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History of Excelsior Springs Kiwanis
The Excelsior Springs Kiwanis club was chartered on November 25, 1922. At that time, the Kiwanis Club International had nearly 900 clubs in existence in the United States and Canada. Kiwanis clubs all over the country had become known for their good work -- active in carrying out civic and community enterprises. Such figures as the Prince of Wales and United States President Rufus K. Hardy were hailed as club members.
Prior to becoming a club, the Kiwanis Club Interntional sent Leonard A. Parr from the Chicago Ledger to survey the community, meet some of the leading business men and see if a recommendation for a charter could be made. After certain preliminary conferences in which a good deal of enthusiasm had been created among some of the Excelsior Springs business men, an organization meeting was arrange for the evening of November 25, at the Elms hotel.
District Govenor E. L. Chase, assistant manager of the Kansas City Telephone company and district govenor of the Missouri-Kansas district of the Kiwanis International, was present and addressed over 60 in attendance on the aims and purposes of Kiwanis. At the conclusion of the banquet, the full quota of 50 members were secured to warrant the issuring of a charter. The first officers named were B. M. Meservey, President; C. A. Peck, Secretary; Charles S. Lewis, Treasurer; and Directors F. K. Harris, John Emmke, Dr. N. D. Williams, Dr. E. C. Robichaux and Fred Mitchell.
The first sponsored event of the newly formed club was to sponsor a Pay Day campaign. "If I pay John and John pays Tom and Tom pays Harry and Harry pays Jim, maybe Jim will pay me," a local newspaper reported one of the club members who favored the idea as saying. It was the notion of members of the Kiwanis club that if everyone joined in and cooperated in the movement, many hundreds of dollars would be put into circulation in Excelsior Springs about the first of the year. The Pay Day Campaign was scheduled for January 2, 3 and 4, 1923.
In those early years, the Kiwanis Free Medical Clinic at the Excelsior Springs Hospital and the city-wide beautification projects were considered the most important of the club's activities, as related by founding members at the club's 25th Anniversary.
The Free Medical Clinic provided free medical treatment for over 1,000 underprivileged people during its existence, beginning in 1931. Special mention for the work done there went to Dr. S. R. McCracken, Dr. Suddarth and Sam Sherwood. Physicians who participated in the free clinic were McCracken, Suddarth, E. C. Robichaux, R. W. Prather, J.E. Musgrave, and dentist Hadley Kimes. More than 400 tonsillectomies were performed. The clinic was discontinued when the state gave the county $10,000 for the medical care of underpriviledged children.
The Beautification efforts featured work on park land off St. Louis avenue, extending to Dunbar and around the Wyman School and on Sunnyside Park. The seven year program included landscaping, shrubbing and otherwise beautifying the once unsightly ground of St. Louis avenue. At the Sunnyside Park, the Kiwanis bought pillars (since removed) leading into the picnic grounds, donated ovens and cleaned and beautified the entire area.
With its education fund, the local Kiwanis club aided many underpriviledged children to remain in school and to go on to universities and colleges.
At the 25th Anniversary, charter club member W. F. Hirrlinger recalled when he was the central figure in a stunt which received wide publicity. He was "kidnapped" from his furniture store on Broadway, handcuffed to the club secretary, and taken in this fashion to a meeting of Kiwanians in Kansas City. Charter club member B. H. Strathman touched upon his most vivid impressions and told of Kiwanis social gatherings in which, then Senator, Harry S. Truman participated. Of the 50 charter members, 20 were then deceased, 30 still living, only 14 still living in Excelsior Springs and only Hirrlinger and Strathman retained their membership.
Kiwanis was restricted to the membership of business men in the community. At a later date, a womens' auxiliary to the Kiwanis Club was formed locally, known as the Sinawik Club. Today, the Excelsior Springs Kiwanis Club is made up of men and women from all walks of life in the community.
Charter Members:
Archibald Blood, owner, Daily Call
E.D. Stinson, farmer
M. L. MaHaffie, retail lumber business
L. B. Challer, real estate
E. W. Binkley, telephone company
Walter L. Bales, Excelsior Printing
Roy A. Judd, plumber
William A. Craven, lawyer
S. W. McDavid, garage
Howard H. Morse, assistant postmaster
Ben (Pop) Sickel, cafe
Dr. N. D. Williams, dentist
C. H. Luttrell, Avalon apartments
F. A. Benson, insurance
D. D. Westbrook, tire shop
J. H. Bardwell, tailor
W. A. Mitchell, contractor
J.W. Coen, grocer
Charles S. Lewis, clothing
T. E. Wariner, banker
W. E. (Bill) Rapson, bath house
Clem D. Cole, bath house
J. C. Pryer, contractor
J. D. McDermott, coal mine
B. H. Strathman, photographer |
B. H. Perrett, coal mine
T. E. Crawford, banker
Dr. E. C. Robichaux, physician
Walter Snyder, plumber
Dr. J. E. Musgrave, physician
John Emmke, hotel manager
F. G. Taggart, gas and oil jobber
Sam Fell, real estate
Jack McCorkle, electrical engineer
C. A. Seaton, grocer and baker
Clarence A. Peck, druggist
Dr. Frank Brownell, osteopath
P. B. Doniphan, toilet article merchant
Beth M. Meservey, banker
Fred K. Harris, banker
Otis Holmes, dry goods
Fred W. Mitchell, publisher, Daily Standard
A. D. Bloch, laundry
Edward J. Bastion, accountant
Frederic Catudal, cigar and tobacco dealer
Dr. S. R. McCracken, city physician
W. W. Hay, land officer
W. F. Hirrlinger, furniture dealer
Karl W. Bates, florist
A. G. Arnold Jr., baker |
Club Presidents in the early years:
1923 - Beth M. Meservey
1924 - Dr. J. E. Musgrave
1925 - Dr. N. D. Williams
1926 - Dr. E. C. Robichaux
1927 - Frank A. Ford
1928 - Dr. S. R. McCracken
1929 - Dr. D. E. Nelson
1930 - Carl P. Hinn
1931 - Dr. J. B. Janson
1932 - T. E. Connellan
1933 - E. L. Wilson
1934 - W. F. Hirrlinger
1935 - Roger N. English
1936 - Myron Waggoner
1937 - E. Joe Rychel Jr.
1938 - Robert Moore
1939 - Ernest Widmer
1940 - Ben H. Strathman
1941 - Dr. F. L. Mitchell
1942 - Dean Greim
1943 - Dr. Frank B. Irwin
1944 - John Broidy
1945 - Rev. Paul Brinkley
1946 - Ralph Paul
1947- Garland Flinchpaugh
1948 - Dr. Lerton V. Dawson
1949 - Jack Elmore
1950 - James W. Dray
1951 - Edward A. McGuire
1952 - Rev. Hugh Snider
1953 - Dr. John F. White
1954 - H. Nelson Elmore
1955 - William Newlan
1956 - Richard A. Moore
1957 - Hal B. Jones
1958 - Rev. William Magill
1959 - Leroy Strasheim
1960 - David A Martin
1961 - Ray Pettegrew
1962 - Eugine E. Speer, Jr.
1963 - Marion R. O'Dell
1964 - Thomas G. Woodside
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1965 - Jack Clemons
1966 - Vernon Hoyt
1967 - Roger Slate
1968 - Sam Van Pelt
1969 - H. L. Plattenburg
1970 - Tom Duncan
1971 - Ted Redhair
1972 - Tom Zolotor
1973 - Don Greim
1974 - Jim Olson
1975 - Lannie Norris
1976 - Victory Reynolds
1977 - Larry Greim
1978 - David C. Martin
1979 - Dave Cramer
1980 - Larry Hermreck
1981 - Jim Green
1982 - Dr. Nick Houk
1983 - Dr. Bob Perry
1984 - Dean K. Buford
1985 - Earl D. Humphreys
1986 - Earl D. Humphreys
1987 - Bud Amos
1988 - Don Edwards
1989 - Richard Wharton
1990 - Marc Williams
1991 - Dr. Randy Decker
1992 - Doug Bell
1993 - Doug Bell
1994 - Larry Greim
1995 - Tom Mayfield
1996 - Laura Williams
1997 - David Schooling
1998 - Tanya Duncan
1999 - Laura Williams
2000 - Keith Hudson
2001 - Frank Shadley
2002 - Sheri Millar
2003 - Keith Hudson
2004 - Kyle Kixmiller
2005 - Keith Hudson
2006 - Shannon Ivie
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