| |
 | History |
| Newsletter |
| Members |
| Leadership |
| Programs |
| Initiatives |
| Events |
| Membership |
| Resources |
 | HOME |
|
News Congratulations to the following members who were elected at the recent Annual Meeting as new club officers for 2012-13... President: Congratulations also to the following members who were elected as the newest members of the club's board of directors: Krista Andrews |
 | KIWANIS INTERNATIONAL |
| MISSOURI-ARKANSAS KIWANIS DISTR |
| KEY CLUB INTERNATIONAL |
| MISSOURI-ARKANSAS DISTRICT KEY |
| BUILDER'S CLUB INTERNATIONAL |
| K-KIDS INTERNATIONAL |
History
|
|
A Brief Look At Our International History
Kiwanis International was founded on January 21, 1915, in Detroit, Michigan, by a tailor named Joseph G. Prance along with a professional organization builder named Allen S. Browne. Browne first suggested the idea of a business and professional club for men with social and commercial benefits to Prance in August of 1914. Prance was sold on the idea. In 1915, the first club, the Kiwanis Club of Detroit, Michigan, was formed.
Kiwanis became an international organization in 1916 with the establishment of a club in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Back then, Kiwanis limited its membership to the United States and Canada. It was not until 1962 that worldwide expansion was approved and ever since, Kiwanis has spread to all inhabited continents of the world.
The original purpose of Kiwanis was a business club and to serve the indigent. A debate as to whether to focus on networking or service ensued, and in 1919 Kiwanis adopted a mission focused on service. Today, clubs annually sponsor approximately 150,000 service projects and annually raise over 100 million dollars worldwide.
In the 1990's, Kiwanis signed on as a chief partner with UNICEF to fight the global onslaught of Iodine Deficiency Disorders (IDD), the leading preventable cause of mental retardation. Members and clubs contributed more than 80 million dollars toward the cause.
Kiwanis had long been an organization for men, but by action of the International Convention House of Delegates in 1987, the rules were changed to finally admit women as well. Currently women constitute approximately a quarter of Kiwanis' membership.
Our Club Charter: 55 Years of Service to the Community
The Springfield-South Kiwanis Club was organized on May 13, 1955, sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of (Downtown) Springfield. The charter was officially presented on June 16, 1955, at the Crystal Room of the Kentwood Arms Hotel (today Kentwood Resident Hall on the campus of Missouri State University). There were 61 charter members with Graydon Wheeler being the charter president.
Early Beginnings: Commitment to the Developmentally Challenged
The Kiwanis Club of Springfield-South started the first school for the developmentally challenged on North Grant, which has grown into what are now today two organizations...the Greene Valley State Training School Number One and the Springfield Sheltered Workshop. The club raised funds through popcorn sales, auctions and scrap metal drives, and was also able to purchase a school bus and equipment for the school. The club continued their interest in children and adults with developmental disabilities after the Missouri Department of Education took over the school. That latter program, support of a Saturday recreation program, was a cooperative effort with the Association of Retarded Citizens (ARC) and the Springfield Park Board.
Other Early Programs and Projects
The club also provided funding to the Speech and Hearing Center at Burge Hospital (today known as Cox Hospital), as well as provided equipment at West Side Boy’s Club and color television sets for the Grand Acres and Sunshine Nursing Homes. The club had also provided law enforcement seminars for Missouri and Arkansas police officers, uniforms for Springfield Police Cadets, a horse show at the Good Samaritan Boy’s Ranch, breakfast for the Boys and Girls Town Wagon Train, and baseball caps for Boys Scouts at the Greene County Juvenile Center.
Projects Throughout the Years
The club has supported other programs throughout the years including the Salvation Army, Storefront School, Parents as Teachers and Project Graduation, and Cherokee Middle School Builders Club and the Evangel College (University) Circle K Club. The club also sponsored the group homes Finley House in Ozark and Sherman House in Springfield. The club has participated in the Adopt-a-Highway Program, raising flags for area businesses on holidays, and rejuvenated the Springfield Veteran’s Memorial Park in South Springfield, and the Easter Seals Society and Children’s Miracle Network (CMN) at the national level. The Greater Ozarks Duck Race and Peanut Days sponsored by Kiwanis have been two main fundraisers for CMN.
The club has organized 10K benefit runs to help purchase equipment for the Springfield Workshop and Springfield Children’s Home (today part of Boys and Girls Town of Missouri), and the Good Samaritan Boys Ranch Auction.
Many of these past projects and support of programs have continued to today, and the club continues to reach out to support other programs that are in-line with the Objects of Kiwanis. Other partnerships (some of which have carried over from the days of yesteryear) have included ARC of the Ozarks, Boys and Girls Club, Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of America, Camp Barnabas, Leukemia/Lymphoma Society, Salvation Army, The Kitchen, Ozarks Literacy Council, Ozarks Counseling Center, Ozarks Food Harvest, and Kids Against Hunger.
The Club Today: Recent and Current Projects
The club today holds two major fundraisers each year…Pancake Day each spring and the Carl Lippelman Memorial Glo-Ball Golf Tournament each summer or fall, the latter of which benefits the clubs’ foundation endowment to award an annual scholarship. The club also sponsors the annual Law Day Essay Contest in Springfield schools.
The club sponsors the Parkview High School Key Club, Cherokee Middle School Builder’s Club, and the Cowden Elementary School K-Kids Program, and has sponsored the Kiwanis Club of Springfield-North, Buffalo, Rogersville, and current endeavors to build a satellite club in Nixa.
In 2010, the club adopted literacy as its primary service focus, tying that in with the Kiwanis program, “Young Children: Priority One.”
Spiritual Aims: Object #1
The first Object of Kiwanis International and the local Kiwanis Club of Springfield-South is, “To give primacy to the human and spiritual rather than to the material values of life.” In keeping with that objective, approximately 55 years ago, the Board of Directors of the Kiwanis Club of Springfield-South determined that it was appropriate for the club to set aside one meeting a year, usually around the first of May, to be devoted to prayer for our local, state, national and world governments, including their leaders and their staff. It was determined that divine guidance is and should be at the center of our governance.
Charter Members
The following were charter members of the Kiwanis Club of Springfield-South:
|
Richard Ayre A. Warren Andrews Clarence E. (Gene) Atkins Walter B. Aton Joe H. Barrett William Billings Jean Paul Bradshaw Leo M. Brooks. W.H. Cantrill Joe Bill Crane Myron E. Counsil W. Ray Daniel Lawrence Eiffert (Second Vice-President) John Ellis Roy B. Edwards Joe Fisher Harry Federow Richard H. Forsythe O.E. Golden (Secretary) David F. Gorelick Charles E. Gotta |
Keith O. Gromer Jim Guthrie N. Guy Hall R.F. Hedgpeth Horace Haseltine Glenn Johnston Kenneth Johnston Robert W. Johnston George B. Kahler Ervin O. Keeter Jack M. Kelmick Herman F. Laab Oscar Lee Gerald H. Lowther Francis M. Maple David Maupin Robert W. Marshall Kermit McMillian Fred R. McMahon Edward Monroe |
Robert W. Mouser C.E. Myer Robert W. Plaster Milford Pryor Robert Reed (Treasurer) Leonard F. Richardson Jack L. Riley Dale E. Sims Jack Stahl E.M. Story John W. Terrill Willard D. Warner Lawson Weaver (First Vice-President) Graydon Wheeler (President) Joe F. Whipple A.H. Wilk, Jr. Jess Albert Wood William W. Wood Don Yount Bob Zucchini |
Past Presidents
The following members have served as President of the Kiwanis Club of Springfield-South:*
|
1954-55: Graydon Wheeler* 1955-56: Lawson Weaver* 1956-57: Larry Eiffert* 1957-58: N. Guy Hall* 1958-59: Dr. Frances Maple, MD* 1959-60: Fred McMahon* 1960-61: Buell Weathers 1961-62: Gerald Lowther* 1962-63: Jack Stahl* 1963-64: Robert Marshall* 1964-65: Hershel Riddle 1965-66: Don Roy* 1966-67: Dr. Glenn Johnston, DDS* 1967-68: Tom Strong 1968-69: Joe Carroll* 1969-70: Jim Brown 1970-71: John Doak* 1971-72: Charles Gottas* 1972-73: Jim Allwood* |
1973-74: Don Ryan 1974-75: Dean Hudlow 1975-76: Les Mace 1976-77: Bob Huitt 1977-78: Bill Hockensmith* 1978-79: Dennis Smith 1979-80: Doug Evans 1980-81: Larry Beach 1981-82: Bob Leonard* 1982-83: Bill Stone, Jr. 1983-84: J. Kenneth Horn 1984-85: Bob Bridgman* 1985-86: Dana Elwell 1986-87: Bob Dean* 1987-88: Robert H. Douglas 1988-89: Tom Inman 1989-90: Larry L. Young 1990-91: Gene Barnes 1991-92: Jim Brandenburgh |
1992-93: Jim L. Morris 1993-94: Mike Casey, Marla Calico 1994-95: Brent Green 1995-96: Bob Ogden 1996-97: Paul Sherman 1997-98: Gary Bishop 1998-99: Carl Lippelman* 1999-00: Stan Arnoldy 2000-01: David Neill 2001-02: Dan Wichmer 2002-03: Russ Tucker 2003-04: Sean Taylor 2004-05: Randy Eggert 2005-06: Steve Gassel 2006-07: David Bohnenkamper 2007-08: Kim Calhoon 2008-09: Mark Frazier 2009-2010: Ralph Baldi 2010-2011: Kevin Gillogly |
Life Members
Les Mace
Bill Stone
Legion of Honor Members
Members with 25 or more years membership:
|
Jim Brandenburgh Doug Evans |
Ken Horn Les Mace |
Bill Stone |
Tablet of Honor Members
Bob Dean*
Les Mace
Buell Weathers*
George F. Hixson Fellows
|
Gary Bishop Bob Dean* Bill Hockensmith* Ken Horn Glenn Johnston* |
Harry Kenagy* Les Mace Virginia Mace James L. Moore |
J.D. Nave Bill Stone Buell Weathers* |
Missouri-Arkansas District Leadership
The following members of the Kiwanis Club of Springfield-South have served in Missouri-Arkansas District leadership positions:
Past District Governors
|
1981-82: Les Mace Also served as District Treasurer in 1979-80 and as District Secretary-Treasurer in 1982-83. |
|
1967-68: Hershel Riddle* 1972-73: John Doak* 1977-78: Les Mace 1983-84: Bill Stone, Jr. 1985-86: David Dodd |
1992-93: Bob Dean* 1999-2000: Paul Sherman 2002-03: Dan Wichmer 2003-04: J.D. Nave |
2004-05: Les Mace 2007-08: David Bohnenkamper 2011-12: Ralph Baldi |
