50 Years of Service from Perrin Powell
Thursday, August 25, 2022
By Joe C. Mullinax
Perrin Powell was asked to join the Club in 1972 by his uncles Pat Perrin and Buck Perrin. He jokes he was only 12 years old when he joined! In fact, he was a counselor at Spartanburg High School and got permission to leave campus every Tuesday for an hour to attend the meetings. 

Today we honor Perrin Powell not only for his 50 years of service, but also for being a Paul Harris Fellow +5.

President William Gray, Kay and Perrin Powell. 

"Worldwide, the Rotary Foundation has done miraculous things. When I was Club President in 1985-86, we had a big emphasis on Polio Plus. That was the year I became a Paul Harris Fellow and honored my wife with a Paul Harris Fellow at the same time. We had many Paul Harris Fellows that year. We have almost entirely eradicated one of the worst diseases known to mankind through the work of the Rotary Foundation," says Powell.


What does the Paul Harris recognition mean? It recognizes a $1000 donation to the Rotary Foundation, and each +1 means another $1,000 gift. When you give to The Rotary Foundation, you fuel our service projects - projects that eradicate polio, promote peace, and improve developing communities. We are proud that 90.8 percent of donations go straight to supporting our service projects. Using these donations, we’ve wiped out 99 percent of all polio cases. A child can be protected from polio with as little as 60 cents. Our partners make your donation go even farther. For every $1 Rotary commits to polio eradication, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has committed $2.

How has the Club changed over the last 50 years? "As I've gotten older, the Club has gotten younger! I was the youngest member when I joined at 25. I've seen the Club bring in more and more young folks and it is a more dynamic group now. Another huge change was bringing in women. This has been a big benefit to Rotary," says Powell.


Perrin Powell receives his Paul Harris Fellow +5 pin from President William Gray.

"I love what Rotary stands for. Love what Rotary does worldwide. I've enjoyed meeting people in various occupations. I've thoroughly enjoyed it all," says Powell.

Learn more about the Rotary Foundation: https://www.rotary.org/en/about-rotary/rotary-foundation