Wilfrid J.
Wilkinson
2007-08
Rotary International President
Wilfrid J. Wilkinson
Trenton, Ontario, Canada
President, Rotary International, 2007-08
Chair, 2005 Chicago Convention Committee
Trustee, The Rotary Foundation, 1997-01 and 2002-04
Vice President, Rotary International, 1993-94
Director, Rotary International, 1992-94
District Governor, 1971-72
Wilfrid J. Wilkinson, a retired
chartered accountant, was a founding partner of Wilkinson & Company, a
public accounting firm. He is a past president of the Public Accountants
Council for the Province of Ontario and a past treasurer of both the
Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants and the Institute of Chartered
Accountants of Ontario. He is also a member of the Institute of Chartered
Accountants of Quebec and the Royal Canadian Military Institute and was
elected a fellow of the Ontario Institute of Chartered Accountants.
Since retiring, Wilkinson has served as the part-time executive
director of the Quinte Ballet School of Canada. He is also a member of the
board of directors of Morris Industries Ltd., a company that manufactures
advanced air seedings and tillage systems. He has also been chairman of
the Trenton Memorial Hospital fundraising committee, a founding chairman
of the Belleville Cheshire Home for Physically Handicapped Adults,
chairman of the Board for Loyalist College, and president of the district
council of the Boy Scouts of Canada.
A Rotarian since 1962, Wilkinson is a member and past president of the
Rotary Club of Trenton, Ontario. He has served Rotary International as
vice president, director, Rotary Foundation trustee, and district
governor. He has also been an International Assembly discussion leader and
member and chair of several committees, including the 2005 Chicago
Convention Committee.
As a member of the International PolioPlus Committee, Wilkinson has
been dedicated to the global effort to eradicate polio. He participated in
National Immunization Days in Kenya, Tanzania, and India, and also
administered polio drops to children of Afghan refugees in Pakistan. He
has served as a Health, Hunger and Humanity Grants program volunteer to
India. In addition, Wilkinson has had Rotary assignments in South Africa,
Namibia, the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and many
regions throughout the United States and Canada.
Wilkinson has been recognized for his humanitarian service by the
Knights of Columbus, the province of Ontario, and the Canadian government.
In 2001, he was honored by Pope John Paul II with the Pro Ecclesia et
Pontifice medal. He is also the recipient of numerous Rotary honors,
including RI’s Service Above Self Award and the Foundation’s Citation for
Meritorious Service, Distinguished Service Award, and International
Service Award for a Polio-Free World.
Wilkinson has been married to Joan since 1953, and they have four sons
and eight grandchildren.
