www.kiwanis.org
SPECIAL ISSUE: January 2015
The year was 1914. In Sarajevo, the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand sent most of Europe into war. Charlie Chaplin made his movie debut, and Babe Ruth appeared in his first Major League Baseball game. The first ship passed through the newly-completed Panama Canal, while in San Diego, Balboa Park opened to celebrate the occasion. In Washington, D.C., President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation officially making Mother’s Day an American holiday. In Cincinnati, the world’s last passenger pigeon died. And in Detroit, Henry Ford perfected his assembly line technology to build a Model T every 90 minutes. Ford would sell over 300,000 cars in 1914, and yet his innovation was maybe just the second-most exciting concept born in Detroit that year. 33-year-old Joseph G. Prance, a modest Detroit tailor with his own shop at 1188 Gratiot Avenue, met with Allan Simpson Browne, a persuasive and energetic man who actually earned his living by traveling across Michigan and Ontario, establishing Moose Lodges. Browne had already built several small fraternal and civic organizations, and had previously tried to recruit Prance for another group, Joseph G. Prance but in 1914, with much of the world on the brink of war, Prance agreed to become the first member of a Co-Founder and First Member new organization, which Browne would call the “Supreme Lodge Benevolent Order Brothers.” The concept was simple. Build an organization for local businessmen, who would pay dues to belong to the group, and in turn, patronize one another’s businesses. In theory, each member would profit from their involvement. Over the next few months, Browne and Prance would recruit dozens of other interested businessmen, holding the first few meetings in Prance’s tailor shop. On December 7th, 1914, Prance signed the new organization’s first membership card. It quickly became apparent that the name “Benevolent Order Brothers” (or “B.O.B.” for short) was both cumbersome and unappealing. Browne approached Detroit City Historian C.M. Burton in search of suggestions for a more meaningful name. Together, they found an Otchipew (Chippewa) phrase, “Nunc-Kee-Wan-Nis,” which had several interpretations, including “we trade,” “we make noise,” “we make ourselves known,” and “we have a good time.” Browne decided to shorten the phrase to simply “Kiwanis,” and thus the new organization was given its name. Paperwork was filed with the State of Michigan, petitioning the Secretary of State to incorporate the new organization. On January 21st, 1915, that application was approved, and the Kiwanis Club of Detroit was born, with insurance man Donald A. Johnston serving as the first Club President. Today, January 21st is recognized as the official date of the founding of Kiwanis International. The idea of Kiwanis spread quickly, although not without deliberation. By July 1915, members of Allen Simpson Browne the club had turned their attention from that of profit and greed to one of community service instead. Co-Founder of Kiwanis Selfish motives gave way to philanthropy and goodwill, and soon Kiwanis became known for serving others. The club’s first service project was the symbolic (but active) adoption of a needy young child, who would have his name legally changed to Walter Kiwanis. However, Allen Browne legally owned the Kiwanis Club, and many of the club’s original 173 members left once it was determined that Browne was keeping a personal profit from each member’s dues. As membership dwindled down to about fifty men, it looked as though Kiwanis may fail. Johnston refocused the group, while Browne left for Ohio, along with Club Secretary Ottie Robertson. The two of them formed the Kiwanis Club of Cleveland (with 135 members) by the end of the year. The first Kiwanis Convention was held in Cleveland in May of 1916, as delegates adopted officers and a constitution, thus making community service the permanent mission of Kiwanis International. Kiwanis Districts were formed for the first time. At the 1919 Kiwanis Convention in Birmingham, delegates voted to buy out Browne for the sum of $17,500 -- a massive total raised in a single day. Kiwanis now controlled its own destiny and owned the rights to its own organization. In 1920, the motto “We Build” was adopted, followed four years later by the Six Permanent Objects of Kiwanis. Donald A. Johnston At a time when the world seemed like it would be consumed by war, Kiwanis not only survived, First Kiwanis Club President but it spread across the continent, and it thrived. A hundred years later, Kiwanis continues to shine.
In This Special Issue:
Kiwanis International Timeline of Events
Photos from Our First Century of Service
Centennial Celebrations in Detroit and Worldwide
Grantville Kiwanis: The Early Years
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Pages 3-7
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