A Brief History

The Rotary Club Bari held its first meeting on 11 September 1933, thanks to the initiative of G.R. Uff. Antonio Larocca, President of the "Fiera del Levante". On 24 February 1934 the Club was officially recognised as a member of the Rotary International, 46th District, the only one District existing in Italy at that time.
On a time scale, it was the fifth Rotary Club in Southern Italy, one of the first 25 Italian Clubs created before the World War II, and the Rotary Club Bari has the honour to be the oldest and the first Club in the 2120 District.
Due to the disastrous international events, which brought to the World War II, the Club was obliged to suspend the activities in December 1938. After the war, the Club starts again its activity on February 1948.

During its long life, the Club contributed to help serve communities in social and cultural needs, promoting actions inspired to the rotarian ideals, devoted to the tangible solidarity towards the weak and poor person, the old and the handicapped people (with donation of medical appliances, special motor vehicles, ..) to the support for youth educational and vocational programs, to the restoration and preservation of monuments. Bari Rotary Club constantly worked to meet the changing needs of society, also discussing in the weekly meetings the main subjects and problems of the City and of the Country, offering the qualified opinion and contribution of its members, leaders in the professions and experienced in the life.
It could be tedious to mention all the actions carried out in these years, with a very long list. The present services are instead reported in a specific web page.

Foundations: The Bari Rotary Club administers several Foundations, which support annual grants, aimed to encourage young people particularly meritorious, or to help workers distinguished by their zeal and integrity.
The Club offers every year a relevant contribute to the Rotary Foundation, and often it gains the award for the largest contribution within the District and, consequently, numerous "Paul Harris" Fellowship awards: 49 among the 131 actual Club members have been decorated with the "PHF", quite a lot with one, two or three sapphire.
The R.C. Bari, among the other activities, issues a weekly bulletin: this magazine, is printed, in an elegant and sound typographical form, uninterruptedly for over 53 years; it is well appreciated, for the reliability and timely of information, not only by the members, but also by the Rotarians of the three other metropolitan Clubs, to whom the bulletin arrives punctually.
To inform the foreigner and Italian Rotarian - internet navigators - we report the texts of the speeches offered during the Club meetings in the year 2000-2001, and published as long summary in the bulletin.
The Rotarians eventually interested to some particular speech texts, can ask to the Club secretary to receive the number of the magazine.

Club Presidents: 1933-34 and 1934-35: Antonio Larocca; 1935: Giuseppe Mariani; 1935-36 e 1936-37: Alessandro Guaccero; 1937-37: Modesto Palasciano; 1948-49 and 1949-50: Isidoro Pirelli; 1950-51 and 1951-52: Carlo Russo Frattasi; 1952-53 and 1953-54: Raffaele La Volpe; 1954-55: Michele Mitolo; 1955-56: Giuseppe Perrone Capano; !956-57 e 1957-58: Vincenzo Bonomo; 1958-59 and 1959-60: Giovanni Puglisi Duranti; 1960-61: Ettore De Biasi; 1961-62 and 1962-63: Alfonso Siciliani; 1963-64: Luigi Buttiglione e Goffredo Baldassarre; 1964-65: Goffredo Baldassarre; 1965-66: Domenico Paparella; 1966-67: Luigi Jacobini; 1967-68: Giuseppe Martelli; 1968-69: Nicola d'Amati; 1969-70: Franco Grasso; 1970-71: Domenico Lico; 1971-72: Italo Labriola; 1972-73: Giovanni Conte; 1973-74: Vincenzo Rossi; 1974-75: Gaetano Santomauro; 1975-76: Franco Viterbo; 1976-77: Arcangelo D'Alessandro; 1977-78: Antonio Crudo; 1978-79: Riccardo Giorgino; 1979-80: Vincenzo Pipitone; 1980-81: Carmelo Simone; 1981-82: Ermanno Arcamone; 1982-83: Lucio Montedoro; 1983-84: Salvatore Salamanna; 1984-85: Mario Pitzalis; 1985-86: Antonio Barile; 1986-87: Gennaro Ferorelli; 1987-88: Michele Mastronardi; 1988-89: Alfonso Forte; 1989-90: Vincenzo Perchinunno; 1990-91: Gaetano Vignola; 1991-92: Giacomo Boscia; 1992-93: Ettore Staiano; 1993-94: Vittorio Marzi; 1994-95: Paolo Giocoli Nacci; 1995-96: Franco Agnelli; 1996-97: Marco Jacobini; 1997-98: Paolo Perulli; 1998-99: Remigio Perchinunno; 1999-00: Vincenzo Spagnolo; 2000-01: Alfredo Sollazzo; 2001-02 Gianbattista De Tommasi; 2002-03 Sergio Papa; 2003-04 Salvatore Distaso; 2004-05 Emanuele Fino; 2005-06 Luigi Maria Galantucci; 2006-07 Franco Introna; 2007-08 Michele Simone; 2008-09 Paolo Amirante.

Past Governors: 1956-57: Carlo Russo Frattasi; 1961-62: Vincenzo Bonomo; 1972-73: Alfonso Siciliani; 1992-93: Riccardo Giorgino.

Incoming Governor 2008-9: Gianbattista De Tommasi