainier III: Rotary Club of Monaco. (Prince of Monaco).
• Nereu Ramos: Rotary Club of Florianópolis. (President, Brazil).
• Ronald Reagan: Former President of the United States.
• Sir Clem Renouf: Australian accountant, Rotary Club of Nambour, Queensland; President, Rotary International 1978-79
• Giuseppe Resnati: Italian chemist, founded the Rotary Club of Morimondo Abbazia, Italy
• Frank Richman: Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court, Nuremberg trials judge, charter member and President of the Rotary Club of Columbus, IN
• James Whitcomb Riley: pen names: Benjamin P. Johnson of Boone, Jay Whit, Uncle Sidney, US poet, Rotary Club of Indianapolis, IN
• Sigmund Romberg: Opera composer, Rotary Club of New York, NY
• General Carlos P. Romulo: President, Philippines; Brigadier General WWII, Ambassador of the Philippines to the US, President of the 4th session of the United Nations 1949, and permanent member, Director of RI, Rotary Club of Manila
• Franklin D. Roosevelt: US President, Rotary Club of Albany, NY
• James Roosevelt: son of US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Secretary to the President, US House of Representatives for California
• Jack Roxburgh: politician, farmer and president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
• Charles "Chic" Sale: actor: vaudeville, stage, screen, Rotary Club of Scarsdale, NY
• Joseph James "Jay" Salvador: President of Rotary Club of Central Tarlac (RY 2024-2025) of District 3790
• Frank Sandercock (1887–1942): president of the Canadian Amateur Hockey Association
• Harland Sanders aka Colonel Sanders: founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, founding member of Rotary Club of Jeffersonville, IN in 1919, then the Rotary Club of Corbin, Kentucky, the Rotary Club of Shelbyville, Kentucky until his death in 1980
• Walter Scheel: Rotary Club of Bonn am Rhein. (President, Germany).
• Ian Scott: founder of Australian Rotary Health
• Harry Gordon Selfridge: American retail magnate founded London-based department store Selfridges, Rotary Club of London, England
• Jean Sibelius: Composer, Rotary Club of Helsinki-Helsingfors, Finland
• Giacomo Simoncini: Sammarinese sports executive and politician, President of Rotaract Club of San Marino
• Tris Speaker, nee Tristram E. Speaker: US baseball player and manager, 3x World Series Champ, MVP
• Sigmund Sternberg: director of the Sternberg Centre for Judaism, Rotary Club of London
• Adlai Stevenson: former US Ambassador to the UN and former governor of Illinois, Rotary Club of Springfield, IL
• Sakuji Tanaka: President of Rotary International 2012–13, Businessperson and Foundations, Rotary Club of Yashio, Saitama, Japan
• Tsuneyoshi Takeda: Rotary Club of Tokyo-North. (Japanese Royal Prince).
• J. Millard Tawes John: State Treasurer, Comptroller, and Governor of Maryland, Rotary Club of Crisfield, MD
• Herbert J. Taylor: businessperson, civic leader and member of several Christian fraternities, RI President 1954–55, wrote the Rotary Four-Way Test for his business,[17] Rotary Club of Chicago, IL
• Sidney Toler: actor (2nd non-Asian Charlie Chan), playwright, director
• Iyesato Tokugawa: president of Japan's upper house of Congress for 30 years and the Honorary Keynote Speaker for Rotary's Silver Anniversary (25th) Convention/Celebration held in Chicago in 1930.
• Milan Turković: businessperson and nobleman, president of Rotary Club of Sušak
• Ted Turner: Philanthropist
• Claude Vuitton: Rotary Club of Paris-Nord, France. (Owner, Vuitton luggage enterprise).
• Charles Rudolph Walgreen Jr.: President of Walgreens, Rotary Club of Chicago, IL
• Sam Walton: founder of Wal-Mart, Rotary Club of Bentonville, Arkansas
• Earl Warren: Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court
• William Allen White: American newspaper editor, politician, author, and leader of the Progressive movement, Rotary Club of Emporia, Kansas
• Woodrow Wilson: US President and Nobel Prize in Peace, Rotary Club of Birmingham, AL
• Jack Williamson, PhD: pen names: Will Stewart, Nils O. Sonderlund, prolific Science Fiction author, Rotary Club of Portales, NM
• Orville Wright: Co-Inventor of the first successful airplane, Rotary Club of Dayton, OH
• Chia-kan Yen westernized Chia Kan C.K. Yen: President of Taiwan Republic of China, Rotary Club of Taipei
• Chang-soon Yoo: Prime Minister of the Fifth Republic of South Korea, Rotary Club of Hanyang, South Korea
• Bill Gates is deeply involved with Rotary International through his Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, particularly in the fight to eradicate polio. The Gates Foundation has partnered with Rotary on PolioPlus, a program dedicated to ending polio globally. Gates has publicly thanked Rotarians for their commitment and has extended the foundation's funding match to support Rotary's efforts.
• Dolly Parton is an honorary Rotarian and has a strong partnership with Rotary International through her Imagination Library program. She was invited to become an honorary member of the Cleethorpes branch of the Rotary Club in the UK. Dolly and Rotary International have worked together since 2009 to promote early childhood reading, with Rotary clubs supporting the Imagination Library in numerous communities.
• In 2013, to mark the 60th anniversary of her Coronation, Queen Elizabeth was presented with a Rotary International Award of Honour at Buckingham Palace to mark her support for Rotary’s polio and humanitarian programs. Then, Her Majesty praised Rotary for its polio eradication program and advocacy efforts. She said: “I am pleased that Commonwealth governments are playing their part in tackling disease and improving health for all. Polio, for example, used to cast its shadow across many countries, and today, thanks to concerted international action, just a handful still need to eliminate polio.”
