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Historic Moments: The Grace Irene Mann letters

By Susan Hanf 
Rotary International News -- 20 May 2010 
 
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A letter and envelope from Grace Irene Mann to Paul P. Harris, 24 April 1906.

Rotary founder Paul P. Harris had a little-known romance before he met his future wife, Jean .

Grace Irene Mann was from a prominent family in Florida, USA. Harris met her in 1905 on a visit to see his friend and former employer George C. Clark in Jacksonville.

Harris and Mann exchanged letters in which they shared affection, gossiped, and discussed their families, theology, and philosophy. He told her about searching for a meeting place for the Rotary Club of Chicago and offered details of the club's constitution.

Mann replied to his tales of Rotary with enthusiasm:

I take great interest in the Constitution and By laws of your Rotary Club because you have written them. … I think you have covered everything in a concise and compact form. … The By-laws are especially good.

According to the letters, the idea of marriage was broached in the fall of 1906, though Mann's family ultimately discouraged her from settling down with Harris.

Their correspondence ended in May 1907. In his final letter to Mann, Harris wrote:

I certainly am interested in your future and I desire you to make a great girl of yourself and I am sure you will. … You will be happy. Give my best to your Dalton friends. Yours very truly, Paul P. Harris

Harris returned the letters he received from her, as was the custom. When Mann married John Murrell Bell in June 1910, she stored the correspondence in the attic of her sister May Mann Jennings. The letters remained there until the home was demolished in 1963, at which time they were given to Mann's eldest daughter, Elizabeth.

In 1997, Mann's daughter Grace Bell Rogers donated the letters to Rotary International.

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15 Comments:
At 10:59AM on 23 June 2010, Bill Segraves (Rotary Club of Sarasota) wrote: Thanks to all for their comments, both positive and negative. One significant factor favoring the preservation of these letters was that PPH's letters to my grandmother were a first-person account of PPH's activities during the formative years of Rotary. Indeed, there is evidence in the letters, in PPH's own hand, that it took about a year of work/meetings prior to the officially-recognized date of Rotary's founding. In PPH's letter of September 4, 1906, ""I have never missed a meeting of the club since the day of February 1904 when I called to order its first meeting." This has been an inspiration for my own regular attendance. Yours in Rotary service, Bill Segraves
At 10:31AM on 9 June 2010, Fatima Ahmed wrote: wow......so wonderful.they should be kept safe amongst other items for exhibition.it will be much fun staring at the postage stamp.whoever said first love memories never last,Paul. p. Harris has put you to the test.let me rummage for mine also.
At 2:02PM on 3 June 2010, Janet Loch wrote: I am amazed at the comments against sharing these letters--where are the romantics to defend this?? I love knowing Paul Harris had a girl friend....how nice for him and for her. It certainly makes him more human instead of a larger than normal organization creator! How about all the stories of his escapades in school.? It is great to know our beloved founder was one of us!! A loving, normal , and warm human being!! ..
At 9:01AM on 3 June 2010, Bill Segraves (Member of Rotary since 1994) wrote: Susan Hanf has done a marvelous job with this Historic Moment. If the content of the letters is offensive to anyone, it is my responsibility, and mine alone, as I was the one who caused my Mother to give the letters to RI. I hesitated on account of personal information in the letters, but saw that the value of the letters to historians far exceeded the risk of someone quoting personal information out of context. I still have copies of the letters; and for what it's worth, I can assure all readers that the two articles in "The Rotarian" and this article have presented the material tastefully. We regret that some members/persons are offended; but stand by our position that our gift of these letters to the RI Archives meets The 4-way Test, in all respects. Grace Irene Marietta Mann, by the way , was my grandmother. Her father, Senator Austin S. Mann, was married to George C. Clark's daughter. George C. Clark was one of the first two Honorary Members of Paul's Rotary Club, and was a founder of the Rotary Club of Jacksonville, Florida, and first Governor of the District.
At 9:53AM on 1 June 2010, Charles Kabanda Ssentamu wrote: I think this is like idolising Harris which is surely unnecessary.The other issue is going into his very private life. Do we have to go this far?
At 8:58AM on 1 June 2010, SN Agrawal wrote: How does it concern Rotary, is not it like idol worship! In an organization of professional people & businessmen, there should not be such gossips.
At 8:58AM on 1 June 2010, Bob Bouse wrote: I must agree this was a private meeting between two adults. It was not meant to be public.
At 8:56AM on 1 June 2010, Dr Anwar H Noor wrote: I think it is worth knowing the early romance of our founder Paul Harris. As a young visionary it was quite natural for Harris. The best thing was his last letter with best wishes to Grace Mann and return of her letters. This remind us the rotary 4 way test.
At 8:55AM on 1 June 2010, kate Onyemali wrote: There is a saying goes "when u truly love someone you want the persons happiness" Paul truly love Grace and did not want her to fall apart with her family that same love he fed us with in Rotary today SERVICE ABOVE SELF
At 8:53AM on 1 June 2010, Munirul Haque (RID 3280) wrote: Yes, like others - I too am disappointed, if not offended at making this public. Does this in any way fulfill: Will it be BENEFICIAL to all concerned?
At 8:51AM on 1 June 2010, Ike Unegbe wrote: Well, we must realise that Paul Harris was led to set up an organisation which has grown bigger than himself. That is the way it is for great movements. Rotary is now much bigger than Paul Harris, and he will be the happier for it. To circulate his letters, to my mind, does not fall within his high aim of setting up this organisation. And the question is : 'did he authorise it?
At 11:40AM on 26 May 2010, David Waring wrote: Did Paul Harris meet Grace in 1905 OR was it earlier? I've not seen these letters, but heard rumors through other sources that Paul described his formation of Rotary in letters dated 1904...NOT 1905... Please clarify this.
At 5:16PM on 20 May 2010, Meshack Ekele wrote: Who ever says he is immune to love and romance should be the first to cast the stone. Lol I love you Paul Harris and what ever you stands for.
At 9:14AM on 21 May 2010, Juhani Rouhesmaa wrote: Sorry, but I do not understand, why this romance had to be shared with all the Rotarians and others who happen to see this story. After all it was a private matter between the two private individuals. We need not know all the steps of Paul Harris. He made a great thing by founding this noble service organization. For all the Rotarians that was the most important and highly respected achievement of Paul Harris.
At 3:12PM on 20 May 2010, Jack Selway wrote: Good work by Susan Hanf and the archives department. There may be other letters. In 2001, at the RI Convention, I had a conversation with the exec director of the Jacksonville, FL club. At that time, I did not believe that Paul was a very interesting guy, maybe not even that interested in Rotary. Oh, she said, "I have his letters..." She went on to say something like "you've got him all wrong.... He was a romantic, interesting, bright..." Well that got me to ready his third book. "My Road to Rotary." From there, I read everything he ever wrote, except these letters. It changed my opinion of PH and greatly shaped the work of RGHF.

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