First Men of Rotary ‘Harry Ruggles’ – He Taught Rotary to Sing

Harry L. Ruggles, the fifth member of the Rotary Club of Chicago, significantly shaped the club’s early development. Serving as the first treasurer and fourth president, he recruited two-thirds of the initial 200 members. His printing business produced key Rotary publications, including “The National Rotarian” and THE ROTARIAN magazine, and he created the club’s bulletin, initially named the Rotary Yell and later the Gyrator. Ruggles is best known for introducing singing to Rotary meetings, organizing quartets, and distributing songbooks, which helped popularize community singing in the U.S. He played an important role in expanding Rotary beyond Chicago and served as a national director. Born in Michigan, educated at Northwestern University, Ruggles remained active in Rotary until his death in 1959 at age 88.

Harry L. Ruggles, o quinto membro do Rotary Club de Chicago, teve um papel fundamental no desenvolvimento inicial do clube. Atuou como primeiro tesoureiro e quarto presidente, recrutando dois terços dos primeiros 200 membros. Sua empresa gráfica produziu publicações importantes do Rotary, incluindo “The National Rotarian” e a revista THE ROTARIAN, além de criar o boletim do clube, inicialmente chamado Rotary Yell e depois Gyrator. Ruggles é mais conhecido por introduzir o canto nas reuniões do Rotary, organizar quartetos e distribuir canções, popularizando o canto comunitário nos EUA. Também ajudou a expandir o Rotary além de Chicago e serviu como diretor nacional. Nascido em Michigan e formado pela Northwestern University, permaneceu ativo no Rotary até sua morte em 1959, aos 88 anos.

哈里·L·鲁格尔斯（Harry L. Ruggles）是芝加哥扶轮社的第五位成员，对扶轮社的早期发展起到了重要作用。他担任过首任财务主管和第四任社长，招募了前三百名成员中的三分之二。他的印刷公司制作了重要的扶轮刊物，包括《The National Rotarian》和《THE ROTARIAN》杂志，并创办了社讯，最初名为“Rotary Yell”，后称为“Gyrator”。鲁格尔斯以在扶轮会议上引入合唱活动闻名，组织四重唱并广泛分发歌本，促进了美国社区合唱的流行。他还推动扶轮社走出芝加哥，担任全国理事。鲁格尔斯出生于密歇根，毕业于西北大学，直到1959年88岁去世前一直活跃于扶轮事业。