Did You Know?
An Honorary membership is the highest distinction a Rotary Club can confer and is exercised only in exceptional cases to recognise an individual for unusual service and contributions to Rotary and society. Honorary members cannot propose new members to the club, do not hold office and are exempt from attendance requirements and club dues.
Many distinguished heads of state, explorers, authors, musicians, astronauts and other public personalities have been honorary members of Rotary Clubs, including King Gustaf of Sweden, King George VI of England, King Badouin of Belgium, King Hassan III of Morocco, Sir Winston Churchill, humanitarian Albert Schweitzer, Charles Lindbergh, composer Jean Sibelius, explorer Sir Edmund Hillary, Thor Heyerdahl, Thomas Edison, Walt Disney, Bob Hope, Dr. Albert Sabin, British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and many of the presidents of the United States of America. Truly, those selected for honorary membership are those who have done much to further the ideals of Rotary.