Rockwall Chamber president earns Rotary’s Paul Harris Fellow recognition

(ROCKWALL, TX – Dec. 16, 2015) Dana Macalik, President of the Rockwall Area Chamber of Commerce and member of the Rockwall Rotary Club, was recently recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow – an honor acknowledging individuals who contribute, or who have contributions made in their name, of $1,000 to The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International.

Fellow Rotarian Lou Johnson presented the award at last week’s Rotary luncheon meeting.

The Paul Harris award was established in 1957 to show appreciation for and encourage substantial contributions to what was then the Foundation’s only program, Rotary Foundation Fellowships for Advanced Study, the precursor to Ambassadorial Scholarships.

The first Paul Harris Fellows include 1937-38 RI Director Allison G. Brush and longtime RI Treasurer Rufus F. Chapin, both for donations made in 1946. Mrs. Adan Vargas was the first woman to receive the recognition, for a gift made in 1953. Mrs. Harry L. Jones was the second, and one of only five people recognized for contributions made in 1957.

Many other notable figures have been named as Paul Harris Fellows, including U.S. President Jimmy Carter, Russian President Boris Yeltsin, U.S. astronaut James Lovell, UN Secretary-General Javier Perez de Cuellar, and Jonas Salk.

By Dawn Redig, Blue Ribbon News.

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